While observing some good-looking girls in the café Changez recalls his love affair with Erica, an American girl he had fallen in love with.

The 2^nd chapter has the function to introduce the female character “Erica”. But analyzing it more in deep the intelligent reader finds out that the chapter shows the differences between Islamic and American costumes, makes a comparison between Changez and Erica – therefore between their different cultures –, compares the different way to present oneself between a male and a female and puts in evidence the differences between social classes. Furthermore it underlines that the Pakistani protagonist is attracted by the same things of the American interlocutor – such as every human being - and shows also the different costumes in Lahore between old and new generation.

The most important thing is Erica’s introduction. So the narrator relays on the technique of the characterization to develop the 2^ndchapter.

First of all it is interesting to notice the similarity between ‘Erica’ and ‘America’. So even the name is a narrative technique of the characterization.

Changez introduces the woman and at the end of the chapter the reader has got a precise idea of Erica according to how she has been described by the narrator.

Changez is talking about Erica to an interlocutor who since is silenced and therefore doesn’t agree or deny what the protagonist is saying, makes the reader perceived Erica from an indirect point of view.

The conversation starts because of some girls walking in the café and Changez expresses his appreciation about those one saying “they are attractive”. Indirectly the narrator is telling the readers – especially westerners, full of prejudices and stereotypes – that even person from the Easter countries are exactly like everyone else and also they are attracted by women from a physical point of view.

Immediately after he compares them to other women sitting in the café with their family. (“And how different they look from the women of that family sitting at the table beside ours, in their traditional dress.”)

All this is useful to paid the way to introduce Erica.

Talking about her Changez uses expressions like “regal” and “her hair was piled up like a tiara”. Her introduction is therefore not impartial but he describes her like she is a goddess.

“tiara” is a Persian word and using this word the narrator underlines once again the common aspects of all human being: when one fall in love idealizes his or her lover.

The protagonist tells his interlocutor about the first time he and Erica met each other, creating thus the setting of the chapter. (“We met the summer after we graduated … in Greece.)

Reading about his first experience with her the reader finds out other important topics. Through Erica’s characterization the narrator better develops the Changez’s one: Changez describes himself in contrast with Erica, because she is rich and he’s not. But it also underpins the relationship between male and female and western culture versus eastern culture.

Going on reading the narrator introduces another character: Chris, Erica’s dead ex-boyfriend.

Alike for Erica, even her beloved reminds to something else: ‘Chris’ is the shorten form of ‘Christianity’.

The narrator reveals that Erica was thinking of Chris all the time while staying with Changez, pretending somehow that Changez was him.

This underlines another aspect of human beings’ mind: when someone suffers, he or she is able to create a virtual reality and thanks to it outlive their grief, their mournfulness.

The narrator use of language in the 2^nd chapter makes the reader understand that Changez is an idealist. He is every time pursues high goal: being the best student, being the best analyst, being the best lover, being the politest, et cetera. But this cannot be possible, it is not real, it is imaginary, ideal. Even Erica represents the metaphor for Changez’s idea of woman.

But he is who is, he thinks in a certain way because of his cultural education.

Like in the western world people pertaining mostly to Christianity, but not everyone behaves according to their religion code because majority constantly tries to knock down the others just to get a better benefits for themselves (like happens inside Underwood Samson for example), an this is not what Christianity professes.

And so Changez’s characterization is also used to unveil the inconsistency of America’s values.

In conclusion the main functions of the 2^nd chapter are:

- Erica’s presentation/introduction

- topic of love relationship

- topic of 2 different generis

- topic of the meeting male versus female

- topic of 2 different cultures

- meeting of western versus eastern

- different kind of women

- different social classes

- upper class versus lower class