the reluctant

The reluctant fundamentalist:

•               Challenges he faces: isolation, religious problems, cultural problems/clash, language barrier and othered

•               Courtley love- mediaeval traditional love between a noble and noble woman

•               Anachronistic- this is belonging to an earlier period – changez rebels against the anachronistic morality of his religion

•               Wooing-trying to gain someone’s love

•               Misogyny

•               American culture

•               Changez brushes of Erica’s problems and sees her as a sexual object

•               American dream

•               Great Gatsby – message about the American dream is an allusion

•               Meritocracy

•               Capitalism

•               The golden land is seen as too good of a place which is not realistic

•               Cultural clash identity – “made me proud” suggests that he is almost embarrassed of his own country which make them forget about it. "I felt empowered” this suggests that he sees America as a country full of opportunities which wasn’t in Pakistan

•               Cultural assimilation

•               External analepsis 

•               The novel is interpolated as it switches between the past and present

•               American imperialism

•               Chris’ flight 174 comic foreshadows 9/11

•               Erica represents America and changez his relationship of America

•               The whole novel is controlled by Hamid which might be to flip the power as a Pakistani man is in control

•               Indirect Empire

•               Changez sees the Philippines as Paul and Pakistan as well as he notices its economic be better, as he can’t do this contrasts with America it suggests that the power is dominant. Manila in the Philippines was colonised by USA and Japan during World War II. Changez finds out about 9/11 in Manila, the people he was surrounded by were already colonised by the US which highlights the power American hold worldwide

•               Past and present changez conflicts with each other next time he only talks about America positively when it is about money next and changez views Pakistan as his own golden land

•               Erica found a rock pool that was perfect but then a tidal (which could be 9/11)comes and washes it away. America is presented as a drug/trap.

•               after 9/11 Erica situation got worse and changez tried to help her but can’t hold himself back from laughing. Erica’s situation getting worse after 9/11 highlights those Americans affected by the situation 

•               “Pretend I am him“ – here changez is presented as a perpetrator as he didn’t care about Erica he only cared about the idea of having sex. Changez is clearly taking advantage of someone that’s not stable and traumatised as Erica is described as “gauntless" as she hasn’t eaten for weeks. He’s exploiting her weakness 

•               Erica and changez’ relationship symbolises changez his relationship with America as he still desperately trying to hold on and justify him self to stay in America, he thought his own self interest of time and some self that…