\u201cNo one \u2018becomes\u2019 a woman purely because she is a woman\u2026 it is the intersections of carious systematic networks of class, race, [hetero]sexuality and nation\u2026 that positions us as \u201cWomen,\u201d (Mohanty et al. 12-13, qtd. in Chakraborty 32). In \u201cBengali Women\u2019s Writings in the Colonial Period: Critique of Nation, Narration, and Patriarchy,\u201d Sanchayita Paul Chakraborty and Dhritiman Chakraborty show how this gendered, self-formed conception about the intersections of the systemic networks of patriarchy, race, religion, and identity is visible in the \u2018caged\u2019 and submissive condition of Bengali women. While Chakraborty asserts that \u201cthere are no basic differences between man and woman in consideration of their nature, rationality, and intelligence,\u201d the \u2018caged\u2019 injustice of Bengali women is the direct result of the carious and corrupt patriarchal culture that\u2019s written off as tradition (Chakraborty 31). The patriarchal culture of \u2018tradition\u2019 in Bangladesh diminishes and oppresses female visibility by actively rejecting the trappings for women to achieve economic freedom and individual autonomy by threatening fear, abuse, and even death.<\/p>\n
Monica Ali\u2019s Brick Lane <\/em>details the diasporic experience through the narratives of two Bangladeshi sisters, Hasina, a displaced migrant in Dhaka, and Nazneen, an immigrant in London. Ali complicates a simple dichotomy between civilized London and primitive Bangladesh through Hasina and her written correspondences that compare the oppression and abuse against women in both geographical spheres to disclose the corruption endured by Bengali women due to their patriarchal tradition. While Hasina\u2019s letters reveal the inability of Bangladeshi women to obtain cultural recognition, they also show the banishment of female autonomy in Bangladeshi culture that normalizes harsh punishment. However, the narratorial force of Nazneen\u2019s immigrant experience works to unveil the possibility for growth and opportunity that culturally exists for women in London. While the patriarchal system in Bangladesh benefits only men, Brick Lane<\/em> displaces immigrated men from a culture that supports the oppression of women and relocates them into an environment that does not. The doubling Ali manipulates in the dual-narrative provided by Nazneen and conveyed through Hasina\u2019s letters discloses that while these immigrants originate in a highly patriarchal culture, there is a gap between the fates of men and women immigrants in London. Ali reveals that those who assume success ultimately fail in an environment where the patriarchal tradition is not the norm, while women conversely flourish and develop autonomy and self-determination. The free indirect discourse of Nazneen\u2019s narrative constructs a parallel that differentiates between the woman\u2019s experience in Bangladesh and London to argue that a tradition wholly reliant upon patriarchal extremes and female oppression will inevitably fail without the holistic support of a cultural backing. Brick Lane <\/em>confronts the Bangladeshi tradition of gendered politics through Ali\u2019s diasporic distinction that relies on the novel\u2019s characterization of women to demonstrate that women can achieve recognition and autonomy without fear of reprisal.<\/p>\n The sister doubling Ali applies through the trope of letter writing provides a parallel and a glimpse into what traditional Bengali life may have held for Nazneen. A close analysis of extracts from Hasina\u2019s letters alludes to the reality of life for women in Bangladesh, which confirms that while patriarchal structure benefits men, women often face punitive, if not deadly, consequences. Hasina recounts the beating and continuous threats that her coworker Aleya suffered from her husband in reaction to his wife\u2019s acknowledgment at work, retelling to Nazneen:<\/p>\n Last month gone she best worker in factory and get bonus. They give sari and for this sari she take beating. Foot come all big like marrow and little finger broken\u2026 Renu say at least you have husband to give good beating at least you not alone <\/em>(Ali 124).<\/p>\n In a culture that maintains patriarchal oppression and power, men thrive because the culture of the community supports it; and women fail because there is no viable alternative. When Hasina chooses to inform Nazneen about Renu\u2019s reasoning that \u201cat least [Aleya] has a husband to give a good beating,\u201d the disturbing mentality of this tradition corroborates and accurately conveys the corruption of a culture that overlooks domestic violence. Aleya\u2019s recognition at work brought about her publicized attention that led to her suffering. However, Ali consequences the resistance and rebellion of the patriarchal tradition with greater severity. Hasina visits her friend Monju at the hospital, who, after refusing her husband\u2019s decision to sell their seven-day-old son, burns them both with acid while accompanied by his siblings. Hasina relays the story to Nazneen in a visceral sensory description of the \u201cthing that lie on mattress<\/em>\u201d\u2014her inability to stomach the odor, Monju\u2019s melted cheek and mouth, and the ear that \u201chave gone like dog chew off,<\/em>\u201d (Ali 275). The husband\u2019s sister\u2019s participation in the mutilation of another woman and child suggests that this ruthless behavior is standardized in a targeted pattern of widespread gender-based violence against Bangladeshi women and girls.<\/p>\n However, when presented with the opportunity to develop autonomy outside of patriarchy, Nazneen comes to realize and be inspired by women\u2019s prosperity in London. The possibility for female recognition, even within Brick Lane\u2019s Bengali community, without punishment is not only possible but acceptable. Nazneen\u2019s first moments outside of her Tower Hamlets flat without the supervision of her husband Chanu excite and embolden her curiosity and self-awareness as she confronts women and people outside of her immediate community. Walking alone, Nazneen felt a \u201cleafshake of fear\u2014or was it excitement?\u2014passed through her legs. But they were not aware of her. They knew that she existed\u2026 but unless she did something, waved a gun, halted the traffic, they would not see her. She enjoyed this thought\u201d (Ali 40). The equalizing freedom of anonymity Nazneen experienced with the excitement that \u201cpassed through her legs\u201d emboldened a moment of self-confidence at the realization that her slight against Chanu in leaving her house had gone unpunished.<\/p>\n Similar to Hasina\u2019s interest in the lives of her female friends, Nazneen remarks on the women in her surrounding life. In particular, Nazneen perceives Razia\u2019s resilience and achievements\u2014her decision to learn English and obtain British citizenship, that arouses hope and instills confidence as she witnesses Razia prevail in the face of adversity. As a businesswoman, the sole provider for her family, and as a Bengali woman who prospers outside of the patriarchal tradition, Razia represents optimism for Nazneen. However, the most explicit patriarchal rebellion is the resistance demonstrated by the nameless girls in burkas at the Islamist fundamentalist meeting of the Bengal Tigers. The downfall of the patriarchal tradition is that it is only successful if the culture it populates holistically supports its practices. The two girls wearing burkas refused to allow men to silence them while rising to correct the Questioner\u2019s failure to recognize women, insisting that the audience be addressed as \u201cbrothers and sisters\u201d and not simply \u201cbrothers\u201d (Ali 235). The success in this small act of rebellion is the direct result of the patriarchy\u2019s failure to recognize the female population\u2014that which the greater community of London does. The multicultural metropolis London constitutes likewise showcases competing forces in representing other people and cultures unbounded by systemic barriers. This ethnic diversity encourages resistance by awakening a sophisticated understanding of freedom and agency, whereas in Bangladesh, speaking out against the patriarchal structure is discouraged and inconceivable.<\/p>\n While women thrive given these new opportunities and freedoms, Brick Lane\u2019s<\/em> male diasporic experience differs because the men cannot fathom surviving without a patriarchal structure. While London embodies the opportunities for women that Bangladesh does not, allowing for both genders to succeed without the formula for patriarchal dominance, the Bengali men in Nazneen\u2019s life cannot move beyond the limitations of their own culture and community in this new locale. Chanu failed to succeed in England because of his sense of entitlement that prevented him from being satisfied with his occupation, so he inevitably returned to Bangladesh. Hasina astoundedly remarks on Chanu\u2019s transitional search for work in a letter to Nazneen, noting, \u201cYour husband is very good in finding jobs,<\/em>\u201d (Ali 135). Ali\u2019s inflection of humor in this dramatically ironic comment relies on the cultural barriers between Bangladesh and London. The reader understands that while Chanu occupies many menial jobs, they never uphold the degree of sophistication that he thinks he deserves. Karim likewise failed to reach the impact and influence over the Islamic community that he aspired to, so he also retreated to Bangladesh to join an Islamic extremist group. Ali symbolically declares the end to the patriarchy\u2019s indomitability with the death of Razia\u2019s husband. Ali\u2019s deadpan declaration about Razia\u2019s husband\u2019s death by \u201cseventeen frozen cows\u201d in his slaughterhouse job utilizes Ali\u2019s dark humor to argue man\u2019s failure to survive outside of hierarchy (Ali 295). As the sole beneficiaries of this \u2018tradition,\u2019 men cannot comprehend that opportunities exist for both men and women outside of the community. The ability to think tolerantly was never ingrained in them.<\/p>\n Nazneen\u2019s newfound self-awareness at the novel\u2019s end overcomes the plight of women in Ali\u2019s narratorial quest for female autonomy. In her rejection of Chanu and Karim, Nazneen renounces the patriarchal life of autocracy they represent for her and her two daughters. While refusing Karim\u2019s marriage proposal, Nazneen conceptualizes the life he\u2019d imagined for them. He said, \u201cshe was his real thing. A Bengali wife. A Bengali mother. An idea of home,\u201d she was \u201can idea of himself that he found in her,\u201d (Ali 382). Nazneen admits to Karim, \u201cwhat we did\u2014we made each other up,\u201d confirming that after finding her voice and self-determination, Nazneen can distinguish between the role of the ideal Bengali wife and mother left behind in Bangladesh from the independent and competent woman that London constructed (Ali 382). In a crucial moment of feminine resilience and autonomy, Nazneen rejects her former passivity along with her decision to remain in London with her daughters without Chanu. Nazneen asserts, \u201cNo, I can\u2019t go with you,\u201d to which Chanu admits that \u201c[he] can\u2019t stay,\u201d exposing their arrival at crossroads in their marriage (Ali 402). Nazneen cannot return with her daughters to the oppression her sister writes about, while Chanu cannot remain in a society that does not cater to his esteemed expectations.<\/p>\n Chakraborty\u2019s claim about female agency and women having their own \u201cidentity and purpose in life irrespective of her position in relation to the man and the family\u201d is embodied in the novel\u2019s ultimate partnership. After Karim and Chanu withdrew to Bangladesh, Razia and Nazneen face taking their lives into their own hands, prompting a sense of belonging and even acquiring agency as they find work as independent seamstresses. In a moment of ecstatic liberation, Nazneen \u201cwaved her arms, threw back her heard, and danced around the table\u201d to what we can presume is Janis Joplin\u2019s \u201chalf singing, half screeching\u201d cover of The Isley Brothers\u2019 \u201cShout\u201d (Ali 412). She continued to sing along, \u201cfilling her lungs from the bottom, and letting it all go loose,\u201d while \u201cabandoning her feet to the rhythm, threading her hips through the air,\u201d Nazneen even \u201cswooped down and tucked her sari up into the band of her underskirt,\u201d to expose her bare legs (Ali 412). Brick Lane<\/em> contrasts the abuse of women that Hasina describes in Bangladesh with the embodiment of liberated joy and celebration of female communion Nazneen experiences in London to challenge and expose the exploitation of women in a cultural tradition that denies them recognition, let alone sovereignty. Nazneen\u2019s physical and mental release in this dancing passage reveals that women want to let loose and act for themselves given the opportunity.<\/p>\n Brick Lane <\/em>demarcates the diasporic experience of both men and women that becomes apparent through the cross-cultural barriers uncovered by Hasina\u2019s correspondence with Nazneen. Without Hasina\u2019s letters, Ali\u2019s novel loses its sense of achievement, performing as a novel about one woman\u2019s diasporic experience rather than a complex comparison and political commentary about gender roles within the patriarchal Bangladeshi tradition. Razia\u2019s final confession to Nazneen announces, \u201cThis is England, You can do whatever you like,\u201d signifying an uplifting end to a novel that includes socially constructed gendered oppression (Ali 415). Given that the men arrive with the cushioning of having been raised and benefitted from a patriarchal system, London should theoretically bolster the perceived success for men and women. However, aided by Hasina’s incidents in Bangladesh, Ali inflects free indirect discourse into Nazneen’s narrative to reveal that the novel’s demonstrated patriarchal dependence and upbringing disadvantages the male diasporic experience, assuming a sense of entitlement that inhibits the development of male autonomy and independence.<\/p>\n Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n Ali, Monica. Brick Lane<\/em>. Black Swan, 2014.<\/p>\n Chakraborty, Sanchayita Paul, and Dhritiman Chakraborty. \u201cBengali Women\u2019s Writings in the Colonial Period: Critique of Nation, Narration, and Patriarchy.\u201d Zeitschrift F\u00fcr Anglistik Und Amerikanistik<\/em>, vol. 66, no. 1, 2018, pp. 19\u201334., doi:10.1515\/zaa-2018-0004.<\/p>\n Mohanty, Chandra Talpade, Ann Russo, and Lourdes Torres. Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991.<\/p>\n This work represents my own in accordance with University regulations. \/s\/ Nicole Kresich.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cNo one \u2018becomes\u2019 a woman purely because she is a woman\u2026 it is the intersections of carious systematic networks of class, race, [hetero]sexuality and nation\u2026 that positions us as \u201cWomen,\u201d (Mohanty et al. 12-13, qtd. in Chakraborty 32). In \u201cBengali Women\u2019s Writings in the Colonial Period: Critique of Nation, Narration, and Patriarchy,\u201d Sanchayita Paul Chakraborty … <\/p>\n