Nazneen's Quest For Emancipation In brick Lane
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Department of English
Abstract
The inscribed disquisition emphasizes on Monica Ali's innermost
intellectual vision of an Islamic woman trapped between two distinct cultures:
the Islamic culture and the English one. The former is indeed oppressive and
restrictive which has made the central character, Nazneen in Brick Lanebelieve
in the fatalistic life. But the latter seems to have awakenedher to come out from
the world of old values and the maze of fatalistic instructions provided by
Amma. As the matter of fact Nazneen's role pervades the whole novel. Her
psychological evolution from the intial part ofBrick Laneupto its end is the
matterof remark. Due to being in the world of emotional deception, religious
restrictions and male domination, Nazneen turns to a new Nazneen and
commences seeking for liberated life which she eventually feels only through
sheltering in the sexual companionship with Karim, accompanying with Razia,
and psychologically, and physiologically distancing her from her husband,
Chanu who has strictly carried up old values and has been imposing those on
Nazneen and even his daughters: Bibi and Shahana. After all Nazneen,the
innocent, unknown to English, flexible, alterable woman, finds life comfortable
and prestigious as well as emancipated in the multicultural society while Chanu,
the boastful, highly learned and capable of speaking English fluently becomes a
failure in the English culture and goes back to Bangladesh with a great
expectation of being a success over there.