Theme and message

The main theme explored in the novel excerpt from Salaam Brick Lane by Tarquin Hall is the contrast between the West and the East. In the text, the contrast between West and East mainly refers to the different parts of London. However, we can also analyse this theme through a wider perspective by focussing on the contrast between the Western world (Europe and the US) and the Middle East.

The contrast between the West and the East

On the one hand, this theme is illustrated by the differences in living conditions in London’s West and East sides. As the narrator reveals, London’s West End – the place where he grew up in – was “bohemian” (p. 81, l. 34) and people there used to keep a safe distance from places they considered dangerous:

During my childhood, my parents had ...