Exploring the Development of a Diasporic Female Bildung in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane

Abstract

Throughout millennia, the synchronic and diachronic study of South Asian literary writings has been predominantly written by male writers, reflecting the social and religious traditions in the region. But, since the late 20th century, women’s artistic abilities have gained significance. Their writings have reached the mainstream cultural imagination and have had significant impact on deconstructing the Britishness and the South Asian diaspora. The present study examines Monica Ali’s magnum opus Brick Lane (2003) as a Diasporic Bildungsroman about a female immigrant, navigating the problems of reassembling autonomy, individuality, and South Asian British identity. Further, this paper may also underscore how Ali realistically questions the traditional notion of South Asian womanhood and offers an alternative to living in an ethnic ghetto, while sexual and political seizures continue to be considered forbidden in Islamic traditions.