Name Etymology in NW

This doesn't count as my blog post, but it is something I wanted to share. I think there's something to be said about the names Zadie Smith chooses for her characters. I listed the names of some of the major characters and the meanings of those names, and in parantheses I added some of my own commentary:

Leah = “weary”

Keisha = from Lakeisha (“great joy”)

Felix = Lucky (ironic because being murdered does not make him very lucky)

Annie = Grace (Grace is the name of the other woman Felix was with)

Nathan = Gift from God

Michel = Gift from God (hmm… so Leah marries a guy whose name has the same meaning as the guy she had a crush on throughout her life)

Natalie = Christmas Day (she acquires this name during her relationship with Rodney. She also follows Christianity at this time closer than she does at any other time) 

The Evolution of Keisha's Sexuality

The evolution of Keisha/Natalie’s sexuality is one aspect of her general quest to find her identity. The beginnings of the discussion of sexuality can be found in an interaction in grade school involving Keisha, Leah, and Nathan. Nathan asks the two girls “how many holes” they have in their crotch (203). The two girls later bond over the incident. After this encounter, Keisha begins to recognize her sexual ignorance, and she attempts (unsuccessfully) to acquire the answer to Nathan’s question from her sister (204). The next reference to sexuality occurs when Keisha is sixteen, when Leah gifts Keisha a vibrator (218). Through her use of the vibrator, Keisha learns about different methods of achieving a female orgasm, and she thus matures in her understanding of her own sexuality (222).

In the first two instances listed, Keisha’s relationship with Leah serves as the threshold to Keisha learning about her own sexuality. Following Keisha’s mother’s discovery of the vibrator, however, Keisha separates from Leah for a year and a half (224). This separation somewhat stunts the development of Keisha’s sexuality, as is reflected in Keisha’s relationship with Rodney. Keisha’s mother pushes her into a relationship with Rodney, and Keisha, though ambivalent, obliges (225-226). When she and Rodney begin to have sex, “it turned out to be a technical transition. She learned nothing new about Rodney’s body, or Rodney, only a lot of facts about condoms: their relative efficacy, the thickness of rubber, the right moment – the safest moment – to remove them afterward” (238). Keisha’s relationship with Rodney, in contrast to her experience with the vibrator, reflects a lack of sexual awareness. Keisha derives little pleasure and excitement from their sex life. Furthermore, while she learns about different types of orgasms while using the vibrator, she learns nothing at all (besides facts about condoms) from her experiences with Rodney.

Given the way in which their relationship bores Keisha, it is no surprise that Keisha soon leaves Rodney, and eventually begins a relationship with a man named Frank. Keisha meets Frank in a class both she and Rodney are taking. Not coincidentally, the first mention of Frank occurs during a class discussion of differing sexual practices: “In one country, virgins openly display their private parts while married women cover them. In another, male brothels exist. In yet another heavy golden rods are worn through the breasts and buttocks and after dinner men wipe their hands on their testicles” (241). The new information with which Keisha is presented, juxtaposed with her first encounter with Frank, indicates that Frank will help in furthering Keisha’s knowledge and understanding of her sexuality. Sure enough, when Frank and Keisha sleep together, the experience sharply contrasts that of Keisha’s experience with Rodney: “Frank’s silly, uncontrolled, unselfconscious, embarrassing storytelling found its purpose here in a bedroom” (262). In her relationship with Frank, Keisha is able to embrace her sexuality. She later describes Frank as having “honesty and sexual openness and beauty” (271). In both her sexual experiences with Frank as well as her assessment of Frank, Keisha’s sexuality matures. Keisha’s sexual maturity is not due to Frank’s skill, however; rather, her maturity is reflected through her active choice to pursue a relationship with a man with whom she is able to enjoy her sexuality.

Keisha’s sexual maturity culminates in the modernity of her approach to sexuality. She begins to regard what she sees as Frank’s “sexual perversity” as “old-fashioned,” as well as “messy, embarrassing, [and] impractical in this economy” (299). Her viewpoints are demonstrated when she sleeps with one of the boys in the Calvins. While this scene is admittedly strange, it displays a confident Keisha; she controls the situation by her own means in order to achieve an orgasm (351). This scene thus represents the height of Keisha’s knowledge about and control over her own sexuality.

I apologize that this analysis was lengthy, but I wanted to be able to discuss what I perceived to be the most crucial milestones in Keisha’s sexual development. Throughout her section of the novel, Keisha’s sexuality serves as a significant representation of her evolution as a character. The different sexual experiences she has are all diverse and distinct; in the same way, the different communities and identities Keisha identifies with and adopts are equally diverse and distinct. Therefore, Keisha’s sexual evolution is one facet of the overarching evolution of her identity and personality throughout the novel. 

Relationships in NW

The unorthodox structure of Zadie Smith’s NW makes it difficult to sift through and pick out the  important details of each character, but one dimension that characters can be clearly evaluated on is their approach to relationships.

In the beginning of the novel, readers are introduced to Leah and her boyfriend Michel. Their relationship is characterized by the contrasting mindsets of each person. Michel is “[a]lways moving forward” and thinking of the future (32). Meanwhile Leah refuses to commit to starting a family with Michel because of her fear of moving forward. She hopes to remain in a young mental state and having kids would expedite her mental age (27). Her efforts to make sure they do not have kids are also fueled by her desire to keep the relationship between just her and Michel (107). When I contemplate how Leah arrived at this mindset, it seems logical that it stems from their relationship being founded in a strong physical sense more than anything else. Before they even knew each other’s surnames they had sex (26). While they may have developed an emotional relationship afterwards, I believe that the fact their relationship began primarily on physical terms rather than emotional is why Leah can’t move forward with Michel. She was attracted to the immediate thought of him, not the long term thought of a family with him.

Felix is also a character with relationships that vary based on their emotional and physical dependence. Readers are given the impression that he is on a mission to refurbish an old car as a gift for a girl named Grace that he is seeing (155). After he purchases the car he goes to visit a previous acquaintance named Annie (160). Although he visits Annie to tell her things with Grace are getting serious and that he is moving on, he is unable to resist his immediate desire for Annie and has sex with her (182).

While Leah is focused on remaining in the past, Felix is trying to “[m]ove to the next level” (181). While it is difficult to tell what Smith might be trying to say about relationships as a whole, it is interesting to look at each one separately. One is based in the physical but held in tact by fidelity, while the other is based in emotion and lacks faithfulness. Leah should be susceptible to cheating since she doesn’t value a family. Felix should stray from cheating since he wants to take things to the next level with Grace. I am perplexed because it seems to me that it should be the other way around.

Keisha and Leah: More than Friends

            Often, when two people are said to complete each other, they turn out to be a romantic couple.  The case of Keisha Blake and Leah Hanwell in Zadie Smith’s NW is a bit different in that these two girls are friends; however, their friendship may actually have a romantic foundation.  Keisha and Leah grew up with different family backgrounds and live in different parts of NW throughout their lives.  What distinguishes their friendship from most other girls’ friendships is Keisha’s fascination with Leah, which provides an undying intrigue between them as they grow older.

            One of the earlier examples of Keisha’s fascination with Leah is her desire to thoroughly examine Leah’s personality.  When they are schoolgirls, Keisha “looked at Leah and tried to ascertain the outline of her personality” (209).  Unlike completely platonic friends who simply enjoy one another’s company, Keisha is so intrigued by Leah that she wants to study her and perhaps develop a personality of her own, inspired by Leah.  Furthermore, Keisha’s strong attachment to Leah is revealed a bit later in the novel: “In the absence of Leah—at school, on the streets, in Caldwell—Keisha Blake felt herself to be revealed and exposed” (224).  To use a cliché, Leah appears to be Keisha’s other half.  Without Leah by her side, Keisha feels alone and unprepared for the world.

            What makes the relationship between Keisha and Leah more sexual is Leah’s gift to Keisha during their teenage years: a vibrator (218).  One girl giving another girl a sex toy certainly adds erotic elements to a friendship—even if the girls are apart for a year and a half, which was the case between these sixteen-year-old girls.

            While Keisha Blake and Leah Hanwell originally start as friends at an elementary school age, their friendship develops into what may be interpreted as a somewhat romantic relationship as they grow into their teens and older.  Keisha is very curious to keep learning about the differences between her and Leah; their backgrounds are very different.  Perhaps Leah picks up on Keisha’s fascination and takes advantage of it by giving her a vibrator—something else with which Keisha has very little experience.  Certainly, the friendship between Keisha and Leah is not platonic: There is a romantic attraction and intrigue between them.

What is Going On In the End

Smith’s novel, “NW,” introduces four characters: Leah, Felix, Keisha (Natalie) and Nathan, all of whom are connected by living in the same area of London. But past this seemingly insignificant detail, the novel does not present readers with any other connections for Leah/Natalie’s and Felix’s life stories; you feel as if you are reading two completely separate novels before you reach the simultaneously clarifying and confusing ending. But I believe that this ending is brilliant and serves several different functions.

To start, I will explain why I refer to the ending as both clarifying and confusing. I do so because Smith does not easily hand to us what she wants us to take away. Barely catchable details and easily overlookable passages, from previous sections of the novel, are what is meant to help us make sense of what happens in the end. One such example of these passages is seen below:

(Nathan) "Too much speed in this thing. Heart is running. That little chief. Don't know why I ever give him my time. This is on him. Always taking shit too far. How can I stop Tyler though? Tyler should stop Tyler. I shouldn't even be chatting with you, I should be in Dalston, cos this isn't even on me, it's on him. But I'm looking at myself asking myself Nathan why you still here? Why you still here? And I don't even know why. I ain't even joking. I should just run from myself."

(Natalie) "Calm down. Take long breaths."

(Nathan) "Let me get myself straight, Keisha. Keep walking with me." (370)

From these lines readers can imply that Tyler is the one that knifed Felix and that Nathan was the other man that was with him. This clears up the ending when Natalie says, “I got something to tell you” (401).  They are reporting Nathan as a possible suspect and relieving themselves of the pressure of the knowledge.

Past the clarification that this ending adds to our understanding, it also connects the stories for us in a manner that is more significant than them just living in the same general region.

This ending also serves to do something else; it juxtaposes the two types of turmoil that can occur in someone’s life. We have the obvious example of Nathan and Tyler, who are responsible for Felix. This isn’t hard to deduce and to any passerby, it is obvious that something has gone wrong in their lives. However, we also have a conclusion to the less obvious turmoil and unhappiness in Natalie and Leah’s lives. Their lives could look perfectly fine from the outside, as they are well off: married, and doing well financially. But Leah refuses to conform to the “conventions” of marriage and doesn’t want children, causing trouble in her life. This, combined with the fact that she hates her friends and only finds comfort with her husband and dog, has caused her life to be troublesome. In other’s view, she is “not herself” (396). And Natalie seemingly has the perfect job, married with kids, yet she seeks pleasure from other men that she meets online. She finds herself in a state of surprise saying, “She could hardly believe that she had awoken to find herself in the same situation as yesterday” as if her life was no more than a dream that can be restarted (389).

I believe Smith not only  uses this ending to tie together her novel, but to also make the point that things can go wrong in many different ways for people’s lives. Some more obvious to the general public than others.

 

The Power of Perception

Throughout her novel, Brick Lane, Monica Ali addresses a variety of issues that today’s society is constantly battling. The story Ali tells covers gender roles, racism, and even crises involving natural original or ethnicity identity. In one form or another, each of these problems deals with perception: because one group of people sees another group of people in a certain way, there is an immediate reaction, and oftentimes a negative one. However, it is also important to look at how Ali highlights the misperceptions between two individuals, specifically those who are supposed to know each other intimately. Not only do these characters see each other in a warped way, they tend to not see themselves as they truly exist.

One of the most obvious examples of these misperceptions can be seen between Nazneen, the main character, and Karim, the young lover she has taken. Once Karim starts spending time more consistently at Nazneen’s flat, she decides to finally question why he has chosen her, what does he like about her. Karim responds, “You are the real thing” (321). During their conversation, Karim elaborates that Nazneen is not overly westernized, but she also is not overly religious. She is essentially just right for him. However, it is clear that Nazneen does not feel that way about herself. In that moment, she clearly gets uncomfortable and drops it on Karim that her husband, Chanu, is planning on taking his family home to Bangladesh.

Later on in the novel, Nazneen reflects a little deeper on how she and Karim saw untrue versions of each other. When she is finally breaking the affair off, Nazneen closes the conversation by saying, “But there was always a problem between us. How can I explain? I wasn’t me, and you weren’t you. From the very beginning to the very end, we didn’t see things. What we did – we made each other up” (382). With the passing of time, Nazneen became increasingly aware of herself and the situation she found herself in. When she finally started seeing things as they actually were, she was able to make the decision that fit her life the best.

Nazneen has a similar revelation as Chanu prepares for the departure back to Bangladesh. Throughout the novel, it remains unclear if Nazneen and Chanu truly love and understand each other. For a large portion of the novel, they seem to be just a man and a woman, having a family and growing older together with nothing really between them. However just as the family is set to leave for Bangladesh, Nazneen and Chanu discuss the upcoming trip. Up until the last moment, they go about packing and talking, fully aware Chanu will be alone without saying it aloud. Finally, they talk about it in as few words as possible, but both completely understand each other (402). Just as with Karim, it took Nazneen sometime to become aware of herself and the person she was involved with. Thus, Ali is pointing out that the truth that lies beyond the misperceptions is necessary to understand oneself and the world around.

Brick Lane and the Concept of Home

As the novel begins, we see the idea of home being important to Nazneen and Chanu. To both, the dream is to return to Bangladesh in time, once enough money has been made. While this is the ideal, the concept of home shifts and changes throughout the novel, leaving Nazneen and Chanu with two different places which they consider home. In the early pages, Dr. Azad describes “Going Home Syndrome.” This discussion comes after Chanu claims he will not let his children grow up in England. Chanu attempts to defend himself by saying it is “natural” and that “[t]he pull of the land is stronger even than the pull of blood.” (18). He makes it clear that he has every intention of returning to Bangladesh. Dr. Azad explains that this will never come to those who think it, that they can never earn enough money. At this time, Nazneen still has high hopes of going home. She dreams of Bangladesh and her sister frequently, and wishes to return to her childhood.

Over time, this ideal of home changes for both characters. Nazneen reaches a point at which she wishes to bring her sister to Brick Lane (146). She sees no likelihood of ever going back to Bangladesh, or perhaps, she does not wish it. Chanu, however, is still rooted in his return. He is decide, “We are going there.”  At this point he has become set in his goal to go back to Bangladesh, though he has no money. This goal of going home has changed from just an idea to a necessity, in order to protect his children from what he believes is too much English culture.

As the novel ends, Chanu has returned to Bangladesh. Nazneen, however, in support of her daughters, and perhaps the freedom she has finally found, stays behind. She no longer wishes for her idealized Bangladesh, but instead for new views in England, for a new life. She goes ice skating for the first time, a final symbol of freedom and liberty. Chanu works to better himself in Bangladesh.

This novel ends with home becoming something quite different from what it was in Old Filth. Old Filth never stopped missing Malaya, never stopped wanting to go back to this home, much like Chanu. However, his intention was to go back to the place where he had felt most loved.  While this too might have been Bangladesh for Nazneen, she makes her home in England because of the opportunities she has found and still feels she can find. The differences in the ways in which home has been defined in these two novels interests me because Old Filth seems to fulfill the most common definition, ‘Home is where the heart is,’ whereas Brick Lane aims to give home  a higher purpose and meaning. 

Liberation from Fate and Revelation of Free Will

At the beginning of the novel, Nazneen accepts her life, her situation, and her marriage because she doesn’t believe she has any other choice. Her affair later in the novel with Karim shows her that she does have control of her own life. Her affair is liberating, not because of her newfound sexual awakening, but because of her newfound understanding of free will.

            In the beginning of the novel, Nazneen feels trapped and bored with her life, but she doesn’t feel she has the power to change those feelings. She believes immensely in “fate” and that each person is destined to follow their predetermined fate. Upon discovering her sister, Hasina, has run away with a man named Malek, she wonders, “If fate cannot be changed, […] then perhaps Hasina was fated to run away with Malek” (10). Her strong belief of fate is seen again when she thinks back upon her wedding, “I would of wept on my wedding day. I did! I did weep. What good did it do?” (78). Nazneen does not feel she has the ability to change her fate, which is why when she does begin her affair with Karim, she uncovers that she can control the path and direction of her life.

            When Chanu decides to attend a “Bengal Tigers” meeting with Nazneen, she initially is anxious because Karim and Chanu will be in the same place. But during the meeting and “[s]itting next to her husband, in front of her lover, she gave way to a feeling of satisfaction that had been slowly growing”(293). Nazneen almost didn’t care if Chanu found out about the affair, because she was happy to finally be in control of her own destiny. Later on, when she tells Karim her family is moving back to Bangladesh, he tells her that she can divorce Chanu and marry him. Nazneen considers this possibility but realizes, “She had seen what she wanted to see. She had looked at him and seen only his possibilities” (377). Although, her affair with Karim was liberating, it was not liberating because of Karim personally, more the idea of him. To choose to marry Karim would be no less passive than moving back with Chanu. Ultimately, Nazneen decides, “I will decide what to do. I will say what happens to me. I will be the one” (339). Nazneen decides to no longer let anyone else control her destiny.

            Ultimately, Nazneen discovers her life is what she makes of it. Her decision to neither marry Karim, nor move back to Bangladesh with Chanu, proves her revelation of free will. Her affair with Karim was merely what triggered her realization of controlling her own destiny, not the sexual liberation in it of itself.

Adulthood in Brick Lane

Despite the fact most Brick Lane mostly explores Nazneen’s experiences from age 18 up, I don’t think she ever had the chance to “grow up”. She is sent to be married off in a foreign country at an age when many people still live with their parents or are in school, and she is mostly on her own to figure out her place in London. Nazneen doesn’t get a time to learn, explore, take risks and discover who she is as a person and wants to do with her life. She expresses interest in learning English and going to college but is shut down by Chanu “You’re going to be a mother…Will that not keep you busy enough? And you can’t take a baby to college” (57). Not only does is she responsible for a baby at a very young age, which strips away more of her time to be a child herself, but she is unable to pursue her curiosities about the world around her.

When Karim comes into Nazneen’s life, I think this is the first time she can truly act like a teenager. Even though she has even more responsibilities with two children and her sewing, Karim is the outlet for rebellion and sexual desire she didn’t get to express during her teenage years. After her affair starts, it also seems like Nazneen is more present and an active participant in their family life “She spent more time talking to her daughters….She served her husband and found that he was a caring husband…She did her work and she discovered that work in itself, performed with a desire for perfection was capable of giving satisfaction” (248).

While I don’t think her affair is the source of Nazneen’s new attitude, I think it sparked something inside of her that made her realize the control she could take on her life “It was as if the conflagration of her bouts with Karim had cast a special light on everything, a dawn light after a life lived in twilight” (248). Nazneen’s newfound sense of independence is something she missed out on when she first arrived in London, and despite being in her 30s, she still is taking advantage of it. Even if she is growing up 15 or so years too late, the journey Nazneen starts to adulthood and discovering what she wants is essential to her decisions at the end of the book. Karim may have sparked this self-discovery, but it was up to Nazneen to stand up to Mrs. Islam and Chanu and make decisions that are best for her.