Monday, March 31, 2008
Ancillary Characters and Imperialism
Postcolonialism (or post-colonialism) deals with the study of people and cultures who have been the victims of oppression through imperialism. In White Teeth, we have characters from all different backgrounds who are juxtaposed with the plain, white man from London, Archie. Archie's wife, friends, and mere acquaintances all hail from countries that at one point or another were victim to the cultural conflict that results out of imperialism, namely: which culture is superior. Those in the inferior culture are then left to either assimilate into the dominant culture or live out their existence as a dying breed. Whereas the dominant culture can take things it likes about the other such as their food or customs (as is the case with the large number of Indian eateries in London), the inferior culture does not have the same opportunity. As a colony they must give the dominant culture what it wants of them simply because the dominant culture has more sophisticated weaponry behind it.
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5 comments:
Sean, I found your thread interesting and accurate in the way you show how the dominant culture supersedes the more subtle characteristics and beliefs of the oppressed cultures. My question is, what "sophisticated weaponry" are you referring to, other than being much larger in numbers? Being accepted in society does not seem to be a real motivation for assimilation, at least in the context of the story. None of the characters, Neena excluded, seem to change their way of lives to be more accepted (at least not yet) and perhaps act even to the contrary.
I think the struggle for the cultures now forced to assimilate while struggling to understand and assume their identities is a great point. People like Clara and Samad struggle with their own existence within another world, while Archie himself struggles with his seemingly mundane life as an average white male in London.
In response to Barry's query, the sophisticated weaponry that I was alluding to was the idea that England and the other imperial countries had developed the use of gun-powder for devious means. Whereas the Chinese created it, they only used it for fireworks originally, not for the enslavement of entire cultures.
i mean definitely the dominant culture forces the inferior culture people to follow their rules. and i agree to what sean commented on barry's comment, that England made gun-powder for devious means. As a ruler they were always prepared for the war and stuff.
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