THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALISTA book by Mohsin Hamid

TITLE ANALYSIS Fundamentalism: A religious movement based on

strict adherence to certain tenets (e.g. the literal inerrancy of Scripture) held to be fundamental to the Christian faith or the beliefs of other religious movement.

Reluctant fundamentalist: the protagonist doesn't accept fundamentalism; he is reluctant to religious fundamentalism because he drink alcohol in spite of his religion and he is reluctant to economic fundamentalism because when he goes to Philippine to work he realizes that he doesn't accept American fundamentals.

CHAPTER 1

Changez, who is a Pakistani university lecturer, is having a conversation with an American about his experience in the USA: he was a brilliant student at Princeton University and was hired by the Underwood Samson Company, a small but prestigious valuation company.

Function: Introduction of the protagonist, Changez, and his life in the USA.

Topics: Western and Eastern stereotypes: Western people →

Eastern people and viceversa (“you seemed to be on a mission”/”a certain type of American”I”Now that is not typical of Americans”).

CHAPTER 2

After graduation, Changez went on university holiday to Greece, where he met Erica, a regal and very popular girl, a Princeton graduate who wants to become a novelist.

Function: Introduction of a new character, Erica.

Topics: Market fundamentalism (dividends, trust funds, sign-on

bonus); Love relationship (“she listened intently when I spoke”/”an

uncommon magnetism”); Two genders meeting (Changez and Erica); Confronting two different cultures; Different structure of each society (Western VS Eastern); Different religious faith; Stereotypes of Eastern women.

CHAPTER 3

The protagonist tells his interlocutor that he is very fond of New York, he loved his job at Underwood Samson; the teams were trained by Sherman in the arts of economic fundamentalism: how to make as much money as possible and as quickly and directly as possible. Also, the protagonist makes friends with Wainwright, another outsider.

Function: Development of Changez’ progressive adaptation to America society.

Topics: Stereotypes about American society (“moving to New York

felt – so unexpectedly – like coming home”); Stereotypes and prejudice about Pakistanis as terrorists or

fundamentalists (“I was immediately a New Yorker.”); Sematic field of work: proud, professionalism, efficiency.

CHAPTER 4

Exploring Manhattan with Erica, comfortable in cosmopolitan NY, Changez found Erica’s family live in impressive penthouse apartment and feels a bit at home. During his meeting, Erica’s father annoys Changez with stereotypical views on Pakistan.After that, Erica and Changez had a picnic lunch in Central Park and Erica describes the effect of Chris’s death on her.

Function: Development of Changez and Erica’s relationship.

Topics: Stereotypes about fundamentalism in Eastern society (“You

guys have got some serious problems with fundamentalism”);

Development of love relationship between Changez and Erica;

Topic of illusion (“and for the first time I perceived that there was something broken behind [her eyes]…”).

CHAPTER 5

Changez went to Philippines to analyse a music company. A fast meeting with a local inhabitant and the terrorist attack to the Twin Towers changed deeply Changez, even in his relationship with America.

Function: Development of 9/11 terrorist attack consequences on Changez.

Topics: Different point of view on the World Trade Center

(“New York’s World Trade Center collapsed. And then I smiled”);

Different focus: symbolism of the attack (“my thoughts were not with the victims of the attack”);

Crisis of main character's identity and extraneousness of his job.

CHAPTER 6

Post 9/11 and New York in mourning, he saw Erica and she looked older, haunted by Chris' nightmare and had exacerbated her grief; she took Changez to events with her but she was distant with people. He tried to make Erica be the woman he met once, but his attempt at love making failed: she couldn’t satisfy herself and told him more about Chris.

Function: Development of 9/11 terrorist attack consequences on Changez and America-Erica.

Topics: Development of love relationship between two

different cultures; Discussion on life and death (flowers).

CHAPTER 7

Changez continued to focus on his job, doing a valuation in New Jersey. Jim encouraged him to ‘focus on the fundamentals’, but Changez was focusing on questioning his loyalties. He saw the bombing of Afghanistan and he felt confused for the first time.The protagonist tried harder to get in contact with Erica, but they were uncomfortable to encounter.

Function: Development of 9/11 terrorist attack consequences on Changez.

Topics: Different types of fundamentalism: America → economic

fundamentalism (“Focus on the fundamentals”); Power of American economy on other societies’

(hypothesis); Topic of luxury (“These, sir, are predatory delicacies”).

CHAPTER 8

Changez visits Erica and she was in worse shape ever. In the meantime, Changez was worried and angered by America’s "dangerous nostalgia" and her determination to look back.At the Underwood Samson nothing was perturbed by sorrows and continued to power forward in pursuit of business fundamentals. In addition, he was almost attacked by Arab-haters and Changez was aggressive in his response.

Function: Development of 9/11 terrorist attack consequences on Changez and American society.

Topics: Nostalgia: America →Old Glory/Changez → homeland; Fragility and weaknesses of human beings; Human beings’ hope (“I remained concerned for Erica’s

well-being - …probably irrational hope”).

CHAPTER 9

Changez felt himself different, he was more like an unsympathetic American. He felt powerless, angry at the weakness of his country, and he felt like he was abandoning his family.Once again, he tried to get in touch with Erica, but it has taken him awhile, because she was in a clinic.Changez is angry and preoccupied about everything: job (he was judged at work by his beard), America, Erica, Pakistan.

Function: Development of 9/11 terrorist attack consequences on Changez.

Topics: Incoming war: “artillery battery”, “conflict with India

dominated the conversation”, frontier towns; Stereotypes by American society: Arabs with beard =

Terrorist Refusal of truth and reality, of multicultural cohabitation.

CHAPTER 10

Changez, during the business travel, meets Juan Bautista, who makes him think about what he had become during the period in America.

Function: development of the storyline (Twin Tower attack’s consequences on the protagonist).

Topics: Luxury of American society VS Other societies; Illnesses; War and conflicts; American capitalism; Janissarism of American employees;

CHAPTER 11

Changez decided not to be a part of American society and went home. He visited for the last time Erica at the clinic but she disappeared (probably she killed herself).

Function: conclusion of the novel.

Topics: Protagonist’s confusion and questioning his actions; Protagonist’s change; Return back home, nostalgia.

CHAPTER 12

Changez accompanies the American to his hotel, followed by a group of Pakistanis. Probably Changez is killed by the American, who might be an undercover assassin.

Function: conclusion of the novel.

Topics: Multicultural living (“we are all one”); Protagonist’s emotive attachment to America; Fight against terrorism (“motivated killing of civilians

by killers not wearing the uniforms of soldiers”); Unreliability of narrator’s point of view (“I see from

your expression that you do not believe me.”).

USE OF LANGUAGE First person narrator → unreliable narrator, seems as

though Changez is speaking directly to the reader but also silences the American point of view;

Dramatic Monologue: long, uninterrupted speech of one character directly addressing another character (or the audience).

Framed narrative: story within a story, with the narrative shifting back and forth between the present storyteller and the story they tell.

Changez is very specific and deliberate in the words he uses to describe himself, America, Pakistan and when addressing to the American interlocutor.

FINAL CREDITS

Workgroup

Abetini Matteo, Ferrazzo Michael, Mazza Lorenzo

Book: “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” by Mohsin Hamid, Reclams Universal-Bibliothek Nr. 19876, ©

Philipp Reclam jun. GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart