From Division To Harmony:A Study Of Community In On Beauty

Zadie Smith(1975-)is a British Jamaican female writer,whose works are influenced by her ethnic identity and also baptized by English literature tradition.She has published five outstanding novels,making her one of the representatives of contemporary English literature.Her novels not only explore racial discrimination and class antagonism,but also yearn for the community of gender harmony and ethnic integration.Smith's third novel On Beauty coincides with community theory.Published in 2005,this novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize that year and The New York Times named it one of the top ten books of the Year.In 2006,it won the Orange Prize for Fiction.Based on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean,this novel describes the marital,ethnic and political differences between the liberal Belsey family and the conservative Kipps family.Despite these differences,Smith constantly emphasizes family harmony and ethnic integration in the novel,expressing her great concern for the community.With the help of community theory,this thesis aims to analyze the construction of three-level heterogeneous community revealed through the community of blood,space and spirit in On Beauty against the background of multiculturalism.This thesis is composed of six chapters.With the first introductory chapter paving the way,this thesis gives background knowledge of Zadie Smith and On Beauty.Secondly,the literature review is made in order to introduce that community research provides an innovation for the interpretation of the novel.Finally,the significance of this perspective and the overall structure are listed.Chapter Two focuses on theoretical framework of community theory.This thesis,by combing the history and development process of community theory,summarizes the main concepts for the theoretical interpretation in the subsequent text.Chapter Three analyzes the original community of blood represented by the Belsey family and the Kipps family.The indifference between husbands and wives and the alienation between parents and children almost crash the two families.However,the inner community of blood offers nourishment to give cohesion and solace to the family members.Chapter Four explores the community of place formed by Wellington College and its location Wellington.Although the students are objectified by consumerism in Wellington College and immigrants are prejudiced in Wellington,the humanistic care of the teachers at Wellington College and the mutual help among the immigrants still construct a community of place here.Chapter Five discusses the highest level in community of spirit.Smith gives priority to the sound harmony in the community of spirit.The spiritual life of the characters in the novel is mainly pinned in the two artistic forms,painting and music.The shared painting appreciation of Hendrickje Bathing and Maitresse Erzulie promotes gender harmony and the exchange of political dissents.The edification of classical and contemporary music awakens people's inner sense of identity and binds people from different classes and races.Chapter Six is the conclusion.The thesis therefore elaborates on that Smith describes the survival and clash of different classes and races on the both sides of the Atlantic Ocean at the end of the 20th century.During this period,the economic and political turmoils give rise to racial discrimination and struggles of marginalized groups.In this context,Smith articulates her longing for community under the background of multiculturalism in On Beauty.It preaches her elaboration of "beauty" and appeal for a real community that is "harmonious but different".In addition,it is expected that the interpretation of the community in the novel can provide a new idea and inspiration for solving ethnic contradictions.