Woman, here and there: Transnational struggles of Nazneen in Brick Lane by Monica Ali and Christine in Hot Water Man by Deborah Moggach

Abstract

Paralleling globalisation, wars, social and economic insecurities, and the desire for a better life push people to cross those borders. The case of postcolonial migration between the former colonies and Great Britain tells a different story of border crossing. Although the physical borders are open for the newcomer, the psychological and social borders are hard to cross. In this regard, the migrants manage to cross these unseen borders through their fluid transnational identities. This fluidity enables them to carry on their background while passing the other side. However, it is clear that the experiences of the migrant as a woman are far more different and precarious. In Brick Lane, Monica Ali depicts the lives of migrant Bangladeshi women who live in Brick Lane, London, and provides versatile pictures of different experiences. Nazneen is the main character, whose transnational identity helps to transgress the boundaries between the host culture and her origin. Throughout the novel, she transforms from a shy, insecure immigrant young girl to a strong and self-confident woman with a fluid transnational identity. On the other hand, in Hot Water Man, Deborah Moggach presents a reverse migration from Great Britain to Pakistan and depicts Christine’s struggle to cross borders and gain a transnational identity. Although they share the difficulties of being a woman in the host culture, their experiences differ because of their positions and the representation of their background as a former coloniser and colonised. This study aims to examine the experiences of these two women, Nazneen and Christine, while crossing the invisible borders in their journeys to gain transnational identities.