Zadie Smith
Teeth as Symbol
Heather Wildrick, Eng 393B, DePauw University
The title White Teeth alerts the reader that that teeth might play an important role in the text, and they do. The first point in the book at which the image of teeth appears is with Clara. When Archie sees her for the first time as she descends from the staircase, "she was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen, she was also the most comforting woman he had ever met . . . her wide grin revealed possibly her one imperfection. A complete lack of top teeth in the top of her mouth" (Smith 22). In chapter two, entitled "Teething Trouble," the reader discovers the story behind Clara's missing teeth, and with this story, Clara's character development ensues. Smith states in the opening paragraph of the chapter: "Clara was from somewhere, she had roots . . . because before she was beautiful she was ugly." We then learn that until a specific point in her life "Clara Bowden . . . was gangly bucktoothed" (Smith 24). By use of......
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Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)
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