In relation to the attitudes of domination expressed through Joyce Chalfen, Poppy Burt-Jones’ attitude towards both her students and Samad Iqbal draw an interesting parallel between British colonization over brown bodies. In the long-term, this creates a larger gap between women, rather than reconciling differences among individuals, and developing support systems. Yet, Joyce assists Irie in finding and bettering herself only insofar as it benefits herself and rids her of her housewife boredom. In addition to the social and economic paradox that Joyce Chalfen represents with regards to feminism, she problematically seeks to “save” Irie Jones, a young, black female student, from her self-sabotaging ways. Moreover, I propose that while examining Joyce Chalfen and Poppy Burt-Jones, it becomes apparent that white, heteronormative females, and in particular, feminists in modern Britain often mirror the domination that male colonizers asserted over brown and non-heteronormative bodies.
However, Poppy and Joyce are representative of a trend in femininity that attempts to pursue social authority in the contemporary British public sphere by way of degrading the spirit of marginalized persons. Importantly, we are also introduced to Poppy Burt-Jones, a schoolteacher who seeks to portray herself as a morally progressive thinker and advocate for equality among all racial and ethnic groups. I argue that Zadie Smith has crafted White Teeth, in part, as a critique of contemporary British feminism and to show that feminism has been founded on a paradigm that largely seeks to control and hierarchize particular forms of femininity, and categorize these forms according to race, ethnic backgrounds, and sexual orientation. Smith brings satire and humor into the novel to lighten the heavy themes being addressed by showing that although Joyce claims to be a feminist, she symbolizes a tough contradiction, by relying on her husband not only financially, but also to validate how physically attractive she is. Joyce also represents the type of feminist that is troubling to so many women in western culture: the “white,” heteronormative feminist. Midway through Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, we are introduced to Joyce Chalfen, a modern woman who seeks to create her identity as an authorial voice and a “staunch feminist” that successfully advises women on how to grow the perfect English garden, as well as how to become the ideal woman (Smith 324).
0 kommentar(er)
