The Millennial Teeth Issues

Zadie Smith is a young British writer who bursts into the literary scene at the turn of the Millennium with her debut novel White Teeth's(2000) successful receptions, and whose fame and recognition are further solidified by the succeeding novels The Autograph Man(2002) and On Beauty(2005).This MA.thesis aims to find out the suggestive solutions that Smith provides through the development of the three multiethnic families' stories in White Teeth to the hardcore problems of the contemporary society,and the artistic way she achieves her goal by presenting the novel skillfully.On the basis of an introduction of background information which consists of the writer and her other works,a summary of the critical responses to White Teeth,and of the novel's characters and plot,this thesis makes an elaborate analysis on the themes and symbols of the novel in an attempt to find out the answer to the problems facing a multicultural society at the end of the last millennium.By close textual readings and in-depth interpretations of the novel's major themes in three dimensions:"multiculturalism and Englishness","history and heritage",and"fundamentalism",it shows that Smith's confidence in the common humanity as exhibited by the deeds of the indecisive Archie and the experiences of his hybrid daughter Irie is the weapon to tackle the problems we are facing,in a world where the uncertainties,unpredictability, and repetition take up much of the normality in terms of individual identity,history and beliefs.This thesis gives a special chapter for the analysis of the teeth symbol and other stylistic features so as to demonstrate Smith's great inventiveness and powerful narration combined with an admirable sense of humour,explaining the reasons for the novel's sensational performance.The thesis also gives a summary of the value of the novel and its literary contribution from the Chinese point of view.Through analysis and comparison,this thesis finally concludes that White Teeth is a well-written celebration and representation of ordinary people's life in a post-war,post-colonial, and multicultural context;that optimistic outlooks are necessary for viewing the present and the future.