Brick Lane Analysis

Brick Lane depicts the story of a Bangladeshi woman, Nazneen, who becomes independent. The movie shows how she transforms into a strong woman capable of making her own decisions and in some aspects seems more strong than her husband. The first step towards her independence occurs when she decides to sow; even though her husband is against it, she decides to take matters into her own hands, in order to make enough money to return to Bangladesh. Later we see that she engages in an affair, and this again depicts her as independent because it moves away from the precedent that men are in control of the relationship. Her husband has to accept this affair and he does nothing about it, showing for the first time that Nazneen is not controlled by her husband. Later in the movie Nazneen has the courage to go up to the lady who charges them money while, Chanu, Nazneen's husband, runs away when he sees this woman. The director uses this scene to leave no doubt in the audience's mind that Nazneen is a stronger person than her husband. Lastly, Nazneen wins her independence when she decides to stay behind in England even though her husband leaves for Bangladesh. All these scenes show how Nazneen slowly grows from a submissive wife to a self-supporting woman. The movie is clearly feminist because it moves away from portraying women as simple housewives who listen to their husbands. The movie gives confidence to women, that they can achieve anything if they put the effort in and that they should all take control of their own lives without any man's influence.