Topic 23: The Waiter’s Wife
March 31st, 2023
Zadie Smith
Born 1975 (the year that Smith was born!)
● Biracial, has black-Jamaican and white-British parents
Positions
As Samad clutched his winded belly, there in the kitchen she ripped to shreds every stitch she
had on and added them to the pile of frozen lamb, spare cuts from the restaurant. She stood
naked before him for a moment, the as yet small mound of her pregnancy in full view, then put
on a long, brown coat and left the house.
● Claim to agency? She is standing there naked above Samad because she literally just
punched her husband who is supposed to be superior to her in every single way.
○ Samad is also physically below her because he’s clutching his stomach…
‘I mean, I just think men have caused enough chaos this century. There’s enough bloody men in
the world. If I knew I was going to have a boy . . .’ she pauses to prepare her two falsely
conscious friends for this new concept, ‘I’d have to seriously consider abortion.’
● Women have the most agency to deny or subvert patrilineage.
March 31st, 2023
Zadie Smith
Born 1975 (the year that Smith was born!)
● Biracial, has black-Jamaican and white-British parents
Positions
As Samad clutched his winded belly, there in the kitchen she ripped to shreds every stitch she
had on and added them to the pile of frozen lamb, spare cuts from the restaurant. She stood
naked before him for a moment, the as yet small mound of her pregnancy in full view, then put
on a long, brown coat and left the house.
● Claim to agency? She is standing there naked above Samad because she literally just
punched her husband who is supposed to be superior to her in every single way.
○ Samad is also physically below her because he’s clutching his stomach…
‘I mean, I just think men have caused enough chaos this century. There’s enough bloody men in
the world. If I knew I was going to have a boy . . .’ she pauses to prepare her two falsely
conscious friends for this new concept, ‘I’d have to seriously consider abortion.’
● Women have the most agency to deny or subvert patrilineage.
