Hello readers,
This week in class we have started to explore Mohsin Hamid’s ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’, which tells the story of a Pakistani immigrant named Changez on his journey in America. One of the most striking aspects of this novel for me was the narrative structure. From the beginning, Changez entices readers by setting up a unique framework where he participates in a largely one-sided conversation with a mysterious American. Although at this point the reader has virtually no knowledge on the motives of Changez or the American, the nature of the conversation still manages to instill suspicion into the reader. This ambiguous fear sets the tone for the rest of the novel as we’re not exactly sure who Changez may identify as, or if he may be fabricating his whole story. This underlying fear that perpetuates for the entirety of the novel is why ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ has been classified as a ‘thriller’. However, Hamid’s perspective challenges this classification. He says,”many people have said it feels like a thriller. The reason for that is we are already afraid.”
For me, Hamid’s response captured some unsettling realities of American-Muslim relations after 9/11. Why are we afraid reading along with Changez’s narrative? Is it because we as readers have preconceived notions about Changez, who is a Pakistani immigrant who has vocalized his frustrations with the U.S.? Or is it because we are feeding off of the discomfort that the American seems to be having? I think the ambiguous nature between the Changez’s and the American’s transaction symbolizes the ambiguous suspicious that Islamophobia, or even terrorism, is based around. Hamid offers no concrete evidence that either character wishes to commit an act of violence, but based on few snippets of the conversation that seem to imply a certain message, the tension between the two of them becomes palpable. Hamid’s decision to leave the reader at cliffhanger could symbolize the uncertainty of future Muslim-American relations, and also allows the reader to reflect on what they think happens next. One of the many possible explanations is that Changez has been plotting to kill the American the entire time. I don’t know whether this is the ‘right’ conclusion, but I think its wrong to label Changez as a terrorist. I think one of the things that Hamid’s novel demonstrates is that it is possible for Middle-Eastern or muslim people to develop frustration or contempt about America without it having anything to do with terrorism or religious radicalism. Unfortunately, this is a negative stereotype that exists in America’s culture, media and reputation as a country. This stereotype could have been one of the factors that drove Changez away from America, and could also represent the effects that racial profiling has on real life Pakistani-American immigrants. All in all, I think classifying ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ as a thriller lies completely in the feelings of the reader. But Hamid’s response urges us to question the reasons why we may feel unsettled while reading Changez’s story.
Thanks for reading and let me know whether you would classify TRF as a thriller!
Harnoor