The Waiter’s Wife

“So some black people are friendly, thought Alsana after that first meeting was over. It was her habit to single one shining exception out of every minority she disliked; certain dentists, certain film stars had been granted special treatment in the past and now Clara Jones was to be given Alsana’s golden reprieve.”

This quote introduces Alsana’s prejudicial feelings and begins to reveal that she is not as meek as she appears. Additionally, this is the reader's introduction to the sarcastic tone used throughout the text, as the phrasing “golden reprieve” pokes fun at how seriously Alsana takes herself.

“‘You’re all on my back!’ Shiva would snarl, when he had to relinquish five pounds at the end of the night and drop it into the pot. ‘You all live off my back! Somebody get these losers off my back! That was my fiver and now it’s going to be split sixty-five-fucking-million ways as a hand out to these losers! What is this, communism?’”

Shiva serves as one of the most explicit antagonists throughout the story, and here he embarrasses the other waiters for their lack of talent. He explicitly names what Samad assumes others feel about him: that he is a loser who is lazy and takes advantage of others’ hard work. This is particularly ironic given the references to the National Front peppered throughout the story, since the gang assumed immigrants entering Britain would act in this manner.

“I AM NOT A WAITER. THAT IS, I AM NOT JUST A WAITER. I HAVE BEEN A STUDENT, A SCIENTIST, A SOLDIER. MY WIFE IS CALLED ALSANA. WE LIVE IN EAST LONDON BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE NORTH. I AM A MUSLIM BUT ALLAH HAS FORESAKEN OR I HAVE FORESAKEN ALLAH. I’M NOT SURE. I HAVE AN ENGLISH FRIEND—ARCHIE—AND OTHERS. I AM FORTY-NINE BUT WOMEN STILL TURN IN THE STREET. SOMETIMES.”

This quote is the closest the reader gets to understanding what Samad is like outside of his occupation and marriage. The fact that it is in all-caps creates a feeling that this is being screamed, and he uses dramatic language—such as “forsaken”—to show his desperation for a better life. However, he also does not appear to know what exactly he wants and uses words and phrases such as “sometimes” and “I’m not sure” to show that he is unsure how to navigate his new life in Britain.