Decayed Teeth – Summary (Khalil Gibran)
“Decayed Teeth” is an essay by Khalil Gibran that begins with a personal story but carries a powerful social message.
The writer had a badly decayed tooth that caused him terrible pain day and night. Hoping for relief, he went to a dentist and asked to have the tooth removed. But the dentist refused to pull it out. Instead, he filled the tooth with pure gold and charged the writer a large amount of money. For a short while, the pain seemed less, but soon it came back even worse.
The writer then went to another dentist. This dentist simply removed the tooth. At once, the pain disappeared, and the writer felt happy and free.
Gibran compares his bad tooth to the condition of his country, Syria. Just like a decayed tooth causes suffering, society has “decayed teeth” too — corrupt leaders, dishonest officials, and rich hypocrites who pretend to care about the people but actually harm them. They take advantage of the poor, weak, and fearful, sucking away their energy and hope.
He says that reformers in Syria are like the first dentist — they do not remove the real problem. Instead, they waste time giving speeches, holding meetings, and making promises without action. These are only temporary fixes that leave the root of corruption and injustice untouched.
According to Gibran, true reform should be like the second dentist’s work — removing the source of pain completely, even if it is difficult or unpleasant at first. Only then can society truly heal and improve.
Theme of “Decayed Teeth”
The main theme of “Decayed Teeth” is real change versus fake change. Gibran shows that deep-rooted problems in society, like corruption, injustice, and hypocrisy, must be completely removed, not covered up with temporary solutions.
Other themes include:
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Corruption and hypocrisy among leaders and the wealthy.
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The failure of reformers who avoid taking real action.
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The need for courage to face painful but necessary changes.
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The idea that personal experiences can reflect the problems of an entire nation.
In short, the essay teaches that meaningful progress comes only when the true cause of suffering is removed completely, not hidden behind empty words or false promises.