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.