The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

This novel is written by Mohsin Hamid, a Pakistani novelist. He gives us a new point of view, different from the American one.

The language used is simple and the novel is written not in his original language, but it is written in English. Indeed, he wants Americans to read his book, because they have never accepted a different point of view.

- The main themes of this book are:

-          - Religious fundamentalism;

-          - Economic fundamentalism;

-          - The differences between classes;

-          - Different religions;

-          - Identity;

-          - Different genres;

-          - Different cultures.

Along the story, the protagonist is changing. He leaves his origins and after that he follows his American dream.

After the Twin Towers attack, he changes again. Indeed, he finds an objective view of the life; in the middle between America and Pakistan.

He is a fundamentalist, but not strictly because he tries to adapt himself to a different social reality, but after a while he returns to his origins.

Hamid wrote the story using a monologue to give a Pakistani point of view about what is happened. In addition, with his choice, he found a system to silence the American interlocutor. The intelligent reader can feels the presence of the interlocutor because the narrator stops the narration, to refers to the present.

Doing that, Changez seems to talk with the reader and not with an interlocutor. So, there is a strictly relationship between the narrator and the reader.

Alternating narration with little episode of the present, the novelist keeps the reader’s attention and he creates suspense.

One of the most important messages of the book is that apparent social and cultural differences create mental limits that take us to prejudices. In the Chapter twelve, indeed, Changez says that a European could consider Pakistani as terrorists, while Pakistani could judge Europeans as assassins. From the first chapter, the intelligent reader can understand that we judge people in a global impression, making prejudices and following stereotypes.

The Twin Towers attack makes Changez aware and it also awakens his patriotic spirit that brings him to lose every American thing he had.

There are a lot of symbolism and references to stereotypes in this novel. Stereotypes are also in the first chapter when the intelligent reader can find: “Do not be frightened by my beard. I am a lover of America” or “are typical of a certain type of American”. As the intelligent reader can see, people judge other people reposing to stereotypes.

The protagonist Changez whose name signifies changes is one of the most important symbolism of this book. Indeed, Changez sacrifices his personality and his own identity for Erica and also for his American dream.

Chris, the dead boyfriend of Erica, reminds the reader of Christ, so, to the Christianity, in contrast with Islamism.

Last but not least, when Changez lost his job at the Underwood Samson, he lost also United States. The intelligent reader can realizes that the initial letters are the same: and .