The Future Relationship between Americans and Pakistanis in 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'

This report analyzes the future relationship between Americans and Pakistanis in the context of the novel 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' by Mohsin Hamid. It explores the impact of 9/11 attacks, characterization of Muslims in the world, and the relationship between Americans and Pakistanis in the novel.

Running head: ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT 1
The future relationship between Americans and Pakistanis in the context of the novel ‘The
Reluctant Fundamentalist’ by Mohsin Hamid

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Table of Contents
The novel.........................................................................................................................................3
Impact of 9/11 attacks on Americans, Muslims and world as a whole...........................................3
Brief Description of Characters.......................................................................................................4
Characterization of Muslims in the world.......................................................................................4
Relationship between Americans and Pakistanis in the context of the novel..................................5
The future.........................................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................................10

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The novel
The following report deals with analyzing the book named The Reluctant Fundamentalist
by Mohsin Hamid (Wilson, 2017). The author has highlighted about the 9/11 attacks terrorist
attacks in New York and how it shaped his perception of the current relationship between
Americans and Pakistanis as well as perception of Americans. According to Findlay (2015, pp.
201), the author in his book has stated the aftermath of the horrendous attacks of 9/11 from his
personal life experience. The report will also focus on understanding the perception of the author
on the concept of fundamentalism and the characterization of Muslims in the eyes of the world.
The characters of the novel highlighted the struggles of the Muslims in the world as well as
define acute knowledge of the Muslim society as compared to the views of the world which
gives the novel a multicultural dimension. The highlight of the report will be to analyze how the
9/11 attacks and its aftermath contributed to the awakening from his American dream and hopes
to see better relations between American and Pakistan.
Impact of 9/11 attacks on Americans, Muslims and world as a whole
According to Udice (2018), the attacks on Twin Towers and Pentagon took place on
September 11, 2001, infamously called as the 9/11 attacks on USA. Although it has been more
than a decade of the attacks, there are still after effects of the devastating terrorist attack that
have not yet dissipated. It not only has impacted America but also has vastly impacted the
Muslims all over the world. From increased security to increasing biasness against Muslims can
be still felt today. Talking about the world, there is a continuous military surveillance on
countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. The ongoing war between the Muslim prevalent
countries and USA has been the most persistent effects of the 9/11 attacks. The homeland
security has increased leaving no stones unturned to pin down any suspicious activity in
countries at risk. There has been an increase in pervasive religious biasness against Muslims
making it harder for Muslims to stay in US in the last 10 years (Udice, 2018). The world has
suffered the impact due to increasing number of deportations and immigration restrictions in
response to terrorist activities. Although this has increased the efforts made by Americans to
seek patriotism, spirituality and volunteerism but the country has lost its hope to have a cordial
relation with Pakistan even in terms of trade. According to Afzal (2018), the US-Pakistan

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relationship has always been complex and turbulent due to lack of a shared vision and lack of
strategies that could strengthen the ties between the countries.
Brief Description of Characters
The main characters of the novel are Changez, Erica, Jim, Chris, and Wainwright.
Changez is the main protagonist in the novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Changez has been
seen as being Americanized in the beginning of the novel but soon after the attacks of 9/11,
Changez had a hard time deciding whether to remain loyal to America or Pakistan. Erica being
the love interest of Changez. Erica has been characterized as the radiant and strong dream about
America. Chris is the childhood friend and boyfriend of Erica who never physically appears in
the novel. Jim is seen as the superior during his stay in the firm. Wainwright is shown working
with Changez.
Characterization of Muslims in the world
According to many surveys, US has a different perspective on Muslims when looked at
the community as a whole. US has faced turbulent terrorists attack and this has been perceived as
a setback in their relations. Muslims in the US perceive a lot of racism and biasness against their
religious group. According to Pew Research Centre (2017), a majority of Muslims face
discrimination even after the prevalence of anti-discrimination laws against the citizens. On the
contrary, Muslim Americans are proud to be Americans and would hard to bring success in the
country. Whereas half of the Muslims claim that their lives have been difficult especially after
the 9/11 attacks. They receive unfriendly banter from Americans saying to vacate their country.
Although the terrorist activities have soured the relation between the countries, people like
Mohsin Hamid, author of the book named The Reluctant Fundamentalist have high hopes on his
American dream. Muslims believe that religion is an important part of their lives and follow it
with utmost dedication. The Muslims as a community have an unfavorable view of the terrorist
groups prevailing in other countries. Generally, Muslims don not support terrorism and other
forms of violence against civilians in the name of Islam. But claims suggest that there are no
suggested evidence to how Muslims feel about. As per Frumin & Sakuma (2016), the aftermaths
of 9/11 has affected the Muslims residing in any part of the world and this has changed the
perception of people on them. According to the author, Mohsin Hamid, he tried to live his life
being both American and Pakistani and decided not to choose either of the religion but embrace

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both of them. As per his thoughts, after the attacks of 9/11, his identity was questioned as US
saw a great loss due to the attacks. His plight was that the aftermaths made Americans think
negatively about Muslims from any part of the world and not understanding the difference
between the terrorists and normal Muslim citizens of America. The country did not consider how
Muslims felt about these attacks and how they were against such immoral activities. The
protagonist of then novel Changez felt all these emotions and kept hopes of the conditions to be
improved.
Relationship between Americans and Pakistanis in the context of the novel
On the soil of the humans, even the slender thought of the 9/11 attack is quite perturbing
and unsettling. Millions of Americans and other countrymen who were present there still
remember to this date exactly what they were doing and where they were the morning that the
incident took place (Ten Years, 2012, pp. 153). In the novel, a picture of a foreign student who
came to live the perfect American dream, has been painted. However, here the readers might get
a feeling of distrust for Changez simply because of his evident strange emotions. The intricate
allegory created by the author is where the loophole of deciphering the Reluctant Fundamentalist
lies at (Morey, 2011, pp.138). The book is considered to be an allegory for the American-Muslim
relationship after the attack of the 9/11 on America. The unique perspective and viewpoint of the
author as Pakistani and Muslim writer provides the readers with an opportunity of seeing the
tragedy from another side. He enables the readers to truly understand the primary impact of the
incident upon the world.
One of the ways by which the author was able to create allegory in his work was by the
means of his characters’ names. The resonance of the protagonist and primary character of the
story, Changez, is immediately evident with change. One of the first and foremost ways of seeing
changes within Changez is seeing and understanding his transplant from his native country
Pakistan to the University of Princeton (Hartnell, 2010, pp. 338). The changes become more
obvious throughout the story as his narrative is followed. Changez is quite enthusiastic about his
job at the Underwood Samson however, he begins to get a slow realization of the fact that he did
not fit significantly within the world of consistent bureaucracy and financial analysis (Perner,
2010, pp.3). Changez made a life-changing decision of quitting Underwood Samson while being
in Chile. As he leaves, he frames his emotions in several ways. He reminds everyone that he was

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only twenty two when he got the job. According to him, events tend to have an emotional
resonance on people and leave an impact which is often quite exaggerated (Darda, 2014, p. 107-
122). He felt that a world had ended, which indeed did for him. Both, his personal American-
ness world as well as the larger and wider world of peace had come to an end for him.
In general, a quite obvious parallel to the country is provided by the next key character of
the story, Erica. Her mother was a housewife who often entertained and her father seemed to be a
corporate business. Such a family tree depicts the typical June and Ward Cleaver model of an
American family. The story of her ex-boyfriend, Chris, is intertwined with that of herself. It
should be taken into note that Chris being her ex-boyfriend was not by her own choice, since he
passed away tragically due to suffering from lung cancer although he was not a smoker.
Christianity and the Christ figure is represented by Chris for Erica (Singh, 2012, pp. 45). Trudy
Bush, in her article “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” that was seen to have appeared in the
Christian Century, stated that just like post the incident of the 9/11 attack, Erica was also lost in a
fatal nostalgia for a past along with a man (Dzurick, 2008, pp. 38). This basically exemplifies
Chris’ loss for Erica and therefore the loss of Christ for the country in the prevailing age of
secularism. Erica feels complete through Chris and by remembering him. Such a loss sets her up
for an even more powerful blow with the occurrence of the 9/11.
Various colleagues and acquaintances of Changez have been referred as monosyllabically
monikered. The subject of such a quote are his university alums Mike and Chuck. However,
Changez’s boss as well as a few more trivial characters can also be analyzed as having such short
stereotypical names. The sameness monotony which seems to have overcome the earlier cultural
mix which appeared in the American society is represented by these names (Singh, 2011, pp.
42). The sameness has an impact of diluting and blending cultural expression especially at a
diverse place such as New York, which was shown by the means of assimilation of Changez into
the culture of New York (Singh, 2011, pp.41). One of the relatively minor characters, which
however had a profound impact on Changez, named Juan-Bautista, was one within whom lied
one of the most interesting properties. The readers who have some Spanish language knowledge,
would be able to notice that this name meant John the Baptist who was known for being an Old
Testament figure who had baptized several people in the past even including Jesus himself. John
was venerated in Catholicism as well as Islam and also by some of the protestant churches. In

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this book, the author has provided several turning points in the viewpoints and opinions of
Changez. Here, the person is ultimately able to see what he has been doing by being trained for
serving the American corporate. In essence, Changez has supported the enemy of his home. John
the Baptist had baptized several people in the Jordan River with the expectation of a divine
apocalypse and hoping that as such the occupied Israel would be restored (Munos, 2012, pp.401).
Juan-Bautista considered Changez as an educated man and also wanted him to return to his
homeland. Just like the other prophets, the sinful and cruel rulers were challenged by John, and
the challenging purpose it served by Juan in the novel.
The relationships between the characters of the book emerges with a new meaning layer
once they are seen from a perspective of allegory. Most importantly, the primary focus of this
assessment is the relationship between Erica and Changez which was parallel and in contrast to
that of the relationship of the two nations America and Pakistan after the incident of the 9/11
(Ilott, 2014, pp. 580). The readers can easily make out regarding what is to come even before the
author narrates about the attack. Erica seems to be stuck to the ideals of Chris and is unable to
get rid of the same. The fundamentals of Erica can be seen to be no longer in line with either
Chris or Christianity. The symbolic religion loss in the day to day lives of the Americans is
represented by the death of Chris. Replacement of the same would be considered to be a secular
worship of power and wealth. During this point, Erica was seen to be resisting Changez even
though Chris was nowhere in the picture. As such, the resistance of America to the influence of
Islam is represented symbolically.
In contrast to the above, certain instances can be found where Erica desires to be with
Changez and accepts him for the kind of person he is. She can be seen to be falling in love with
him immediately as well as his ethnic traits since all of them reminded her of the appeal of Chris.
Chris was seen as an old world in the story as he accepted both the cultures and values of
Christianity and Islam. However, Erica was never able to completely embrace Changez and shed
her old feelings and memories. This was similar to the Americans who failed to get rid of the
Christian values that were instilled inside them. Hence, they saw Islam and its people as nothing
but a threat (Munos, 2012, pp.398). The relationship between the Pakistanis and the Americans
can be seen from the side of Changez. Being educated from the University of Princeton and
being a finance employee, Changez had Americanized himself externally to a certain point from

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where he had the potential of fully blending into the community and the society. However, a
suspicion regarding the great American dream continued to grow inside Changez as he started to
sense the growing corruption of the nation (Ilott, 2014, pp. 582). As such, he realized that he
could never transform into an American completely. His complete conversion was also
prevented by his family which stayed in his hometown Lahore.
According to the work of the author, the relationship between the two nations and the
religions was rather an inherent issue (Srivastava, 2012, pp.180). In context to the above, he
described that America was considered to be a nation whereas Islam was considered to be a
religion. The culture of America and power worship was brought in line with Islamic religion
style through the term “Americanism”. The brutal incident of the 9/11 had a quite powerful
impact on the Americans and their opinions as well. The incident was quickly followed by
accusations on the Islamic religion and the Muslim countries (Srivastava, 2012, pp. 181). In the
viewpoint of Changez, a person belonging from Pakistan and residing in New York during such
a period was bound to face various difficulties and hardships. Changez is considered to be
doubtful by several American readers due to his multiple attempts of explaining his odd
emotions. Even though it is evident where Changez originated from, erasing the memories of his
smile at the incident is quite difficult. Many people see his smile at the incident as a
legitimization of the Muslims’ distrust.
The future
The novel manages to reflect on the aftermaths of the 9/11 chaos in a powerful way
giving a strong voice to his character named Changez who was an American Muslim protagonist.
He provides the unique view of his character as a Muslim and the novel relates to the life of the
author. Hamid, the author of the novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist tried to create the character
realistic and non-American. The characters in the book and specifically Changez feel that
Americans have a common perception about Muslims and he wants to ask the reason for such
hatred. He feels that was a mistake of few people, entire community suffers. After the 9/11
events as reflected in the novel, Changez find that there is a mutual relation between Americans
and the Muslim world. The characters in the novel show that the cultural transformation of after
9/11 rather than focusing on terrorism. Changez is in a belief the criticism of America can be
changed on Muslims country and reinvented the concept of fundamentalism completely.

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Changez with the other character Erica that the Muslim world is not rigid and states that people
from the west and people from the east are not so different. According to the author of the novel,
the tragic events should not lead to looking back at what happened in the past but focus more on
shaping the future. The protagonist Changez feels that there is a need for mutual understanding
between the countries and its people and avoid various forms of fundamentalism. Changez
highlights and provides certain answers and solutions the prevailing issues but according to
many people his solutions may not be effective.
The author of the novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, has portrayed the aftermaths of
9/11 to quench the thirst of people seeking for viewpoint of Muslims on these. He reflected his
ideas from the context of non-Americans and what they want to express to the entire world of not
being terrorists and to be seen as normal human beings. Additionally, the characters have given
their viewpoints stating that the impact of 9/11 attacks have shook them but they still believe that
there is hope by the end of the tunnel which means the perception of Americans can change the
Muslims and the community as a whole. Relationships between the characters of the novel
specifically the relationship between Changez and Erica has highlighted the relationship of two
nations, America and Pakistan. The character of Chris although not being physically present, was
important as it showed that Erica was reluctant to be with Changez even though he was not in
support of the 9/11 attacks. The brutal incident of 9/11 had quite a drastic impact on the
characters as well as the author of the novel. Although acquisitions of Pakistan being a terror
supporting country, the protagonist Changez and the author were in favor of changing the
perception of people against the Muslim community continuing with a cordial relationship
between the two countries.

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References
Afzal, A. (2018). The future of U.S.-Pakistani Relations. Retrieved from
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/unpacked/2018/01/12/the-future-of-u-s-
Darda, J. (2014). Precarious World: Rethinking Global Fiction in Mohsin Hamid's" The
Reluctant Fundamentalist". Mosaic: a journal for the interdisciplinary study of literature,
107-122.
Dzurick, A. (2008). The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Islamic-American Relations, Post-9/11.
pp. 38.
Findlay, L. (2015). Exploring the Relationship between America and Pakistan in Mohsin
Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Mira Nair’s Film Adaptation. Representing
9/11: Trauma, Ideology, and Nationalism in Literature, Film, and Television, 201.
Frumin, A. & Sakuma, A. (2016). Hope and Despair: Being Muslim in America After 9/11.
Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/9-11-anniversary/hope-despair-
being-muslim-america-after-9-11-n645451
Hartnell, A. (2010). Moving through America: Race, place and resistance in Mohsin Hamid's
The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 46(3-4), 336-348.
Ilott, S. (2014). Generic frameworks and active readership in The Reluctant
Fundamentalist. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 50(5), 571-583.
Morey, P. (2011). “The rules of the game have changed”: Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant
Fundamentalist and post‐9/11 fiction. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 47(2), 135-146.
Munos, D. (2012). Possessed by whiteness: Interracial affiliations and racial melancholia in
Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 48(4),
396-405.
Perner, C. (2010). Tracing the Fundamentalist in Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke and The
Reluctant Fundamentalist. ariel: a review of international english literature, 41(3-4).

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Pew Research Centre. (2017). How the U.S. general public views Muslims and Islam. Retrieved
from https://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/how-the-u-s-general-public-views-muslims-
and-islam/
Singh, H. (2011). Deconstructing Terror: Interview with Mohsin Hamid on The Reluctant
Fundamentalist. Ariel: a review of international English literature, 42(2), 42.
Singh, H. (2012). Insurgent Metaphors: Decentering 9/11 in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant
Fundamentalist and Kamila Shamsie’s Burnt Shadows. Ariel: a review of international
English literature, 43(1), 45.
Srivastava, N. (2012). Reading after terror: The Reluctant Fundamentalist and first-world
allegory. In Postcolonial Audiences (pp. 176-188). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Ten years, O. E. (2012). 9/11 Novel: Ten years of existence Ingridažindžiuvienơ. Literature in
Society, 153.
Udice, K. (2018). 10 ways the world changed after the 9/11 attacks. Retrieved from
https://www.thisisinsider.com/world-changed-after-september-11-2018-9
Wilson, J. (2017). Mohsin Hamid: The transnational novel of globalisation. 4th ed. Edinburgh,
UK: Edinburgh University Press.