Previous Next

White Teeth begins with a failed attempt by Archie Jones to commit suicide, and the rest of the novel explores the meaning of Archie’s life. Archie is a classic Everyman character. He is rather dull and unimaginative, only ordinary looking, and generally lacking a sense of direction. However, Archie Jones is full of surprises. A dark episode in his World War II career, the execution of a Nazi scientist, hints that Archie is capable of violence. On the rebound from his attempted suicide, Archie breaks out of his boundaries to marry Clara, a Black woman. Archie also defies social boundaries by befriending Samad Iqbal, Abdul-Mickey, and other immigrants.

Archie is a quiet, methodical, precise man. He designs brochures and other folded paper products. At home, he enjoys do-it-yourself projects and keeps everything in perfect working order. Although Archie spends more of his spare time with Samad Iqbal than he does with his wife, his marriage to Clara is, on the whole, harmonious because both of them want to live quiet, contented lives. 

The story gradually reveals Archie to have many hidden strengths. Archie is a cheerful atheist, but he listens patiently and empathizes with Samad Iqbal, a conservative Muslim. Archie is not a university graduate, but he does extra childcare duty while Clara takes college courses. He tries to make peace between various feuding factions. Archie performs a spontaneously heroic act at the end of the story. Even without this heroism, Archie Jones is a good man.

Previous section Character List Next section Samad Miah Iqbal

Take a Study Break