Nazneen

Outer characterization

Nazneen Ahmed is the main character of the novel Brick Lane by Monica Ali. She is a young woman born in the town of Gouripur, East Pakistan (which later becomes part of Bangladesh). She moves to England when her parents arrange for her to marry a Bangladeshi man who lives there. The novel follows her since her arrival in England when she is 18 to when she is a 35-year-old woman, though scenes from her childhood in Bangladesh are also shown. 

Nazneen’s parents are Rupban and Hasin, while her paternal aunt is Mumtaz. Nazneen also has a younger sister named Hasina. After moving to England with her husband Chanu, Nazneen first gives birth to a baby boy named Mohammad Raqib. However, he dies unexpectedly while still an infant. Afterwards, Nazneen has two daughters: Shahana and Bibi.

In London, Nazneen lives in a flat in the Tower Hamlets estate, and she does not go outside much. She is a housewife for most of her life, though when she is 34, Chanu buys her a sewing machine, and Nazneen begins to work as a seamstress. A man named Karim brings clothes that need to be sewn to Nazneen’s house so she can work from her home. Nazneen and Karim have a secret affair that Nazneen eventually ends. The novel ends when Nazneen is 35 and has decided to remain in England with her daughters after Chanu returns to Bangladesh.

Physically, Nazneen is described as having a...