NW

by

Zadie Smith

Cooper – Felix is the main character of the “Guest” section of the novel, but he is referenced only briefly as the victim of a fatal stabbing at Albert Road in Leah’s and Natalie’s stories. Felix is Black, and his father Lloyd came out of one of London’s poorest squats. At first, Felix seems to be the quintessential example of a self-made man who rose up from difficult circumstances. Despite a history of addiction and alcoholism, as well as a failed romantic relationship that led to children he never sees, Felix seems to be turning his life around. He has given up drinking and started a new relationship with Grace that seems to be getting serious. Still, due to the structure of the novel, the audience knows that Felix will be murdered before his character is even properly introduced. Felix represents how despite the promise of social mobility in modern cities, some people remain trapped by the circumstances of their birth, including race and class, which can lead to prejudice and unsurmountable obstacles.

Felix Quotes in NW

The NW quotes below are all either spoken by Felix or refer to Felix. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Class Identity and Social Mobility Theme Icon
).
Visitation: Chapter 23 Quotes

— He was murdered! Why does it matter where he grew up?

Related Characters: Leah Hanwell (speaker), Michel, Felix
Related Symbols: Albert Road
Page Number: 104
Explanation and Analysis:
Guest: NW6 Quotes

Five and innocent at this bus stop. Fourteen and drunk. Twenty-six and stoned. Twenty-nine in utter oblivion, out of his mind on coke and K: “You can’t sleep here, son. You either need to move it along or we’ll have to take you in to the station to sleep it off.” You live in the same place long enough, you get memory overlap.

Related Characters: Felix, Grace
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:
Guest: (W1) Quotes

“She’s knows what she’s about. She’s conscious.”

Related Characters: Felix (speaker), Grace, Annie
Page Number: 179
Explanation and Analysis:
Guest: NW6 (2) Quotes

“And the stones,” said the kid. Felix touched his ears. Treasured zirconias, a present from Grace.

“You’re dreamin’,” he said.

Related Characters: Felix (speaker), Nathan
Related Symbols: Albert Road
Page Number: 197
Explanation and Analysis:
Visitation Quotes

On a tatty sofa a Rastafarian gentleman sat holding a picture of his adult son.

Related Characters: Keisha “Natalie” Blake, Felix, Nathan, Lloyd, Naomi, Spike
Related Symbols: Albert Road
Page Number: 393
Explanation and Analysis:

“You, me, all of us. Why that girl and not us. Why that poor bastard on Albert Road. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Related Characters: Leah Hanwell (speaker), Keisha “Natalie” Blake, Felix
Related Symbols: Albert Road
Page Number: 400
Explanation and Analysis:

“I got something to tell you,” said Keisha Blake, disguising her voice with her voice.

Related Characters: Keisha “Natalie” Blake (speaker), Leah Hanwell, Felix, Nathan, Shar
Page Number: 401
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire NW LitChart as a printable PDF.
NW PDF

Felix Quotes in NW

The NW quotes below are all either spoken by Felix or refer to Felix. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Class Identity and Social Mobility Theme Icon
).
Visitation: Chapter 23 Quotes

— He was murdered! Why does it matter where he grew up?

Related Characters: Leah Hanwell (speaker), Michel, Felix
Related Symbols: Albert Road
Page Number: 104
Explanation and Analysis:
Guest: NW6 Quotes

Five and innocent at this bus stop. Fourteen and drunk. Twenty-six and stoned. Twenty-nine in utter oblivion, out of his mind on coke and K: “You can’t sleep here, son. You either need to move it along or we’ll have to take you in to the station to sleep it off.” You live in the same place long enough, you get memory overlap.

Related Characters: Felix, Grace
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:
Guest: (W1) Quotes

“She’s knows what she’s about. She’s conscious.”

Related Characters: Felix (speaker), Grace, Annie
Page Number: 179
Explanation and Analysis:
Guest: NW6 (2) Quotes

“And the stones,” said the kid. Felix touched his ears. Treasured zirconias, a present from Grace.

“You’re dreamin’,” he said.

Related Characters: Felix (speaker), Nathan
Related Symbols: Albert Road
Page Number: 197
Explanation and Analysis:
Visitation Quotes

On a tatty sofa a Rastafarian gentleman sat holding a picture of his adult son.

Related Characters: Keisha “Natalie” Blake, Felix, Nathan, Lloyd, Naomi, Spike
Related Symbols: Albert Road
Page Number: 393
Explanation and Analysis:

“You, me, all of us. Why that girl and not us. Why that poor bastard on Albert Road. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Related Characters: Leah Hanwell (speaker), Keisha “Natalie” Blake, Felix
Related Symbols: Albert Road
Page Number: 400
Explanation and Analysis:

“I got something to tell you,” said Keisha Blake, disguising her voice with her voice.

Related Characters: Keisha “Natalie” Blake (speaker), Leah Hanwell, Felix, Nathan, Shar
Page Number: 401
Explanation and Analysis: