Fate is this novel’s strongest theme. The belief in fate is revealed as integral to the Muslim religion and devout reading of the Qur'an. The narrative opens with the stark reality of Nazneen, who has been conditioned to accept fate, having survived an early sickness on her own without external aid. This act of survival is a metaphor for a life in which her inborn stoicism is challenged by her relationships in her adopted home of England.

These two themes are intertwined. Desire is connected to beauty of natural life cycles and expressed as a yearning to return to one’s native land. Yet, on a deeper level, Brick Lane explores desire as an erotic power fueling personal and collective transformation. This theme is explored through the Hasina and Nazneen’s relationships. Hasina’s beauty makes her an object of desire, and yet she battles this notion of passivity by making her own rules and struggles to be proactive in her own life, even when it means shattering cultural norms of female dependency. In contrast, her lack of exterior beauty simplifies Nazneen’s life’s choices and she has to travel for the erotic experience that gives her more compassion for her sister.