White Teeth

by

Zadie Smith

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on White Teeth makes teaching easy.

Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick) Character Analysis

During World War II, Archie and Samad encounter Dr. Perret, a young French scientist and Nazi collaborator, in Bulgaria, where he is hiding out in a decrepit house. Dr. Perret is nicknamed “Dr. Sick” because he suffers from a chronic illness that makes him appear to weep blood. Dr. Perret helped the Nazis with genetic experiments designed to wipe out non-Aryan races, and Archie and Samad take it upon themselves to kill the doctor as their final—and only—act of war heroism. Archie, however, cannot decide whether to follow through with the killing, and after flipping a coin, he decides to let the doctor go free (unbeknownst to Samad). Dr. Perret later becomes a mentor to Marcus Chalfen, agreeing to supervise the FutureMouse project. Millat attempts to assassinate Dr. Perret at the FutureMouse launch event, but Archie saves him again by diving in the pathway of the bullet.

Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick) Quotes in White Teeth

The White Teeth quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick) or refer to Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Family Ties Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

“Do you know who this man is, Jones?” Samad grabbed the doctor by the back of his hair and bent his neck over the back seat. “The Russians told me. He’s a scientist, like me—but what is his science? Choosing who shall be born and who shall not—breeding people as if they were so many chickens, destroying them if the specifications are not correct. He wants to control, to dictate the future. He wants a race of men, a race of indestructible men, that will survive the last days of this earth. But it cannot be done in a laboratory. It must be done, it can only be done, with faith! Only Allah saves! I am no religious man—I have never possessed the strength—but I am not fool enough to deny the truth!”

Related Characters: Archibald (Archie) Jones , Samad Iqbal, Millat Iqbal, Marcus Chalfen, Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick)
Page Number: 100
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 20 Quotes

Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories. Archie does recognize the name, faintly, somewhere inside, but he is already twisting in his seat by then, trying to see if Samad is returning. He can’t see Samad. Instead he spots Millat, who looks funny. Who looks decidedly funny. Peculiar rather than ha-ha. He’s swaying ever so slightly in his seat, and Archie can’t catch his eye for a you-all-right-mate look because his eyes are locked on to something and when Archie follows the path of this stare, he finds himself looking at the same peculiar thing: an old man weeping tiny tears of pride. Red tears. Tears Archie recognizes.

Related Characters: Archibald (Archie) Jones , Samad Iqbal, Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick)
Related Symbols: The FutureMouse
Page Number: 441
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire White Teeth LitChart as a printable PDF.
White Teeth PDF

Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick) Quotes in White Teeth

The White Teeth quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick) or refer to Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Family Ties Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

“Do you know who this man is, Jones?” Samad grabbed the doctor by the back of his hair and bent his neck over the back seat. “The Russians told me. He’s a scientist, like me—but what is his science? Choosing who shall be born and who shall not—breeding people as if they were so many chickens, destroying them if the specifications are not correct. He wants to control, to dictate the future. He wants a race of men, a race of indestructible men, that will survive the last days of this earth. But it cannot be done in a laboratory. It must be done, it can only be done, with faith! Only Allah saves! I am no religious man—I have never possessed the strength—but I am not fool enough to deny the truth!”

Related Characters: Archibald (Archie) Jones , Samad Iqbal, Millat Iqbal, Marcus Chalfen, Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick)
Page Number: 100
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 20 Quotes

Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories. Archie does recognize the name, faintly, somewhere inside, but he is already twisting in his seat by then, trying to see if Samad is returning. He can’t see Samad. Instead he spots Millat, who looks funny. Who looks decidedly funny. Peculiar rather than ha-ha. He’s swaying ever so slightly in his seat, and Archie can’t catch his eye for a you-all-right-mate look because his eyes are locked on to something and when Archie follows the path of this stare, he finds himself looking at the same peculiar thing: an old man weeping tiny tears of pride. Red tears. Tears Archie recognizes.

Related Characters: Archibald (Archie) Jones , Samad Iqbal, Dr. Marc-Pierre Perret (Dr. Sick)
Related Symbols: The FutureMouse
Page Number: 441
Explanation and Analysis: