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The false teeth that show up frequently in the novel represent the waning vitality that Henry sees at the heart of contemporary society. Henry sees modern society as hindered by outdated morals that stand in the way of honesty. False teeth, then, evoke both the weakness of a moribund culture that has lost its fierce, primal attributes (teeth) and the bogus imitations it sets up in their place (rules and morality). Peckover’s dying moments spent grasping about for his brand-new false teeth, which he worked so hard to afford, provide an especially cruel indictment of this doomed, pitiful contemporary way of life.
False Teeth Quotes in Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer quotes below all refer to the symbol of False Teeth. 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:
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Pages 81-134
Quotes
Once out of his sight we began to laugh hysterically. The false teeth! […] There are people in this world who cut such a grotesque figure that even death renders them ridiculous. And the more horrible the death the more ridiculous they seem. It's no use trying to invest the end with a little dignity – you have to be a liar and a hypocrite to discover anything tragic in their going. And since we didn't have to put on a false front we could laugh about the incident to our heart's content.
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False Teeth Symbol Timeline in Tropic of Cancer
The timeline below shows where the symbol False Teeth appears in Tropic of Cancer. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Pages 39-43
...bed. In the morning, Marlowe goes with Van Norden to help find his lost false teeth.
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Pages 56-63
...on. Peckover complains of having to work long hours to afford a pair of false teeth. Henry manages to squeeze some money out of him for a meal.
(full context)
Pages 81-134
...weather of any kind, his job, politics, anything at all; he is always complaining. His teeth are rotting and falling out. Van Norden’s life revolves around sex, and he automatically falls...
(full context)
...bottom of the shaft, horribly wounded, yet only focused on groping about for the false teeth which he had finally just been able to afford.
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...the man leaves, they hysterically laugh about the incident, considering the element of the false teeth an ironic coup de grace. They cynically revel in the idea that their bosses made...
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Pages 232-256
...country hospital that costs less. Over the following weeks, Fillmore seems to get worse: his teeth and hair fall out, and he tells Ginette directly that he does not intend to...
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