White Teeth What's Up With the Title? (2024)

All teeth are white, and everyone is the same when it comes to teeth—we all have 'em. Meanwhile, White Teeth is populated by characters from different races and ethnicities and of different ages, who speak different languages and have very different ways at looking at the world.

So we think teethwork is a symbol of humanity in this novel. You've probably heard a different version of this same symbol many times before: everybody's blood is red. So we all bleed the same blood. Same idea here.

Yet, at the same time as teeth are a symbol of humanity as a whole, teeth are also used to identify individuals (yes, like on CSI). Each person has a unique set of teeth. And teeth also have roots. And roots, as all the talk of root canals suggests, are worth saving.

So, Zadie Smith is demanding kind of a lot of us readers with this teeth symbol. She wants us to just sort of hang out with the idea that people are basically the same (you know, there's only one humanity), but that there are also some really awesome differences between people.

White Teeth What's Up With the Title? (2024)

FAQs

White Teeth What's Up With the Title? ›

All teeth are white, and everyone is the same when it comes to teeth—we all have 'em. Meanwhile, White Teeth

White Teeth
White Teeth is a 2000 novel by the British author Zadie Smith. It focuses on the later lives of two wartime friends—the Bangladeshi Samad Iqbal and the Englishman Archie Jones—and their families in London. The novel centres on Britain's relationship with immigrants from the British Commonwealth.
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is populated by characters from different races and ethnicities and of different ages, who speak different languages and have very different ways at looking at the world.

What is the significance of the title White Teeth? ›

The way she lost her original buckteeth, in a riding accident with her white ex, is symbolic of the way British colonialists took things that were so permanent and unique to Jamaican culture, leaving them with no other option than to replace what they lost with new, white, false attributes.

What is the message of White Teeth? ›

White Teeth is a novel by Zadie Smith that explores themes of family, friendship, and cultural identity. Set in London, the story follows the intertwined lives of two families as they navigate the complexities of race, religion, and migration.

What is White Teeth all about? ›

White Teeth is a 2000 novel by the British author Zadie Smith. It focuses on the later lives of two wartime friends—the Bangladeshi Samad Iqbal and the Englishman Archie Jones—and their families in London. The novel centres on Britain's relationship with immigrants from the British Commonwealth.

What is the White Teeth theory? ›

Obviously, White Teeth explores the troubles related to the existence in a diverse culture with the space between the migrants of the first and second generations. The characters are linked to their past, also they are unsatisfied with their lives in contemporary society.

What is the history of White Teeth? ›

How Did Teeth Whitening Originate? Many years ago, ancient Egyptians created a paste using ground pumice stone, wine vinegar, and ground oxen hooves to whiten their teeth. Since appearance was of utmost importance during this time, they considered a bright smile to be a symbol of virility, wealth, and sensuous appeal.

Why are White Teeth so popular? ›

There are a few reasons for why whitened teeth are so highly sought after in American society, from attracting partners, to the social construct of power, to adhering to societal ideals, to the growth of the cosmetic dental industry, to preserving dental health, and more. As you'll see, these all tie together.

What is the feminism in White Teeth? ›

The Promise of Feminism

The main action of the story takes place between 1975 and 1992, years in which feminism enters the public consciousness, and this social movement changes the women in White Teeth. One indication of the new order is a greater degree of sexual expression allowed to women.

What is the race and ethnicity in White Teeth? ›

In Jones family Archie is English and married Clara who is Jamaican and immigrated to England. The Iqbal family, Samad and Alsana, are both Bengali and they are immigrants as well. The most English looking family is the Jewish Chalfen family and they are admired by Irie Jones for their pure Englishness.

Is White Teeth a satire? ›

White Teeth has satirical aspirations and some passages of unalloyed satire.

What is the conclusion of the White Teeth? ›

White Teeth ends with both Millat and Magid being ordered to do community service for the shooting as witnesses cannot decide which one of them shot the gun. Irie and Joshua begin a relationship, raising Irie's child as their own.

Are White Teeth difficult to read? ›

White Teeth is a long novel - over 500 pages - and Smith's desire to cram the plot with details, back stories, jokes and asides can be seen as charming but was found to be ultimately frustrating. One reader described how she felt blocked by the sheer mass of it, others described it as baggy and unfocused.

What is the religion of the White Teeth? ›

In White Teeth the dominant religions are especially Christianity (with a focus on separate sectarian groups such as the Jehovah's Witnesses) and Islam, but there are also references to Judaism as well as extremist or radicalized Islamist groups.

What is the psychology of White Teeth? ›

Better Self-Confidence:

Anytime you talk or smile, the appearance of your teeth is going to be on display. Coffee-stained teeth often result in hesitation when it comes to smiling as big as you can. With whiter teeth, you will feel more confident about your smile and exude a much higher level of self-confidence.

What's the secret to White Teeth? ›

Brush with hydrogen peroxide or baking soda twice a week

You can mix it with an equal amount of hydrogen peroxide to form a paste. Apply this mixture to your toothbrush and brush as normal. Do this twice a week and you will start seeing results in a couple of weeks.

What is White Teeth a symbol of? ›

Teeth, the novel's titular symbol, symbolize the power of identity. Teeth have roots, just as identity is rooted in the past and in one's traditional culture.

What is the theme of the identity in White Teeth? ›

It focusses on the construction of personal identity within a diaspora and the problem of selfdetermination in relation to a white “mainstream” society which confronts people of a different origin with racism and misrecognition and automatically labels them as “different”.

What is the theme of the tradition in White Teeth? ›

The man is wild for tradition. But, Samad doesn't know how to reconcile this love of tradition with his very own desires. White Teeth shows us that one of the substantial conflicts immigrants face is how to maintain certain traditional values and customs without getting left behind or left out of their new home.

What is the significance of teeth in the Bible? ›

The phrase gnashing of teeth in this context symbolizes extreme anguish and remorse, often associated with divine judgment and the condition of the unrighteous. This imagery recurs several times in the New Testament, emphasizing the severe consequences of turning away from God's ways.

What do teeth represent symbolically? ›

Teeth are used to bite, tear, chew, and gnaw. In this regard, teeth symbolize power. So the loss of teeth in your dream may be from a sense of powerlessness. You may be experiencing feelings of inferiority and a lack of self-confidence in some situation or relationship in your life.

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