How is Changez a reluctant fundamentalist?
In the title of the novel, Changez is characterized as a “reluctant fundamentalist” because he believed in American society and even in its exploitative corporate values for a certain amount of time.
What is the message of The Reluctant Fundamentalist?
The major themes in The Reluctant Fundamentalist revolve around Changez’s status as an immigrant in America as well as the nature of identity in general. Even with the privilege he enjoys, we see how Changez’s experience is characterized by self-doubt and conflicting feelings of loyalty and belonging.
How does Changez feel about Pakistan?
Changez feels he has betrayed Pakistan by living well in New York, while his native country is threatened by war. He wonders what kind of man he is if he abandons his nation in its time of need. In contrast, America deliberately chooses to betray Pakistan in its moment of peril.
What does Changez think about NYC?
In general, he feels like a New Yorker, not an American. The Stranger points out that Changez’s voice is rising; Changez explains that he is often sentimental about Manhattan, even though he only lived there for eight months.
What happens at the end of Reluctant Fundamentalist?
But the novel ends without revealing what was in his pocket, leaving the reader to wonder if the stranger was a CIA agent, possibly there to kill Changez, or if Changez, in collusion with the waiter from the cafe, had planned all along to do harm to the American.
What happens to Erica in The Reluctant Fundamentalist?
After 9/11, she falls into depression and mental illness, focused around an obsessive nostalgia for Chris that thwarts any possibility of a relationship with Changez.
What is the conflict in The Reluctant Fundamentalist?
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a political thriller that follows the story of a young Pakistani man chasing corporate success on Wall Street, who ultimately finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American dream, a hostage crisis and the enduring call of his family’s homeland.
Why did changez go back to Pakistan?
Changez feels powerless to protect his family and his country, and ashamed to be returning to America so soon. He asks to stay longer, but his parents insist that he return, and suggest that he shave the beard he has grown in Pakistan.
Why did Changez smile when he saw the towers falling?
Changez’s initial reaction is to smile. Changez explains that he thought of the attack’s symbolism, rather than its victims. He is pleased that someone has succeeded in attacking the United States.
How can I get filthy rich?
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is the third novel by writer Mohsin Hamid. The novel uses a second-person perspective, referring to the protagonist only as “you.” The story takes place in an unnamed country that resembles Hamid’s home country of Pakistan.
Is The Reluctant Fundamentalist a true story?
It can be said that The Reluctant Fundamentalist written by Mohsin Hamid is a fictionalized story set in true circumstances.
What does Erica symbolize in The Reluctant Fundamentalist?
In The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Changez symbolizes Pakistan and Erica symbolizes America. She is unable to move forward completely from her tragedy to a full relationship with Changez; perhaps this is symbolic of America’s obsession with 9/11 and the country’s inability to move forward.
