NW

by

Zadie Smith

Albert Road Symbol Analysis

Albert Road Symbol Icon

Albert Road is the location one block away from Leah’s house where Felix is fatally stabbed. It represents how the fates of everyone in Northwest London are connected despite barriers that people erect based on race and class. For all of Leah’s arguments with Michel, their existence together is relatively sedate, and so it is shocking for Leah to hear about a murder so close to her home. The news report of the stabbing helps Leah realize how different her life is from the life of someone who lives just a street away, including how she can be working class but still have the privilege of safety and stability compared to someone like Felix. Natalie’s even more expensive Victorian home is also not far from the site of the stabbing, and she finds herself passing right by the location after an argument with her husband, Frank, motivates her to go outside for a walk.

The fatal stabbing on Albert Road ends up drawing both Leah and Natalie back into a past that they thought they’d left behind. Their pasts at the Caldwell council estate come back to them when they learn that former classmate (and Caldwell resident) Nathan seems to have been part of the mugging that led to the murder. Nathan himself can’t escape his past, because his expulsion from school and the racism he has faced over the years (particularly as people began to fear him after he grew out of boyhood) have all contributed to his addiction and unemployment, leaving crime as one of his only options to survive. Although these characters’ lives have very different trajectories, Albert Road illustrates how urban life continues to tie them together—despite their attempts to become new people and leave behind their pasts.

Albert Road Quotes in NW

The NW quotes below all refer to the symbol of Albert Road. 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 (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:
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Albert Road Symbol Timeline in NW

The timeline below shows where the symbol Albert Road appears in NW. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Visitation: Chapter 23
Geography and Human Connection Theme Icon
...about a fatal stabbing at a carnival in Kilburn, one street away from Leah’s on Albert Road . The victim was Felix Cooper, who grew up in a housing project but left... (full context)
Guest: NW6 (2)
Class Identity and Social Mobility Theme Icon
Geography and Human Connection Theme Icon
Felix gets out of the tube and starts walking along Albert Road . All of a sudden, he feels someone jam two fingers into his back and... (full context)
Crossing: Willesden Lane to Kilburn High Road
Geography and Human Connection Theme Icon
...out walking and passes Leah’s place. She sees a lot of police cars blocking off Albert Road . Unable to walk down Albert Road, she instead heads toward Caldwell. As she considers... (full context)
Visitation
Class Identity and Social Mobility Theme Icon
...random things they want to buy. Natalie also picks up a newspaper that mentions an Albert Road murder. (full context)
Class Identity and Social Mobility Theme Icon
...She wonders why her life is so much better than the man who died on Albert Road . Natalie says it’s because she and Leah worked harder and smarter than other people.... (full context)
Geography and Human Connection Theme Icon
...and pour wine for them. Natalie admits that she thinks she knows what happened on Albert Road . (full context)
Class Identity and Social Mobility Theme Icon
Geography and Human Connection Theme Icon
Sex and Relationships Theme Icon
Altruism Theme Icon
...station. Leah says that Nathan seems like a person of interest in relation to the Albert Road incident, and Natalie agrees that calling in seems like the right thing to do. As... (full context)