An Investigation of Immigrants’ Attitudes towards “Other” Immigrants in Zadie Smith’s White Teeth and Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse the attitudes of immigrants residing in the UK towards other immigrants in the literary works of Zadie Smith’s White Teeth and Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners. While Zadie Smith focuses on the characters’ intellectual shifts in attitudes towards each other, Sam Selvon’s characters’ attitudes towards other immigrants show fixed attitudes based on survival strategies in a multicultural setting. Through a comparative analysis, the study scrutinises how these two works shows the intricacies of immigrant attitudes towards other immigrants who are both affected by colonial discourses and current socio-economic difficulties. White Teeth is examined for its depiction of the intellectual changes and identity conflicts experienced by immigrant characters, emphasising their everchanging attitudes that are formed by acculturation and assimilation. In contrast, The Lonely Londoners is analysed for its portrayal of fixed attitudes and survival strategies among immigrants in London. Additionally, it highlights the exploitation of other immigrants, except Moses who shows attitudes of concern and camaraderie for other immigrants. This thesis also calls for policies and procedures that encourage more communication and integration between various cultures. The study illustrates how colonial legacies still impact modern immigrant interactions with other immigrants both from the same and from the different ethnicities advocating for policies and practices that may facilitate greater cross-cultural dialogue and integration. By means of this examination, the thesis enriches a deeper comprehension of the difficulties and prospects of establishing harmonious multinational societies.