Themes in The Reluctant Fundamentalist

• Post Colonialism
• Racism
• Fundamentalism
• American Imperialism
• Identity 
• how identity is formed
• how identity changes
• Patriotism
• Post 9/11 America
• Unification
• Coming of Age 
• moving from a state of innocence to a state of understanding
• Human Connection
• Loyalty
• Dependence / Independence
• Perception and Prejudice
• Religion
• Truth 
• certainty 
• Integration (into society)
• Grief - Loss
• Sexual and Romantic pressures in society
• Belonging and Identification
• Cultural Difference
• Patriotism 
• pride in your roots/origins
• Isolation
• Nostalgia
• Attitudes to Place

Quotations to Illustrate These Themes:

Post 9/11 America:

"When we arrived I, was separated from my team at immigration.They joined the queue for American citizens; I joined the one for foreigners."

Integration into Society:

"In a subway car, my skin would typically fall in the middle of the colour spectrum."

Perception and Prejudice:

"Perhaps you have drawn certain conclusions from my appearance"

Identity:

"On that day, I did not think of myself as a Pakistani, but as an Underwood Samson trainee."

Cultural Differences:
"I tried not to dwell on the comparison; it was one thing to accept that New York was more wealthy than Lahore, but quite another to swallow the fact that Manila was as well."

How to Write About Theme:

Where - where is this theme dealt with in the novel?

Highlight narrative moments where this theme is present.

How - how is this extract about that particular theme?

Use quotations to illustrate point.

Also talk about the language used in this quotation - what is that particular character's attitude towards the theme?

What - what aspect of the theme is in focus?

What is being suggested?

What does this suggest about the character's and the author's world view?

Example:

   Hamid investigates the theme of identity in his novel, 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist', through Changez's struggle to find a balance between his Pakistani origins and his new adopted American persona. The reader, and perhaps the protagonist himself, first becomes aware of this internal conflict on his first day at Underwood Samson. Changez tells the Stranger that "On that day, [he] did not think of [himself] as a Pakistani, but as an Underwood Samson trainee". This abandonment of his origins symbolises, to a certain extent, how our protagonist favours his new corporate identity over his cultural roots. This idea that being a “trainee”, a noun which often holds connotations of inexperience (and therefore suggests a low status within a company’s hierarchy), holds more importance to Changez than his cultural background during his first day at Underwood Samson introduces a lingering feeling of betrayal that is sustained throughout the novel. Alternatively, this can be seen as Changez's way of avoiding the guilt he feels for leaving his family behind in Lahore. 

   The juxtaposition of these two identities, which is emphasised by Hamid's use of Underwood Samson as a microcosm for the proud nation of America, foreshadows the controversial, yet inevitable, climax of the novel. During this critical moment in the narrative, Changez reveals to the reader that he smiled "as one - and then the other - of the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center collapsed". This shocking confession, in which Changez exposes his antagonistic nature, causes the reader to question their own reaction to the tragic events of September 11 2001. In a podcast with the 'Guardian Review Book Club’, Hamid explained that he tried to investigate "whether it was possible to find, in the reader, the notions of fundamentalism and its reaction". This suggests that this provocative narrative moment not only signifies Changez truly coming to terms with the fact that he cannot be patriotic to both Pakistan and America, but also reveals the our own true nature. The climax, therefore, creates tension, and perhaps guilt, in the reader.

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

Political Context:

The United States:

The terrorist attacks of September 11 2001:

• When Changez leaves Pakistan to study at Princeton he recognises that he becomes a guest of the most economically advanced country in the world.
• However, the security of the American lifestyle is soon compromised by the events of 9/11.
• A series of suicide attacks targeted the USA:
• Two hijacked aircrafts (American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175) crashed into the World Trade Centre of New York causing the Twin Towers to collapse. This resulted in 2996 deaths  and over 6000 injuries.
• A five hijackers flew a third aircraft (American Airlines Flight 77) into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
• A forth flight (United Airlines Flight 93), controlled by four hijackers, crashed near in rural Pennsylvania.
• There were no survivors from any of the aircrafts.
• The attacks have since been attributed to Al-Qaeda, an Islamist group which is believed to have originated in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the late 1980s.

The 'War on Terror':

• The terrorist attacks lead to the formation of the Global War on Terrorism (referred to as the War on Terror  by George W Bush, the US president at the time), an international military campaign.
• As part of their project to combat the threat of  terrorism, the US invaded Afghanistan, and later Iran (2003) in attempt to remove the oppressive Taliban regime which harboured Al-Qaeda.

America as a nation:

• The 9/11 terrorist attacks led to an increase of national security, a tightening of immigration laws and greater censorship. 
• In the immediate aftermath of the events, there was an overwhelming surge of patriotism amongst the American public:
• The American flag appeared everywhere showing that all citizens stood 'united' as they grieved for the victims of the attacks.
• IN THE NOVEL...
• Changez faces the hostility of his colleges as well as discrimination.
• "I was aware of being under suspicion."
• "When we arrived I, was separated from my team at immigration.They joined the queue for American citizens; I joined the one for foreigners."
• "Perhaps you have drawn certain conclusions from my appearance"
• Changez quickly becomes afraid of being attacked as there was an increase in suspicion, verbal abuse and attacks against people and institutions believed to be Muslim in post 9/11 America.
• "Pakistani cabdrivers were being beaten […] the FBI was raiding mosques, shops, and even people’s houses."

Pakistan:

Changez often contrasts the powerful America with his home country, Pakistan.

"Four thousand years ago, we, the people of the Indus River basin, had cities that were laid out on grids and boasted underground sewers, while the ancestors of those who would invade and colonize America were illiterate barbarians. Now our cities were largely unplanned, unsanitary affairs, and America had universities with individual endowments greater than our national budget for education."

"[Underwood Samson's] offices were perched on the forty-first and forty-second floors of a building in midtown - higher than any two structures here in Lahore would be if they were stacked one atop the other."

Historical Context 

"The Reluctant Fundamentalist explores the world, particularly the United States and Pakistan, during the late 90s and early 2000s. The single most important historical event in the novel is the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11. 2001: Hamid shows how the events of this day inspired the War on Terror in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, as well as the impact of that act on the social world of the United States. The India-Pakistan Standoff of 2001-2002, which makes Changez fear for his family’s safety, is another important event in the novel. Finally, Hamid alludes to the early 2000s recession, which coincided with the dot-com bubble “bursting,” and led to increased unemployment around the world." LitCharts

Characters - Erica

Basic Information About the Character:

• Often characterised by her beauty.
• Princeton graduate - Class of 2000.
• New York native.
• She is an aspiring writer.
• Erica is Changez's love interest, the girl he falls in love with. 
• She also has strong feelings for Changez but his feelings of love aren't reciprocated due to Erica still being in love with her dead ex-boyfriend Chris.
• She has very nostalgic feelings for Chris, who was not only her boyfriend but her best friend since early childhood. 
• Part of the reason that she cannot love Changez in the way that he loves her is because Chris only died a year before they met so the loss is still a fresh wound for her. 
• After 9/11 she falls back into the depression that she was struggling to get out of the Summer after Chris died.
• By the end of the novel, there is an implication that Erica may have killed herself but this , along with many aspects of the novel, is left ambiguous.
• Even after his return to Pakistan, Changez still thinks fondly of Erica (sends her letters which always come back to him unopened) and hopes that someday Erica will come to him.

Significance of Her Name:

The word 'Erica' is contained within the word 'America'. Many parallels can be drawn between Changez's complex relationship with Erika, to his troubled relationship with the country. The feeling of rejection is a common theme to both. 

Quotations (by or relating to Erica):

"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."

"“I’m more unsettled than nervous,” she said. “It’s like I’m an oyster. I’ve had this sharp speck inside me for a long time, and I’ve been trying to make it more comfortable, so slowly I’ve turned it into a peal. But now it’s finally being taken out, and just as it’s going I’m realizing there’s a gap being left behind.”"

"“Are you missing Chris?” She nodded, and I saw tears begin to force themselves between her lashes. “Then pretend,” I said, “pretend I am him.” I do not know why I said it; I felt overcome and it seemed, suddenly, a possible way forward."

"“Are you missing Chris?” She nodded, and I saw tears begin to force themselves between her lashes. “Then pretend,” I said, “pretend I am him.” I do not know why I said it; I felt overcome and it seemed, suddenly, a possible way forward."

Source:
http://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-reluctant-fundamentalist