Theme Of Identity In The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Mohsin Hamid, a postcolonial Pakistani writer, has tackled the issues of identity in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. 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.

Hamid believes in the intertwined nature of the personal and the political (Hamish Hamilton,2007). Erica and Changez, at one level, stand for their respective cultures and countries. Hamid handles these issues from the perspective of the so called subaltern culture and therefore writes back to the empire. He conveys to

America, the present neo-colonial power, through Changez, the protagonist of the novel, that everything

According to

Sooke, as the “war on terror” continues, this is quite a relevant book, handled perfectly. It portrays the cancerous suspicions between the East and the West. Hamid in The Reluctant Fundamentalist depicts the interaction between American and Pakistani cultures in the context

of neo-colonialism. Even after independence, Pakistan and its people like many other so called developing cultures are still living in the shadows of American neo-colonialism, which has a direct impact upon people, their culture and their identities. He uses the individuals as symbols for their respective cultures and societies.

The uneasy relationship between Changez and Erica represent the complex and complicated equation that exists between Pakistani and American cultures. The political posture and policies of

America have an impact upon individuals and their identities. It has bred misunderstanding between individuals from these two cultures. This is why, the American sits with his back so close to the wall, out of security consideration, and on a very hot afternoon he keeps wearing his jacket. The suggestion is that he might