Often, when two people are said to
complete each other, they turn out to be a romantic couple. The case of Keisha Blake and Leah Hanwell in
Zadie Smith’s NW is a bit different
in that these two girls are friends; however, their friendship may actually have
a romantic foundation. Keisha and Leah
grew up with different family backgrounds and live in different parts of NW
throughout their lives. What
distinguishes their friendship from most other girls’ friendships is Keisha’s
fascination with Leah, which provides an undying intrigue between them as they
grow older.
One of the earlier examples of
Keisha’s fascination with Leah is her desire to thoroughly examine Leah’s
personality. When they are schoolgirls,
Keisha “looked at Leah and tried to ascertain the outline of her personality”
(209). Unlike completely platonic
friends who simply enjoy one another’s company, Keisha is so intrigued by Leah
that she wants to study her and perhaps develop a personality of her own,
inspired by Leah. Furthermore, Keisha’s
strong attachment to Leah is revealed a bit later in the novel: “In the absence
of Leah—at school, on the streets, in Caldwell—Keisha Blake felt herself to be
revealed and exposed” (224). To use a
cliché, Leah appears to be Keisha’s other half.
Without Leah by her side, Keisha feels alone and unprepared for the
world.
What makes the relationship between
Keisha and Leah more sexual is Leah’s gift to Keisha during their teenage
years: a vibrator (218). One girl giving
another girl a sex toy certainly adds erotic elements to a friendship—even if
the girls are apart for a year and a half, which was the case between these
sixteen-year-old girls.
While Keisha Blake and Leah Hanwell
originally start as friends at an elementary school age, their friendship
develops into what may be interpreted as a somewhat romantic relationship as
they grow into their teens and older.
Keisha is very curious to keep learning about the differences between
her and Leah; their backgrounds are very different. Perhaps Leah picks up on Keisha’s fascination
and takes advantage of it by giving her a vibrator—something else with which
Keisha has very little experience.
Certainly, the friendship between Keisha and Leah is not platonic: There
is a romantic attraction and intrigue between them.
While Leah’s gift of the dildo implies that Leah and Keisha’s relationship has a romantic or sexual element, and is not the conventional friendship, the primary cause of Keisha’s fascination with Leah is her lack of understanding in herself.
ReplyDeleteAt a young age, Keisha begins to ponder her existence, herself as a person, and her purpose. Much of who she believed she was was who others told her she was and, “[s]he began to exist for other people” (208). This ongoing struggle for understanding is seen again in anecdote told by Leah and Keisha’s friend, Anita. Anita cries in the graveyard afterschool when she recounts that her father raped her mother, and asks, “ ‘How do I know which half of me is evil?’ “(211). Keisha goes on to think, “she was in no way the creation of her parents” (211). Keisha seems to believe one is not built from their past, their economic status, or even one’s talents. She can’t truly put her finger on exactly what makes a person unique. She is “wondering whether she herself had any personality at all or was in truth only the accumulation and reflection of all the things she had read in books and seen on television” (217). Because of Keisha’s continuous struggle for understanding of herself, this manifests itself in the form of an intense, unconventional, relationship with Leah.
In the beginning of Keisha’s section, Leah and Keisha’s friendship is expressed as beginning very early and prominently. Multiple times, Keisha claims her and Leah “had bonded over a dramatic event” (202), and thus accredits their intense bond to this. Since they essentially grew up side by side, they had similar interests for most of their childhood. Because of this, when they grow older and Leah’s interests change, the “sudden and violent divergence in their tastes was shocking to Keisha” (216). Keisha found so much comfort in Leah because she identifies herself with Leah. She thinks Leah must know who she is, if she is a friend of her. Although, Leah and Keisha’s relationship appeared to have taken on a level of romance, Keisha’s true attraction to Leah was Leah’s ability to help her feel content and in understanding of herself.
I do not fully agree with the idea that Leah and Natalie/Keisha have a relationship of a sexual nature. Without a doubt, the two of them have a very close friendship. The reader is reminded of this repeatedly throughout the novel, particularly during Keisha’s section, as it discusses how the two of them did a lot of growing up together. However, this is not enough evidence to suggest that these two women are more than friends.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the novel always overloads the reader with details when describing anything of a sexual nature. This becomes very apparent during Felix’s section of the novel, when he describes his visit to Annie’s and they share an unexpected moment on the roof of her building (181-3). Just because a vibrator is gifted from one girl to the other does not mean that there is something going on between the two of them. Furthermore, nothing in the novel really implies that Leah acknowledges there could be something more between her and Keisha. In fact, Leah spends a significant amount of time dissecting Natalie and her perfect life. Any time that the two of them spend together is always “at Nat’s house, because why wouldn’t they [meet there]. Look at this beautiful house!” (71). Leah appears to be extremely jealous of everything Natalie has accomplished and she always feels like a peasant in Natalie’s presence. Altogether, this suggests more of a strained friendship rather than one of a sexual nature. It seems as though the only real reason the two of them have stayed friends is because they have been friends for so long. Nothing else seems to be impacting their friendship in the present day, and it does not seem as though anything beyond simple best-friendship has ever gone on between them.
I also do not believe that the two characters necessarily have a sexual or romantic relationship. While the gift itself may appear unorthodox, I personally do not think it is completely out of character for Leah to have given it. Considering their friendship, and what we understand to be Leah’s own approach to sexuality, I think it is understandable that she would want to help her close friend in some way to become more acquainted with her own sexuality. After all, Keisha approaches it clinically, calling it an “anthropological adventure into sin” (219). This on its own suggests that she is out of touch with this side of herself.
ReplyDeleteI also don’t think that the fascination between them necessarily needs to be romantic either. We also so Leah having some fascination with Shar, listing endless details about her behavior and looks. “Shar is tiny. Her skin looks papery and dry, with patches of psoriasis on the forehead and on the jaw. The face is familiar” (6). While I do believe that Natalie and Leah are close friends, especially considering how far back their friendship goes, given their own personalities, I don’t believe that their relationship goes beyond friendship. Instead, it is more likely that they are looking are close to one another, and note each other’s behavior because they do not know themselves very well.