Societal Ectations and Identity Formation in Brick Lane by Monica Ali and Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

The study explores the effect of societal expectations on the main characters in Brick Lane (2003) and Home Fire (2017).This research tries to find out, through the theory of literary trauma by Cathy Caruth, how the characters confront and resist the demands of society which determine their beliefs and protect their identities.The study examines the conflicts between emotions and the strategies used to deal with the conflicts that appear in both novels.The purpose of this research is to study the relationship between the effects of stress on a person and society's expectations and showcase the development of identification and resistance among the characters, which often appear in diaspora-related literary works.The outcome demonstrates a wide range of ways to respond to expectations of the culture and the complex ways in which the identities of individuals and groups may be perceived.