White Teeth

by

Zadie Smith

Hortense is Clara’s mother and Irie’s grandmother, daughter to Ambrosia and born in the midst of the 1907 Kingston, Jamaica earthquake. Hortense is a strict woman and a devout Jehovah’s Witness who believes that the end of the world is fast approaching. She spars with Clara about her marriage to Archie Jones and her lack of piety, but she has a soft spot for Irie, who lives with her for several months. She also forms a close bond with Clara’s first boyfriend, Ryan Topps, who becomes a Jehovah’s Witness and eventually lives with and cares for Hortense.

Hortense Bowden Quotes in White Teeth

The White Teeth quotes below are all either spoken by Hortense Bowden or refer to Hortense Bowden. 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:
Family Ties Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

Yet a residue, left over from the evaporation of Clara’s faith, remained. She still wished for a savior. She still wished for a man to whisk her away, to choose her above others so that she might walk in white with Him: for [she] was worthy. Revelation 3:4.

Related Characters: Archibald (Archie) Jones , Clara Bowden-Jones, Hortense Bowden, Ryan Topps
Page Number: 38
Explanation and Analysis:
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Hortense Bowden Quotes in White Teeth

The White Teeth quotes below are all either spoken by Hortense Bowden or refer to Hortense Bowden. 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:
Family Ties Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

Yet a residue, left over from the evaporation of Clara’s faith, remained. She still wished for a savior. She still wished for a man to whisk her away, to choose her above others so that she might walk in white with Him: for [she] was worthy. Revelation 3:4.

Related Characters: Archibald (Archie) Jones , Clara Bowden-Jones, Hortense Bowden, Ryan Topps
Page Number: 38
Explanation and Analysis: