34 pages • 1 hour read
Zadie SmithA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
In “The Embassy of Cambodia,” Fatou reads an article about an enslaved woman living in London whose experience closely mirror her own. Domestic enslavement still occurs, and “The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that at least 67 million people are employed as domestic workers across the world. […] Of these, the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery demonstrate that 1.4 million of the 17.3 million people in forced labour in the private sector, are exploited in domestic work” (“Domestic Slavery: What Is It? - Anti-Slavery International.” Anti-Slavery, 5 Dec. 2023). Many of these crimes go unreported because they happen within the domestic sphere, which is difficult to police and regulate. This experience is explored through Fatou, who has very few means to escape from the Derawals, especially since they confiscated her passport and did not compensate her for her labor. Additionally, the nature of domestic labor can conceal the truth of domestic slavery, as comforts like Fatou’s access to the family’s health center, her outings with Andrew, and her living with the Derawals create a façade of normalcy and freedom. It takes an outside article for Fatou to fully grasp her own domestic enslavement, which demonstrates its murkiness, making it even more dangerous to its victims.
By Zadie Smith
Feel Free
Feel Free
Zadie Smith
NW
NW
Zadie Smith
On Beauty
On Beauty
Zadie Smith
Swing Time
Swing Time
Zadie Smith
The Fraud
The Fraud
Zadie Smith
The Waiter’s Wife
The Waiter’s Wife
Zadie Smith
White Teeth
White Teeth
Zadie Smith
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection
View Collection