The Reluctant Fundamentalist

 

Chapter 1

Setting: Cafè in Lahore

The first chapter has an introductory function and both presents the situation and clarifies the narrative technique: dramatic monologue.

Changez is the speaking voice and is talking with an anonymous stranger whom the reader knows almost nothing about. He tells about his relationship with America and about his youth so gives the reader more information about himself

 

Chapter 2

In the second chapter Changez continues to talk with the stranger but this time focuses his attention on tha American girls and, in particular, to Erica, who he met during a trip in Greece.

 

Chapter 3

This time the protagonist tells more about his job at Underwood Samson, a prestigious and exclusive agency, Which also had a sort of training camp for the new employees. Here Changez demonstrates that he was starting to feel part of the American way of living, especially because of the similarities between NY an his home city

 

Chapter 4

In this Chapter Changez gets back talking about Erica and, more in the detail, he tells about the time he spent with her in NY after they moved away from Princeton, referring by the way also about the annoying and stereotypical feeling her father had toward Pakistan.

 

Chapter 5

In this chapter is told about Changez’s trip to Philippines due to his job, where he started to feel kind of resentment toward the American power. He started to feel uncomfortable and had also troubled sleep. After that there’s the attack to the World Trade Center.

 

Chapter 6

In the sixth chapter Changez tells about the consequences of the attack on NY the next day and also on Erica (that now comes clear, it’s the personification of America) which is distant with Changez and all the other people and still talks about her dead boyfriend.

 

Chapter 7

In this chapter Changez continues to try to focus on his job but it’s very hard due to the events that are happening: Pakistani people are being discriminated also with violence and Afghanistan has been bombed, contributing to worsen the relationship between the protagonist and the American power. Moreover he is struggling in his relationship with Erica who is very nervous and in order to have finally sex with him he is also forced to pretend he is her last boyfriend. The experience so it has not been that “exciting”.

 

Chapter 8

Erica is devastated and continues to look back at the past, her relationship with Changez gets worse and worse. The protagonist continues though to work well, at least until he is attack by Arabian hater to whom he respond aggressively.

 

 

 

Chapter 9

In this part Changez starts to feel a different feeling about his country and understands its beauty and feels uncomfortable and angry about the facts that are happening there. He decides not to shave his beard anymore in sign of protest and starts struggling with his job and his superior, even though he is sent to a very important trip to Chile

 

Chapter 10

Changez goes to Chile but really can’t focus on his job due to the events that are happening to his home country and gets back to NY in disgrace.

 

Chapter 11

Changez thinks about the American internation policy on the flight back to NY and gets much more critical about them. He soon loses his job due to his “inactivity” in Chile. He doesn’t have many reasons to stay and his visit to Erica confirms it. She had indeed left the clinic where she was set.

 

Chapter 12

Changez leaves America had returns to Pakistan and works as a university lecturer. He becomes a model for his students and gets involved in demonstrations and meetings, but receives official warnings and people around him start to fear that he might get “discouraged” in a very bad way.

As the story finishes in fact, the reader doesn’t know what is going to happen next and if Changez is going to be killed, maybe by that man he had talked to all the time.

 

 

Relations between the Chapters

 

The first three chapter present Changez and the other main characters, living an initial point of view of the story.

 

From chapter 4 to chapter 9 the chapter basically tell about the inner struggle Changez is dealing with because of the 9/11 and all the other International affairs.

 

The last four chapter instead focus on his new identity that Changez has grown, which is exemplified by his beard that is now kept uncut.

 

The relationship between Changez and America is exemplified by his relationship with Erica: at the beginning he finds her awesome and the same does she while with time she start sto get away from him because of her last boyfriend, whose death is instead a metaphor for 9/11. Erica indie can’t get away from the past and finally disappers, just like Changez’s relationships with America.