The following text intends to focus on an extract taken from the Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid. The present paragraphs aim to put into evidence the narrative strategies, the hidden meanings and ideas presented in the scene where the protagonist tells the interlocutor about the newer districts of Lahore.

The novelist’s narrative choice turns out to be extremely significant. Indeed Mohsin Hamid wanted to make the Easter perspective heard by the world, that has always considered only the Western point of view. To that end, the dramatic monologue is clearly powerful and efficient because the only one who speaks is the protagonist, Changez, it follows that the reader never hears the words of the Stranger, the interlocutor.

Changez, by addressing to the Stranger, makes a comparison between his native city, Lahore, and New York. He highlights the huge gap displayed in the society: men who afford cars and men on foot. To put it another way, the opposition between rich and poor characterizes the reality of the newer districts of Lahore, that are ironically associated to Manhattan in order to emphasize his sense of apparent affinity. Actually, the poor is represented by Pakistan, whereas the rich symbolizes America.

Consequently Changez tries to give examples of the similarities between the two countries that made him feel at home. By referring to the global environment of Manhattan, he claims that he could always feel at ease and find some Pakistani customs : “Urdu was spoken by taxicab drivers”, “hearing … a song to which I had danced at my cousin’s wedding”, “my skin would typically fall in the middle of the colour spectrum”. With this in mind the intelligent reader understands that Changez is using irony, undoubtedly he hides a sense of nostalgia towards Pakistan. As a result, during his experience in New York, he desperately look for a way out.

To conclude, it is worth to be underlined the efficiency of the fictional choice: the writer’s purpose has been completely satisfied. Analysing in detail the extract, the protagonist’s point of view is clearly expressed through irony and ambiguity, without any western influences.