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Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.

Teeth

The central image of White Teeth is that of white teeth flashing from a brown face. The image suggests both good cheer and a smiling mask. Teeth shape the lives of Clara Bowden and her daughter, Irie Jones. Clara Bowden has a big, friendly smile when she meets Archie Jones, but she is toothless as the result of a motorcycle accident. At her wedding six weeks later, Clara displays beautiful new false teeth. Much later in the story, Clara is still known for her big smile and good cheer, and Irie Jones gets an emotional shock when she discovers Clara’s false teeth. Irie, who grows up with problem teeth, chooses dentistry as a career. For Clara and Irie, white teeth stand for identity: both the face in the mirror and the face presented to the outside world. 

The image of white teeth in a dark face also has racial dimensions. In one terrifying scene, an old white man describes to Irie Jones and the Iqbal twins how he once used white teeth to target people of color. The scene makes the children aware of the real evil of racism.  

Metaphors for teeth also mark places where the narrator’s voice changes in content and tone. The “Root Canal” chapters go back in history to explore the characters’ roots. Chapter 7 (“Molars”) contains tooth-grinding encounters with sexism and racism. Chapter 12 (“Canines”) describes how the Iqbal family is being ripped apart.

FutureMouse

FutureMouse is a genetically engineered rodent and the subject of a genetic engineering plotline that runs throughout the story. During World War II, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal have the chance to execute a Nazi war scientist, Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret, who is doing race-based genetic research. Thirty years later another genetic engineer, Dr. Marcus Chalfen, tutors Archie’s daughter Irie Jones and hires her as a part-time secretary. Then Dr. Chalfen hires Magid Iqbal, one of Samad’s sons, as his assistant. Magid helps Dr. Chalfen launch FutureMouse. The climax of the story takes place when FutureMouse is introduced to the public, an event at which Dr. Perret makes a surprise appearance.

FutureMouse represents human efforts to control human fate. The hapless rodent is the target of Jehovah’s Witnesses, traditional Muslims, Islamist extremists, animal rights activists, and others for whom human control of nature is a repellent idea. To FutureMouse supporters, it represents hope for humanity’s future. The issue is resolved when FutureMouse is accidentally set free. The implication is that life will always resist human efforts at control.

Paper Propaganda

Pamphlets, leaflets, and other pieces of folded paper highlight characters in White Teeth and their causes. Archie Jones, the main character, designs folded paper materials for a living. Hortense Bowden embarrasses her daughter Clara by making Clara hand out pamphlets predicting the end of the world. Hortense passes out leaflets throughout the book. Other printed propaganda gets distributed by KEVIN, the extreme Islamist group to which Millat Iqbal belongs, and by FATE, the animal rights group espoused by Joshua Chalfen. The characters also devour magazines that reflect their personalities. Alsana Iqbal reads about the royal family. Joyce Chalfen subscribes to journals like Third World Action. 

The motif of paper propaganda creates an alternate, parallel plot for the novel, centered on Archie’s job. Archie Jones works for a direct mail-order firm. It is a dull, anonymous job. However, Archie’s work not only supports him but also goes out into the world to affect other people’s lives.

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