In the novel White Teeth by Zadie Smith, several main characters struggle with their cultural identities as immigrants in contemporary London. In the mid-20th century, economic opportunities in Britain attracted many immigrants from former British colonies. The influx of racially diverse immigrants from former colonies has sparked a backlash of xenophobic sentiments and a resurgence of pervasive racism. Throughout the novel, Smith alludes to immigrants' internal conflict between the desire to assimilate and the determination to maintain their traditional culture. In Chapter VII of the novel, two distinct but intertwined journeys occur: Samad sets off to meet his mistress, Poppy Burt-Jones, and Samad's children, Magid and Millat, meet their friend Irie, the friend's daughter Samad's Englishman, Archie Jones and his Jamaican wife, Clara Bowden, to bring Harvest Festival donations to JP Hamilton, an elderly British man. Both trips involve immigrants from former colonies, such as Jamaica and Bangladesh, traveling to meet British citizens. The two journeys presented in Chapter VII represent the plight of immigrants in twentieth-century London and demonstrate the effects of colonial history, racism, and cultural tradition on the process of assimilation into British society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe two journeys in Chapter VII reflect the history between the British Empire and its former colonies, particularly Bangladesh and Jamaica , to emphasize the effect of colonization. history of immigrant communities in London in the 20th century. The narrator introduces the two journeys in the chapter by stating: "Unbeknownst to all involved, ancient ley lines pass beneath these two journeys – or, to put it in modern parlance, it is a replay…we’ve been here before. like watching television in Bombay or Kingston or Dhaka, watching the same old British sitcoms broadcast in the former colonies in a tedious, eternal loop” (Smith 135). The narrator compares the two journeys to a replay and alludes to the connections between modern travel and the British Empire's colonial past. By mentioning ancient ley lines, the narrator alludes not only to the predetermined metaphorical path of travel, but also to the tangible ley lines constructed in many British colonial towns. The three cities mentioned by the narrator, Bombay, Kingston and Dhaka, represent ancient commercial centers of the British Empire. Bombay, India, the first city mentioned, was called Mumbai until the British took over India and renamed the city. Similarly, Kingston, Jamaica was named by the British as a condensed version of King's Town to honor the monarchical ruler of the British Empire. The mention of the two British-named cities alludes to the colonial history of both nations and the presence of British-built grid systems involving ley lines. However, the British never renamed the third city mentioned, Dhaka City in Bangladesh. The mention of Dhaka, a Bangladeshi city that symbolizes Samad's ancestry, and Kingston, which represents Clara Bowden's Jamaican heritage, also suggests that the trips symbolize a repeat of the immigrants' initial journey to England. Additionally, the depiction of former colonial subjects traveling to visitof white Englishmen and women symbolizes the initial passage of the newly independent colonies towards the imperial country. The narrator details the repetitive nature of immigrants by explaining: "They cannot help but reenact the race they once made from one country to another, from one faith to another, from a brown motherland to pale, freckled arms of an empire. sovereign” (Smith 136). The narrator explains the habitual repetition of immigrants. The description matches Samad's trip to see Poppy; Samad, an old Bangladeshi man, visits Poppy, a pale, freckled English woman. Samad's journey reflects his initial immigration from Bangladesh, a former colony, to England, an imperial ruler. Both journeys demonstrate the effect of colonial history on the repetitive nature of immigrants in British society. In both journeys, travelers encounter characters who embody madness and racism, which highlights the immigrants' struggle to assimilate into modern British society due to their own resentment. of British colonial rule and the pervasive presence of racism in British society. As Samad, a Bangladeshi, and Poppy, an English woman, walk through Harlesden, Samad warns Poppy about a woman called Mad Mary, saying: "She is Mad Mary." And she's not funny at all. She’s dangerous…And she doesn’t like white people” (Smith 147). Samad describes Mad Mary, a black voodoo woman who roams the streets of North London, and mentions that she does not like white people. Samad's description and choice of words, including the name "Mad Mary", show that Mad Mary proudly displays both her madness and her racism. As an immigrant, Mad Mary's racism represents the immigrant community's hostility towards British society. After Samad's warning, Mad Mary approaches the interracial couple and shouts at Samad, "What have they [the British] ever done to us, the body robots are killing and enslaving us?... . What is the solution? (Smith 148). Mad Mary asks Samad to explain the solution to oppression. It references the historical mistreatment of colonial peoples by the British and focuses on slavery and widespread violence against African, Caribbean and Indochinese colonies. Mad Mary illustrates immigrants' dislike of British society and their resentment of the nation's imperial past. The character of Mad Mary demonstrates how former colonial people's hatred of British society hinders assimilation. During the chapter's second journey, Magid, Millat, and Irie bring food to an old Englishman named JP Hamilton. After the three children convince Hamilton that they don't want to sell him things or steal from him, he tells the children historical tales with added racist slurs: "I was in the Congo, the only way for me to identify the n****r. it was because of the whiteness of his teeth… Horrible affair. Dark as sodomy” and he continues: “There were certainly no wogs if I remember correctly… No Pakistanis… No Pakistanis. The Pakistanis would have been in the Pakistani army, you see, whatever it was” (Smith 144). Hamilton recounts his time in the Congo and recalls that Pakistanis did not fight in the British army during the Second World War. He uses multiple racial slurs in his stories, such as "n****r" and "wog", which clearly express his racist tendencies. Hamilton's racism represents the widespread and covert racism present among many British citizens. The two crazy characters the travelers encounter display different forms of virulent racism and,,.