The Buddha of Suburbia Analysis

Karim-The main character of the novel:Karim Amir, seventeen years old, is the main character and the
first person narrator of the novel. He grows up in South London suburbs but has Indian roots. His
father was born in India where he spent his childhood and his mum is British so that Karim has many
problems to find his identity.Furthermore,he can't decide whether to be homo- or heterosexual, so
he has many experiences with both. In addition, he is not able to make a decision concerning his
future. To be free and because he does not fancy learning, he leaves school and starts hanging
around having fun all day long ( e.g. he spends his time having sex with girls or boys, going to bars or
visiting his relatives)."I was looking for trouble, any kind of movement, action and sexual interest I
could find, because things were so gloomy, so slow and heavy, in our family, I don't know
why."(p.3).When his parents finally get divorced, Karim follows his dad Haroon and moves in with Eva
and Charlie. He likes the two of them very much and moreover he is fond of the idea to get into
another suburb or area. Although he goes with his father, the second part of his family, his mother
and brother, is very happy that he visits them sometimes. Both his mother and brother consider
Haroon guilty and they do not want to see him. One day, Eva suggests to move to London and after a
while, her idea can be realized. Karim gets to know the city and is amazed about its glamour and
opportunities. At that point, Karim still has not got any job, but then Eva offers him to work with her
and Ted in other people's homes to improve their looks. This helps Karim to integrate into
joblife. After a while, Eva is able to help him again developing and she fulfills his dream: She talks to
Shadwell, a theatre director, who eventually asks Karim to play in his production. This forces him to
work hard and to be busy with sensible and useful things.By becoming a successful actor, he identifies
himself more and more with the western culture and loses his Indian roots. Finally, he is even able to
go to New York, where he gets to know the other side of success when he sees how uncomplicated
Charlie deals with other human beings. Charlie treats them like objects and feels superior to
everyone. Experiences like this make him return to London.Another important event for Karim's
development is his relationship to Eleanor, a girl he gets to know during his time as an actor and who
lives in a richer social circle, which makes Karim think about his origin, education and lifestyle. He had
sex with many other girls before (Jamila, Helen), but she seems to be more to him than only a short
affair. She is the first true love of his life. It's the first time that Karim has such strong feelings for a
person. He is impressed by the way she behaves, by her lifestyle, her whole appearance. That's why
she takes over the "strong part" in their relationship, but maybe that's also the reason why he soon
seems boring to her and she falls for Pyke.As Karim finds out, he breaks up with her. First, he is really
sad, but the experience, that love can be that strong, is very important for him.Another fact that is
noticable is the change of Karim's attitude towards his father. In the beginning, Haroon is a kind of
"God" to Karim. But as Karim becomes more eager to do something with his life, he more and more
loses the respect for his dad.Karim sees that his father didn't do anything meaningful with his life and
that's why, in his eyes, his father is no one special any more. In the end, Karim returns to his family
when he realizes how important they are to him.All in all, one can say that Karim is a very indecisive
person, who needs much time to develop, to realize that you have to have aims in your life and that a
job is also very helpful!

Hanif Kureishi:(born 1954 in London) His mother is an Englishwoman and his father a Pakistani.
Kureishi is a screenwriter and author, who deals with topics like racism, immigration, nationalism and
sexuality as he grew up among racial and cultural differences. Most of the inspiration for his work was
provided by his own life. Becoming an author was a very early made decision, thus Kureishi's novels
were considered for publication while he was still a teenager.He studied philosophy at King's
College in London and worked for the Royal Theater.His first work was "The Mother Country" in 1980.
In the following year he was nominated for the town clerk at the London ‘Royal Court’.With his first
play for the Royal Court Theater ("Borderline", about immigrants living in London) he achieved his
breakthrough.With his work called ‘My Beautiful Laundrette’, a screenplay about a gay Pakistani-
British boy growing up in London in its 80s, he gained a larger audience especially in America. It won,
among others, the best screenplay award in New York.The book 'Buddha of Suburbia' published in
1990 won the Whitbread Book Award for the best first novel and received a lot of positive criticism.
Furthermore, there was also a BBC television series based on his novel, with a soundtrack by David
Bowie. Kureishi's work often deals with the concept of home and the problems caused by finding a
place to belong to. Also in his latest novel "The Black Album" he describes a young Pakistani man,
who finds himself in the moral dilemma of choosing either his white lover or his Muslim friends. He
won several awards, for example the George Devine award, the Withbread prize and the Golden Bear.
Today he is married and has three sons.

The Buddha of Suburbia - an autobiographical novel:Kureishi's first novel was the semi-
autobiographical The Buddha of Suburbia, published in 1990. Karim, the protagonist of the novel, like
Kureishi, has a Pakistani father and an English mother. The novel, a comic coming-of-age story and a
satirical portrait of race relations in Britain during the 1970s, describes Karim's struggle for social and
sexual identity. It won the Whitbread First Novel Award and was produced by the BBC in 1993 as a
four-part television series...

Themes:Rags and Riches-Differences between lower and higher classes in Great Britain:In the
following text we will discuss the differences in education, social circle, jobs, lifestyle and political
status between higher and lower classes. Hanif Kureishi mentions all these themes in his novel.
Lifestyle:The differences between richer and poorer people concerning their lifestyle or how they
spend their time are obvious: As you can see in the novel, people like Ted and Jean (in the beginning),
Helen or Eleanor often have "magnificent parties", where they can talk to others of their status and
show how much money they posses. They feel superior and even invite people they do not like, but
who are popular and famous, to improve their image and increase their influence. In the second part
of the book, Eva behaves similarly when she installs herself in London. For instance, she invites
Shadwell several times so that she can convince him to offer Karim a part in one of his
plays.Furthermore the higher society can afford big houses with gardens, in which they can work to
make them look nicer. They often go shopping or sit down in cafés or bars to enjoy the time.Young
people spend their time going to private schools and later to universities, so that both women and
men are able to work in high positions in their future.In contrast to that, people from lower classes
are not able to finance big houses and they cannot have parties too often. They do not earn that
much money and they have to work hard all day long. Especially women are very busy, because they
have to do the household, look after the children and sometimes they also must have a job to be able
to sustain the family. In the novel, this can be seen if you look at Karim's mother. She has to care for
both him and Allie, tidy up their home and she has to work in a shoe shop, too. She is always very
tired in the evening when the others are still very lively.
Moreover, people often have no job at all. Considering Karim and Charlie, it is very conspicuous that
the two of them leave school very early and especially Karim does not have any plans for his future.
Nonetheless he is very easy-going. This attitude towards life can be found very frequently, because
youngsters do not have role models who show them that and why they should be eager to learn.
They do not know how to spend their time and hang around doing nothing sensible. Due to that, they
sometimes become addicted to alcohol or drugs, but this of couse can also be found in higher classes,
because there, people are not able to deal with all their success, money or that they are always in
public.

The aspect of immigration plays a big role in "Buddha of Suburbia" .As the reader already knows,
Haroon Amir and his close friend Anwar had immigrated into the United Kingdom years ago.The main
reasons were rather personal. They used the chance of education in a foreign country because they
wanted to live a better life.Unfortunately both had to face different problems concerning poverty,
racism, discrimination and prejudices.Therefore the United Kingdom was not the country they [had]
always dreamed of. Instead, it created other issues that Haroon and Anwar had to cope with.

Education:There is a great difference between education of poor and wealthy people in England.
People, who have money, send their children to boarding schools or at least to private schools [called
public schools], which cost them quite a lot. There they have the best chance to get a good ‘A’ level
(like our Abitur in Germany) so that they can go to the best universities of the country. These schools
have more lessons over the day and give each pupil manifold possibilties for development. They show
pupils how to apply for universities and how important it is to be educated. As a result, all these
pupils spend the whole day with educated people. They are used to speaking a proper English.In
contrast to that, people with less money send their children to state schools, because they have no
money to pay for a private school or boarding school. Therefore, they do not have such a good
education. They haven't got that much lessons and hang around with people, who have no education,
all day long. Normally, they do not finish their ‘A’ levels.In the novel, this problem is displayed in the
friendship between Eleanor and Karim. Eleanor has a good education, money and a good English
accent. Because of that, Karim, who has no good education does not feel confident. It is the first time
that he realizes how important education is.

Social circle:The social circles between higher and lower classes are very different if you take a look
at them. The people of higher classes are just together with people of their own class. They are living
in other parts of the city and they don't want to have to do anything with people coming from lower
classes.The lower classes also live in their own parts in the city and they almost only have contact
with people of their class. They would like to be a part of the upper class but that wish almost always
remains a dream for them.In the book, the upper class is represented by for example Ted and Jean.
They live in a beautiful part of the city, with beautiful houses and a good neighbourhood. Everybody
who lives there is wealthy and belongs to the higher class.Their social circle is limited, as far as they
try to keep the contact only with people of their own party of the society and they disesteem people
of the lower classes. The parties, that the rich ones have in their houses are only participated by
wealthy people as well. The social circle is very small then.The social circle of the lower classes is kind
of comparable to it.People coming from lower classes remain with their own folks, with people that
are also coming from their class. Having a relationship or a closer contact to people of higher classes
seems almost impossible.In the book, the lower class is represented by a family such as Karim's. They
live in an ugly and dirty suburb, in a small house. Their social circle is also limited- they mostly have
contact with people of their own class. It's only possible to get into the upper class, if you work hard
or you get kind of famous - like Charlie and somehow Karim,too.The social circle also depends on
culture and religion.People of the same religion have their own social circle. For example the
Moslems have their own customs and mostly want to be with other people(Moslems) that share
them.People of different cultures or that are coming from different countries really like to socialise
with people of similar backgrounds.
Sex, Drugs and Rock'n Roll:A life of debauchery.Karim tries to pick experiences and his lifestyle is
characterized by"Sex, Drugs and Rock'n'Roll".He considers his own life in the suburbs as too boring.So
he tries to copy the life-style of his role model Charlie, with whom he made his first homosexual
experiences.Later on he has sex with many different women,for example Helen and
his"cousin"Jamila.But he realizes that he cannot fulfill all of his expectations and dreams in that
way.This happens because he truly falls in love with Eleanor,but it takes a long time until they get
close to each other. During their relationship Eleanor decides to take part in sex-orgies.So they also
have sex with their boss Pyke and his wife.On the other hand,Eleanor's and Karim's relationship
improves and it becomes a real friendship.After having discovered that Eleanor and Pyke have a love
affair,Karim is very embarrassed about the fact that he has to share his girlfriend with sombody else
and splits up with her.Some years later he meets Charlie who has become a famous singer,but
eventually he is shocked by the way Charlie deals with sexuality,when Charlie orders a domina to
become more sexually aroused.
Identity and Success:Success is one very important topic in the book. It's one of the main influences
on the characters and affects their personality.Success is one very important topic in the book.It's one
of the main influences on the characters and affects their personality.
Karim:In the beginning he is an introverted and shy Indian teenager who hasn't got many friends and
has no selfconfidence.Charlie is always a rolemodel for him. The turning point in his life is the divorce
of his parents. He becomes very thoughtful. When he gets a part in the theatre he becomes more
ambitious. The more success he gets the more his personality changes. When he goes to New York he
loses contact to his Indian friends and his family in London. But when he realizes how much Charlie
changed because of his success, Karim goes back to his origin. He felt lonely and isolated eventhough
he had success.
Charlie:Charlie always wants attention. Having success is his main aim in life. He whensoever wants to
be something special and as he is talented, he achieves it. Charlie doesn't really have an identity, he
always tries to adapt. In the end he is isolated and lonely like Karim, and Charlie depends on Karim
and his company. Success mainly ruined his life. His mother Eva has the same habit.
Conclusion:Success has advantages and disadvantges. Cursorily it seems very promising in the
beginning, but overall it ruins your character and maybe your life. It's probably hard to trust your
friends and acquaintances because they might be keen to obtain your money. It depends on your
personality if you feel satisfied with that way of life or not.
Summary:
Chapter 1:mysticism, alcohol, sexual promise, clever people and drugs:Karim Amir, seventeen years
old, has his roots in India and England (his mum is English and his father Indian). He is easily bored
and "looking for trouble, any kind of movement, action and sexual interest" he can find. He is ready
for everything. His little brother is called Allie.At the end of the day, his father (Haroon) hands his
supper to his mum (Margaret) and starts to practise his yoga exercises. In contrast to the fit Haroon,
Karim´s mother is a plump and unphysical women with a pale, round face. She is ashamed of her
husband's crazy ideas and begs Karim to draw the curtain so that she is sure of nobody can watch his
yoga training. That night they have a meeting with Mrs. Eva Kay where Haroon may speak on one or
two aspects of oriental philosophy. However, Margaret does not want to come with him because, in
her opinion, Eva just wants to see Haroon and will ignore her. To her mind she is much "too English"
and Eva is fascinated by Indian people.Because of that Karim joins Haroon, after taking ages to get
ready for the meeting. He choses turquois flared trousers, a blue and white flower-patterned see-
through shirt, blue suede boots with Cuban heels, and a scarlet Indian waistcoat. Karim likes to be
dressed crazily.Karim has to help Haroon, who lived in England for more then twenty years since 1950
and who almost spends most of his time in South London suburbs, but still lacks any orientation of
where he lives, and cannot find the way to the meeting on his own. Karim is ashamed of that. At the
meeting, Karim realizes that his father and Eva are having an affair, because his father earlier told
him of his unhappy marriage with his mum. Eva´s son Charlie, of whom Karim is fascinated, visits the
same school as Karim. Moreover, Eva, who is good-tempered, is the only person Karim can really talk
to.At the meeting everybody sits cross-legged on the floor and there is some chanting music around.
Karim talks to Charlie, who tells him about his father who has nervous breakdowns and who hit Eva
several times before they got divorced.The people at the meeting, basically artists, discuss about
music and books and after watching them for a while, Karim reckons that they are all braggarts.
Above all there comes along the aggravation with his father, who seems to have the best time of his
live.Charlie invites Karim to his room in the attic, but before they go, they watch the group doing
some relaxing Yoga exercises, led by Karim's father.When they arrive in Charlie’s room, Karim admires
his spiritual attitude and feels inferior. Charlie impersonates his wishes and Karim wants to be like
him. They listen to Pink Floyd and smoke a joint, so that Karim is impressed by the world Charlie lives
in, a world of “mysticism, alcohol, sexual promise, clever people and drugs”.When he recognizes that
his dad and Eva aren’t in the group of “hypnotized Buddhas” anymore, he looks for them and sees
them having sex. After watching them, he returns to Charly and a sexual tension between them
develops. They lay togehter in his bed and fumble around. Just before they kiss, Haroon and Eva enter
the room and interrupt them. Back home, Karim's dad gets very angry about him and they argue. Also
his mum gets upset when she sees her husband that drunken, so they sleep separated that
night.After that incident, Karim’s dad doesn’t speak for several weeks and Karim recognizes how sick
of life his mother is, but neither he nor his dad help her. Instead Karim reads her sketch pad and sees
that she knows about Haroon’s affair.At the end of chapter one, Karim and his father get along again
and Haroon tells him about his new business plans.

Chapter 2:Haroon's childhood and his development: Haroon and Anwar were neighbours and best
friends when they lived in Bombay (Mumbai). Moreover, they did a lot of things together. Haroon
thinks that Karim should become an actor but in fact he wants him to become a doctor with an
ordinary life. Earlier Haroon was sent to England to be educated and after that to return to India
again. But he did not know he would never see his mother again. But it put out Haroon had problems
in practical life, especially concerning household chores. Living in London was not very comfortable
for Haroon and he met a lot of poor people, he thought they would not exist in England. Above all
Haroon and Anwar had to stay somewhere and they found an opportunity in the house of Dr. Lal,
who is an Indian dentist and a friend of Haroon’s father.As to Anwar, he likes prostitutes, but he is
married with ‘princess’ Jeeta. Moreover he studied in the north of London. Haroon did not take his
studies very seriously, because he wasn’t able to concentrate. Later on Haroon got to know Margaret
in a bar and they loved each other at first sight. At this time of his life he just drank beer and ended
up as a low-paid clerk. Later on Anwar won a lot of money and established a shop with the help of
Jeeta. Haroon begins to talk about Chinese philosophy which makes the others crazy and it seems he
lives in another world where money does no matter. Haroon thinks that he can’t be successful in a
community of white people, but Anwar wants him to begin a normal life again. Haroon meets Eva
who is also impressed of Buddhist thoughts and shares his interests. Moreover they always dream of
a better life, especially when passing nice housing areas. In the end a girl called Helen appears. She
seems to be interested in Karim who rather dreams of Charlie who has not called him since their last
meeting.
Chapter 3:Uncle Ted and Auntie Jean:The 3rd chapter is centred around Uncle Ted and Aunt Jean also
known as Gin and Tonic. Auntie Jean is Karim's mother's older sister. Uncle Ted and Karim have always
had a nice relationship. The couple arranges big parties where money, power and social status are in
the foreground. Therefore Karim´s family doesn´t really fit in. Unfortunately, Uncle Ted and Auntie
Jean notice that Haroon has an affair with Eva. Aunt Jean is shocked and explains that she was really
unhappy about Karim's father being black when he married Margaret, her sister.The same day Karim
goes to Helen to meet her. All of a sudden her father opens the door to show his utter disrespect and
discrimination against coloured people. At that point, one realizes that Karim will face big problems if
he dares to touch Helen.After the harsh ejection Karim realizes the dog's attraction to him. He even
goes so far to think that the dog is in love with him, because he is treatened like a sex-object by the
dog..
Chapter 4:Haroon frees Ted: Karim thinks about the relationship between Eva and his Dad, when Ted
comes to their house and talks to Karim's Mum about the situation. Then he goes to see Haroon in his
room, who convinces him to fix his record-player. Ted tries to make him stop being a buddhist and
holding speeches in front of people, but Karim's Dad doesn't really listen to him. Instead, he starts
''freeing'' Ted from his work and his boring life. He influences him until Ted bursts into tears and is
persuaded to change his way of life. Karim cycles to Anwar's and Jeeta's Paradise Store. Jeeta adjures
him to go out for a walk with Jamila, on which he tells her everything about the events at home. She
doesn't really help him to handle his problems. Then Jamila tells him about her problems, how she
and her family have to tolerate all the racial discrimination, that her father was always worried about
her future and, because of that, he tries to control her and decided to arrange a marriage for her.
Jamila would already have run away and lived somewhere else, if Anwar didn't abuse Jeeta for all
this. Karim thinks, that Anwar isn't able to make Jamila do things she doesn't want, but then she
shows Anwar to him. He is on a hunger strike trying to extort Jamila and looks pretty awful. She is
really desperate and even Karim has no idea how to help her.

Chapter 5-Anwar's hunger strike:He thinks about all these things while he cycles to a teashop in
another part of the town. But then he observes his father calling Eva from a public phone. When his
father recognizes him, he goes to Karim and they have a conversation about Eva and his feelings for
her in contrast to the feelings for Karim’s mother. Haroon doesn’t want his wife to suffer and he isn’t
sure if he should leave her. After that he hugs and kisses Karim, then they both go their own way. That
day Karim feels very close to his dad, but afterwards at home nothing has changed.The following days
Jamila’s situation becomes worse, so she wants to meet Karim after school. But that day he meets
Helen at school, who kisses him and wants to spend the afternoon with him . He agrees because he
has forgotten about the meeting with Jamila. Near school, they also meet Charlie, who usually
ignores Karim, because of his success with his band “Mustn't Grumble”. But Charlie knows Helen and
talks to her, so Karim uses the situation to ask him about his mother. After that conversation, Karim
decides to encourage his father and Eva to get together, because that way he will be connected to
Charlie for years.When Helen and Karim leave school, they meet Jamila and they spend the day in a
threesome. Helen gets to know about Anwar's hungerstrike and that Jamila has to obey or he would
die. For Jamila there is no way out, so the three decide to ask Karim's father for help. His dad
meditates about the problem while Jamila, Karim and Helen go for a walk and finally they go into a
pub. There they talk about Charlie’s sudden fame (Helen’s impressed, Jamila doesn't like him at all)
and Jamila gets drunk.Later that night they go back to Karim's father who doesn't answer with "yes"
or "no" to Jamila, but he talks about the loss of old values, spirit and culture. About secularism,
materlism and other problems of a modern society. He says that Jamila has to think about the
persons she lives with and that happiness is only possible if one follows his own feelings, intuition and
real desires. For him only unhappiness is gained by acting in accordance with duty, obligation, guilt or
the desire to please others.At that moment Karim knows that his father is going to leave his mother,
but when Helen and Karim take Jamila home, she also makes a decision.
Chapter 6-Changez, Jamila's husband-to-be, arrives at the airport:Chapter 6 deals with the arrival of
Jamila's husband-to-be Changez, his integration into Anwar's family, and with Haroon's decision to be
with Eva.Karim, Jamila and Jeeta drive to the airport to pick up Jamila's husband-to-be called
Changez"Not-Flaubert". When they drive with the Rover of Helen`s dad "Hairy Back", it is a kind of
revenge for Karim because Helen's father doesn't like him and would be very angry if he knew that
some Indian guys were sitting in his car. Changez and Jamila are about to stay at the "Ritz" for a
couple of nights. When the car turns into the street, Anwar is standing in the window of his "paradise
shop" waiting for them anxiously. Later, Anwar celebrates his victory over the women with Karim only
because there is no one else to celebrate with. Anwar wants to take his wife Jeeta to an Indian
restaurant because she is so loving towards her family. According to Anwar, Jamila will become
pregnant and have many Indian children, which makes Anwar glad. Jamila wants to tell Karim about
her decision to marry the man her father has chosen for her but Karim forgets the meeting. He is so
ecstatic about his triumph over the dog-owners daughter whom he has had sex with in the park. At
dinner, Karim notices that Jamila wears the traditional Indian clothes for married women. After a few
words with Changez, Karim begins to like him and is willing to show him the city. Karim meets his dad
and Eva in Eva`s car and drives away with them because he wants to see Charlie, and he leaves Helen
alone. That is the last time he sees her. On the way to Eva's home, Karim notices that she and his dad
are a couple because his dad doesn't take his eyes off her face and their hands are constantly
touching each other. When they arrive at Eva's home, she shoves Karim upstairs to Charlie's room. He
sees that she and his dad go into the front room hand in hand and close the door behind them to
have sex. Later, Karim's dad tells him that he wants to be with Eva.

Chapter 7-Karim's parents getting separated and him hanging around a lot of time with Changez and
Jamila:Karim’s parents get separated and he leaves the house with Eva and his dad to live with them
at Eva’s place.After a while Karim stops going to school and visits a college which Eva arranged for
him. Unfortunately, he soon stops going there too and strolls around London, living at several places
like Jamila's and Changez', who now have a little flat in South London.Changez has to sleep on a
camp-bed in the livingroom because Jamila doesn’t want to sleep in bed with him. She has quit
school, too, but unlike Karim she educates herself and reads a lot.Changez works in Anwar's shop for
a while until Anwar gets mad at him because he doesn’t do his job properly. Changez gets injured
because of Anwar, stops working and starts to stroll around in London with Karim. After a while both,
Karim and "Chagey", become mates. One day Karim is asked by Changez if he thinks that Jamila will
ever sleep with him, but he says that he doesn't think so and after Changez has had another
argument with Anwar he visits a prostitute named Shinko with whom he sleeps from time to time
because Jamila doesn’t want to sleep with him. Karim visits his mother who now lives with his Uncle
Ted and his Aunt Jean. He feels very sad for her because she looks very unhappy and weak and she
tells him that she feels like nobody loves her, even after Karim assures his aunt that Ted loves her and
will be there for her.After visiting his mother he goes to Jamila's and Changez's place and Changez
tells Karim to keep Jamila distraced, while he visits Shinko.When Changez goes away Karim and Jamila
have sex and Karim tells her about Changez and the prostitute Shinko but Jamila doesn’t seem to
bother much.When Karim wakes up again Changez is back and watches him and Jamila from his
camp-bed. So Karim leaves the flat in a hurry, leaving Changez and Jamila to their problems and
feeling like he has betrayed everyone.

Chapter 8-Out of school:Karim tells his father that he failed all of his exams, because he skipped
school. His father gets angry, but Karim doesn't care. The next day Karim sees Uncle Ted at Eva's
house in his dungaree. Eva wants to do reconstruction on the house and wants Haroon and Karim to
help her with it. Then Karim is introduced to Shadwell, a theatre director and friend of Eva's. She
helped him with one of his productions and they went out to dinners and parties together. She also
takes Haroon to these parties, to meet people she thinks to be important. Though Haroon is living
with Eva now, he still cares a lot for Margaret and feels guilty, because she suffers from their
separation. Eva notices that and isn't too happy about it, of course. Haroon, Eva and Karim go to all of
Charly's gigs, but they feel the band lacks an individual sound. Although he isn't very successful with
his music, Charlie still behaves like God walking on earth. He seems to be able to make anyone fall in
love with him. On the other hand, Karim starts seeing his relationship to Charlie with different eyes.
He can't understand that his charm attracted him for so long. Finally, after one of Charlie's gigs, Karim
tells him off, and leaves a baffled Charlie behind.

Chapter 9-Central London and its surprising effects:Karim moves with his ‘new’ Family (including Eva,
Charlie and his father) to West Kensington, which is situated in central London near Hyde Park.The
flat that Eva buys to start a new chapter in her life, with all the furniture and damages, is dowdy and
looks as if nobody lived in there for centuries.Except Eva, nobody likes their new home. There aren’t
any beds aside from an old sofa, so Karim and Charlie have to sleep in the front room.Eva is glad
about the situation and knows exactly what it is supposed to look like in the future and neither
Haroon and Charlie nor Karim denigrate her flat when she is present.Impressed by the big city, Karim
feels free but doesn't know what to do with this freedom. He just has to settle in the (big) city life.
Karim appreciates the fact, that living in such a huge city also means anonymity.Karim's main
aim during his night-time activities is the "Nashville", a famous bar. After a night being there together
with Charlie, Karim goes home alone, because Eva’s son seizes his chance to get to know the
members of a punk band by jumping in their car after the show.Eva brims over with enthusiasm for
parties and so she organizes one in their flat. She invites half of London.When Jamila, Changez and
the Japanese woman arrive Karim is happy and talks to them, until Eva comes. Changez tells him, that
Jamila is now friends with Shinko (the Japanese) and warns Karim not to forget his old friends.One of
the many guests is Shadwell, a healthy, successful and well-known man, a long-time friend of Eva's.To
help Karim with his career in London, she wants him to speak with Shadwell about theatre and
acting, because Shadwell owns a theatre for one season and that's why he looks for actors who want
to be set in his play.Shadwell invites Karim to prove his talent for acting.Karim works hard and it’s
worth the effort. Shadwell is enthusiastic and offers Karim the main part in the play ‘The Jungle Book’
as Mowgli.

Chapter 10-Summer of changes: In this chapter Karim´s mum leaves Ted and Jean and moves back
into their old house. Now she feels much better and she’s active again, though she has become a
bit fat. She still doesn’t speak very much and she does things she has never done before. One day,
when the rehearsals start, Karim says goodbye to his mum and leaves South London to stay with his
Dad and Eva once more. He looks forward to the work and being with the other actors, in the pub
and the café. At first he feels bad, because of his costume as Mowgli he feels wrong and Mr. Shadwell
doesn´t even try to understand him. Karim and the other actor named Terry become friends. They
talk every day and Karim likes him more than anyone he has met for a long time. During rehearsal
Karim gains confidence. At the flat there are drinks, parties and little dinners every week.Eva starts
her career and gets more and more successful.One night Karim sees Charlie, he doesn´t recognize
him at first, because he has only seen photographs of his new personality, his new punk style is very
different from his old one. After this meeting he goes with Eva to one of Charlie's gigs to see what it
was that has turned him into a new person. Karim is very impressed by Charlie's big con trick.The
dress rehearsal of "The Jungle Book" is very good, no one forgets their lines and technically all is fine
except for one slip. One evening Karim's mum, Ted and Jean come to see the preview, his mum now
works as a receptionist at a doctor´s practise.One night the theatre director Pyke books a ticket for
The Jungle Book and because of that everybody is very nervous. Pyke is the most important visitor,
he has his own company and he's very popular and successful. Terry thinks that Pyke is looking about
him to give him a job but Pyke wants to talk to Karim. The other actors are amazed and resentful that
Pyke wants to talk to him.Pyke offers him a job, everybody reacts very jealous, especially Mr Shadwell
is very angry with Karim and even Terry is jealous as well, even though he's a good friend of Karim's.
Chapter 11-Karim joins Pyke's theatre group and falls in love with Eleanor: Karim joins Pyke's
new theatre group. It's a group of 6 people, 3 men and 3 women, no one is older than 30 years. After
Pyke and the 6 actors are presented to the reader, the atmosphere in the group is described. One
time the group tells each other stories of their past, so they basically talk about sex. Karim
gets attracted to Eleanor and he gives up on Terry. A few days later Pyke asks Karim if he knows
another black man as a model character for Karim. Karim thinks of his uncle Anwar and starts to visit
him every day to study his behavior, but some days later he is glad every time he gets the chance to
leave uncle Anwar. The following passages deal with Karim and Eleanor becoming intimate. He often
visits her at her flat in Ladbroke Grove. Eleanor stems from a high social level, her father (American)
owns a bank and her mother (British) is a well-respected portrait painter, but Eleanor does not have
good manners. Later a man called Heater is introduced. He is Eleanor's guardian and Karim's rival for
Eleanors affection. Heater's purpose in life is to protect Eleanor and to ensure her happiness. Karim
and Heater hate each other. But one day when Karim and Eleanor are alone they start to kiss. At this
point Karim gives a reflection of the last weeks, he has changed very much and he recognizes, that he
is completely uneducated and he is angry about this fact.Back in Pyke's theatre-group, the actors
present their characters to the rest of the group. Karim's presentation triggers a discussion about
Anwar. Anwar shows Indians as unorganized agressors, supporting the prejudices that white people
already have about the

Chapter 12-Karim's emotions and moral dilemma:Chapter twelve of “the Buddha of Suburbia” mainly
consists of three parts.In the first part Karim talks with Changez and tells him that he wants to play his
character in Pyke’s theatre production. First Changez agrees but when he admits that he would do
anything to just kiss Jamila once and that he truly loves her he becomes very furious because Karim
tells him this is never going to happen. The result of their discussion about Jamila’s behavior is that
Changez refuses to let Karim play his character in the play. Karim even has to promise he won’t play
Changez. In the second part Karim drives to Eleanor's where he first meets Heater who tells him he
cannot go to her. Nevertheless Karim goes up to Eleanor’s flat and finds her naked and crying as she
suffers from a depression. Eleanor doesn't talk to Karim and so he starts to think about Changez again
and realizes that he is confronted with a moral dilemma. Karim wants to leave Eleanor starts to talk
again and the two of them sleep together for the first time, which makes Karim confess that he is in
love with Eleanor and that he has got strong emotions for her.As a consequence Karim becomes
afraid of love.When he presents Changez as his character for the play in front of the group, Tracey
doesn’t like it again, but Pyke decides that Karim can play this role. Afterwards Pyke drives Karim
home and offers him to sleep with Marlene (his wife) as a "present". Furthermore he tells Karim that
he has told Eleanor to go for him and invites both of them for supper. In the third and last part Karim
realizes how helpless his dad is and that he actually considers him as a separate person and not as his
dad. In the end Karim talks to Jamila on the phone who accuses him of moving away from the real
world, which means from the ordinary people.

Chapter 13:An evening of total pleasure-The thirteenth chapter mainly takes place at the house of
Pyke and Marlene. Karim and Eleanor visit the two actors in their impressive mansion: A four-storey
place, with a watered front garden smothered in flowers and two sport cars outside. It has dark red
and green walls and 1960s furniture. As they come in and sit together, they've several topics to talk
about and try to have a comfortable evening. At first, Eleanor and Karim have small talk. He wants to
know from her which experiences she has made with her last boyfriend. She responds that he's
"bloody dead" and that she doesn't want to talk about it at the moment. Karim seems disappointed
and Eleanor adds: "It would be dangerous to lay myself open to you."Pyke and Marlene come
downstairs, dressed up for their guests, followed by their Irish maid, in order to begin with the dinner.
At the table, Pyke is quiet and only speaks in clichés while Marlene does most of the talking. When
Percy, Pike's son, comes in they have an "afterdinner joint".All four of them are now a little drunk and
dizzy, especially Marlene, who is involved in a deep, intimate conversation with Karim. Funnily
enough, they talk about Gene, who died from an overdose of drugs, as they smoke their joint. But
Marlene is able to achieve what she wants: She hugs him and convinces Karim to kiss her. In the end,
they've sex together and beside them lie. Pyke and Eleanor who seem to have much pleasure.
Marlene describes their evening like as follows: "There's so much we can do tonight! There's hours
and hours of total pleasure for us..."

Chapter 14-Anwar's death: Karim asks Eva to let Eleanor work for her too, and says, that he won't
work for her, unless Eleanor does it too. Finally Eva agrees, but she decreases his wages by twenty
five per cent. After the work is done, Karim goes with Eleanor to her place and then to the Bush, a
small theatre. Karim describes these days as the best days and describes how he sleeps with her
while both of them are half asleep. He thinks about probably living out his father's dream who once
said when he was drunk that Indians love plump white women with fleshy thighs. Karim feels that
something bad will happen. One day, Changez meets uncle Anwar in the street. They have not seen
each other for a long time and uncle Anwar wants to beat Changez due to the bad impression he has
of him. Changez defends himself with a dildo(yapay erkeklik organı) and Anwar collapses and is taken
to hospital for intensive care. While Karim and his brother visit Anwar in hospital, Haroon doesn't
want to go and see Anwar at all. Even when Karim asks and begs his father to talk to Anwar, he
refuses because he has fallen out with him. Eventually Anwar dies of what heart failure. Because of
that, Jamila decides to change her life and to move away to Peckham without Changez, who they all
call "dildo killer" because of the incident with Anwar. Jamila says that Changez could move back to
Bombay to his family and that they never really were husband and wife. Finally she she gives in to
Changez' pleads and allows him to move in with to their new neighborhood.

Chapter 15-Karim's visit to Changez and the opening of the play: This chapter starts with a closer
description of Pyke from Karim's point of view, for example that he's a good director and that he also
likes other people even when they are difficult. Karim and his acting group start a tour. He is playing
an immigrant who comes from a small town in India. To escape from the anxiety and the tension of
whether the play is going to be successful or not, Karim visits Changez at his new place.
Changez expresses his doubts about whether he can stay in the house or not, because every night he
hears Jamila having sex with another flatmate - Simon - next door. While Karim and Changez are
loafing around, Karim recognizes how poor this end of the city - South London - is compared to the
London he is living in (there are housing estates looking like prison camps full of graffiti).After Karim
and his group start previewing their play in London, Jamila rings to tell Karim that Changez has been
attacked under a railway bridge when returning from Shinko. Unfortunately these attacks are
happening all the time to foreigners and they can't stop it, they can only demonstrate, so Karim
promises to join them in confronting the facists. The day of the march, Karim sees Eleanor going into
Pyke's house. In the train, he confronts her with his oberservations and Eleanor says that Pyke
attracts her and she can't have men telling her what to do. So Karim resolves to break with Eleanor.
For Karim it's difficult "to fall out of love" and he starts getting sick of theatre people and starts
turning numb. Beside all of this, the opening of the play is a huge triumph. After the opening, for
Karim it's surprising that his parents are there and are talking to each other, even in a friendly way.
We also find out that Jamila is pregnant from Simon. Jamila is disappointed with Karim and blames
him for not being at the march. At the end of the chapter, Karim needs some distance so he walks out
to the river Thames where he meets a girl named Hilary. They also meet Heater, Eleanor's
"protector", who wants to beat up Karim because he hates him, but the girl and he are able to run
away.

Chapter 16-Karim goes to America: The show is so successful, that extra shows are planned. When
Karim and his crew go out after the performance, people recognize them and and make them offers.
So Karim appreciates his advantages of being an actor, he makes lots of new acquaintances with
women and most of the time they don’t need to pay for their drinks, etc. Pyke asks the theater group
if they could imagine to perform the show in New York. He gives them some time to think about the
offer and invites Karim to his house at the weekend. In Pyke's house Pyke and Marlene have a an
argument after she kisses Karim. He tells her to leave Karim alone, but she reproches Pyke with going
out with Karim's girlfriend, but Karim confirms that they have broken up. Because he wants to do
Terry a favor, he asks Pyke for the money Terry needs to raise for his political party and Pyke agrees.
He gives him a cheque of five hundred pounds. Before he hands out the cheque warns Karim that he
needs to take care otherwise he will only be used by his friends. Then Karim leaves Pyke's house with
the cheque. Furthermore Karim wants to ask Eleanor for more money and he takes the opportunity
at the theater. He tries to explain that there is a difference between love and business but she just
ignores him. Eleanor refuses to give Karim five hundred pounds because she is of the opinion that the
Party is a "honky –thing" and doesn’t support the blacks. Then Karim visits Terry in his house in
Brixton to tell him about the cheque Pyke gave him. Terry and Karim have an argument after Karim
tells him about his plans to go to America with Pyke. Terry reproaches Karim that he is not attached to
anything and requests him to fight for the Party and stay in London. Karim says goodbye with the
intention to go to America.

Chapter 17-In New York: After the opening night, the theatre crew goes to an apartment building for
a little party. There are some famous actors. Dr. Bob who runs the theatre has arranged a little show
with black people dancing and playing on drums. Karim realizes, how much he likes Eleanor and that
he doesn't know her at all. After the party they go to Pyke's bedroom. Pyke is admired by everyone
and when Karim wants to talk to Eleanor, he makes them stay and listen to his writings. He reads
something out loud but Karim doesn't listen. Pyke reads out loud predictions about Karim he wrote
down months ago: How much Karim wanted to fuck someone and that it didn't matter if it was a girl
or a boy. But among all the actresses he liked to fuck Eleanor the most. Karim is embarassed and
leaves the house. Charlie, who lives in New York comes and picks him up. Charlie offers Karim to stay
with him. Charlie has become a famous rock star and he has released an album. In Charlie's house
girls always hang around. The show of the crew doesn't last long. All the crew-members leave New
York but Karim stays with Charlie. But then two events happen and they make Karim decide to go
back to London. First Charlie beats up a desperate journalist, who wants to interview him. The
second event is when Charlie invites a prostitiute to torture him. He makes Karim watch him. That's
the point of time when Karim makes his decision to go back to London.

Chapter 18-Karim back home in London: Supplied with the money Charlie gives him, Karim is able to
buy a ticket and fly to London. He is very happy to be back home again and visits Terry, who tells him
that there will be an election soon, because the government were defeated in the vote the day
before, so that he hopes to win with his party. The next day he talks to the producers of the soap
opera, he is being considered for and he finally gets the part, although he thinks that the people at
the team are boring. In the soap he is going to play a rebellious student, who is the son of an Indian
shopkeeper.With this news and with the feeling that he will be very popular over night he visits Eva
and his Dad. When he arrives, Eva is just being interviewed by two people from the“Furnishings”
magazine, because she wants to sell their place and move on. Karim notices that she does not
recognise him immediately and knows that he has changed and got older during his time in New York.
But also his Dad has a different appearance and looks very old and as if he is ill, in contrast to Eva,
who seems to be fresh and businesslike. The journalists take photos of Eva and her house, which
Karim considers to be very admirable, and they ask her about it and her philosophy of life. At that
point, Eva sits down beside Haroon, and Karim realises that she still loves him a lot, but that his Dad
does not behave like someone who loves. Eva then starts to tell how she has changed her life with
her will to survive when she got to know that she had cancer. In her point of view, everybody has to
empower oneself and one should not expect others to manage everything. She is not able to cease
talking so that the interviewers finally have to stop her. They begin to question Karim’s Dad and he
explains to them, that he will remain Indian to all intents and purposes, because he only thought the
English to be superior when he was young. The society and achievements in the west are supposed to
be the richest in the world, but something is missing: “There is no deepening in culture, no
accumulation of wisdom and there are only body and mind, but no soul!” When they do not
understand his statement, he only says, that this failure in their way of life will soon defeat them.
Suddenly Uncle Ted comes into the room and desperately informs all of them that his wife fell down
the stairs. A few minutes later, the reporters of “Furnishings” leave and Karim is able to talk to his
Uncle, who has developed and is now like he was in earlier days. He loves his job and is glad that Eva
has “saved” him. The two of them, Eva and Ted, eventually quit the house to work, and Haroon opens
his heart to his son. He says that he feels unpleasant and alone due to Eva’s business, which keeps her
away from him for too much time and that he sometimes even hates her for that. Furthermore he
wants him to know that he has made the decision to quit his job and start teaching meditation to
encourage people to think, because he thinks this is the destination of his life. Having spoken to his
dad, Karim leaves to see his mother. He finds his brother Allie at their home and is amazed by his
development. He is self-confident, works for a clothes designer and has enough money, too. When
Karim tells him about his part in the soap opera, Allie is really enthusiastic about it and Karim cannot
believe that this is really his brother. His mother is not at home at that moment, and Allie informs him
that she has now got a boyfriend called Jimmy who seems to be very nice. When she finally arrives at
home, she is nervous and announces that “a friend” is coming round later that day and she starts
getting dressed and makes their home look comfortable. She does not want Jimmy to know that she
still has got two sons who are that old, because that would make her seem less attractive to him. Due
to that, she sends the boys away and the two of them can only observe Jimmy from outside by
looking through the window. Karim is disappointed because of his mother’s new boyfriend. He’s an
Englishman and not an Indian. Karim feels like his mother has let him and his family down.While
walking through London with his brother Allie, Karim feels quite surprised, that the city has changed
that much, while he was in America. “No hippies or punks” are there anymore, only well dressed
people.But this makes Karim feel uncomfortable. He thinks he’s not indifferent enough to seduce
someone. So he goes home, where he actually doesn’t stay for a long time either and goes out again
to visit Changez and Jamila for the first time after his return from America. When he enters their
house, he feels “like a dog about to be kicked”. Changez is not that happy to see Karim again, because
he’s occupied with caring for Leila Kollontai, Jamila’s daughter and he’s doing the washing and the
cooking as well. Jamila is in a lesbian relationship now, because Simon, Leila’s father, left for
America.While Karim’s in their house, Changez and Jamila have an argument about their relationship.
Changez only wants to be loved by Jamila and he neither understands nor to believes that she dates a
woman. He's disappointed because he still loves her and wants to be her husband not only on paper,
but Jamila won’t agree to his arguments and wishes. Changez starts to blame Karim for being the
person that stands between a real relationship between him and Jamila.While visiting his Dad and
Eva, Karim tells his Dad about his role in the soap opera but his father doesn’t seem to be content
with it. As they talk about Karim’s Mum, Haroon for the first time really seems to regret having left his
former wife. At the very end of the chapter Karim invites his family for dinner.Everybody seems to
have fun and Karim is glad to see them all happy together.At the end of the evening, Eva announces
that she and Haroon are very happy together and that they want to marry. Everybody is happy about
their luck.The book ends with Karim reflecting about his situation. He’s glad to be back in London, in
the city he loves, and finally feels accepted. All the people surrounding him are people he loves, and
he feels happy and miserable at the same time, because he knows now “what a mess it all had been,
but that it wouldn’t always be that way”.

The definition of the suburb:Suburban development is a complex combination of political, economic

and social factors that are finally bound on the human psychology.In general, it is a new resident on a
greenfield site that has the relationship mentioned above to an urban area. The main problem is that
the growing number of people often does not fit to the local infrastructure which lead to a difficult
situation of the work conditions.On the other side, people were freer, seen from the surface. After a
closer look you will remark that they were also bound on their landowners who stood for the
economic motor of a suburban area.The Suburbs of London-A life in poverty:In the following part I
will give you some major information about the suburbs of London and the conditions of life in such
an area.The word ‘suburb’ refers to ‘sub’ meaning ‘under’ and ‘urbs’ meaning ‘city’.You can call it an
area outside of the city. Suburbs are economically poor areas, which are inhabited by people partially
in real misery, who can’t afford the costs of a life in the town, which are usually higher.Amazingly
suburban areas are home to 86% of England's population. In suburban areas are hidden a plurality of
problems. The image of a suburb which is a pleasant and safe area is reality for some, but in many
suburban areas dominate major social and economic problems. Moreover companies do not invest in
those areas, which intensifies the bad image of the suburbs as contaminated and declined
areas.Negative aspects of a suburb are that they destroy attractive countryside, increase the traffic
because buildings in suburbs are often far apart so that driving is the only opportunity to get to
another place. Furthermore you can describe suburbs as ‘soulless places’ with no feeling of
community.Concerning ‘Buddha of Suburbia’ Haroon and Anwar did not know about a ‘suburban
area’ in England. They went there to be educated, to earn much money and return to India again. But
they had to get along with a life in the poorest area of London and problems like poverty, crime,
racism, poor educational performance, and loss of the middle class.

Karim:Karim is The Buddha of Suburbia's narrator and protagonist. Karim grows up in the suburbs of
London and later moves with his family to London proper. As Karim grows the novel follows
him from his teenage years into his early 20s his own worldview changes significantly. Much
of Karim's story is about identification, specifically being an "Englishman born and bred,
almost" (3). Caught between "belonging and not," between his Indian heritage and desire to
assimilate into British society, Karim invariably negotiates his hybrid identity (3); but his
character seems to posit that there is a space for both identities. He accepts much of his
Indianness but also appropriates the qualities of British teenagers, reveling in dominant
London fashions.Like his ethnic identification, Karim's sexuality is complicated. He says that
has no preference and will sleep with anyone, male or female, though his first really
important (and defining) sexual experience is with Charlie. Karim's fluid sexuality positions
him in a liminal role namely because he does not claim a homosexual/heterosexual identity
nor an Indian/British identity exclusively; thus, he is consistently forced to negotiate between
such binaries. Karim's early sexual experiences range from various encounters with Charlie to
another, quasi-regular relationship with Jamila, his childhood friend. But their sex seems
mechanical, to be more about satisfying carnal impulses and, perhaps, simple friendship than
anything romantic, never mind emotional. Later, as Karim becomes involved in an increasingly
upwardly mobile social circle, associating with the arts community and participating in
theater, he begins a complicated sexual relationship with Eleanor, an actor. Karim truly loves
her and describes their relationship, saying, "I'd never had such a strong emotional and
physical feeling before". For the first time, sex gains an emotional component, a marked
difference from his prior sexual relationships.Karim's relationships are always compounded
with an innate selfishness and reliance on the material, or, at least, a dismissal of ideology. He
is solipsistic, apolitical and is primarily interested in succeeding but he is often plagued with a
lack of motivation. Still, at the novel's end, when there is promise of success on the horizon,
Karim treats his family to dinner and says "I began to enjoy my own generosity. . . I felt the
pleasure of pleasing others". Granted, this pleasure is fueled by materialism and money, but
Karim transforms (or begins his transmogrification) from a totally self-involved space to a
place of awareness and caring for others.

Charlie:Charlie is Eva's prodigal son and the object of Karim's affection. Characterized by Karim as a
heart-breaker, Charlie neglects Karim, "neither [phoning] since [their] last love-making nor
[bothering] to turn up" . Charlie's only real goal is to become famousto be a rock starand to
employ any method through which to succeed. Charlie adheres to every trend, be it musical
 or in the fashion world. Although Charlie's band begins to amass an audience and buzz, his
overriding covetousness of fame and the burgeoning of the punk movementwhich Charlie
capitalizes oninspires him to abandon the band. Joining the punk movement, Charlie was "on
to new adventures," literally jettisoning those who helped him succeed . Charlie changes his
name to Charlie Zero and becomes an international success and major punk star, moving to
live in New York.While in New York with his touring play, Karim lives with Charlie and begins
to understand the pressures of celebrity. Charlie attributes his international success to
"selling Englishness" His character represents how individuals can profit off of other's desires
to consume something foreign. This is similar to Haroon's selling of his "exotic" Indian
traditions . Charlie's character is about marketing, greed, fame and a quest for awareness and
recognition. Though Charlie feels as fame would fulfill him, Kureishi seems to posit that, for
Charlie, success cannot bring total fulfillment. This message seems congruous with his
treatment of other characters' and their decisions.

Eva: is the ultimate social climber. She represents, in a sense, enlightenment as she lives her very
exciting life, luring artists and intellectuals into her circle. Her enthusiasm attracts Haroon and
the two fall in love, prompting Haroon to leave his wife and break up his family. In a sense,
Eva can be defined economically as Haroon's agent, providing him with the forums and
audience through which he can market his blend of mysticism and spiritual teachings and
advance socially. Eva desires social mobility as does Haroon, mostly through his associations
with Eva; Haroon's own social goals are slightly more ambiguous, but he and Eva function
socially as a unit and she directs them upward. Similarly, they are both characterized by
Kureishi as exotic because Eva "only had one breast and where the other traditionally was,
there was nothing". It's Haroon's ethnicity in his suburban London setting which marks him as
exotic. The story of her breast is never discussed, but it becomes defining.Moreover, Eva's
lifestyle, brimming with "mysticism, alcohol, sexual promise, clever people and drugs"
becomes immediately attractive to the young Karim . Eva's lifestyle engenders changes like
the family's move to London but at times the novelty wears off. Eva is incredibly supportive of
her son, Charlie, willing him the success she feels he deserves. Eva's character represents
changing social mores and the falling away of boundaries between parent and child. Like
London itself, Eva is both attractive and mysterious and also somewhat depleting as she
invariably strives to achieve.

Haroon:As the novel's namesake, Haroon is a central character in The Buddha of Suburbia. His name
and given identity changes throughout the narrative and he is given many monikers including:
"God," "Harry," "Daddio," amongst others. People call Haroon different things because he
portrays different roles. As he rises in social prominence, Haroon begins his love affair with
Eva. She throws parties at her home and he comes to entertain her guests. Haroon portrays
the "Buddha of Suburbia," using generic Eastern spiritual teachings to garner status. Haroon
defines his identity by whatever is most palatable, most marketable, though he comes to
identify and truly believe in his own teachings. Nevertheless, he employs teachings which are
not endemic to India nor his own Muslim culture such that he can gain audience and respect
from prominent British.At first, Haroon's trajectory mirrors Charlie, but it's not just fame he
covets. For as the novel progresses, Haroon appears to experience guilt or (perhaps) regret
for several of his choices, including leaving his wife, though he is happy with Eva and the
liberating life they lead. Still, he comes to earnestly believe in his teachings and retreat into
his spiritual world.As a foil character, it is especially useful to compare Haroon and Anwar as
their identities diverge. As Haroon ages, he attempts to transform into a "qualified and
polished English gentleman" while Antwar begins to identity more with (and in Haroon's
eyes) Indian traditions (24). Though the two men share a kinship formed from common
background, their goals and lifestyles engender different qualities of life. Similarly, comparing
 Haroon's growth to his son Karim's illuminates the rites-of-passage both experience. Haroon
ironically profits socially and financially off of his teachings of selflessness and the jettisoning
of the material. But Haroon and Karim's trajectories seemingly coincide at the novel's end.
His studiousness and dedication show that, perhaps, like his son, Haroon has come to place
less importance in that material he previously coveted.

Anwar :Anwar and Haroon are sent to England together in their twenties, but they have very different
ideas about almost everything. Anwar opens a market and father's a very political daughter,
Jamila. When Jamila refuses to marry an Indian man that Anwar has selected he goes on a
hunger strike. Jamila speaks to Haroon about it and one of the major themes of the novel is
highlighted. "Anwar is my oldest friend in the world, he said sadly when we told him
everything. ŒWe old Indians come to like this England less and less and we return to an
imagined India." Anwar is a foil to the character of Haroon another example of the nostalgia
that permeates the depictions of many of the characters, the deep seated longing for things
past is seen in both of the characters. Anwar seemingly represents a more traditional Indian
immigrant and yet Kureshi is sure to prevent any absolutes to be drawn. Anwar is the closest
character to a stereotype that is presented and yet he is too complex and tempered by his
daughter's humanity to read simply as a type. He owns a market and wants his daughter to
be in an arranged marriage but he also loved to goof around as a young man. Kureshi
presents an image and then works to build a history, a story to skew the readers perspective.
Anwar accuses Haroon of "having been seduced by the West". Anwar, however, like Haroon
is a man who selects his history, creates his own past and belief system, partly in protest and
greatly in response to his own unhappiness and confusion. "Anwar . . . for most of his life had
never shown any interst in going back to India. He was always honest about this". It is striking
that Anwar is depicted in terms that make him seem much older than Haroon, his is always
written of as the more responsible man, the more traditional man, and yet both's religious
beliefs emerge when it is a valuable commodity, or out of habit.

Jamila: is the most political of Karim's friends from the suburbs, as a child she spends a considerable
amount of time in the library under the tutelage of a white librarian, Miss Cutmore. The
books she reads initially thrill Jamila and the records she listens to through Miss Cutmore,
however her opinions changed after Miss Cutmore moved to Bath. Karim, when speaking of
this extracurricular education, says "(Jamila) drove me mad by saying Miss Cutmore had
colonized her, but Jamila was the strongest-willed person I'd met: no one could turn her into
a colony. Anyway, I hated ungrateful people. Without Miss Cutmore, Jamila wouldn't have
even heard the word 'colony.' Miss Cutmore started you off, I told her" (53). Karim addresses
Jamila's politics by remarking at times they were French and at times they were Black
American. Beyond just identifying with Black Americans she adopts actions and ideas and
applies them. Jamila also experiments, much like Karim, with her sexuality, engaging in casual
sex with Karim as well as other men and women. Jamila is a symbol of the rapiditly changing
politics and social climate in the world of the novel. It is through Jamila's causes that the
reader is given a view of London's socio-political climate, outside of Karim's self-centered
experience.

Changez:Changez is an Indian national who is arranged to be married to Jamila. Although the entire
novel addresses sex directly, Changez and Jamila are they characters with whom sex is most
symbolic. When Changez moves to London and marries Jamila he is confronted with her
absolute refusal to consummate their marriage. Karim gives Changez some Doyle novels that
whet his sexual appetite. This is a nice twist on the exoticization of Orientalism. It is not the
Easterner that comes bearing forbidden sexuality, it is the European that introduces desire.
Changez then begins visiting a Japanese prostitute, a further tweaking of Orientalism and
 comes to an understanding with Jamila, who continues to sleep with Karim and others.
Changez is the newest immigrant in the novel and in some ways the happiest to "adapt".
Changez is the truly the "other," he is from India, physically disabled and not familiar with the
ideology all those close to him adhere to. It is largely through sex and negotiating his sexual
relationship with Jamila he recognizes what responsibility he wants to have and how to feel
fulfilled. Changez is responsible for Anwar's death in an actualization of the importance of
sexuality, Anwar sees Changez on the street and charges him with intent to maim or kill,
Changez had been recently shopping for sex toys and hits Anwar on the head with a dildo.
This head trauma sends Anwar to his death. "The old man", the man who previously
represented the most classical images of India was murdered by the son-in-law he hated,
who does not sleep with his daughter, wielding a sex aid; it is as if the younger people in the
book are killing the older, more nostalgic characters with their sexuality and politics.

Terry:Terry performs the role of the snake in the director Shadwell's version of The Jungle Book with
Karim. Terry believes he will absolutely get a call from a famous director one day for a great
part. He is bitterly disappointed and jealous when Karim is invited to star in Pyke's show
instead of him. Pyke is a famous experimental director who Terry admires for his work, but
not his values.Terry abides by the system of the working class. He believes in equality for
everyone and that, "people were made by the impersonal forces of history"(162). Instead of
striving for gradual improvement, Terry thinks that in order for things to improve they must
go drastically downhill first. Karim admires Terry because he believes in equality, but Karim
does not want to sacrifice his accomplishments to be treated like everyone else as Terry does.
Terry trusts the working class to defeat racist organizations and combat left-wing politicians,
radical lawyers, and even liberals. Terry's political passion does not get him very far; he
hypocritically acts on a TV show about cops just for the money.

Pyke:Matthew Pyke is a major alternative theatre director who casts Karim in his London show about
class. He wants to make each actor's performance as genuine as possible by having his actors
observe people close to them. He especially wants to incorporate different ethnicities into his
show to make it more colorful. Pyke uses Karim for his Indian identity and foreignness. He
says about Karim's aunts and uncles, "I bet they're fascinating" . Pyke romanticizes Karim's
family simply because they could be of a different ethnicity and thus exotic. His theory of
acting is, "to be someone else successfully you must be yourself!" .Pyke takes theatre very
seriously, but also takes advantage of his power as a director. He manipulates Karim into
sleeping with his wife and then sleeps with Karim's girlfriend, Eleanor. Pyke also forces
himself sexually onto Karim.EleanorEleanor is an attractive actress also cast in Pyke's London
show. Eleanor and Karim date throughout its run. Eleanor's life style differs from Karim's in
that she is urbane and inhabits an "unforced bohemia"(174). She is naturally sophisticated
and cultured without putting forth effort like Karim. Karim feels his past is inadequate to her
classy life. He is mortified when she thinks his South London accent is cute. Even though she
is middle class and privileged, Eleanor is very unhappy and dislikes herself greatly. She is
unsure in love and cheats on Karim with their director, Pyke.

The Buddha of Suburbia also raises the notion of hybridity:Karim is mixed race and therefore can’t
relate wholly to other people of Indian descent, but is also not accepted as white. His mother
summarises this idea by stating, “But your not an Indian, You’ve never been to India…What
about me?…Who gave birth to you? You’re an Englishman, I’m glad to say”. This
fragmentation of nationalities causes a visible identity struggle. Karim respects and looks up
to his father, Haroon, however his own personal values and beliefs clash with his fathers
stereotypical embracing of ‘Indian-ness’.Haroon’s character also experiences a continuous
inner conflict to find his true identity, since he is only merely stereotypically ‘Indian’. He has
 his stereotypical guru persona, and many flamboyant costumes of “a scarlet Indian waistcoat
with gold stitching around the edges”which he puts on when he leads his spiritual seminars
for the white English people who wouldn’t know the difference. Haroon’s conflict between
his Indian upbringing and English adaptation means that he is unable to find himself and he is
constantly restless and impulsive. This always results in other people having to look after him.
His abandonment of his traditionally Indian values can be seen in his marriage to Karim’s
mother, who is white, and in his proceeding abandonment of that marriage. Eva’s character
similarly doesn’t have a strong sense of identity, as she is constantly adapting and evolving to
fit in with the latest trends, and to suit her surroundings. Paradoxically, despite her
transitional and somewhat superficial nature, Eva is extremely sure of herself, she’s confident,
and she maintains a strong sense of self. Despite this paradox, her changing identities, which
fulfil her need for popularity and admiration, gain her the strength and confidence that her
strong sense of self is founded upon. Eva constantly shifts, in the book, from someone who
believes in meditation and self-expression, to an interior designer, to a high-class socialite in
the city, even though some of the values of these personas are conflicting.

Haroon’s childhood friend, Anwar, was originally an Indian character that Karim looked up to at the
beginning of the text, however, as the novel progresses, Anwar’s character contrastingly
transgresses. As this transgression occurs, Anwar becomes more patriarchal and extreme in
his traditional Indian beliefs, which ultimately causes his own death. Anwar’s internal battle
to remain true to his Indian roots is exemplified in his adamance that his daughter must have
an arranged marriage; in his reluctance to modernize his corner shop; in his apathetic
attitude towards his own marriage; in his patriarchal relationships between himself and the
women of his family; and in his constant yearning to return home to India. Anwar’s character
highlights the problems that come with trying to cling to ones own culture, whilst being
immersed within a completely new one. McLeod illustrates this point by stating: “migrants
envision their home in fragments and fissures…The transformations wrought by the
experience of migrancy make impossible the recovery of a plenitudinous sense of home.
Reflections of home seize it in pieces only; a sense of displacement always remains”.Anwar’s
character is different to Haroon’s, however. Anwar has a tight grasp on his Indian values and
identity (as he is so fearful of losing them) and he accuses Haroon of being “seduced by the
West”, as Haroon does not hold the same values. Paradoxically, however, Anwar’s grasp turns
out to be suffocating and toxic, as it always leads to misunderstandings between himself and
anyone following the British culture, including his own family, disenabling him from
identifying with any of them.

Karim acknowledges his father and Anwar as two extremes of expression of culture, but struggles to
find a balance, and ends up flitting between the two. Due to Karim’s dual heritage, and as a
result of the constant racism he encounters, he constantly struggles to identify with the other
characters or to find any kind of role model. Despite the fact that Karim is half white, the
English don’t see him as ‘white enough’ to let him play with their children. “Hairy back”, for
example, maliciously informs Karim that his daughter doesn’t go out with “wogs” and that
“However many niggers there are, we don’t like it.”His parochialism and ignorance mean that
Hairy Back does not acknowledge the fact that Karim not a black ‘wog’ or ‘nigger’, nor the
fact that Karim is in fact half white. This inability to identify Karim’s ethnicity, and inability to
accept Karim as an English national is just one example of the racism that contributes
towards Karim’s ambivalence and failure to identify himself. Karim did feel that he found
someone who he could relate to in his uncle Ted, or that he could at least be himself around
him without the fear of being judged, however, unbeknown to naïve Karim at the time, Ted
 was also ignorant. In the novel, on the way back from a football match with Ted, Karim recalls
Ted gesturing towards Brixton through the window and explaining; “That’s where the niggers
live. Them blacks”.Although throughout the novel, Ted is friendly towards Karim and his
family, his ignorance is blatant and he has very stereotypical views of people of different
races.Changez’s character is the most extreme representation of ‘other’ in the novel. He has
most recently migrated from India, and is physically disabled, and therefore not widely
accepted. He has a “withered” left arm, with a round “golf ball” sized fist with a single “tiny
thumb” projecting from it.He is depicted as somewhat grotesque in order to enhance his
status as ‘other’. Changez’s characters is the one through which sex is most symbolic, and the
novel illustrates his journey towards fulfilling his western sexual fantasies, which are never
realised.Karim’s key weapon against all of the imperialist views and racist assumptions he is
constantly faced with in the novel, is pleasure, and his plight to discover his sexual identity.
He explains his sexual encounters with English women as follows: “As we pursued English
Roses we pursued England; by possessing these prizes, this kindness and beauty, we stared
defiantly into the eye of the Empire and all it’s self regard”.He also uses pleasure as a tool to
fight back to the bigoted Hairy Back. Whilst in his car he exclaims:This was a delicious
moment of revenge for me…Had he known that four Pakis were resting their dark arses on his
deep leather seats, ready to be driven by his daughter, who had recently been fucked by one
of them, he wouldn’t have been a contented man.Karim is also without preference sexually,
and has sexual encounters with both men and women. Similarly to his inability to decide on
his national identity, he encompasses the notion of hybridity sexually also, and also sexual
‘other’, as homosexuality was met with disgust during this decade. The strong running theme
of the ‘identity crisis’ is prevalent in every character in The Buddha of Suburbia. There is a
large political story of diaspora in the background of the text, and this raises the extremely
complex notion of ‘Englishness’ and what it is to be British, not only for the immigrants and
their descendants, but for the white English people too. Despite all the prejudices and
xenophobic confrontations that they must face daily, sexual fulfilment, is the main tool used
by the characters in fighting back to racism and in discovering themselves.

The Buddha of Suburbia is written in first person narrative and the speaker is the protagonist,
Karim. This use of first person invites the audience to identify with Karim, however,
immediately Kureishi exposes the complexity behind Karim’s ethnic, national, class, and
sexual identity. The book begins with the opening statement “I am an Englishman born and
bred, almost…a new breed as it were, having emerged from two old histories…Perhaps it is
the odd mixture of continents and blood, of here and there, of belonging and not.”Karim’s
sense of “here and there”, and of not feeling as though he belongs anywhere, is a common
problem that children of migrants face.These generational differences occur because
although the migrant parents do not feel welcome or able to relate to English culture, they
have the memories of their homes abroad to comfort them. McLeod elaborates on this point
by stating: “to the children of migrants, the ‘interior knowledge’ of a distant place is
unavailable. Thus their reflections about these places in terms of ‘home’ are often
differentlyconstructed.” Kureishi makes this point in his essay The Rainbow Sign, where he
admits that as a child he had no idea what Pakistan was like and had no sense of nostalgia
towards it, despite being half Pakistani. His vision of Pakistan was clouded by his English
teachers and friends, who taught him that Pakistanis live in “mud huts” and that they are
uncivilised. This detatchment is similar to Karims in The Buddha of Suburbia, and Kureishi
adds that whilst in Pakistan, he experienced an identity crisis. He is confused by his lack of
feeling any kind of connection with Pakistan, especially since he is unwelcome in England. He
describes feeling “patriotic, though [he] only feels patriotic when [he’s] away form England”,
presumably he is unable to feel patriotic since he is made to feel as though he is not English,
despite being born there. Karim exemplifies this problem of not being able to feel patriotic in
the country that he was born, he complains in The Buddha of Suburbiathat he is “sick…of
 being affectionately called Shitface and Curryface, and of coming home covered in
spit…”Kureishi elaborates on his visit to Pakistan in The Rainbow Sign, by stating that he
“Couldn’t allow myself to feel too Pakistani, I didn’t want to give into that falsity, that
sentimentality”, and that he “couldn’t rightfully lay claim on either place”. Both Kureishi, and
Karim, epitomise the idea of hybridity in postcolonial Britain, and the feelings of
disorientation come with this mixed sense of nationality.

The Buddha of Suburbia depicts an identity crisis, not just through its main characters, but also within
the whole of Britain in the seventies and eighties. Diaspora, such as the migration of Haroon,
Anwar and Changez, resulted in cultural hybridity in Britain. Many British people of that time,
however, refused to accept the new cultures that were being infused into the country, and in
many cases, this fear progressed into parochialism and xenophobia. An air of imperialism still
lingered in Britain, and many English people felt a sense of distain and superiority towards
the countries their empire once had power over; a strong sense of nationalism united many
Britons against any scary, alien ‘other’. Salman Rushdie highlights the invalidity of nationalism
and the notion that it is merely a political tool used by the government to ensure
cooperation. He explains that the nation is an “imagined political community”.This concept is
central to The Buddha of Suburbia, as Kureishi continuously confronts the reader with scenes
of racism, such as the violent attack by the gang who “jumped out on Changez and called him
a Paki, not realising he was Indian” and started to “carve the initials of the National Front on
his stomach with a razor blade”.Discriminatory organisations, such as the National Front, and
the British National Party were able to thrive and flourish during the seventies and eighties
due to the growing contempt and xenophobia many of the white Britons felt towards the
increasing number of immigrants in the country. McLeod explains this process of nationalism
further by stating; “Every definition of identity is always defined in relation to something else.
The placing of imaginative borders between nations is fundamental to their existence, not
least because boarders divide the nation’s people from others outside.”This systematic
method of ‘othering’ enabled many people to justify and anchor their prejudice through
excluding people of different races and cultures, and uniting against them.

Character Analysis of Karim:Karim Amir is the protagonist in Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia.
Written in the first person, it is through his eyes and words that we can gain insight into what it is to
be the son of an Indian Muslim immigrant and an ordinary Anglo-Saxon British woman in 1970s
Britain. Moreover, it is Karim’s trials and tribulations, the observation of his father’s difficulties and
the quest for his own identity that can give us an inkling into the unique experience of the immigrant
in any time period.
Karim’s Quest for Identity:In the first few lines of The Buddha of Suburbia, Karim articulates who he is
and how he defines his own identity and condition: “I am an Englishman born and bred, almost. I am
often considered to be a funny kind of Englishman, a new breed as it were, having emerged from two
old histories (...) the odd mixture of continents and blood, of here and there, of belonging and not”.He
is neither proud nor ashamed of being English, or Indian. He is a teenager more concerned with sex,
music and clothes than with his genetic ethnicity. The prejudice he has been subjected so far in life is
of the school playground variety – he is still innocent of its wider influence in adult life, which he later
discovers in London. It is not just subtle racism that Karim has to contend with. In many ways, this is
the least of his worries. He is from the suburbs, from a lower middle class family, where opportunities
to advance up the social ladder are seen, at least by Karim’s father Haroon, in terms of further
education, but where in reality there is little institutional expectation to graduate beyond dull lifetime
jobs as “a motor-mechanic, or a clerk in an insurance firm, or a junior architect”.The material success
of Karim’s maternal Uncle Ted and Auntie Jean with their posh suburban address and their lawn
parties hosting “all South London and Kent society” is the symbol of success for Karim’s peers
–“lives…measured by money”. For Karim, the suburbs mean predictability, complacency,staidness and
boredom, where “it was said that when people drowned they saw not their lives but their double-
glazing flashing before their eyes”. The city represents hope, discovery, opportunity and excitement,
and “thousands of black people everywhere, so [he] wouldn’t feel exposed”.What Karim learns in the
city and more specifically in the art world is that he will never really be able to be accepted into high
society. He is acutely aware of his standing within a short time. It becomes plainly obvious to him that
he lacks the cultural capital and currency required for full membership of what proves to be a very
elite club. While his “authenticity” is his ticket in, he can never compete with “people who wrote
books as naturally as we played football (…) The easy talk of art, theatre, architecture,travel; the
languages, the vocabulary, knowing the way round a whole culture - it was invaluable and
irreplaceable capital”.
Karim does not readily identify with his father’s culture per se because he has never been immersed
in it beyond the stories of his father’s and Anwar’s youth. There is no mention of ever going to a
mosque as a child, or of Halal food at home or of being part of a larger Indian Muslim community. He
does not even speak his father’s native tongue, much to the chagrin of Shadwell, his first theatre
director.For Karim, being the “odd mixture of continents and blood”, the product of contrary cultures,
he is uniquely able to critically look at both systems more objectively, or rather with equal prejudice
as opposed to without prejudice, and finds that he doesn’t really identify wholly with either of
them.Karim’s external cultural identity is just a weighty obstructive legacy to him, something that is
thrown in his face again and again, which detracts from his deeper personal identity. This he is forced
to examine. He is always being reminded that he is different, that he is not looked upon by the English
as being English. Karim’s identity is characterised by his non-Englishness in spite of how English he
feels; by what he is not and not by what he is. This is a source of building frustration throughout this
novel. Karim resents the role that he feels society imposes on him through class and race, of having to
play Mowgli and do characterisations of Indians in order to advance professionally.
For all of Shadwell’s patronising pomposity, he expresses some pointed observations regarding the
protagonist’s contradictory position. While said neither with malice nor sensitivity, Shadwell declares
with the ring of truth that it is Karim’s “destiny (...) to be a half-caste in England belonging nowhere,
wanted nowhere”.Karim initially takes offence at Shadwell’s unintended cruel words but later
concedes this observation to be the reality in which he must navigate: “The immigrant is the
Everyman of the twentieth century.What a breed of people two hundred years of imperialism has
given birth to.Everyone looks at you, I’m sure, and thinks: an Indian boy, how exotic, how interesting,
what stories of aunties and elephants we’ll hear now from him. And you’re from Orpington”.
Karim’s Experience of Racism:While growing up in the South London suburb of Orpington,Karim is
subject to the harsh reality of the school playground, where any non-conformity to norms is attacked.
He resents“being affectionately called Shitface and Curryface, and of coming home covered in spit
and snot and chalk and woodshavings”. He considers himself lucky “to get home from school without
serious injury” and is acutely aware of his cultural differences and shortcomings at an early age, the
seeds of alienation having been planted by his peers. It is not that he feels different – it is more that
he is made to feel that he is different. derides his father’s ambitions for him to become a doctor by
exclaiming – “What world was he living in?”.In Chapter Three, Karim is chased off by ‘Hairy Back’, the
father of Helen, a girl who he pursues sexually. At the sight of his Great Dane, Karim “went white, but
obviously not white enough” for the racist Hairy Back, who sets the dog on him and exclaims:
“However many niggers there are, we don’t like it. We’re with Enoch”. The comic rape by dog inflicted
on Karim that follows could arguably be considered a metaphor for the treatment of Commonwealth
immigrants - that is immigrants from ex-British Colonies - by their former master.When Karim visits
Jamila, he leaves the relative calmness of the outer suburbs for the ‘far poorer’ inner suburbs of the
city which is “full of neo-fascists who roamed the streets, beating Asians and shoving shit and burning
rags through their letter boxes”. Karim’s witness to Jamila’s family’s fear of racist violence, which is
“inspired by the possibility that a white group might kill one of us one day”, will have had a definite
effect on his psyche albeit that Karim’s family didn’t share the same severity of threat, only “fear of
having stones and ice-pops full of piss lobbed at [them]by schoolboys from the secondary modern”. As
a result of their condition, Karim and the more outwardly disaffected Jamila toy with their own
identities:“Yeah, sometimes we were French, Jammie and I, and other times we went black American.
The thing was, we were supposed to be English, At this tender stage of his personal development,
Karim is already disillusioned with the possibilities that life seems to offer him in the small world of
his local suburban environment and derides his father’s ambitions for him to become a doctor by
exclaiming – “What world was he living in?”.
Implicit Forms of Racism:This last quotation provides an excellent bridge to this section as it so
clearly describes the ‘otherness’ of Karim and Jamila in the eyes of the English. It demonstrates how
the discrimination they receive from society at large diminishes their substance as human beings to
two-dimensional facades, which understandably results in a feeling of alienation. One thing is the
active differentiation based on race that Karim experiences throughout the novel. Another thing
entirely is the latent and implicit generalisation and devaluation of his self that follows Karim, based
solely on account of his appearance and what it connotes in the minds of those he meets.A good
example of the enduring effect this discrimination exerts on Karim even after a lifetime of habituation
is when he returns to England after six months of anonymity in New York, of neither belonging nor
not belonging. Karim gets a nice wake-up call on his first day back in England from a South African
dentist, presumably white but more of a foreigner than himself, who asks his nurse: “Does he speak
English?”.These stereotypical presumptions are most clearly expressed in the theatre environment
where Karim tries to forge a new identity for himself through hard work and merit.
Imposed Identity & Type-casting:Karim’s entrance into the acting world, to which he aspired, is no
doubt propelled by the ethnic credentials that make him “fit the part”of Kipling’s Mowgli. Being
“dark-skinned, (...) small and professionally. After being first cast as Mowgli by Shadwell, Karim’s next
career move is to the improvised theatre of Pyke, where he develops the character of a newly arrived
Indian immigrant, modelled initially on his ‘Uncle’ Anwar and then adapted to that of Changez,
Jamila’s imported husband. Towards the end of the novel, Karim succeeds in gaining the part of “a
rebellious student son of an Indian shopkeeper” in a new television soap opera “that tangled with the
latest contemporary issues … abortions and racist attacks…”, which is highly suggestive of the BBC
‘Eastenders’ show which did not in fact premiere until 1985, after the time period within which the
book is set but before the publication of the book in 1990. This stereotype-casting can be considered
a reflection of the society within which it takes place. In order to endure and prevail in spite of the
prejudice, Karim is forced to capitulate to the same prejudice and in so doing, reinforces and
perpetuates the myth and stereotype of the immigrant himself. It is interesting to look at Kurieshi’s
choice of Mowgli as Karim’s first acting role. This is the main character in Jungle Book, a children’s
story written by the now controversial voice of British Imperialism, Rudyard Kipling. Jamila considers
the play to be“completely neo-fascist”, and accuses Karim of “just pandering to prejudices”. His father
reacts politically and exclaims - “That bloody fucker Mr Kipling pretending to whity he knew
something about India!” and likens Karim’s performance to that of a “Black and White Minstrel!”
Kureishi’s introduction of The Black and White Minstrel Show is significant. This was a hugely popular
weekly BBC television light entertainment program that wiry”, he is “cast for authenticity and not for
experience”,which on this first occasion is in Karim’s positive interest, humiliation aside, but
subsequently becomes a limiting factor professionally.After being first cast as Mowgli by Shadwell,
Karim’s next career move is to the improvised theatre of Pyke, where he develops the character of a
newly arrived Indian immigrant, modelled initially on his ‘Uncle’ Anwar and then adapted to that of
Changez, Jamila’s imported husband. Towards the end of the novel, Karim succeeds in gaining the
part of “a rebellious student son of an Indian shopkeeper” in a new television soap opera “that
tangled with the latest contemporary issues …abortions and racist attacks…”, which is highly
suggestive of the BBC ‘Eastenders’ show which did not in fact premiere until 1985, after the time
period within which the book is set but before the publication of the book in 1990.This stereotype-
casting can be considered a reflection of the society within which it takes place. In order to endure
and prevail in spite of the prejudice, Karim is forced to capitulate to the same prejudice and in so
doing, reinforces and perpetuates the myth and stereotype of the immigrant himself. It is interesting
to look at Kurieshi’s choice of Mowgli as Karim’s first acting role. This is the main character in Jungle
Book, a children’s story written by the now controversial voice of British Imperialism, Rudyard Kipling.
Jamila considers the play to be “completely neo-fascist”, and accuses Karim of “just pandering to
prejudices”.His father reacts politically and exclaims - “That bloody fucker Mr Kipling pretending to
whity he knew something about India!” and likens Karim’s performance to that of a “Black and White
Minstrel!”Kureishi’s introduction of The Black and White Minstrel Show is significant. This was a
hugely popular weekly BBC television light entertainment program that has its roots in the American
Deep South of the nineteenth century with its stereotypical caricature of Negro plantation workers.
This is readily identifiable in the practice of mainly white performers using blackface76make-up,
much like Karim’s costume as Mowgli. It is a good indicator of the social norms that prevailed in the
time-setting of this novel. The implicitly racist type-casting of Karim is echoed in the experiences of
Gene, Eleanor’s “black lover, London’s best mime,who emptied bed-pans in hospital soaps, [who]
killed himself because every day, by a look, a remark, an attitude, the English told him they hated him;
they never let him forget they thought him a nigger, a slave, a lower being”.
As a hardworking actor that enjoys success, Karim feels limited by his ethnicity, by the imagined
identity projected upon him by those in power (Shadwell and Pyke). Their interest in him, in his
character as a person, is only skin-deep. Karim is aware of this, is indeed angered by this, but is forced
to accept this reality and compromise his own character in order to fulfil a level of his professional
ambition.
At the New York opening night after-party in Chapter Seventeen, Karim is faced with more racial non-
white stereotypes, from the subtle “black man [playing] ‘As Time Goes By’ on the piano” to the
performance of a black Haitian dance troupe in “bright-pink trousers and naked from the waist
up”that is reminiscent of Haroon’s manufactured Eastern mystic costume of “a red and gold
waistcoat and Indian pyjamas” and Karim’s “loin-cloth and boot polish”as Mowgli. This display puts
Karim in the odd position of the observer of his own condition and makes him “feel like a colonial
watching the natives perform”.
Karim’s Clash with Class: Karim’s struggle with identity is not limited only to race. A very strong
theme, secondary only to that of the immigrant condition, is the exclusivity of class in British society.
Again, at an early age, Karim is conscious of his disadvantaged position in society and of the low
expectations society places on him and his school peers, who consequently have a “combination of
miserable expectations and wild hopes” themselves.He attends a Secondary Modern school where
the emphasis is on the development of practical rather than academic skills, with no expectation of
further education. The examination decided the fate of students at the age of eleven. If you
passed,you went to a grammar school, which benefited from better educational resources aimed at
qualifying students for university education. If you failed, you went to a Secondary Modern where
you were prepared for a life of blue collar work. This selection process within the British public school
system produced results largely along class lines, and the majority that didn’t pass the one chance
examination were prescribed limited destinies and forever labelled failures. Karim points to this
inequality of opportunity, and thereby draws a comparison between the Britain of 1970s and the
Victorian Age, by declaring: “Fuck you, Charles Dickens, nothing’s changed”. However, Karim succeeds
in breaking the mould with his entrance into the world of theatre and art. At first, he naively imagines
that he can gain full membership to this exclusive club through merit rather than novelty value.
However, it is also in this arena that he feels like a foreigner: “But now I was among people who
wrote books as naturally as we played football. What infuriated me – what made me loathe both
them and myself – was their confidence and knowledge. The easy talk of art, theatre, architecture,
travel; the languages, the vocabulary, knowing their way around a whole culture – it was invaluable
and irreplaceable capital”.This cultural capital cannot be bought. Karim’s natural environment – his
family home and school - were culturally barren deserts. The “hard words and sophisticated ideas
[that]were in the air they breathed from birth...could only ever be a second language, consciously
acquired”
Haroon and Karim’s Father-Son
Relationship:1. Parallel Lives-As previously discussed in Section 3.1.4.1., Karim moves away from his
father in order to become independent. Nahem Yousaf remarks that one cannot help noticing a
certain amount of parallelisms between the lives of Haroon and Karim.To avoid excessive repetition,
this section will contain only a limited number of references to the book since most of the different
themes have already been developed and explored in the respective analyses of these characters.
Here we will present the most central parallelisms.First of all, Karim and Haroon seem to have more
or less the same desires for change in their own lives. They both dream of leaving their suburban
lives,in which they feel stuck and imprisoned, and instead, seek acceptance and recognition in British
society. Alongside these shared dreams lie paralel interests. After Haroon embarks on his affair with
Eva (and later moves in with her), Karim discovers that “[he] realized that [he]too had been very keen
to hear from her again”.It is also with her son Charlie with whom he has an ‘affair’ and later moves in
with in New York. Both father and son are interested in movement and being part of modern life, but
this might be subconsciously motivated by their fear of failure. As we saw with Haroon, perceived
failure in all the corners of his life (education, economics, social status, family life and expectations,)
weighs heavily on his shoulders.In the same way, Karim will have to face his father’s disapproval when
it comes to his education and later his occupation as an actor. He also wants to show others that he is
worthy and valuable, even though he didn’t get the education his family wished for him. This can be
seen at the end of the novel when he proudly pays for a family dinner in town: “I felt the pleasure of
pleasing others, especially as this was accompanied by money power.(…) they could no longer see me
as a failure.” These feelings are very reminiscent of Haroon as he wants his wife to be present at his
first performance as Eastern mystique so she can see him being given respect, and thereby maybe
prove that he is not a failure.There are also parallels in Haroon’s suburban Buddha role and those of
Karim’s acting roles where they both capitulate to society’s demands that they be exotic, both
donning caricature masks and exaggerating the image that the British already have of them in order
to reach their goals in life. Furthermore, when they both leave the family home to move in with Eva,
Haroon exclaims to Karim: “We’re growing up together.”Karim again follows his father when he
moves to London with Eva. They both seek independence, growth and emancipation from their
immigrant status. But for both of them, their eventual acceptance and recognition by British society is
still slightly questionable in the end.A final parallel can be found when they both ultimately find some
kind of ‘peace’ or acceptance of their lives: Haroon marries Eva, and Karim expresses a newfound
hope for his future: “I thought of what a mess everything had been, but that it wouldn’t always be
that way”.As we have shown, there is a certain parallelism between the lives of Haroon and Karim.
This might be indicative of the father’s importance in Karim’s life, pointing to his unique role in the
development of the novel’s plot.
Freedom through Liberalisation and Search for Recognition:As stated in the introduction to the
character analysis of Haroon, the title of the novel refers directly to Haroon, indicating his importance
as a pivotal character in The Buddha of Suburbia. Indeed, Haroon is the one who brings about the first
changes in the novel. He is the one who brings the first real activity, which, according to Karim, there
has never been before in the family.The day that Haroon rushed home from work was the day that
broke the boredom for Karim: “Then one day everything changed. In the morning things were one
way and by bedtime”. Rather than spurn his father, Karim follows Haroon out of the family home
somewhat fascinated by his curious actions and excited about the future. For this reason, the
character of Haroon assumes an important role in the story from the very beginning.By following his
father,Karim acquires a new life and many new opportunities. It is thanks to him that the major
breakthroughs in Karim’s life are made possible: sexually (Charlie), geographically (leaving the
suburbs), and socially (exchanging the nuclear family for the more ‘modern’ family). We might quickly
note here that this new family life could symbolise the fragmentation characterising his new life and
new identity within the postmodern society: “I still had no idea what I was going to do. I felt
directionless and lost in the crowd”.Nonetheless, it is only by following his father that Haroon has a
big impact on Karim’s life. Karim’s personality may also shaped by his father as Haroon is responsible
for all the trouble and disturbance in his family’s life, thereby making Karim act on his desire to
escape and become independent much more than he might have wanted to in another situation:
“(…) this love (…) had been leading to destruction. I could see the erosion in the foundations of our
family every day.”When Haroon chooses Eva, Karim feels that his father has wholly abandoned his
familial role and therefore loses his repect. He uses sarcasm and demystifies him by making him
human, which can be seen particularly at the end of the novel, when Karim refrains from calling his
father ‘God’, and describes all his weaknesses.Nevertheless, it is important to reiterate that it is
through his father’s association with Eva that all the above-mentioned developments become
possible to Karim. Eva makes things happen and enables dreams to be realised. If Haroon had not
chosen Eva, we cannot be sure that any of these major changes would have occurred. On the grounds
of the above character analysis, it can be concluded that Haroon’s story and development in the
novel represent an immigrant’s struggle for acceptance and recognition in British society. He pulls his
son into this struggle, and thereby justifies his place in the plot. Haroon is driven by his need for a
better and happier life. However, whether he entirely succeeds in this mission, is still questionable in
the end. All the time he is recognised for being a wise teacher, he is in fact only recognised for his
differences and the novelty his ‘mysterious’ skills from the Orient. He does achieve some kind of
respect, but as we see in the interview at the end of the novel, he does not fully manage to detach
himself from the image of the “Other”. This leads us to question whether it is truly possible for
immigrants (whether it be first generation immigrants like Haroon, or second generation immigrants
like Karim) to be integrated and perceived as equals in society, and if so, what sacrifices have to be
made in this process. All in all, on the basis of the above three analyses, we can reasonably conclude
that the recurrent themes portrayed in The Buddha of Suburbia are Identity Formation, Belonging,
Class, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism. We will now therefore examine each of these themes further
theoretically. This will be carried out with the aim of determining whether Kureishi’s depictions of the
immigrant condition are applicable in the real world today and if so, whether they are universal, and
can therefore be considered useful in the understanding of identity today.

Eva in Haroon’s Struggle for Social Ascendance: The Symbol of and a Road to Change and
Mobility:Even though Eva and Haroon’s adultery is often referred to (mostly by Karim), it seems that
her other personal qualities are depicted as being more important. She is not only central when it
comes to the father’s personal love life, but also one of the most important characters in the
development of the plot and with regard to the characters of Haroon and Karim. Even before Eva is
introduced to the reader, we sense that she is willing to give Haroon all that he has been longing for
until now; social ascendance, recognition and acknowledgement, not to mention love and presence:
“Now, though, I suspected that Eva Kay (…) wanted to chuck her arms around him. (…) Eva Kay was
forward; she was brazen; she was wicked”.She promises to be the door to another very different life,
which is Actually presented very literally on page eight as she opens the door to her own house which
she has transformed into another universe. She is the one who arranges and organizes all the
evenings (both in the suburbs and in London) where Haroon can perform and take his first steps
towards recognition. She also describes very openly her dreams and plans for Haroon (which seem
very close to his own longings): “My dream is to get him to meet with more responsive people – in
London”.She offers access to another physical, geographical and social world. By choosing her, Haroon
chooses to finally take action and change his life. It is a relationship borne of passion, speed and
constant movement, attributes which, as we will see later, characterise the society in which they live.
She seems to share the same dreams and longings for her life and together, they help each other
move upwards in society; her by knowing the ways and trends of the parts of society they aspire to,
him by being the answer to these trends and demands of society, being exotic and different.

Traditional Suburban Representations in The Buddha of Suburbia:Kureishi divides his novel into two
sections, “In The Suburbs” and “In The City,” setting up a binary construction that seems to privilege
the city as the more authentic cultural site. From the first page of the novel, the suburbs of South
London are frequently depicted as boring, conformist and consumerist. Phillip Whyte reads Karim’s
suburban environment as “mediocre lower-middle class” (153). Karim’s mother Margaret, a white
Englishwoman, is a typical suburban housewife: bored, depressed, and neglected. Margaret works in
a suburban shoe store, but is usually depicted at home, where she engages in domestic chores,
watches hours of television each evening, wears “an apron with flowers on it” and repeatedly wipes
her hands “on a tea towel” (4). Karim claims his parents would not consider getting divorced, because
“In the suburbs people rarely dreamed of striking out for happiness. It was all familiarity and
endurance: security and safety were the reward of dullness” (8).

Although a more complex character, Karim’s father, Haroon, lives the stereotypical life of a suburban
father, walking to the railway station, commuting to a boring job in the city, and coming home to an
unhappy wife and indifferent children. Peter Childs argues that Haroon conforms “to the stereotypical
image of the commuting Civil Servant whose suburban boredom has to be enlivened by exoticism and
extramarital sex” (103). Although he is an immigrant from India, Haroon has lived in the suburbs of
South London for fifteen years and adopted a suburban lifestyle. In accordance with British literary
tradition, Haroon finds his suburban existence unsatisfactory. Annabelle Cone argues that Haroon
“yearns to overcome ... a loneliness derived from his inability to find happiness as an Indian
immigrant in an English, middle-class, postwar, suburban, materialist culture” (262). Aware of his
father’s dissatisfaction, Karim wonders why Haroon “condemned his own son to a dreary suburb of
London” (23).Although Karim clearly equates suburbia with boredom, he recognizes that his physical
and social environment is not entirely to blame, and posits that the real cause may be his hybrid
cultural and ethnic background: “Perhaps it is the odd mixture of continents and blood, of here and
there, of belonging and not, that makes me restless and easily bored” (3). Karim links boredom to a
lack of excitement: “I was looking for trouble, any kind of movement, action and sexual interest I
could find, because things were so gloomy, so slow and heavy, in our family” (3). Although one could
read Karim’s yearning for action and excitement as another stereotypical characteristic of suburban
teenagers, Karim attributes the lack of excitement to his family situation. The extent to which
suburbia causes his family’s unhappiness is a matter open for interpretation. Another way in which
Kureishi conforms to traditional portrayals of suburbia is by highlighting suburban consumerism.
Karim claims, “They were fanatical shoppers in our suburbs ... Saturday afternoons ... [were] a
carnival of consumerism as goods were ripped from shelves” (65). When describing the houses in the
suburb of Chislehurst, Karim focuses on the physical manifestations of affluence: “The houses ... had
greenhouses, grand oaks and sprinklers on the lawn; men came in to do the garden” (29). Karim and
his family are not above being impressed by wealth, despite his derision of other people’s
consumerism. He admits, “It was so impressive for people like us that when our families walked these
streets [in Chislehurst] on Sunday visits to Auntie Jean we’d treat it as a lower-middle class equivalent
of the theatre. ‘Ahhh’ and ‘oohh,’ we’d go, imagining we lived there, what times we’d have, and how
we’d decorate the place” (29). In this instance, Karim and his family dream of moving up socially and
financially, not of moving out of suburbia, but rather moving across suburbia into a more affluent
zone.The most obvious and notable way in which Kureishi conforms to traditional representations of
suburbia is by situating the suburbs as a site to be escaped, and the city as the cultural centre where
freedom and excitement are found. According to Barry Langford, Kureishi’s novel follows “a long
tradition depicting suburban life as unfreedom and dissimulation, a picture easily duplicated across
innumerable treatments of suburbia” (64). Likewise, Childs notes that South Asian writing (a category
in which Kureishi is often placed) often positions “suburbia ... as a place to be escaped” (98). Having
grown-up in Bromley himself, Kureishi admits, “being a suburban boy, I’ve never lost the romance of
London: the idea of coming to London and it always being exciting and it always being dull in the
suburbs” (Qtd. in Yousaf 16).Karim repeatedly expresses his desire and intention to flee the suburbs
for the city, stating on just the third page of the novel, “I always wanted to be somewhere else” (5),
then three pages later, “It would be years before I could get away to the city, London, where life
would be bottomless in its temptations” (8). For Karim, central London represents excitement,
opportunity, glamour and freedom, whereas he equates the suburbs with materialism, conformity,
racism, dullness and low expectations. Although Karim is not able to leave the suburbs until halfway
through the novel, his surroundings constantly inspire him to do so: “it did me good to be reminded
of how much I loathed the suburbs, and that I had to continue my journey into London and a new life,
ensuring I got away from people and streets like this” (101). Childs claims that most English novels set
in suburbia contain plots driven “by fears of incorporation, stagnation, and resignation” that “turn on
the yearning of one or more characters to flee to the city” (97). In The Buddha of Suburbia, Karim,
Haroon, Eva and Charlie all dream of fleeing the suburbs.Karim believes that escaping from the
suburbs into the city will solve his problems and bring him happiness. Before Karim migrates into the
city, he notes that Eva and Haroon have been frequenting London, “going to dinners and parties with
all kinds of (fairly) important people – not the sort we knew in the suburbs, but the real thing: people
who really did write and direct plays and not just talk about it” (113). Clearly, Karim sees London as
the cultural centre, and perceives the city-dwellers as a separate and unique group of people who are
not just more sophisticated, but more proactive. In the last paragraph of the first section of the novel,
before Karim moves out of the suburbs into the city, he lies in bed fantasizing “about London and
what I’d do there when the city belonged to me” (121). Undoubtedly, Karim believes that the city will
give him opportunities for happiness and excitement that suburbia cannot.

Culture, Complexity and Variety in Suburbia:Despite the fact that The Buddha of Suburbia conforms
to traditional British literary representations of suburbia in numerous ways, close reading of the novel
reveals that Kureishi’s depiction of suburbia is rather complex and not entirely negative. Just as
negative and stereotypical depictions of suburbia are present throughout the novel, so are more
complicated and nuanced portrayals. The narrative begins with Karim recounting the prelude to an
unusual and exciting evening at Eva’s house, where Haroon appears for the first time in his role as
“the Buddha of suburbia.” When Haroon arrives home from work, Karim states, “I could smell the
train on him as he put his briefcase away behind the front door” (3); however, this mundane ritual of
suburban life is followed by a deviation: Haroon kisses his wife and sons with enthusiasm, and then
strips to his underwear and practices meditating. As the evening unfolds, Karim watches his father
successfully perform as a spiritual leader to a roomful of bohemian suburbanites, witnesses his father
having sex in the garden with Eva, and initiates a homosexual encounter with Eva’s son, Charlie. Thus,
in Kureishi’s suburbia, an evening may contain Eastern mysticism, an extramarital affair, interracial
sex, homosexual experimentation, and the consumption of both drugs and alcohol; this is hardly
boring, conformist behaviour. Nahem Yousaf argues that in order for the protagonist to want to
escape from the suburbs, Kureishi has to portray them as “sufficiently banal,” yet he also claims,
“some of the most surreal scenes take place in Karim’s neighborhood. In suburbia, Karim undertakes
an apprenticeship in how to be transgressive” (40). Thus, beneath the seemingly boring and
predictable surface, Kureishi’s suburbia contains a plethora of exciting and transgressive
possibilities.In opposition to traditional British literary representations of suburbia, Kureishi depicts
the South London suburbs as a location of culture. Not all suburbanites spend their evenings
watching television, like Margaret; many are engaged in the production and consumption of culture.
Haroon and Eva meet at a “writing for pleasure” class in Bromley (7). The popularity of Haroon’s
“performances” is evidence of an openness and appreciation amongst suburbanites of both
spirituality and foreign cultures. During their journey across the South London suburbs to Eva’s house,
Karim and Haroon stop at the Three Tuns pub in Beckenham. Rather than lower-middle class after-
work culture-deficient drinkers, Karim and Haroon find that:The pub was full of kids dressed like
[Karim] … the boys, so nondescript during the day, now wore cataracts of velvet and satin, and bright
colours; some were in bedspreads and curtains. The little groovers talked esoterically of Syd Barrett.
To have an elder brother who lived in London and worked in fashion, music or advertising was an
inestimable advantage at school. I had to study the Melody Maker and New Musical Express to keep
up. (8)

Although the suburban boys perceive London as the cultural centre, they are aware of the trends and
participate in the culture from suburbia. Karim’s fellow suburban teenagers are so culturally engaged
and aware that he feels ignorant in comparison. Thus, suburbia, which may seem uniform and boring,
reveals much beneath the surface. Clearly, the suburbs are not devoid of cultural opportunities and
pursuits. Webster argues that suburbia’s homogeneity is a “superficial myth” obscuring behaviour
ranging “from the discordant and bizarre to the comic and tragic” (2).Moreover, most of the suburban
characters in the novel are cultured and educated. Haroon and Eva are both avid readers and
amateur writers. Charlie becomes an international rock star and cultural icon. Even as a suburban
schoolboy, Charlie possesses a confidence and sophistication usually (falsely) associated with the city.
Karim’s younger brother, Allie, is also quite sophisticated, reading fashion magazines in bed while
wearing “red silk pyjamas” and “a smoking jacket” (19). Further, Allie intends “to become a ballet
dancer and … [attends] an expensive private school” (19); he eventually finds work in the fashion
industry. Two minor characters in the novel, Carl and Marianne, the hosts of one of Haroon’s
performances, live in a suburban home filled with “books and records” and take “trips to India” (34).
Kureishi’s suburbia is a long way from Orwell’s.

Although Karim clearly takes his cultural cues from London, especially in terms of music and fashion,
it is in suburbia, at Eva’s house, that he has an epiphany regarding how he wants to live: “I could see
my life clearly for the first time: the future and what I wanted to do. I wanted to live always this
intensely: mysticism, alcohol, sexual promise, clever people and drugs. I hadn’t come upon it all like
this before, and now I wanted nothing else. The door to the future had opened: I could see which
way to go” (15). Ironically, Karim mistakenly believes that he has to escape suburbia to obtain the
kind of life he has glimpsed there. It is not until late in the novel that he realizes that the city does not
have a monopoly on culture and excitement and that they have always been present in
suburbia.Although they reside in suburbia, Karim and his father mock other suburbanites and their
shallow consumerism. Karim notes that his Aunt Jean “always made everyone take off their shoes at
the front door in case [they] ... obliterated the carpet by walking over it twice. Dad said, when we
went in once, ‘What is this, Jean, a Hindu temple?’ ... They were so fastidious about any new
purchase that their three-year old car still had plastic on the seats” (41). Head argues that Haroon’s
mocking of Jean is an example of his exposure of “the spiritual emptiness of the suburbanites”
(“Poisoned Minds” 82); however, while Head may be correct here, not all of the suburbanites in the
novel are spiritually empty. Haroon is obviously a spiritual leader of sorts, and his followers attempt
to add a spiritual dimension to their suburban lives.[3]

Many of the youth of Kureishi’s suburbia are deeply involved in popular culture, especially music.
Much of the music referred to in the novel, such as that produced by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, the
Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and David Bowie, is considered to be groundbreaking art of the highest
order. Karim states, “It was easy to get most of the music you wanted from the shops in the High
Street” (62); a journey into London is unnecessary. The suburban youth in The Buddha of
Suburbia are active participants in various forms of culture. In fact, Langford argues that suburbia is
the location from which “many subcultures originate” (65). Although most of the aforementioned
artists are not usually associated with suburbia, they are certainly not associated exclusively with the
city either. Clearly, the notion that suburbia lacks culture, or that culture can be contained in a
geographic space such as the city, is absurd.The first section of the novel, “In The Suburbs,” contains a
descriptive passage that some readers may interpret as evidence of suburbia’s monotony and
conformity. Karim, Helen and Jamila walk past “neat gardens and scores of front rooms containing
familiar strangers and televisions shining like dying lights” (74). Such a description may be read as
evidence of suburbia’s homogeneity and consumerism; alternatively, it may be read as confirmation
of suburbia’s multiplicity. Karim goes on to describe some of the inhabitants of his suburb in detail:

Here lived Mr Whitman, the policeman, and his young wife, Noleen; next door were a retired couple,
Mr and Mrs Holub. They were socialists in exile from Czechoslovakia ... Opposite them were another
retired couple, a teacher and his wife, the Gothards. An East End family of birdseed dealers, the
Lovelaces, were next to them ... Further up the street lived a Fleet Street reporter, Mr Nokes, his wife
and their overweight kids, with the Scoffields – Mrs Scoffield was an architect, next door to them.
(74)
Karim’s description reveals a tremendous amount of variety amongst the residents of a single street.
At least five different occupations are present, as are three distinct age groups and a family from
Czechoslovakia; such a community is hardly homogenous or boring.[4] Kureishi’s representation of
suburbia does not simply replicate the negative stereotypes repeated throughout British literature
since the nineteenth century; instead, Kureishi create a suburban environment filled with culture,
complexity and variety.

London Calling: Karim’s Urban Encounter:The second section of the novel, “In The City,” begins with
Karim moving to West Kensington to live with Haroon, Eva and Charlie in a flat Eva has purchased
after selling her suburban home. Isaias Naranjo Acosta argues that Karim’s journey into London is a
kind of pilgrimage (54). Indeed, Karim has long fantasized about travelling into the city and making his
home there. However, he soon finds that the reality of the city is less appealing than the fantasy. Eva’s
flat “was really only three large, formerly elegant rooms,” like “a derelict cathedral,” with “ancient
crusty mouldings” and “sad walls”; “It was like a student flat, a wretched and dirty gaff” (125). Not
only is the flat run-down, there is no bed for Karim and he must sleep on the sofa. Karim’s migration
from suburbia into the city is interpreted by Ball as “an escape from the inhibitions of adolescence to
adult freedom” (23). However, before leaving Bromley, Karim led a carefree life with few
responsibilities, and soon finds that life in the city is more difficult. Although London does prove to be
different from the suburbs in many ways and provides exciting experiences, it certainly does not
provide Karim with fulfilment or a strong sense of belonging. Almost immediately after arriving, Karim
feels “directionless and lost” (126), “depressed and lonely” (128). Karim finds that the city is
intimidating and occupied by “piss-heads, bums, derelicts and dealers” (131); crime and violence are
more prevalent in the city than suburbia. Ball claims that London “represents all that is English” and
“continues to project and to be associated with images of the old imperial city at the fulcrum of world
culture and political influence ... even as its infrastructure declines, its Empire vanishes, and its global
stature withers” (15). The traditional notions of Englishness represented by London contrast with the
emerging hybrid British identity represented by Karim, who finds that he is an outsider due to his
suburban upbringing and race. Karim’s self-perception as an outsider is emphasized by the difference
between himself and the kids from London, whose appearance Karim describes as “fabulous; they
dressed and walked and talked like little gods. We could have been from Bombay. We’d never catch
up” (128). Ball argues that both Karim and Charlie suffer from an “inferiority complex ... [with] roots
in a centre-envy they felt in the suburbs” (21).Anthony Ilona contends that “Everywhere in Part Two
of ... [the novel] London is celebrated as a location of cultural diversity without the stifling tensions
seen in the suburbs” (101). However, such an interpretation is simplistic and ignores the racist
treatment that Karim is subjected to by the theatre directors Shadwell and Pyke. In fact, one could
argue that the presence in London of many educated upper class people, usually white, creates an
environment that is more homogenous and less culturally diverse than suburbia. The upper class
individuals Karim encounters, especially Eleanor and Pyke, expect him to play the role of the lower-
middle class “Asian” or “Black,” making it difficult for him to be himself. By playing a number of roles,
both literally and figuratively, Karim distances himself from his suburban roots, and, for a time, loses
himself. Ball argues that Karim’s move to London “becomes a local, miniaturized version of
postcolonial migrancy and culture-shock” (21). If in London Karim finds the centre of English culture,
he also finds that, according to traditional notions of Englishness, he is an alien from the margins.
Karim’s London encounter teaches him that the educated, cultural elite can be just as racist and
narrow-minded as the lower-middle class whites of the suburbs, if not more so. Alamgir Hashmi
contends that although Karim initially sees the city as “a final escape and an achievement,” his
experiences in the city teach him that “he has still further to go in search of that which will suffice”
(29). Thus, London is not Karim’s final destination, but a layover on his journey towards accepting his
true identity. Ultimately, for Karim, London does not prove to be a more satisfactory location than
suburbia.
Get Back: Karim’s Journey to Self-Awareness and Acceptance:The Buddha of Suburbia begins in the
present tense, with Karim establishing that he is about to tell the story of his personal development.
The narration shifts to the past tense in the second paragraph, and stays there until the novel’s
conclusion. Thus, both the audience and the narrator are aware that a journey has been completed
before the narration begins. If Karim’s journey begins in suburbia and takes him to London and then
New York, where will it eventually lead him? Head argues that Karim’s personal development “is
predicated on his progression from the suburbs of South London to the metropolitan centre” (82).
However, Karim’s journey continues beyond London, concluding with a metaphorical return to the
suburbs in the sense that Karim comes to accept suburbia as his formative environment, in addition
to an acceptance and knowledge of his own personal identity, which is representative of the
emerging hybrid British identity. Stuart Hall argues that identity should be thought of “as a
‘production’ which is never complete, always in process” (234). Kureishi’s depiction of Karim’s identity
conforms to Hall’s theory; not only is Karim’s identity constantly evolving throughout the novel, the
narrative finishes with an open-ended conclusion, suggesting that Karim will undergo further
transformations.The narrative thread focusing on Karim’s journey towards recognition and
acceptance of his suburban identity is noted by Head, who argues that although Karim’s journey
might suggest “the need for the ambitious individual to exorcise the suburbanite from his or her
soul,” the novel contains “an undercurrent which runs counter to the theme of escape, and which
implies the need for suburban roots to be recognised” (“Poisoned Minds” 82). Likewise, Langford
posits that interpreting the novel as a celebration of Karim’s escape is a “deceptively simple” reading,
since Kureishi actually undermines such an interpretation (68). Head goes so far as to argue that The
Buddha of Suburbia “might incorporate an implicit celebration ... of suburbia’s role in fashioning a
new cultural mood” (“Poisoned Minds” 82). Similarly, Webster claims that suburbia’s “growth and
ever-changing identity” have made it “an increasingly significant producer ... of culture” (5). Thus, not
only does the novel contain recognition of the importance of Karim’s suburban roots, it also highlights
the central role suburbia plays in the production of culture, breaking with traditional literary
representations of suburbia.In order to become fully aware of his identity, Karim must leave his
formative environment and encounter people from other classes, social groups and physical
environments. Thus, Karim’s move to London allows the city and its residents to function as a mirror
in which Karim can begin to recognize himself. As the narrative progresses, Karim gradually becomes
more aware of his suburban identity.[5] After Charlie and Karim witness their first punk performance,
Charlie claims, “‘we’ve got to change,’” suggesting to Karim that their suburban identity is insufficient:
“‘What are you saying? We shouldn’t keep up? That suburban boys like us always know where it’s
at?’” (132). In response, Karim states, “‘We’re not like them. We don’t hate the way they do. We’ve
got no reason to. We’re not from the estates. We haven’t been through what they have’” (132).
Whyte mistakenly argues that “the shock ... [Karim] and Charlie feel when first confronted with the
contempt of the London punks” is a symptom of Karim’s “inability to situate his origins” (156).
However, what the situation really reveals is that Karim recognizes his suburban identity and his
relationship to other social groups, and acknowledges the privilege and comfort of a suburban
upbringing.During one of the encounters in which he is demeaned by Shadwell, Karim again
demonstrates a growing awareness and acceptance of his suburban identity: “I wanted to run out of
the room, back to South London, where I belonged, out of which I had wrongly and arrogantly
stepped” (emphasis added) (148). Additionally, Karim attributes his scepticism towards Pyke to his
“South London origins” (189), acknowledging that suburbia has played a dominant role in forming his
cultural attitudes. Head argues that Karim’s maturation at the end of the novel is “rooted in an
implicit recognition of his suburban roots” (“Poisoned Minds” 84). In a rare moment of insightfulness,
Karim comments on Eva’s attempt to abandon her own suburban roots: “I saw she wanted to scour
that suburban stigma right off her body. She didn’t realize it was in the blood and not on the skin; she
didn’t see there could be nothing more suburban than suburbanites repudiating themselves” (134).
Ball claims that Karim’s use of the phrase “in the blood” is “a deliberately outrageous appropriation of
race-politics language” (22); moreover, Karim’s use of the phrase also serves to emphasize his
growing awareness of the depths of his roots in suburbia.From the very first line of the novel, Karim
makes the audience aware of his hybrid identity: “I am an Englishman born and bred, almost. I am
often considered to be a funny kind of Englishman, a new breed as it were, having emerged from two
old histories ... Englishman I am (though not proud of it), from the South London suburbs and going
somewhere” (3). Karim immediately establishes that he does not neatly fit into rigid racial or national
categories, while also acknowledging both his suburban identity and his desire to escape. Readers
soon learn that in addition to being the English-born child of an Indian father and an English mother,
raised in the suburbs of London, Karim is neither heterosexual nor homosexual, and adheres to no
religion. Thus, Karim frustrates easy categorization according to the markers usually used by both
governments and individuals, namely, nationality, race, religion and sexual orientation. The only
category into which Karim can be neatly placed is that of “suburban teenager.” However, it takes
Karim much of the novel to realize that the identity that best describes him, places the least
restrictions on him, and provides him with the most freedom, is that of suburban.Karim’s hybrid
identity is created by a number of factors; however, the most significant factors are the suburban
environment and the cultural attitudes of the generation to which Karim belongs. Ilona describes
Karim’s generation as one that views identity “as a relational and mutable concept. Different
identities are easily assimilable, easily performed” (101). Not only does Karim adopt and discard
various identities, but so do his peers, such as Jamila and the appropriately-named Changez,[6] and,
especially, Charlie. Hall’s notion of identity as process applies particularly well to all of the characters
of Karim’s generation. Langford argues that Karim’s most recognizable characteristic is his ability to
accommodate to “the difference of others,” an attribute that is “enabled by a significant under-
investment on his part in the notion of a coherent self” (72). Mark Stein claims that The Buddha of
Suburbia “disrespects conventional boundaries and refrains from placing its characters exclusively
within one type of formation, be it an ethnic group, a cultural group or a class” (123). While Stein’s
argument generally holds true, and many of the characters do not exclusively inhabit a traditional
category, most of the characters could also be placed in a category labelled “suburban,” particularly
Karim, Charlie, Eva, Haroon, Margaret, Jean, Ted, and Helen.

In his essay “The Rainbow Sign,” Kureishi argues that British identity is evolving, and that the British
must learn to accept a new identity: “It is the British, the white British, who have to learn that being
British isn’t what it was. Now it is a more complex thing, involving new elements. So there must be a
fresh way of seeing Britain and the choices it faces: and a new way of being British after all this time”
(Qtd. in Childs 105). Kureishi clearly incorporates these ideas into his novel, most notably by creating
a protagonist who is a racial, cultural and sexual hybrid. Berthold Schoene claims that Kureishi’s
“greatest achievement” in the novel “is no doubt his creation of Karim, who emerges as a radically
deconstructive presence in a world obsessed with clear-cut definitions of cultural or ethnic identity”
(117).[7] Schoene describes Karim as “a herald of hybridity, the carrier of a cultural potential based
on intercommunal negotiation rather than multicultural definition, on individual being-in-flux rather
than communal stereotyping or (self-)oppressive role-play” (17-18). Kureishi has also claimed that
“England is primarily a suburban country and English values are suburban values” (Qtd. in Ball 20). In
Karim, Kureishi combines his ideas regarding suburbia and British identity to create a character
embodying both. Langford describes Karim’s adaptability as “suburban malleability” and argues that
Kureishi uses Karim to celebrate “ambiguity and hybridity” (73). Childs concurs with Langford’s
assessment of Kureishi’s project, arguing that in Kureishi’s writing, Britishness has been “reimagined
from a monolithic to a variegated identity which itself has often been positioned in, and in terms of,
suburbia” (92).The Buddha of Suburbia concludes with Karim accepting an offer to “play the
rebellious student son of an Indian shopkeeper” on a soap opera (259). When considering the offer,
Karim notes that the show would have an audience of millions; he “would have a lot of money” and
“be recognized all over the country” (259). Head notes that the soap opera represents “popular
suburban culture” which is able “to adapt itself; to engage with issues of ethnicity and opportunity”
(“Poisoned Minds” 87). It is appropriate that Karim, representative of the new hybrid British identity,
should have the opportunity to become a household name though a suburban medium. Head
concludes that Karim is “the embodiment of suburban multicultural identity” (“Poisoned Minds” 87).
Kureishi’s representation of British nationality is, according to Ilona, “in direct contrast to essentialist
notions” (89). Thus, Kureishi not only breaks British literary tradition by producing a complex and
cultured suburban environment, he also eschews traditional, deeply rooted notions of British national
identity and presents a model for a new hybrid British identity.

Karim and Hanif: A Sexual Life Writing:Despite the fact that the novel is set in the 1970s and its plot
ends as the Thatcher era was beginning, it was written in the 1980s, under its direct influence, and
published in 1990, the year when Margaret Thatcher stepped down as Prime Minister. So reading
the novel and knowing the political context that came after the events portrayed in it, one can
clearly see the first traces of a conservative, neoliberal agenda and its ensuing problems. Moore-
Gilbert argues that “Kureishi’s films endorse the politics of…social movements which had their
origins in the 1960s ‘counter-culture’, especially feminism, gay-rights activism and new forms of
mobilisation around the issue of race” (Hanif Kureishi 90). So, The Buddha of Suburbia, written in
the early aftermath of the Thatcher era, offers an insightful look into what led to such changes, as
well as how the decade influenced significant issues found in Kureishi’s work, creating thus the
context to study the interplay and the influence of the affective and the political.

As a second-generation immigrant who lives in suburban London, Karim, is known as “Creamy” to his
friends. The nickname is meant to be a play on the pronunciation of his name but, at the same time,
the nickname refers to Karim being a product of two races: one dark and one white. This “re-naming”
of those whose names are not commonly ‘British’ is not unusual in the U.K., however, Kureishi
cleverly includes this seemingly harmless detail, which actually serves to denigrate the ‘others’ (i.e.,
by implying that the given name is too strange to learn or try to pronounce, let alone use). Karim
embarks alongside his father, Haroon, on a sexual and spatial quest from the suburbs to London, in an
attempt for Karim to find himself through sexual experimentations and for Haroon to re-discover his
own self; both of them employ desire and sexuality to reach their “full potential as human beings”
(The Buddha of Suburbia 13). In the process of this self-realisation quest, Karim engages in interracial
and bisexual relations as he tries to defy prohibitions and limitations set by the socio-political milieu.
The first lines of the novel sum up the character’s uneasiness about the impossible situation of either
being totally identified with the nation or being totally excluded from it; and this is a theme repeated
throughout the novel:

In this opening paragraph, Karim tries to define himself three times as “almost English”, “a new
breed” and “Englishman… (though) not proud of it”. This statement is the only part of the novel
narrated in the first person, whereas the narration turns to the third person until the end of the
novel. This distance put between narration and narrator is the first hint of the deconstructive
qualities of the novel, as it alludes to a breaking down of boundaries on a textual level. Doyle argues
that this distance between “enonce and enunciation provides much of the novel’s reflection about
ethnicity and identity” (110). Indeed, Karim’s inability – or unwillingness – to define himself provides
the context of the novel, where he and the other characters of the novel fluctuate between identities
and performativities. Kureishi challenges fixed identities in the novel, in that the sexual
experimentation of his characters, their mobility and their oscillation between identities, enable
identity and otherness, and centre and periphery, to be engaged in an interplay that constitutes a
challenge to the symbolic order as well as a deconstruction of fixed boundaries, in that a space is
created in which pleasure is fundamental. It is precisely through this temporary space that characters
acquire a seductive charm, stemming from their indecipherability, which allows them to play out their
desires and derive pleasure through them.What is more, young Karim resembles the young Kureishi,
with an English mother, a Pakistani father, and an aversion to being defined by others. Kureishi, too,
had the same thoughts about his complex identity:In that, and given that Kureishi and Karim are both
artists, the novel is a portrait of the artist as a young man, narrating the perplexity and the
discontentment that accompanies a search for identity, particularly addressing the issue of belonging.
Karim, like Kureishi, embarks on a quest to discover his own self through his played out desires; I
argue that by the end of the novel, Karim’s self-realisation reflects Kureishi’s own change as an
author, which will be evident in his subsequent creations. As argued in the first chapter of this thesis,
reading Kureishi’s texts alongside his personal development provides significant insight into a
postcolonial subject performing his racialised identity in the post-imperial space of London. The
Buddha of Suburbia is highly autobiographical and its impact, as an art form, and as a change agent,
continues to influence audiences. As Kureishi says, “…the fact is, the place writers and artists hold in
the public imagination exists beyond their work” (“My Ear at His Heart” 20). The shifts in the
protagonist’s sexuality allow him to transgress any sort of social and political boundaries which also
allude to a solution to Kureishi’s own difficulty in associating himself entirely with Britain and its
colonialist history, ideas of nationhood and hegemonic discourse. So Karim’s sexual indecisiveness
may be read as a carrier of possibilities as it allows him to avoid choosing between cultures,
sexualities and countries. It is Karim’s pursuit of desires and the re-imagining of desire that allow him
to transgress social and political boundaries as he is not bound by any sort of sexual categorisation, in
that he does not claim a resolutely homosexual or heterosexual identity any more than he claims a
Pakistani or a British identity. His escaping of categorisation helps Karim frustrate issues such as race,
sexual orientation and nationality. This is not, by any means, an easy process, as Karim is constantly
put in positions where he must choose between binaries. He is, however, able to escape without
taking an either/or position. His sense of not belonging anywhere, his sense of being part of England
and at the same time remaining outside of it, will change by the end of the text and, the way in which
this change comes about, is worthy of exploration.

The first moment of realisation for Karim, echoing the previously mentioned Kureishi’s frustration
about the 1960s notion of limitless pleasure, comes very early in the novel. On his way back from
work Haroon, Karim’s father, tells Margaret, his British wife to come to an event at the house of Eva
Kay, as he has been invited to give a speech on Oriental philosophy. She declines and Karim goes with
him instead. Eva greets Haroon very warmly, a sign that something is going on or will go on between
them. Charlie (Eva’s son), and Karim, bored by Haroon’s lesson, go up to Charlie’s room where they do
drugs. While doing so, Karim sees his father and Eva, having sex in the garden:With that feeling of
sexual desire, he returns to the room where he masturbates Charlie, feeling great for providing
pleasure to someone else: “My flags flew, my trumpets blew” (The Buddha of Suburbia 17). This kind
of metaphysical experience and the feelings it creates to Karim establishes new norms of sexual
behaviour and even though such a homosexual relationship would be frowned upon by society, it
appears to be not only a basic step to Karim’s sexual coming of age, but also a valuable process of
cognition. This is a very important scene as it marks the beginning of the character’s change in
character. The fact that he has felt great because he pleasured someone else points to a revelatory
moment where the character understands that desire can be fulfilling, even if it is not directed to the
self. This realisation marks the beginning of the psychological growth of the protagonist, which will
lead to an open-ended subjectivity by the end of the novel.

This process of psychological growth is what will allow him to differentiate himself from his father by
the end of the novel. Undoubtedly, Karim and Haroon have an initial connection, as what triggers
Karim’s first sexual encounter with Charlie, is the sight of his father cheating on his mother. Moreover,
Haroon says to Karim, “We’re growing up together, we are” (The Buddha of Suburbia 22). Karim also
says that his dad has taught him to flirt “...with everyone I met, girls and boys alike, and I came to see
charm rather than courtesy or honesty, or even decency as the primary social grace” (The Buddha of
Suburbia 7). This is something that points to a seductive charm, as he accommodates the needs of
others. He performs different identities to fulfil his desires and becomes, consequently, difficult to pin
down, which is something that entails attractiveness. Thus, the pleasure Karim derives from his
interaction with the people he experiments with, is inextricably linked to his ever-changing identities,
which allow him to adapt to each situation and move freely from persona to persona, increasing his
chances of fulfilling his desires. This interplay of desire and identity is a leitmotiv throughout the
novel, as the characters seem to derive pleasure not despite of, but, because of, their changing
subjectivities which opens up a space where anything is possible. What is more, Doyle argues that
Karim is seductive not only to other characters but to the reader as well, as “…our desire to know his
identity can never be fully satisfied” (“The Space between Identity and Otherness” 111).Not only is
Karim’s first sexual experimentation with Charlie triggered by watching his father having sex, but he
also becomes an accomplice in his father’s sexual escapades as he keeps the affair a secret from his
mother. This is something that drew criticism against Kureishi who was deemed a misogynist as his
male characters are engaged in an alliance against a woman, which some read as a literal affront to
women in general. Such criticism is unwarranted however, considering Karim’s performed identities
and his materialisation of his coming-of-age process, and subsequent distancing of himself from his
father’s ways. Indeed, Karim expresses sorrow for his mother and guilt, as he describes his
father.Haroon thinks that he is certain about his identity, whereas Karim’s indecisiveness and
attraction coming from his various assumed identities through desire as he flirts with everyone, lead
him down a different path. Karim’s growth and his self-realisation which will be clear by the end of
the novel, also reflects the development of the author himself as Kureishi believed that he created his
own identity just like his characters in the novel created theirs. Looking at how the characters
function in the novel, the way in which they assume identities, the way in which their sexual
experimentation affect their identities, as well as how the cultural space of the 1960s was relentlessly
commodified, is paramount to the argument put forward, namely that the growth of the protagonist
reflects a deeper understanding of desire which transgresses the idea of “pleasure for pleasure’s
sake”.

Cultural Commodification and Identity Disorder:Kureishi’s protagonists such as Karim and Haroon
employ and commodify Eastern spirituality to construct and shape the diasporic subject. Eva is
fascinated by Karim and Haroon alike, as not only does she have an affair with Haroon, but when
she first sees Karim she treats him as something exotic: “Then, holding me at arm’s length as if I
were a coat she was about to try on, she looked me all over and said, ‘Karim Amir, you are so
exotic, so original! It’s such a contribution! It’s so you’” (The Buddha of Suburbia 9). This appeal
illustrates the way in which Karim is realised into the imagination of the British, being driven and
transformed according to Eva’s desires. Haroon is transformed by pretending to be a Buddhist,
even though he is a Muslim, selling a false Eastern spirituality to groups of “accounting executives”
(The Buddha of Suburbia 18), who are drawn to the alluring nature of eastern spirituality and long
for an “original” exoticism and mysticism. Such an identity disorder underlines the fact that
Haroon strives to imitate, to be someone else, after spending “years trying to be more of an
Englishman, to be less risibly conspicuous” (The Buddha of Suburbia 21), he begins to find a new,
“Oriental” identity, an Oriental “Other”, in order to escape boring Suburbia. Haroon’s assumed
identities range from trying to be an Englishman, to his childhood identity as a Muslim immigrant,
to the newfound, albeit false identity of being an Oriental guru. He is, at the same time, a fraud
but also compassionate, Buddha-like and wise (Doyle 112), as his connection with Karim, enables
the latter to look beyond Haroon’s behaviour: “Beneath all the Chinese bluster was Dad’s
loneliness and desire for internal advancement […] He wanted to talk of obtaining a quiet mind, of
being true to yourself, of self-understanding” (The Buddha of Suburbia 28)

The fact that Haroon is a Muslim who pretends to be a Buddhist, is indicative of the comic irony
employed by Kureishi to critique this trend in 1970s England, which pointed to a western fascination
with oriental remnants. The white audience is so captivated by Haroon in the first gathering at Eva’s
house that he “seemed to know he had their attention and that they’d do as he asked” (The Buddha
of Suburbia 13). So in a sense, Haroon has power over these people, and becomes the coloniser of
bored, depressed, white people, who long for an escape from their life’s difficulties. Such kind of
“reversed colonialism” of the mind is indicative of Kureishi’s ironic disposition towards the fascination
of the time with the “exotic Orient” which seemed to be returning to the British imaginary. Bart-
Moore Gilbert also commented on such a reversal of power relations, arguing that Kureishi “parodies
the narrative of Empire […] and reverses the power relations embodied in colonial proselytism.
Instead of Indian natives compliantly absorbing the religious wisdom of the West, the native British
seek deliverance from their ersatz immigrant guru” (Hanif Kureishi 123). This ironic reversal of power
relations is indicative of Kureishi, who seems to be critiquing not only the colonial mentality of
“bringing knowledge” to a naïve East, but also the reversed situation where the naïve Western white
audiences are ready to believe anything, within the spirit of the times. Such a reversal of roles is also
evident in the character of Eleanor, who lives in London and is culturally cultivated and sophisticated.
She is in the same play as Karim, who feels awed in her presence due to her upper middle class
background in contrast to his suburban upbringing, evident in his accent. Karim, as any other male
colonised subject, wants to posses the female representative of the colonisers, explaining why
women such as Eleanor are attracted to him and his Asian friends: “we pursued English roses as we
pursued England; by possessing these prizes, this kindness and beauty, we stared defiantly into the
eye of the Empire and all its self-regard…We became part of England and yet proudly stood outside
it” (The Buddha of Suburbia 227). So through sexual possession, the transfer of identity can be
accomplished, as since the marginalised cannot be members of the elite, they want to possess
someone who is (Childs 104). Haroon’s object of desire, Eva, is an interior designer who longs to climb
the social ladder being surrounded by artists and intellectuals: “Eva was planning her assault on
London... [and] was climbing ever higher, day by day” (The Buddha of Suburbia 23). Eva is immersed
in the culture of the time as her life is filled with “mysticism, sexual promise, clever people and drugs”
(The Buddha of Suburbia 15), which conspicuously demonstrates a void she is trying to fill. She plays
an important role in Haroon’s various performativities, as she persuaded him to wear his “Nehru
jacket, collarless and buttoned up to the throat, like a Beatle jacket” (The Buddha of Suburbia 282).

Jamila is Karim’s friend, a political activist and the victim of an arranged marriage. She, too, enjoys a
life of fulfilled desire, as she casually engages in sex –not only with Karim– but with other men and
women too. Her behaviour marks a change in the social ethos of the time as she is not limited by any
boundaries; she even manages to steer through her arranged marriage with Changez, refusing to
consummate their marriage. So in this case, the lack of sex is equally as empowering as the practice
of it. Changez, her arranged husband, who is also physically disabled, starts visiting a Japanese
prostitute and does not press Jamila anymore for sex, thus adapting to the situation. Her self-
awareness journey is torn between following the strict traditions of her conservative Muslim family
and being an educated, radical feminist, very much carrying the spirit of the time. Jamila juggles
various identities in the novel as well, as she is an activist, a mother, a lover, and at some point we are
told she wants to be Simone de Beauvoir. By the end of the novel and despite, or because of her
seemingly free nature, Jamila ends up with a baby, sharing a house with many people, and in a
lesbian relationship. Her complex situation makes it difficult for the reader to decide whether or not
she is where she wants to be.

Of course, it is not only the female characters that are in search of identity in the novel. Indeed, just
like Haroon and Karim, Charlie also transforms to someone else, in an attempt to appeal, and harvest
both sexual and material success (Doyle 112). As characters transform into “Others” in the novel, they
create a space of possibilities as they include what fixed notions of identity, by definition, exclude,
namely, “Otherness”. This inclusion of the repressed element is what enables the seductive charm of
these characters which leads to pleasure and accomplishment, each in his or her own way: Charlie
becomes a punk superstar, Haroon a successful guru and Karim an actor. The most important sexual
experience of Karim is the one with Charlie, his wannabe rock-star friend. It is through this
relationship that Karim’s transformation begins. Charlie also experiments with his identity, first by
becoming a singer at school and then by becoming a punk musician, wearing a slashed leather jacket
and trousers with pins and needles. His music begins to gain popularity and he eventually changes his
name to Charlie Zero and moves to New York as he becomes a punk superstar. Charlie is the object of
Karim’s desire for most of the book although for a period this fixation is transferred to Eleanor,
another actor. Both represent an ideal for Karim, as both are quintessentially English. Charlie is, as
after attending a concert, Charlie is mesmerised by punk music and excitedly argues in favour of
change:Charlie seems to have grasped the power of movement and transformation in the road for
success, starting from the change of names. Of course, it has to be argued that Charlie’s fixation on
success underlines the seductive nature of money and fame. The irony is evident as Charlie says to
Karim: “You are not going anywhere, Karim. You’re not doing anything with your life because as usual
you’re facing in the wrong direction and going the wrong way” (The Buddha of Suburbia
132).Ironically, the course of the novel will prove Charlie wrong. After Charlie moves to New York and
Karim briefly joins him, he returns to England as Charlie is absorbed in the vortex of celebrity life.
Charlie sells himself for fame, “selling Englishness” (The Buddha of Suburbia 245). Charlie’s “selling
of” of himself, hints at the beginning of an era, the 1980s, where Englishness became a commodity,
more so on the other side of the Atlantic where Americans were drawn to the glorious, colonial past
of Britain, a trend that would boost the Raj Revival series of films a few years later. Charlie sells his
Englishness on the other side of the Atlantic, in the belief that “It’s only by pushing ourselves, the
limits that we learn about ourselves. That’s where I’m going, to the edge. Look at Kerouac and all
those guys” (The Buddha of Suburbia 252). The irony lies in the fact that Charlie is commodifying an
aspect of himself which he tried very hard to eliminate in high school: “I walked down the street,
laughing, amused that here in America, Charlie had acquired his Cockney accent, when my first
memory of him at school was that he’d cried after being mocked by the stinking Gypsy kids for talking
so posh…He was selling Englishness, and getting a lot of money for it” (The Buddha of Suburbia 247).
Thus, it seems that identities can be commodified very easily, as characters such as Charlie seem to
be doing everything in their power to rise to fame, while Karim has also learnt to speak with an Indian
accent for his play. Charlie, however, desperately needs Karim to reflect his own (Charlie’s) success.
Karim states: “He liked having me there as a witness, I suspected…It was as if, without me to
celebrate it all, Charlie’s progress had little meaning. In other words, I was a full-length mirror, but a
mirror that could remember” (The Buddha of Suburbia 250-251). When Karim sees Charlie, once his
idol, turning his pseudo-identity into a commodity, there is a pronounced realisation on Karim’s part.
Karim decides to leave Charlie and New York and returns to London. Looking back, Karim is disgusted
by Charlie’s behaviour and extreme experimentation with sadomasochism and drugs, which, Karim
sees as having gone too far: “It wasn’t Charlie: It was a body with a sack over its head, half of
humanity gone, ready for execution” (The Buddha of Suburbia 254).Prior to this realisation and in
order to interact with all these characters, Karim’s quest primarily involves movement between
London and the suburbs. Such movements, on the one hand, enable Karim’s interaction with the
characters and on the other hand, reflect the movements and changes in his identity. Such spatial and
cultural mobility that reflect Karim’s growth is not at all easy. The range of social, sexual and political
conflicts he goes through are reflected not only in his interaction with the characters and the
aftermath of these dialectical processes, but also in his uneasiness and unwillingness to settle into, or
settle with, one cultural space, be it the suburbs or the city. It is precisely through this constant
movement between spaces and the simultaneous sexual escapades with the characters inhabiting
such spaces that Karim’s growth comes about, as out of chaos comes order.

Sex and the City: Mobility of Characters:By the end of the novel, Karim realises his impossible
position as an artist. I will argue that although Karim acquires a fragmented identity, this can,
nevertheless, be read in a positive light, in that it entails multiplicity and undecidedness, unravelling
the problematic nature of monolithic identities. What leads to such a sense of identity is the
displacement and mobility of Karim to and from the cultural landscapes that are the suburbs and the
city. His physical mobility, from the suburbs to the city as well as his mobility in assuming identities,
creates a gap that must be filled by the subject through desire. It is precisely amidst the clashes and
disorder of this gap that Kureishi draws his comic irony in the very spaces of the social world he
evokes. It seems that such a fragmented void is no longer “abnormal”, nor does it carry a negative
meaning. It has, rather, become a kind of cultural norm, entailing multiplicity of meaning and
possibilities. Such a fragmented space is evident in the movement of the characters in The Buddha of
Suburbia through the cultural spaces that are the suburbs and the city and the cultural connections
they entail. Karim’s longing for movement is clear from the beginning of the novel, as he states that
he was asking for trouble, “...any kind of movement, action and sexual interest I could find, perhaps
because things were so gloomy, so slow and heavy, in our family, I don’t know why” (The Buddha of
Suburbia 3). Such movement, however, is not limited to Karim. Many characters in the novel change
houses (e.g., Charlie), accents (e.g., Charlie, the characters in Pyke’s play) and appearances, all of
which challenge a fixed identity of Englishness, and of class, and point to a social and sexual mobility,
based on the fluidity of desire. The novel, thus, participates in discussions of what it means to be
British. Jamel Oubechou argues that “These constant changes point to the volatile nature of the
British urban and modern identity in the 60s” (102). Adding to this point is of course Karim’s fluid
sexuality, because even though he sexually engages with both men and women, he does not define
himself (i.e., label himself) as homosexual, bisexual or anything else, any more that he defines himself
as British or Indian. Further, according to Waddick Doyle, this indecisiveness is clearly connected with
sexuality as it is a part of the seductive charm of the narrator, who plays with his identity to seduce
others (“The Space between Identity and Otherness” 112). Karim’s identity is more about the
indeterminacy of promise and possibility than about definition. It is precisely the readers’ inability to
pin him down as “homosexual or heterosexual, as English or Indian, as true or false that creates the
pleasure, attractiveness and enticement of both the novel and the character […] Karim is not only
seductive to various characters…but also to the reader as our desire to know his identity can never be
fully satisfied” (Doyle 111). Indeed, there is a constant movement of desire in the space created when
the characters move between identity and “Otherness” which is used to seduce people into sexual
adventures, both in the city and in the suburbs.

The novel is divided into two parts entitled “In the Suburbs” and “In the City”. At the beginning, the
reader feels for Karim in that staying in the suburbs means to succumb to imposed limits whereas
leaving them to live a (sexual) dream in London seems to be liberating. Even Haroon is boring when in
the suburbs, and exotic when in the city. Leaving though, is not at all an easy task hence the
painfulness seen in the various sexual disappointments of the characters and even sexual violence.
Karim’s idealised view of London comes out in his thoughts when pondering whether or not to leave
suburbia:

The cultural landscape here becomes sonically and visually vivid, while the comment on language
used in magazines is a direct critique of the system, portrayed in a sort of “oppressive grammar” and
its unbending rules.It is Karim’s sexual connections with the characters that allow him to start
enjoying, even “owning” London: “So this was London at last, and nothing gave me more pleasure
than strolling around my new possession all day” (The Buddha of Suburbia 126). Karim believes that
the sexual metropolis of London enables him to do anything he wants: “The city blew the windows of
my brain wide open…London seemed like a house with five thousand rooms, all different” (The
Buddha of Suburbia 126). This view about London is also articulated by Kureishi in Some Time with
Stephen, where he wrote about his love and fascination for London: “Here there is fluidity and
possibilities unlimited” (23). Similarly, Karim echoes the author when he expresses his views on the
city: “London, where life [is] bottomless in its temptations” (The Buddha of Suburbia 8). The thing
that reflects his own identity is the seemingly fragmented suburbs which initially seem to limit his
potential:
With The Buddha Of Suburbia English Literature Essay:This is a moment of realisation for Kureishi,
as he seems to be re-thinking self-indulgent pleasure, hinting at a different, more mature and
introvert, manifestation of desire. Even though he grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and he was
immersed in the sexual revolution of the time, he seems to be revaluating the impact this
revolution had on social change. On the other hand, through the examination of the various
performativities of the characters in the novel which, in effect, are based on the assuming of
various identities by each of them, the deconstructive presence of the aesthetic pleasures in the
text ironically points to the challenging of the symbolic order. What is more, The Buddha of
Suburbia hints at the author’s change in thematology in his later work, as the re-imagining of
desire and sexuality pertains to a shift towards more mature and introverted expressions, evident
in the psychological growth of the protagonist, Karim, both as a social actor and as a staged one,
which also reflects the development of Kureishi as an author. This change marks the end of
Kureishi’s early work and the beginning of the second part of his career, in which his interest and
thematology, as well as the sense of desire, change.

This change was also facilitated by the fact that with The Buddha of Suburbia, Kureishi reached his
literary peak. It won the Whitbread Award for best first novel, and has been translated into 20
languages. In 1993, The Buddha of Suburbia was filmed for television by the BBC, with music by David
Bowie, a persona that inspired many characters in Kureishi’s later work. Moore-Gilbert has argued
that there is continuity between Kureishi’s novel and his earlier work, as gender-role and sexual
experimentation remain important avenues of liberation from the often “coercive effects of
traditional discourses of gender and sexuality” (Hanif Kureishi 112-113). Indeed, in The Buddha of
Suburbia, Kureishi explores the interconnections of race, class and sexuality, in a comic satire that
nevertheless has a serious agenda: to challenge national, racial, and sexual boundaries in order to re-
imagine the meaning of each. In that, The Buddha of Suburbia is a funny satire of the political
situation, and especially race relations, in Britain, which enables one to re-think desire and sexuality.

The Buddha of Suburbia is first and foremost a Bildungsroman novel, as it narrates the psychological
and moral growth of Karim as an artist and a person from youth to adulthood, and from obscurity to
fame, focusing, as the story unfolds, on change. This growth is –more often than not– painful, taking
the protagonist through a range of “conflicts and dilemmas, social, sexual and political” (Moore-
Gilbert 113). Kureishi is able to incorporate the dilemmas faced by the protagonist into a multifaceted
identity by infusing socio-political anxieties with sexual experimentation and by changing the
workings of desire, offering, in the process, a new way to navigate “belonging” in Britain. Nahem
Yousaf argues that Kureishi himself perceives his work as located firmly within a British context,
where establishing a conceptually British identity that incorporates ethnic and cultural differences is
an ultimate aim (“The Brown Man’s Burden” 21). Indeed, Kureishi draws attention to serious social
problems such as racism and issues of belonging, while “strategically deploy[ing] writerly and
cinematographic techniques that consider multiple issues simultaneously that help to deconstruct
hegemonic codes around subject positions through the content” (Yousaf 22). Kureishi offers a comic
satire of those aspects of postcolonial British society which negatively influence sexuality, ethnicity
and identity. With London as the background, and the sexual, drug and music subcultures as a
leitmotiv, The Buddha of Suburbia functions as a multicultural account of how various forms of the
affective disrupt the symbolic order of the time, while underlining the implications behind what
shapes one’s identity in a postcolonial environment. Kureishi says: “If contemporary writing which
emerges from oppressed groups ignores the central concerns and major conflicts of the larger
society, it will automatically designate itself as minor, as a sub-genre. And it must not allow itself to
be rendered invisible and marginalised in this way” (“Dirty Washing” 36).