Stitching a New Self: Trauma and Healing in Monica Ali's Brick Lane through a Hermanian Lens

Abstract

Critical work on Monica Ali's Brick Lane has largely centered on its sociopolitical commentary and the surrounding debates on representation, often leaving the intricate psychological architecture of its protagonist's journey under-theorized. This article addresses that gap. I argue that Nazneen’s path from a constrained life in rural Bangladesh to a re-forged identity in London maps directly onto the clinical stages of trauma recovery outlined by Judith Herman. Her transformation is not haphazard but follows a discernible therapeutic arc: from the initial struggle to establish safety, through the painful work of mourning past and present losses, and into a final, tentative reconnection with her community and herself. In this light, Brick Lane transcends its immediate social context to become a powerful literary case study in healing. Recovery, Ali’s novel suggests, is not a return to an unbroken past but the ongoing, difficult work of stitching a new self from the threads of a fractured life.