Word Count: 2,733
Word Count (without quotes): 2,205
Both Ayub Khan-Din’s East is East (1997), and Monica Ali’s Brick Lane (2004)
examine the complex relationship between the East and the West, exposing the
gap between idealised cultural expectations and the harsh realities. This tension
is rooted in identity, a concept each character must uncover on their own terms.
While Brick Lane navigates this through Nazneen’s internal journey, East is East
offers a more confrontational lens. Both writers, drawing from their own
bicultural backgrounds, present identity as an evolving process tied to the
conflict between the East and West.
Both Brick Lane and East is East expose the East’s idealised perception of
Western opportunity, revealing the harsh realities of these expectations. In Brick
Lane, Chanu’s pride in his accumulation of certificates in ‘his certificates were
framed (P23),’ ranging from diplomas to his ‘driver’s license (P211)’ highlights
his belief that working hard will secure Western admiration but in reality Chanu’s
qualifications hold little value in offices run by experienced westerners. The use
of the short sentence emphasises the futility of Chanu’s efforts. Similarly, East is
East portrays George’s boast of ‘I got own business see (P12),’ which reflects a
misplaced faith in British industry as George’s chip shop remains in the shadows
of larger Western industry. Din’s use of informal colloquial expression, a common
trait in his works, reflects George’s marginal position, challenging dominant
linguistic norms and reinforcing his outsider status. George and Chanu’s shared
belief in status seeking is further reflected in their material aspirations; Chanu
constructs ‘a desk each from the length of kitchen work surface he found in a
skip (P195),’ while George treasures his ‘barber’s chair (P48),’ symbolic of their
attempts to fabricate prosperity in their homes. Their ambitions reflect the
optimism sparked by the 1948 British Nationality Act, which granted former
British subjects, including those from Pakistan and Bangladesh, the right to live
in the UK, fuelling migration in search of prosperity. Yet Ali dismantles this myth
through Chanu’s fragmented disappointment: ‘But he was slighted. By
customers, by suppliers, by superiors and inferiors. He worked hard for respect,
but he could not find it (P205),’ where the listing of ‘by customers, by suppliers,
by superiors, and inferiors,’ and repetition of ‘by’ mimics the extent of his
alienation and rejection. This is reinforced by the personified ‘he worked hard for
respect but he could not find it,’ which echoes the belief of respect being
something tangible that can be handed to individuals if they work hard, an idea
far from reality as immigrants must overcome stereotypical views about them in
order to earn this respect yet they fail to accept this reality. Critic, Mohammed
Berray supports this view: ‘what immigrants ask for within their host societies, is
the ability to integrate whilst retaining their cultural identities at birth 1,’
emphasising the alienation where the emotional promise of the West remains
unfulfilled, leaving characters like Chanu and George failing to adjust to foreign
environments where they resist anything other than their expectations. Even
acts of rebellion including Hasina (Brick Lane) and Nazir’s (East is East) rejection
of arranged marriages result in their narrative absence suggesting a social
punishment for non-conformity. This mirrors the Western media’s growing
1
Berray, M. (2019). A Critical Literary Review of the Melting Pot and Salad Bowl
Assimilation and Integration Theories.
, Word Count: 2,733
Word Count (without quotes): 2,205
fascination with arranged marriage where ‘during the same timespans of 1980–
85 and 2005–10, major newspaper references to arranged marriage relating to
Pakistan or Bangladesh increase from under 5 articles to over 450 2,’ highlights
stereotypical depictions of Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. Din and Ali
lean into these tropes to expose how arranged marriage is perceived by the West
as an Eastern burden, presenting an image of society’s realities. Ali’s epistolary
structure integrates Hasina’s narrative into the novel while Din’s dramatic form
allows a complete isolation of Nasir. While both characters have rejected the
same sacred institution, Hasina’s difficulties are still displayed through her letters
perhaps suggesting that the society in Brick Lane, with it being based more
recently than East is East, implies this increased acceptance of Eastern rejection
as beliefs have evolved representing a shift in Eastern agency. Therefore, Din and
Ali unravel the myth of Western society, exposing its controlling and alienating
nature.
These harsh realities evolve into conflict where in Brick Lane this remains
internal while in East is East this becomes external reflecting the contrasting
ways in which cultural pressure manifests. In Brick Lane, Nazneen’s inner turmoil
over wearing trousers where, ‘She was gripped by the idea that if she changed
her clothes her entire life would change as well (P279),’ utilises the third person
perspective to immerse the readers into Nazneen’s inner negotiations mirroring
the growing influence of Western consumerism in immigrant communities. This
conflict is reinforced by Nazneen’s linguistic barriers as ‘she could say two things
in English: sorry and thank you (P21).’ The simple sentence structure parallels
her supressed voice where she only says what is expected of her. Contrastingly,
East is East’s George externalises his conflict as he erupts into violence where he
‘grabs Ella, and pushes her to the floor, he starts to hit her (P72),’ where the
fragmented structure with commas exposes the pain and anger caused by this
conflict of cultures between the East and West. The semantic field of violence
shaped by the dramatic form with stage directions articulates this struggle for
control while the novel form of Brick Lane, with internal monologues, portrays
cultural displacement as a private struggle rather than a visible confrontation.
This greater control of the narrative of Nazneen able to maintain her struggle as
internal without it being imposed on her family, contradicts George’s failure to do
the same resulting in him releasing his frustration onto his family. Both texts
emphasise the emotional consequences of the tension between the East and
West whether this is internal as in Brick Lane or external in East is East.
Both texts present an older generation of fathers who are determined to uphold
traditional Eastern values leading to a generational divide. Chanu and George
impose Eastern customs as a means of control, particularly in terms of
confronting their children’s desires to embrace Western customs. They mimic
colonisers attempting to colonise the West into the East, an inversion which
parodies the reality. This creates postcolonial irony as the oppressed become the
oppressor. In East is East, George’s exclamatory insult: ‘Your daughter walking
2
Aguiar, M. (2013). Arranged Marriage: Cultural Regeneration in Transnational South
Asian Popular Culture.
Word Count (without quotes): 2,205
Both Ayub Khan-Din’s East is East (1997), and Monica Ali’s Brick Lane (2004)
examine the complex relationship between the East and the West, exposing the
gap between idealised cultural expectations and the harsh realities. This tension
is rooted in identity, a concept each character must uncover on their own terms.
While Brick Lane navigates this through Nazneen’s internal journey, East is East
offers a more confrontational lens. Both writers, drawing from their own
bicultural backgrounds, present identity as an evolving process tied to the
conflict between the East and West.
Both Brick Lane and East is East expose the East’s idealised perception of
Western opportunity, revealing the harsh realities of these expectations. In Brick
Lane, Chanu’s pride in his accumulation of certificates in ‘his certificates were
framed (P23),’ ranging from diplomas to his ‘driver’s license (P211)’ highlights
his belief that working hard will secure Western admiration but in reality Chanu’s
qualifications hold little value in offices run by experienced westerners. The use
of the short sentence emphasises the futility of Chanu’s efforts. Similarly, East is
East portrays George’s boast of ‘I got own business see (P12),’ which reflects a
misplaced faith in British industry as George’s chip shop remains in the shadows
of larger Western industry. Din’s use of informal colloquial expression, a common
trait in his works, reflects George’s marginal position, challenging dominant
linguistic norms and reinforcing his outsider status. George and Chanu’s shared
belief in status seeking is further reflected in their material aspirations; Chanu
constructs ‘a desk each from the length of kitchen work surface he found in a
skip (P195),’ while George treasures his ‘barber’s chair (P48),’ symbolic of their
attempts to fabricate prosperity in their homes. Their ambitions reflect the
optimism sparked by the 1948 British Nationality Act, which granted former
British subjects, including those from Pakistan and Bangladesh, the right to live
in the UK, fuelling migration in search of prosperity. Yet Ali dismantles this myth
through Chanu’s fragmented disappointment: ‘But he was slighted. By
customers, by suppliers, by superiors and inferiors. He worked hard for respect,
but he could not find it (P205),’ where the listing of ‘by customers, by suppliers,
by superiors, and inferiors,’ and repetition of ‘by’ mimics the extent of his
alienation and rejection. This is reinforced by the personified ‘he worked hard for
respect but he could not find it,’ which echoes the belief of respect being
something tangible that can be handed to individuals if they work hard, an idea
far from reality as immigrants must overcome stereotypical views about them in
order to earn this respect yet they fail to accept this reality. Critic, Mohammed
Berray supports this view: ‘what immigrants ask for within their host societies, is
the ability to integrate whilst retaining their cultural identities at birth 1,’
emphasising the alienation where the emotional promise of the West remains
unfulfilled, leaving characters like Chanu and George failing to adjust to foreign
environments where they resist anything other than their expectations. Even
acts of rebellion including Hasina (Brick Lane) and Nazir’s (East is East) rejection
of arranged marriages result in their narrative absence suggesting a social
punishment for non-conformity. This mirrors the Western media’s growing
1
Berray, M. (2019). A Critical Literary Review of the Melting Pot and Salad Bowl
Assimilation and Integration Theories.
, Word Count: 2,733
Word Count (without quotes): 2,205
fascination with arranged marriage where ‘during the same timespans of 1980–
85 and 2005–10, major newspaper references to arranged marriage relating to
Pakistan or Bangladesh increase from under 5 articles to over 450 2,’ highlights
stereotypical depictions of Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. Din and Ali
lean into these tropes to expose how arranged marriage is perceived by the West
as an Eastern burden, presenting an image of society’s realities. Ali’s epistolary
structure integrates Hasina’s narrative into the novel while Din’s dramatic form
allows a complete isolation of Nasir. While both characters have rejected the
same sacred institution, Hasina’s difficulties are still displayed through her letters
perhaps suggesting that the society in Brick Lane, with it being based more
recently than East is East, implies this increased acceptance of Eastern rejection
as beliefs have evolved representing a shift in Eastern agency. Therefore, Din and
Ali unravel the myth of Western society, exposing its controlling and alienating
nature.
These harsh realities evolve into conflict where in Brick Lane this remains
internal while in East is East this becomes external reflecting the contrasting
ways in which cultural pressure manifests. In Brick Lane, Nazneen’s inner turmoil
over wearing trousers where, ‘She was gripped by the idea that if she changed
her clothes her entire life would change as well (P279),’ utilises the third person
perspective to immerse the readers into Nazneen’s inner negotiations mirroring
the growing influence of Western consumerism in immigrant communities. This
conflict is reinforced by Nazneen’s linguistic barriers as ‘she could say two things
in English: sorry and thank you (P21).’ The simple sentence structure parallels
her supressed voice where she only says what is expected of her. Contrastingly,
East is East’s George externalises his conflict as he erupts into violence where he
‘grabs Ella, and pushes her to the floor, he starts to hit her (P72),’ where the
fragmented structure with commas exposes the pain and anger caused by this
conflict of cultures between the East and West. The semantic field of violence
shaped by the dramatic form with stage directions articulates this struggle for
control while the novel form of Brick Lane, with internal monologues, portrays
cultural displacement as a private struggle rather than a visible confrontation.
This greater control of the narrative of Nazneen able to maintain her struggle as
internal without it being imposed on her family, contradicts George’s failure to do
the same resulting in him releasing his frustration onto his family. Both texts
emphasise the emotional consequences of the tension between the East and
West whether this is internal as in Brick Lane or external in East is East.
Both texts present an older generation of fathers who are determined to uphold
traditional Eastern values leading to a generational divide. Chanu and George
impose Eastern customs as a means of control, particularly in terms of
confronting their children’s desires to embrace Western customs. They mimic
colonisers attempting to colonise the West into the East, an inversion which
parodies the reality. This creates postcolonial irony as the oppressed become the
oppressor. In East is East, George’s exclamatory insult: ‘Your daughter walking
2
Aguiar, M. (2013). Arranged Marriage: Cultural Regeneration in Transnational South
Asian Popular Culture.
