Monica Ali Brick Lane Quotes

Monica Ali’s novel brick lane burst on to the world stage in 2003 to much acclaim as well as much controversy, at the time of its release many British Bangladeshi were upset with the books portals of them. The novel attempts to depict the troubled and realistic immigration and assimilation process for Bangladeshi immigrants to western society. The novel follows the life of Nazneen and her experience as well as the experiences of other Bangladeshi immigrants as they attempt to assimilate in to western society and how they handle the rejection they experience from British society. In brick lane, the Bangladeshi immigrant community combats exclusion from western society by becoming increasingly more insular and enforcing traditional gender roles. …show more content…
In brick lane, the Bangladeshi immigrant group does this by reinforcing their traditional gender roles. Nazneen is one of the primary victims of these outdated gender roles a prime example being when Nazneen wanted to take English classes with Razia and Chanu forbids it claiming that she would be a worse mother if she weren’t at home “staying at home is naturalized as is her authenticity as a proper Bangladeshi housewife through recourse to Nazneen’s maternity” and “Chanu’s reaction betrays a fear of the other things she might learn: sociality outside of the home, enjoyment of English activities, independent employment, and so forth. To speak English in some sense is to be English.” (Chakravarty 511). In the Bangladeshi society Nazneen’s place is in the home and especially in the early book “Ali concentrates in minute detail on the intricacies of Nazneen’s life, shut away from the world with no freedom to make decisions of her own, and the narrative revels in its permeation of the interior of the home, as well as in its dissection of her repressed longings. Agony and stupor at the death of her first son are followed by the dull gnawing of routine domesticity” (Hiddleston 61) the attempt to exit that space and enter British society would undermined Bangladeshi society and in turn damage what the community is attempting to do in reaction to British society. Nazneen is also expected to be religious as all good Muslim woman would be “the words themselves comfort Nazneen, their rhythms offer solace as much or indeed more than their content. Shortly after this moment, Ali notes that Nazneen does not always understand the words she recites, but their echo itself resonates with