An Analysis On The Self-Independence Of Nazneen In Brick Lane From The Perspective Of Postcolonial Feminism

Brick Lane is the debut and representative of Monica Ali,a Bangladeshi female novelist.Taking a female immigrant from Bangladesh,Nazneen's life as the main plot and based on the background of 9/11 incident,the novel portrays Bangladeshi immigrants' life in Brick Lane,London.Due to the culture shock,racial discrimination,and religious prejudice,these immigrants from the East to the West lose the sense of belongings and are trapped in disorientation.Forced by the living pressure,they have to be mature on mentality and be independent on economy,like Nazneen,or they return to their motherland to escape self-failure,like Nazneen's husband,Chanu.Through the trivial and common family life,the novel presents the true living conditions of these immigrants and draws the world's attention to this novel and further to immigrant problems.With the popularity of globalization in this world,immigration phenomenon is inevitable,which endows this paper with realistic significance.The paper is going to analyze the growth of Nazneen based on the theory of Postcolonial Feminism and textual analysis.This study chooses Nazneen in Brick Lane as the analysis object,who is the representative female immigrant from the third world.Nazneen was freed from the bondage of immigrant life,like language barrier,religious confinement,gender oppression.Although she achieves independence on economy and mentality,she will encounter other obstacles in future because of the lack of social status,cultural knowledge,immigrant experience and the everlasting racial discrimination in western society.This paper aims to answer the following questions:1)what obstacles does Nazneen encounter on her way to be independent?2)what are the personal reasons and social causes contributing to Nazneen's independence on economy and mentality?3)why is Nazneen's independence not optimistic in the future?The independence process of Nazneen is analyzed by the theory of postcolonial feminism and textual analysis.The study results in some findings.Firstly,Nazneen's independence is hindered by personal and social causes at her first arrival in London.Secondly,Nazneen's independence is beneficial from personal reasons,like her relationship with her close friends,her maternal identity and the failure of her husband,and from social causes,like different cultural backgrounds and the changes of her homeland.Thirdly,Nazneen's independence is not complete by comparison with other immigrant characters in the novel.These findings indicate the immigrant life is influenced by both individual and society,provide empirical references for contemporary immigrants and help them improve the adaptability in other countries.