The Reluctant Fundamentalist

by Mohsin Hamid

The Reluctant Fundamentalist Themes

Success
A young Pakistani boy, an alumnus of Princeton University, is struggling for happiness. He came alone to a new
country and is doing his best to become the best. He never thought he could get a prestigious job and have a name,
because America was not his country, and he didn’t like it. However, he soon understood that his doubtful success
and social position in America mean nothing to him. This land is the enemy of his homeland and he doesn’t stay
there any longer. He had begun to see himself as a “servant of American empire” and it was unbearable for him. In
the end, success has its price and sometimes it isn’t worth it.

Love
The theme of love is quite special in the story. It doesn’t play the most important role although it helps to investigate
the protagonist’s individuality deeper. Changez, the main character, goes on vacation with his Princeton friends to
Greece, where he meets Erica, “an aspiring author.” He falls in love with her, but there is an issue – Erica is still in love
with her childhood boyfriend Chris, who died from lung cancer. She can't forget about him and it stops her from
having sex with Changez. When he convinces Erica to imagine him as Chris, they do have sex. However, it spoils their
relationship as well. Erica becomes mentally ill and she begins treatment in a mental institution, from which she
escapes soon. We don’t know exactly whether Erica really loves Chagnez and his real feelings are also unclear,
because the narrator doesn’t emphasize this. However, it may be called love in some way.
Man and Society
Chagnez is alone and lonely in America. He is from Pakistan and that is why it is pretty hard for him to find friends
and socialize. As a rule, the representatives of his homeland are not treated well. So, he has to prove that he is just
like everyone else, that he has exactly the same rights and he also can make his American Dream come true by
himself, without any help. And he does that, after studying hard, he gets a good job and his employer is satisfied with
him. But still there is something missing. America is not his country, he doesn’t feel comfortable there, he even hates
it, as the reader may conclude from the fact that the events of the 9/11 attacks make him smile: "Yes, despicable as it
may sound, my initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased." Later, he leaves America and becomes a leader of anti-
American movements in Lahore and finally he finds himself in the right time and place, doing what he likes and what
he has to.

Reliability of the Narrator

Throughout the story, which is told entirely as one side of a conversation between Changez and an unnamed
American man, Changez tries to assure his seemingly distrustful and anxious companion that he, Changez, is
trustworthy both as a storyteller speaking about his experiences in America and as a host evaluating the different
people around them in the Lahore marketplace. Although we never hear what the other man says, Changez's remarks
and descriptions of the American's expressions and movements make it apparent that the man begins to place some
confidence in Changez but eventually becomes highly suspicious. It makes it all the more confusing to decide on
whether Changez is telling the truth or lying about his being a friend and no threat.

Meritocracy and Its Hypocrisies

Sherman, the Vice President of Underwood Samson, tells the new recruits that "We're a meritocracy… We believe in
the best. You were the best candidates at the best schools in the country. That's what got you here. But meritocracy
doesn't stop with recruiting. We'll rank you every six months" (35). As Jim's favoritism for Changez seems to
demonstrate, skin color or socio-economic background does not matter in the corporate environment, because
everyone is judged solely on their performance. However, as Changez discovers, this seeming equality of opportunity
comes at the price of working within a cultural mindset that lacks empathy and a moral center, and in any case the
resistance against stereotyping, racial or otherwise, is very shallow. As soon as Changez starts growing a beard after
9/11, his coworkers start treating him as though he is a threat.

The Inability to Help

In the novel Changez confronts two instances in which he is powerless to help someone, or something, he loves. In
the first, Changez's love for Erica makes him want to do whatever he can to ameliorate her grief for her dead
boyfriend Chris and her feeling of being trapped in a mental illness. Despite his sensitive and caring nature, he
discovers that there is little he can do and that he is getting hurt while trying to help her. In the second case, Changez
is deeply disturbed by news about the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after September 11 and the threat of war between
his native Pakistan and India. While he remains in the U.S., he feels unable to do anything politically and at most can
send money to his family.

Sympathy Listening to a Story and Understanding a

Person
Throughout the story, Changez describes himself as very keen with reading other people and moreover sympathetic
to their personal troubles. In a sense, Jim discovers and values Changez for this former ability, which makes him a
talented valuation analyst, while Juan-Bautista values him more so for the latter, which makes him a principled anti-
American political activist. However, Changez also applies these capabilities in his personal life by drawing the
traumatic story of Chris from Erica and caring for her. Similarly, it seems, a certain sympathetic rapport has been
established between Changez and the American he spends the evening talking with.

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The Reluctant Fundamentalist Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a great resource to ask questions, find
answers, and discuss the novel.

What other writer are you reminded of when
u read the book The Reluctant
Fundamentalists
I think this is asking for your opinion rather
than mine. I don't know what you have read
before.
Asked by Harman S #707840
Answered by Aslan on 10/26/2017 5:34 PM
Where does the American prefer to sit?
The Stranger sits with his back against the
wall of the tea house even though it is a hot
day and his position makes him less likely to
feel any breeze that might gust in.
Asked by Angela L #498081
Answered by Aslan on 1/31/2016 5:36 AM
"Come relinquish your foreigners sense of
being watched" what does this get to
I'm not familiar with this work, but I believe
this quote refers to the fact that when in a
strange place, people tend to think that
they're being stared at or watched. The
speaker is telling (?) to let go of the
foreigner's sense...
Asked by vivian v #333906
Answered by jill d #170087 on 8/21/2013
6:26 AM

Study Guide for The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist study guide contains a biography of Mohsin Hamid, literature essays, quiz questions,
major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
 About The Reluctant Fundamentalist
The Reluctant Fundamentalist Summary
Character List
Glossary
Themes

Essays for The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by
students and provide critical analysis of The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid.

Changez's Relationship with Erica

True or False: Analyzing Behavior in The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Silencing the American: A Limitation or Success?
Conflicted Identities in "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" and "Terrorist"
Food Imagery in The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Wikipedia Entries for The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Introduction
Plot/Summary
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Awards and nominations
Commercial reception