Anxiety, socialisation, self-idealisation and search for glory in Zadie Smith’s White Teeth and On Beauty

Literary scholars of Zadie Smith’s two novels, White Teeth (2000) and On Beauty (2005), have examined Millat and Levi, the two youngest male characters in the novels, based on their situations in post-colonial and multi-cultural societies by viewing them as representations of second generation immigrants. However, this thesis attempts to portray these selected characters as ordinary children who grow up in unfavourable conditions with their families and uncovers their problems as being rooted in their relationships with their fathers. For this purpose, I examine the personality development of the selected characters as a representation of neuroses within the conceptual frameworks outlined by Karen Horney’s psychoanalytic social theory: basic anxiety, basic conflicts, the three movements and the search for glory. Through textual analysis, this study explores the root of the psychological anxiety in these two young male characters, Millat and Levi, in order to determine the role of socialisation in their behavioural and emotional responses as well as examines how the selected characters cope with their anxiety by the manifestation of their self-idealisations. The outcomes indicate that the root of their psychological anxieties can be traced to their familial relationships where Millat becomes aggressive while Levi is detached in trying to prove themselves. By relying on this defence mechanism, they create their idealised selves and lose their real selves. As a result, Millat becomes a killer and Levi becomes a thief. Application of Horney’s conceptual framework on these novels helps to clarify that the selected characters’ interpersonal and intrapsychic problems originated from the manner of their nurturing and are further affected by other deteriorating factors. Her psychoanalytic social theory also justifies that the difficulties faced by second generation immigrants are not entirely related to their hybridity, ethnicity, racism and displacement, amongst other factors. Therefore, future research could apply Horney’s theory on literary works with multiculturalism, postcolonialism or immigration themes, in particular other Smith’s literary works in contemporary English Literature.

Preview Text FBMK 2015 106 IR.pdf Download (1MB) | Preview

Actions (login required)

View Item