In Zadie Smith's novel White Teeth, several main characters struggle with their cultural identity as immigrants in contemporary London. During 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 caused a backlash of xenophobic sentiments and a resurgence of ever-present racism. Throughout the novel, Smith alludes to the 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 travels to meet his lover, Poppy Burt-Jones, and Samad's children, Magid and Millat, meet their friend Irie, the daughter of Samad's English friend Archie Jones and his Jamaican wife, Clara Bowden, to take Harvest Festival donations to JP Hamilton, an old Briton. Both trips involve immigrants from former colonies, such as Jamaica and Bangladesh, traveling to see British citizens. The two journeys that take place 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The two journeys in Chapter VII mirror the history between the British Empire and its former colonies, particularly Bangladesh and Jamaica, to emphasize the effect of colonialism History of immigrant communities in 20th-century London. The narrator introduces the two journeys in the chapter by stating, “unbeknownst to all involved, ancient ley lines run beneath these two journeys, or to put it in modern parlance, this is a rerun… we have been here before. This is like watching TV in Bombay or Kingston or Dhaka, watching the same old British sitcoms shown in the old colonies on a boring, eternal loop” (Smith 135). The narrator compares the two journeys to a rerun and hints at the connections between the modern journeys and the colonial past of the British Empire. By mentioning ancient ley-lines, the narrator alludes not only to the pre-determined metaphorical route of travel, but also to the tangible ley-lines constructed in many British colonial cities. The three cities the narrator speaks of, Bombay, Kingston and Dhaka, represent former trading centers of the British Empire. Bombay, India, the first city mentioned, was called Mumbai until the British took control of India and renamed the city. Similarly, Kingston, Jamaica was named by the English as a condensed version of King's City to honor the monarchical ruler of the British Empire. The mention of the two British-named cities alludes to the colonial history of the two nations and the presence of British-built grid systems involving ley-lines. However, the British never renamed the third city mentioned, the city of Dhaka in Bangladesh. The mention of Dhaka, a city in Bangladesh indicating Samad's ancestry, and Kingston, representing Clara Bowden's Jamaican heritage, also suggests that the journeys symbolize a replication of the immigrants' initial journey to England. Furthermore, the depiction of former colonial subjects traveling to visit white Englishmen and women symbolizes the initial move from the newly independent colonies to the imperial country. The narrator details the repetitive nature of immigrants by explaining that they “can't help but recall therace they once made from one land to another, from one faith to another, from a brown motherland into the pale and freckled arms of an imperial kingdom." sovereign” (Smith 136). The narrator explains the habitual repetition of immigrants The description corresponds to Samad's journey to see Poppy; Samad, an old man from Bangladesh, visits Poppy, a pale, freckled English woman. Samad's journey reflects his first immigration from Bangladesh, a former colony, to England. imperial sovereign. The two 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 struggle of immigrants to assimilate into modern day. British society due to their own resentment of British colonial rule and the ubiquitous presence of racism in British society. As Samad, a Bangladeshi man, and Poppy, an English woman, walk through Harlesden, Samad warns Poppy of a woman called Mad. Mary saying, “She's Mad Mary. And it's not even remotely funny. She's dangerous...And she doesn't like white people” (Smith 147). Samad describes Mad Mary, a black voodoo woman who wanders the streets of North London, and states that she doesn't 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 hostility of the immigrant community towards British society. After Samad's warning, Mad Mary approaches the interracial couple and shouts at Samad, "What did dem [the British] ever do to us, bots, kill us and enslave us?...What's the solution?" (Smith 148). Mad Mary asks Samad to tell her the solution to oppression. It references the historical mistreatment of colonial peoples by the British and highlights slavery and widespread violence against African, Caribbean and Indochinese colonies. Mad Mary exemplifies immigrants' dislike of British society and resentment of the nation's imperial past. The character Mad Mary demonstrates how the former colonial people's hatred of British society hinders assimilation. During the chapter's second journey, Magid, Millat, and Irie take donated food to an old Englishman named J.P. Hamilton. After the three boys convince Hamilton that they don't want to sell him things or rob him, he tells the children historical stories with added racial slurs: "I was in the Congo, the only way I could identify the nigger was by the whiteness of his teeth ... Horrible business. Dark as a bastard” and goes on to say: “There were certainly no wogs as I remember… no Pakistanis… no Pakistanis would have been in the Pakistani army, whatever it was” ( Smith 144). Hamilton recounts his time in the Congo and recalls that Pakistanis did not fight in the British army during World War II. He uses multiple racial slurs such as "n****r" and "wog" in his stories. which clearly express his racist tendencies. Hamilton's racism represents the widespread and hidden racism present among many British citizens. The two crazy characters that the travelers encounter display different forms of virulent racism and, equally, display different types of madness. JP Hamilton exploits the carefully hidden racism of British society and constitutes hidden madness, while Mad Mary exudes unhidden racism and clearly evident madness. The two journeys involve crazy and racist characters to describe the presence of racism in the immigrant experience in British society. Both trips demonstrate the fundamental role that cultural traditions play,.