The reluctant fundamentalist identity. The Theme of Conflict of Identities in The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Terrorist: [Essay Example], 1472 words GradesFixer 2022-12-24
The reluctant fundamentalist identity Rating:
6,9/10
1262
reviews
The concept of identity is a complex and multifaceted one, and it can be particularly difficult for individuals to navigate in times of political or social upheaval. This is certainly true for the protagonist of Mohsin Hamid's novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, in which the character of Changez struggles to come to terms with his own identity in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks on the United States.
Changez is a Pakistani man who has lived and studied in the United States, and has built a successful career there as a management consultant. However, the events of September 11th and the subsequent shift in American attitudes towards Muslims cause him to reexamine his own identity and place in the world. Changez finds himself caught between two worlds, feeling a sense of belonging to both Pakistan and the United States, yet also feeling like an outsider in both places.
One of the central themes of The Reluctant Fundamentalist is the idea of identity being shaped by external forces, such as politics and society. Changez's identity is heavily influenced by his experiences in the United States, and he initially embraces the American way of life and assimilates into American culture. However, after the September 11th attacks, he is confronted with discrimination and prejudice due to his Muslim faith and Pakistani heritage. This causes him to reassess his identity and his place in American society, and he ultimately decides to return to Pakistan.
The novel also explores the idea of identity being fluid and constantly evolving. Changez's identity is not fixed, but rather it is shaped by his experiences and interactions with others. He is forced to confront his own biases and assumptions, and to question his own beliefs and values.
Ultimately, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a thought-provoking exploration of identity and belonging in a changing world. It highlights the challenges and complexities of navigating one's own identity in a society that is constantly shifting and redefining itself. It serves as a reminder that identity is a complex and multifaceted concept, and that it is up to each individual to define their own sense of self and place in the world.
Elements of Identity Crisis in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Questions of Cultural Identity. It can be also referred to as oneness. Bhabha; however, is interested in the interaction between the colonizer and the colonized, which results in a fusion of cultural forms and cultural perspectives 167. Another instance is when the unnamed visitor seems suspicious of a man who turns out to be the waiter. This cover design gives the reader a glimpse of what to expect in the novel. There are of course many similarities, but the differences affected Changez deeply.
Hybridity and Identity Crisis in "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" by Mohsin Hamid
These result from the interaction among Erica, a white American woman, Changez, a Pakistani Muslim and Chris, an ex-boyfriend of Erica in the background, and also due to larger political and cultural factors. Genghis is very sorry to hear all this and in his heart, he supports the Taliban. Contextually, Ahmad has never met his father, his thoughts of his father are most definitely positive and of demigod-like praise. One is for the sake of an American girl and the other is an American dream progress and prosperity that draws her to America. Changez later lives in New York City and has a very well paid job at a business evaluation firm.
(PDF) The Reluctant Fundamentalist: A Quest for Identity
In addition to mimicking the culturally privileged American culture to appear in a position of power, he also brags about his job; another aspect which gives him more sense of security. At 18 he returned to the United States to attend Princeton University, where he studied creative writing under award-winning novelists Joyce Carol Oates and Toni Morrison. That now both of them should leave, the tea man is waiting for us. We shall be very careful to differentiate between a small minority that embraces jihadism, the notion of jahiliyya and other radical positions that are in fact distortions of Islamic faith, and a much broader based faith community that feels trapped between secularism and an ever more polarised radical Islam. Changez provided the information that he himself had spent four and a half years in the US, and that he is just as American as the person he is chatting with. Who recognizes an American citizen and starts talking to him.
Analysis Of Changez’s Identity In The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Free Essay Example, 625 words
Erica is a metaphor for American culture and colonialist ideology. After fleeing her home with her mother in search of a better life, she was denied entrance into Pakistan for refuge. Which, of course, made the company budget double in a short time. But arriving back in the homeland Pakistan , Changez loses his own identity. To study the impacts of colonization the research has been planned to investigate the foremost concept of hybridity and quest for identity.
Identity in the reluctant fundamentalist Free Essays
This explains a deep relationship with homeland and identity. He sees parts of his home, cuisine, and music in New York. The novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid is significant in its treatment of the issues faced by immigrants in the diaspora. Mohsin Hamid has grounded his resistance narrative in the identity narrative and through the prism of identity offers a deep insight into the American society and its ideals. The novel exposes the ugly side of the American society with its fundamentalist institutions and dislodges the narratives of fundamentalism as a Muslim monopoly and inverts the myths and discourses on identity to produce a counter narrative. How much control does one have in molding their identity? Identity can be chosen, or it can be created by peers, parents, or friends.
The Theme of Conflict of Identities in The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Terrorist: [Essay Example], 1472 words GradesFixer
In his novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Moshin Hamid imagines the effects of elevated levels of discrimination on the life of a fictional Pakistani Muslim character named Changez. He works to balance his values and identity as a Pakistani man with all of the perks and advantages he is granted by his position at Princeton and, later, Underwood Samson. The exclusion of these minorities from the discourses of nation can be identified as part of the problem, but we shall also examine issues of class as motivating factors. It has been a feature of all civilizations since time immemorial, from the Sumerians through the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans to the present. Non-Muslim New Yorkers targeted Muslims based on their appearance, and the subsequent discrimination encouraged Muslims to feel compelled to blend into mainstream American culture so that they would not seem like outsiders. Erica cannot forget her deceased boyfriend, and Changez loses her to depression and possibly suicide. Emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of postcolonial theory, the researcher investigates identity crisis which is presented in the novel and also highlights and interrogates that the identity is at risk due to cultural conflicts which results in the transformation of identity and ethnicity for the gains of the hegemony.
Changez and Ahmad certainly do share similarities in their evolution of moral identity. On the other hand, colonized are consider as darkness, inferior and ignorent. All these literary features combine to make an enthralling page-turner. The hostility included physical violence, verbal abuse, and hate stares. Yet willy nilly, Muslims the world over have become objects of suspicion and more insidiously, a war of words and images has been unleashed against them. So it can be understood that formation of identity involves several steps: construction, reconstruction and deconstruction.
Changez compares nostalgia to crack cocaine- How powerful is it really? Ahmad over years of thought and concern moves to the false conclusion that his father is a man of moral and strength, which in fact is not correct. The single most important historical event in the novel is the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11. He decides to go back and be with his family. Changez comes from a culture where the elder is respected and values are upheld. These forms of racism shape Changez and his impressions of the United States.
Many critics have presented their analysis on the title and its theme of an identity crisis. Changez assimilates American culture, and falls passionately in love with Erica. Now all the blood it could spare was rushing to its brain. What is lost and gained through the use of symbolism? It might be the only part of America where he feels that he belongs. The way in which this matter was handled enforces his reaction against the American identity.
