Searching for the Self: A Study of the character of Irie Jones in White Teeth

Abstract

The novel White Teeth is a contribution to the debates o n immigration, race, identity, and gender. This paper tries to attempt a study of the character of Irie Jones with a focus o n how her feelings of displacement are negotiated in post-war Britain. She lacks that sense of belo ngingness because of the cultural and political climate in England. The paper will try to focus on the struggle of Irie in terms of gender and also because of her identity of second-generation immigrants. The paper also attempts a study of the present identity formation o f Irie through her past, wher e memory plays a significant role.