Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Archie Jones

It's not easy to determine classic character roles in White Teeth, but Archie Jones has clenched the role of protagonist, even if it wasn't a standout performance. Archie is a likeable guy. When we meet him, he's trying to kill himself. And even though we don't know that much about him, we are rooting for him to live.

For someone who isn't super strong or terribly outstanding, he holds a lot of this novel together: he's a loving husband and father to his family, and he's a good friend to Samad. Archie is just a regular guy, but in a lot of ways, that makes him easy to root for.