Overweight

I have been unconsciously thinking about KiKi's weight throughout the novel. While for Kiki to be so overweight and to be three hundred pounds might be a shock to some of the readers, it did not come as big of a shock to me. When I first starting reading the novel, I pictured Kiki to be a slim beautiful dark skinned lady who sits with her back straight and her hand neatly above her knees. But as I read on, I found out that I was wrong. Well, then what gave me the impression that she is beautiful and slim? Might it be that because I am prejudice? Might it be that I have always expected female fictional character to be slim and picture perfect? I do not know, and this got me thinking. I think for many authors, this might be the case. Having beautiful female protagonist with a nice body might be the case. However, this is not the case for Zadie Smith. As a reader who likes to analysis everything, I naturally think that for Zadie Smith have portrayed Kiki to be this overweight there has to be a reason. I think the reason might be that Kiki's weight represents the weight that she is carrying on her shoulder. She has to carry the weight of being a African American wife with a white husband living in a white college town. She has to carry the weight of being less intellectual as her husband and his friends. She has to carry the weight of her husband cheating on her. Kiki is a strong woman. Regardless of all the weight that she is carrying with her, she manages to holdup a whole entire family. She manages to keep the family together and raise three strong children. She manages to stay-up while the world tries to pull her down.

I think with the title On Beauty, it fits perfectly with Kiki. Kiki might not be beautiful, but her action, her heart, her passion is very beautiful. Kiki is not as pretty or as slim as Claire, but to me, Kiki is much mre beautiful than Claire. Kiki manages to forget while Claire is still bitter and jealous. Claire gives me the impression of someone who is intellectual, but yet conceded. (Maybe conceded is too strong of a adjective). But, Kiki is the true beauty.