Analysis of belonging from "summary" of A Study Guide for Zadie Smith's "White Teeth" by Gale, Cengage Learning

Through her novel Smith attempts to show how the concept of ‘belonging’ often presents itself with complex emotional journeys that are constantly shifting, challenging and infringing upon the boundaries set by the various cultures which reach out to form some kind of connection.

Identity comes hand in hand with our understanding of ‘belonging’ – we tend to identify ourselves through familiar faces, routines and places which further embeds us in feelings of contentment and security linking to individual experiences rather than any cultural signifiers.

In Zadie Smith's "White Teeth" belonging holds multi-cultural associations which are both indicative of the characters’ identities and relationships as well as indicative of broader social trends existing at the time.

Belonging can be contextualized as a sense of connectedness to a place, people or an experience. It is often fuelled by a feeling of acceptance from family and community members which helps build strong bonds between them in the long term.

Ultimately 'belonging' in Smith's novel creates an internal/external dynamicwherein individuals define their own connections with others, but those connections are also simultaneously defined by the reaction of others to those same individuals and their activities.

No matter the geographical location or demographic it is easy to see identity has formed by a weaving of personal and cultural memories and experiences affectively unfurling within these entanglements of culture and more intrinsic elements such as desires, power struggles and racial tensions presenting unique conflicts for each character in White Teeth.

Globalization itself poses many questions about identity and cultural diplomacy in addition to notions of nationhood are challenged by contemporary migrations, refugee crises, diasporic understanding and historical complexity presented by Smith’s intriguing narrative.

So while determinants of ‘belonging’ evolve over time depending on personal values, global and local contexts, Smith proves how the ultimate search for affiliation and connectedness with others transcends social strife.

Within the novel SF women who are otherwise foreign to one another come together to fill in spaces of loss and grief despitewide discrepancies in terms of beliefs and identity marking oneness of blood,not thought or ideas,which gives rise to what Miller calls “a formative ethnic sensibility”.