White Teeth Themes
As a young Latina, daughter of immigrants, I can relate to the themes from White Teeth written by Zadie Smith. Immigration has been an issue over decades over the world and Zadie Smith has experiences that shape many of the characters lives in the novel. Many characters are shaped by their cultural background and having a lack of acceptance from other people. White Teeth is a book that Americans can relate right now to the current events happening and because of the history of migration that has happened over the years. Reading the book you can experience the fear and outcomes of immigrating to another country where the culture is different. Smith wrote about the experiences of first generation immigrants to England and their children. Even
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My father grew up here next to Portland, but went back to Mexico got married and years later came back to make a family in the great country of opportunities, that I can see now it never existed for many of the people that come here. My father after his deportation said a very similar quote that Samad said about how England is a country that people from other countries have to enter and many immigrants come to the mentality one day they will go back to their homeland with a little money. Immigrants in the United States are mistreated and discriminated the same as immigrants in England. Where people are not welcome, but just tolerated, people were welcome in World War Two but after that they are discriminated again. “I sometimes wonder why I bother," said Samad bitterly, betraying the English inflections of twenty years in the country, "I really do. These days, it feels to me like you make a devil's pact when you walk into this country. You hand over your passport at the check-in, you get stamped, you want to make a little money, get yourself started... but you mean to go back! In a place where you are never welcomed…But you have made a devil's pact... it drags you in and suddenly you are unsuitable to return, your children are unrecognizable, you belong nowhere.” (Smith, 336) My siblings and I can go back to Mexico for vacation and stay there a month but we would not function the same way if we had to live there because the commodities and culture here is different. Samad as the same as my father and mother do not recognize their children many times, my mother more than once has told me that if I was in Mexico I would not disrespect her or be the way I am. Samad can’t recognize the action his own son is making and how his culture is being lost because they live in
My father grew up here next to Portland, but went back to Mexico got married and years later came back to make a family in the great country of opportunities, that I can see now it never existed for many of the people that come here. My father after his deportation said a very similar quote that Samad said about how England is a country that people from other countries have to enter and many immigrants come to the mentality one day they will go back to their homeland with a little money. Immigrants in the United States are mistreated and discriminated the same as immigrants in England. Where people are not welcome, but just tolerated, people were welcome in World War Two but after that they are discriminated again. “I sometimes wonder why I bother," said Samad bitterly, betraying the English inflections of twenty years in the country, "I really do. These days, it feels to me like you make a devil's pact when you walk into this country. You hand over your passport at the check-in, you get stamped, you want to make a little money, get yourself started... but you mean to go back! In a place where you are never welcomed…But you have made a devil's pact... it drags you in and suddenly you are unsuitable to return, your children are unrecognizable, you belong nowhere.” (Smith, 336) My siblings and I can go back to Mexico for vacation and stay there a month but we would not function the same way if we had to live there because the commodities and culture here is different. Samad as the same as my father and mother do not recognize their children many times, my mother more than once has told me that if I was in Mexico I would not disrespect her or be the way I am. Samad can’t recognize the action his own son is making and how his culture is being lost because they live in