Changez’s characterisation

Changez is the most complex character of Mohsin Hamid’s novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist. The characterisation is carried out by the writer through several elements such as Changez’s name, his reputation, his way of socialising, his physical appearance.

Before anything else, Changez’s name itself is a valid indicator of his personality: it is very similar to the word “change” and that is exactly what the protagonist does in the story. Indeed, he is defined as a round character because he undergoes an evolution through the course of the story. The writer’s choice of naming the protagonist in this way makes the reader immediately sense that the change will be significant and that the story probably revolves around it.

Changez’s reputation, as a student first and as an employee later on, is essential to the characterisation because his past and how he appears to his peers reveals what he is perceived as: is he an “exotic” young man who is able to become part of the American high class, or is he destined to always be marginalised? Does he even care about being considered equal to his classmates or colleagues?

He graduated at the top of his class at Princeton, and was awarded a highly desired position at a prestigious valuation firm called Underwood Samson. Though Changez did not come from a poor family in Lahore, his family couldn’t afford to send him to Princeton and so Changez had to rely on financial aid and working three off-campus jobs to make ends meet. This set him apart from his peers. However, having been raised as a member of Lahore’s wealthy elite also meant that Changez had the manners of the wealthy class, because he still carried the social prestige of old money. These characteristics prove important for Changez because they allow him to succeed in the world of valuation with Underwood Samson, where the general manager who hired him, Jim, takes an interest in Changez because of their shared experience of marginalization. Even though Changez displays many positive traits which seem to adapt to the American inclination for ambition, he is still viewed as the “other” by the majority of his classmates and his colleagues: at first, he is considered a brilliant student and a talented worker, but when hostility towards non-Americans increases, after 9/11, he begins to be seen as a threat and his “exotic” way of behaving is not accepted anymore. He is now expected to fully conform to the American standards: no long beard, no traditional shirts from his country to work, etc.

Another way in which Changez is characterised is through his way of socialising: as stated beforehand, he was set apart from his peers for more than one reason. It did not matter how much he tried to act like an American, his pompous speech (typical of Eastern men), his habits and obviously his culture were always exposing him, making him appear as “the different one”. This otherness was not only visible when Changez was interacting with his classmates. It was also noticeable when he was courting Erica: he was not able to sense her attraction or foresee her intentions. He was only able to court her in a “Estern” way and for this reason he did not understand her behaviour when she was showing him her bruise on the ribs, or when she swam with him with a bare chest in Greece. As an Eastern man he was not used to a woman taking the initiative in the courtship and consequently he did not know how to react.

Lastly, Mohsin Hamid also employs Changez’s physical appearance in the characterisation. However, he does not dwell too much on this aspect and only refers to it when it is relevant, such as when Changez decides to grow his beard to claim his non-conformity to the American standards. He does so to show his belonging to Pakistani tradition and his refusal to renounce to his identity and his background culture. In the clime of hostility and racism after the attack at the Twin Towers, the decision to grow his beard is extremely resonant: with this action he goes against American mentality and stands up for his country and for all the people who, at the time, felt the need, or were obliged, to conform and renounce to the last ounce of their own culture (Muslim women renounced to the veil, Eastern men cut their beards, they gave up their traditions).