Analysis Of Fate In Brick Lane

Brick Lane is a 2007 British drama film directed by Sarah Gavron and adapted from the novel of the same name by the British writer Monica Ali. It tells the story of Nazneen, a girl who grew up in rural Bangladesh in which at the tender age of 17 was arranged to be married to Chanu Ahmed, who is twice her age. Nazneen soon found herself at Brick Lane in London, the centre of the British Bangladeshi community after leaving behind her sister and her family back in Bangladesh. Married to a man she does not love, Nazneen lives day-by-day through the letters she receives from her sister about her carefree life. After living 16 years with her husband and raising 2 daughters, Nazneen found herself filled with desire for a young, good-looking clothing …show more content…
There are many debates on whether ‘fate’ is something we could control or not, and this theme is heavily explored in Brick Lane. From the very beginning of the film, we are presented with the suicide of Amma (mother), mother of both Nazneen and her sister, Hasina. Their mother, teaches them that they “must not run from fate. What cannot be changed must be borne. The test of life is to endure”, to which Nazneen takes to heart. Nazneen is soon given away in arranged marriage which she does not protest at all. While Nazneen is in London with her new husband, she worries about Hasina but she often wonders if perhaps Hasina was fated to the life she has “chosen”. We could observe that Nazneen, through her mother’s word before her death, have caused her to live her life passively, believing that every moment is what ‘Fate’ have chosen for her, even if marrying to someone she does not love. It is not until she met Karim and had an affair with him that she finally understood that fate does not decide one’s life but she herself have to decide her fate and choose her own path in life. Karim confronted Nazneen on her rejection of his advance on marriage saying, “Is it the sin of it, is that it?” in which Nazneen replied, “Karim, that we already have done”. She realizes that Amma did act and chose her fate, although the past she chose was a forbidden one, similar to what she chose. Eventually, Nazneen …show more content…
In England, displaced from their country of origin, Bangladeshi immigrants try to recreate the society and culture they left behind, but their English-born children are influenced by the only country they know. The younger generation wants to fit in, and also experience life for themselves, while the older generation does not want things to change. Similar to that of the real world, it is a universal and age-old conflict, but it is perhaps more amplified when a group is displaced has the influence of another culture to contend as well. The older Bangladeshis in the London community are appalled by the way their children dress and their experimentation with drugs and alcohol. In the beginning of the movie, we see Nazneen slightly agitated at Shahna at the length of her skirt. Karim was also agitated when he saw kids just wasting their time smoking drugs to which he remark, “So many kids, man, smoking shit. Doing nothing.” Through this interaction between the old and the young, we can feel the confrontation of ideas and views of the old and new. The younger generation looks at their parent’s inaction in the face of great social troubles with disgust. As evident with Shahna who in most times having confrontation with her unemployed dad. There are many times in Brick Lane where it shows this idea of Intergenerational conflict, such as Abba (dad) who always sings Bengali songs while Shahna listens to British