The unnamed narrator of Swing Time by Zadie Smith remains a static character for the entirety of the novel, as she refuses to address the realities of being a mixed woman of color: the identity that lets her be discriminated against in one part of the world and treated like royalty in another. Hypocritical irony takes over as she unconsciously takes the role of the one she detests the most: her oppressors. Smith remarks in her article “Secret History of Black England,” “Why didn’t every man, woman and child in Georgian England drop everything and dedicate their lives to the abolishment of slavery?” (Smith). Similarly, the narrator criticizes those around her for never recognizing their faults in allowing oppression. However, she is unaware of her privilege during her humanitarian trip, as it instantly flips from England to Africa. While we tend to enjoy pointing the finger first at others to shame them, three fingers point back at ourselves to realize life’s irony that “we buy plastic water bottles, when we knew they were environmentally disastrous” (Smith). In the markets, “Lamin smiles his anxious smile,” never telling the narrator how much of his income she spends on “a single piece of cloth.” Lamin is not open with the narrator about the effects of her thoughtless actions, so it is evident that he views her on a higher level, while she believes they are the same. Smith’s realistic approach to a lack of character development may displease readers as we learn how deep her identity confusion runs. On the other hand, it takes a step back from happily-ever-after endings and sends a reality check that, in most cases, the oppressed do not necessarily rise to stand on top of their oppressors.

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