# data[].attributes.body
“Some of my relatives held on to imagined memories the way homeless people hold onto lottery tickets. Nostalgia was their crack cocaine, if you will, and my childhood was littered with the consequences of their addiction : unserviceable debts, squabbles over inheritances, the odd alcoholic or suicide.”

In this quote Hamid describes nostalgia in its pathological terms. Changes recognizes that it could be an addiction with negative consequences.

“When my turn came, I said I hoped one day to be the dictator of an Islamic republic with nuclear capability; the other appeared shocked, and I was forced to explain that I had been joking. Erica alone smiled; she seemed to understand my sense of humor.”

You can interpret this quote as a foreshadowing for the things Changez meant and stood by. Maybe he did not want to be the dictator of an Islamic republic with nuclear capability, but he (for sure) wanted something to change. In the end of the book he even were the leader of an anti-American group.

“I stared as one - and then the other - of the twin towers of New York´s World Trade Center collapses. And then I smiled. Yes, despicable as it may sound, my initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased.”

This quote is representing the moment when Changez realized that he was not as American as he might have thought, or as he might wanted to be. This is the point where he realized he was proud of his Pakistani identity - that he liked the fact that America “

“I noticed that you were looking for something; more than looking, in fact you seemed to be on a mission…”

This might be a foreshadowing to the end “I detect a glint of metal. Given that you and I are now bound by a certain shared intimacy, I trust it is from the holder of your business cards.”. Whas the American on a mission? What was his mission?

“You're a watchful guy. you know where that comes from?" I shook my head. "It comes from feeling out of place," he said. "Believe me. I know.”

“... I did something i Manila I had never done before: I attempted to act and speak, as much as my dignity would permit, more like an American.”

This shows us that Changez was a person with quite some identity-problems.

# data[].attributes.body
At first, the title can be hard to understand. After reading the first couple of chapters you might start to understand the meaning of it based on what you read.  A fundamentalist is commonly known as a religious term, in which the person is strictly following a set of beliefs. Changez can be described as a reluctant fundamentalist because he does not choose to become a fundamentalist per.se. He is in some ways pushed into a kind of fundamentalism as he develops his identity in contrast to what seems to be American.

Changez is caught between the American culture and the Pakistani culture; torn between two worlds, and is not sure of which one, if there is one, he belongs to.

The title might help readers of the book to understand how ethnocentric behaviour can turn people unsure of the fundamentalism of their culture, into a reluctant fundamentalist. We think the title suits the story.

# data[].attributes.body
The people he is talking to from the book. The way the book is written is how the main persons is talking to us like we are ‘’The Americans’’. He is talking us about how it feels to move from Pakistan to America. How the Americans were thinking about him, how they felt about him. That after 9/11 Americans thought all Arabic looking people were to blame for the attacks.

He was talking to us like he had no one else to talk with. To make him feel better that at least someone knows how he feels and went thru. He was talking to the Americans to let them know how people are treating the innocent ones who didn't do anything wrong, just because of their skin color after 9/11

# data[].attributes.body
It is a company located in America, where Changez started working. Underwood Samson seems like the perfect place to finally achieve the "American dream". While it is very hard to make yourself noticeable, because you had to work hard in order to get rewarded, and if not, you will get fired if you are not doing what you are not doing what you are supposed to do.

But later on, Changez realizes that the company was not as great as it seemed like, because the company had a lot of flaws upon his clients since they had to fire employees in order to reconstruct their company, where some might not ever get a job again. A hidden racism also started among Changez’ colleagues after the incident.

# data[].attributes.body
It is in a way muslims vs christians, since Changes always feel like he has to compete with Chris.

# data[].attributes.body
'The Reluctant Fundamentalist explores the necessity for people to understand differences in their lives.

It has a variety of themes as the story goes by, such as: racism, fundamentalism, American Imperialism, Identity, how identity is formed, how identity changes and patriotism post 9/11.

# data[].attributes.body
Dead in the story, used to be Erica's  boyfried.  They had known each other since childhood. He died because of cancer. He too went to Princeton

His name means Christian.
His role in the story, beside being Erica's dead boyfriend,  is being a person that Changez has to compete with.

It is in a way muslims vs christians, since Changes always feel like he has to compete with Chris.  Chris's name can be looked at as a metaphor between muslims and christians, since Changez is a muslim.

Chris is a big part of Erica's life, which makes it difficult for Erica in the story.

# data[].attributes.body
Is a Beautiful girl that also is a
Princeton graduate with whom
Changes falls in love with.
Even though Erica tends to treat Changez more than a foreigner than a friend and a lover. Erica has been trough a deep depression after her last boyfriend "chris" died from cancer. After the 9/11 she falls into another depression with a sort of sick obsession for chris, that makes it impossible for a relationship with Changez. That the name Erica is contained in America, is by no coincidence, Changez relationship with Erica might be a parrarel to his relationship with America.

# data[].attributes.body
9/11 is a big part of the book, after 9/11 happens Changez feels like he needs to pick sides. Changez doesn't feel at home after 9/11 and thinks of himself like he is a soldier for America to fight against Pakistan. Changez also smiles after watching the event of 9/11 on the news, which makes him unsure of his place in America. He believe America has given him alot but after 9/11 however, he feels his place is with his homeland.

# data[].attributes.body
Changez i a boy who worked hard and was bery smart, he went to Princeton at age 18, and got a job at Underwood Samson. He palyed soccer. He is from Pakistan, Lahore. His family lives in Lahore and he lives in New York. Changez is the main character in the book and you only see his point of view. when he ended his job and moved home he was 22 year old.

He is described as polite and formal. Changez is a muslim. After 9/11 didn´t he know if he belonged in Lahore or in New York. He had an identity crisis. While he studied at Princeton he met Erica which he fell in love with. He had some issues with Erica that had her mind of her dead boyfriend Chris.

# data[].attributes.body
The setting takes place in New York and Lahore.

Valparaiso is the setting that helps Changez realize his loathing for America and his loyalty to Pakistan.

Lahore is Changez's birthplace. The setting in Lahore, becomes the center of his "rebirth" as a fundamentalist.  Lahore is where his narrative begins with the American sitting across from him in a cafe in the Old Anarkali district.  Lahore is where Changez is able to supposedly gain the perspective on the West that explains so much of his new belief.

Lahore brings out his true character

The notion of change and "Changez" become reflected in the physical change in setting.

# data[].attributes.body
Everything is from the narrator's perspective, meaning Changez was the one that told us everything and he could choose to include us with every detail or exclude certain details that he did not want us to know about. This way, we don't know if we can trust him and whether everything is a lie or not.

It is a very unique way to narrate a story and very rare too, and most of us have not been through such a story like this one. We also get the big perspective from a Pakistani himself on his opinion and thoughts about the 9/11 incident. How he described himself being lightened up by the whole situation even if he was in America at that time trying to live like an American.

The narrator style make it possible for us to think like the narrator and foresee the future, such as his decisions and and how he'd feel about certain things happening in his life.