Brick Lane

This study guide will help you analyze the novel Brick Lane (2003) by Monica Ali. You can also find a summary of the text, as well as inspiration for interpreting it and putting it into perspective. You can also read a brief analysis of the film which is based on the novel and how the two differ.

Presentation of the text

Title: Brick Lane (2003)
Author: Monica Ali
Genre: Novel

Monica Ali (b. 1976) is a British writer of Bangladeshi and English origin. Her debut novel Brick Lane has been translated into over 20 languages. Ali has been nominated for most of the major literary prizes in Britain including the Man Booker Prize for Brick Lane. She was also named one of Granta magazine’s Best of Young British Novelists based on her yet unpublished manuscript of Brick Lane in 2003. Her other novels include Untold Story (2012) and Love Marriage (2022).

Excerpt from the study guide:

Desire and independence

The theme of desire and independence is central to the novel Brick Lane by Monica Ali, , especially in relation to the main character Nazneen whose internal conflict revolves around passively accepting her fate or going after what she desires. In this way, the theme of desire and independence is also complementary to the theme of fate.

As an immigrant woman from a conservative background, Nazneen experiences suppressed desires due to the cultural norms and traditions she is expected to obey. Her desire for education, independence, and self-expression clashes with the expectations placed upon her as a wife and a member of the Bangladeshi community in London: “She looked and saw that she was trapped inside this room, inside this flat, inside this concrete slab of entombed humanity” (p. 61).

This conflict between inner desires and external restrictions serves as a powerful driver of the narrative. Moreover, the Nazneen was ...