THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST QUOTES

"Do not be frightened by my beard: I am a lover of America." (p.1)

Changez's beard provocatively baits stereotypes linking to religious fundamentalism drawing our attention to divisions based on the superficial i.e. Changez's beard. Changez implores the American not to be "frightened" by his beard and reassures him that he is a "lover of America" though the reader can certainly sense that this is a loaded statement and that his relationship with the United States is more complex and conflicted that he initially indicates. The narrative frequently uses a technique called procatalepsis or prolepsis and this is the first example of the device. It is a figure of speech in which the speaker raises an objection to their own argument and then immediately answers it. By doing so, they hope to strengthen their argument by dealing with possible counter-arguments before their audience can raise them.

"This is a dream come true. Princeton inspired in me the feeling that my life was a film in which I was the star and everything was possible. I have access to this beautiful campus, I thought, to professors who are titans in their fields and fellow students who are philosopher-kings in the making." (p.3)

Changez relishes the traditions and culture of Pakistan but appreciated the opportunities that America and Princeton gave him and this is captured in this highly romanticised depiction of the university. Changez is drawn to both cultures simultaneously and as we trace Changez's turbulent evolution, we see him grappling with this cultural and philosophical dichotomy.

"invited into the ranks of meritocracy." (p.4)

Princeton and afterwards Underwood Samson afford Changez the opportunity to succeed.

"Every fall, Princeton raised her skirt for the corporate recruiters who came onto campus and - as you say in America - showed them some skin." (p.5)

This is an overtly sexualised image. This metaphor is the opposite of Islam as women have to cover up. Changez is acknowledging that American culture degraded him.

"like a jeweler's when he inspects out of curiosity a diamond he intends neither to buy nor to sell." (p.8)

This elaborate simile is the first of many suggestions that recur about Jim's romantic interest in Changez.

"But it did not, could not, make me forget such things as how much I enjoy the tea in this, the city of my birth, steeped long enough to acquire a rich, dark color." (p.16-17)

Changez presents the reader with a positive image of the opportunities he was afforded at Princeton, however, the phrase "did not, could not" which includes the repetition of not for emphasis is highly suggestive of the fact that he not only takes pride in his Pakistani roots, but also feels the pull of home quite keenly.

"and was well-liked as an exotic acquaintance by some of the others" (p.19)

Despite the fact that Changez initially feels a sense of belonging in America, he acknowledges his outsider status.

"so stunningly regal was she. Her hair was piled up like a tiara on her head, and her navel - ah, what a navel: made firm, I would later learn, by years of tae kwon do - was visible beneath a short T-shirt bearing an image of Chairman Mao." (p.19)

The novel charts both Changez's professional quest and his personal one. Allegorically, Erica is the other face of American culture (Am-Erica). The tiara simile calls to mind the American icon, the Statue of Liberty. The statue is an icon of freedom in the United States and was largely regarded as a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad. Erica practises tae kwon do and wears a shirt "bearing an image of Chairman Mao" which suggests that for all its modernity, the United States does not have a culture of its own.

"I'm not good at being alone." (p.21)

Erica's insecurity is immediately established.

"You give off this strong sense of home" (p.22)

It is Erica who introduces the motif of homeland. She is attracted to Changez because he is her opposite. Now that Chris has passed away, Erica feels rootless and empty. It is almost as though her "oddly anachronistic" behaviour puts her at ease.

"Its cities were fortified, protected by ancient castles; they guarded against the Turks, much like part of a wall against the East that still stands. How strange it was for me to think I grew up on the other side." (p.26)

Changez draws our attention to the divide between East and West. The phrase "the other side" also illuminates Changez's divided identity - he feels that he cannot belong to both the East and West simultaneously.

"it was my boyfriend's... He died last year... His name was Chris." (p.30)

Allegorically the name Chris can be read as representing Christianity. America is so fixated upon Christianity that they are unable to see past it. The fact that Chris is dead symbolises the fact that America should move forwards. Other readers of the novel have seen Chris as representing Christopher Columbus, the man who 'discovered' America.

"She listened to me with a series of smiles, as though she were sipping at my descriptions and finding them to her taste." (p.31)

A vibrant and highly sensory image which suggests Erica's fascination with Changez's otherness.

"Except my home was a guy with long skinny fingers." (p.32)

Erica's inability to forget the past renders her emotionally sterile.

"moving to New York felt - so unexpectedly - like coming home." (p.36)

New York instills a sense of belonging in Changez because of the familiar, homey comforts it offers: taxi drivers who speak Urdu, a Punjab deli that sits a mere two blocks from his apartment, and a float that plays a song he remembers from his cousin's wedding. Changez reconfigures his sense of belonging by translating his past into his present, the culture, food, language, and space of Pakistan into New York.

"On that day, I did not think of myself as a Pakistani, but as an Underwood Samson trainee." (p.38)

The initials of Underwood Samson (US) alert us to the allegorical possibilities in Hamid's depiction of the organisation. The name Samson has biblical connotations as Samson in the bible is blessed with great strength. The valuation firm specialises in ascertaining the fundamental "value" of companies prior to recommending their demise. It is a self-professed meritocracy, in which the successful reap material rewards but in which the weaker and more vulnerable are ruthlessly disposed of as exemplified in Sherman's declaration that "If you do well, you'll be rewarded. If you don't you'll be out the door." There is a sense of cultural dilution as Changez now sees himself as a trainee American. This certainly links to the Darwinist theory of economics which revolves around success at all costs and survival of the fittest.

"unsheathing my credit card... but he did not accept American Express." (p.44)

Again, the word "unsheathing" has military connotations. When Changez first finds the Pak Punjab Deli, he feels that he is at home, however, he is slowly becoming a wealthy outsider.

"I was aware of an advantage conferred upon me by my foreignness, and I tried to utilize it as much as I could." (p.47)

Changez is conscious of his distinctiveness and his natural politeness initially sets him apart in the business realm.

"I met her eyes, and for the first time I perceived that there was something broken behind them, like a tiny crack in a diamond that becomes visible only when viewed through a magnifying lens; normally it is hidden by the brilliance of the stone." (p.59)

Erica and America on the exterior are glamorous and alluring, however, if you look beneath the surface, they are cracked and broken as exemplified by this ornate simile.

"Economy's falling apart though, no? Corruption, dictatorship, the rich living like princes while everyone else suffers. Solid people, don't get me wrong. I like Pakistanis. But the elite has raped that place well and good, right? And fundamentalism. You guys have got some serious problems with fundamentalism." (p.63)

The verb "raped" again associates America with sex. Additionally, his comment - however accurate - encapsulates America's view of Pakistan as largely negative.

"I realized I was being ushered into an insider's world - the chic heart of this city - to which I would otherwise have had no access." (p.64)

Erica moves in affluent and privileged circles representing the high-living, urban, wealthy American. Changez attempts to blend in and act more American around Erica evidenced in his lack of communication with the Punjabi taxi driver on the previous page "I could hear our driver chatting on his mobile in Punjabi and knew from his accent that he was Pakistani. Normally I would have said hello, but on that particular night I did not." (p.63)

"They are gone now; it is possible that, like butterflies and fireflies, they belonged to a dreamier world incompatible with the pollution and congestion of a modern metropolis." (p.71)

The suggestion here is that Changez is incompatible with America and this image foreshadows his later disillusionment with his host nation.

"But bats have survived here. They are successful urban dwellers, like you and I, swift enough to escape detection and canny enough to hunt among a crowd. I marvel at their ability to navigate the cityscape; no matter how close they come to these building, they are never involved in a collision. Butterflies, on the other hand, tend to splatter on the windshields of passing automobiles, and I have once seen a firefly bumping repeatedly against the window of a house, unable to comprehend the glass that barred its way." (p.71-72)

Changez seems to turn the natural into the unnatural and the interplay between menace and friendliness continues. The antique flavour of his language seems to mask his menace. The image of animals flying into buildings foreshadows 9/11. The firefly is a recurring motif in the novel and arguably it functions as a metaphor for the immigrant, forever on the outside of their adopted home.

"I attempted to act and speak, as much as my dignity would permit, more like an American... I wanted my share of that respect as well." (p.74)

By trying to act more like an American, Changez is compromising his cultural identity in a bid to win the deference and acceptance of those around him.

"my Pakistaniness was invisible, cloaked by my suit, my expense account, and - most of all - by my companions." (p.82)

Changez's identity is very complex indeed; he feels that his roots are being disguised by the façade created by his job at Underwood Samson.

"I stared as one - and then the other - of the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center collapsed. And then I smiled. Yes, despicable as it may sound, my initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased." (p.83)

There are myriad interpretations of this reaction and to immediately dismiss his response as "anti-American" reduces its intricacy and complexity. The events of 9/11 seem to rouse Changez from his "American Dream" and the shock of the attack forces Changez to confront his identity and thus his deep-rooted resentments are exposed. 9/11 is the catalyst for the development of Changez's hateful (and possibly irrational) attitude towards the United States. Arguably, however, Changez's recollection of the events of 9/11 seem somewhat calculated - on the one hand we could see his reaction as being remarkably honest - indeed, there is something innately voyeuristic about human beings, which is why when we drive past a car accident, our initial reaction is to look - however, he could also be embellishing the truth to suit his current agenda. It is interesting that Hamid chooses to have Changez witness the attacks from a television screen in Manila. His distance from the tragedy mirrors the distance he will begin to feel when he returns.

"At the airport, I was escorted by armed guards into a room where I was made to strip down to my boxer shorts" (p.85)

Things change immediately; Changez is subjected to suspicion and humiliation. Changez's adopted country has become hostile to him and Changez cannot use his Underwood Samson business card or his politeness and charm to escape detainment.

"My entrance elicited looks of concern from many of my fellow passengers. I flew to New York uncomfortable in my own face; I was aware of being under suspicion, I felt guilty" (p.85)

Changez is on the receiving end of overt prejudice which profoundly affects him despite racism and Islamophobia being an inevitable repercussion of the 9/11 attacks. Changez's sense of belonging is transformed overnight, an indication that so-called civilised society is constructed on very fragile pillars.

"They joined the queue for American citizens; I joined the one for foreigners... My team did not wait for me." (p.85-86)

Immediately Changez experiences isolation. This statement gives the novel a sense of authenticity and credibility as security was heightened at airports in the aftermath of the attacks and many individuals were subjected to racism and humiliation.

"Your country's flag invaded New York after the attacks; it was everywhere." (p.90) T.

he possessive determiner "your" is indicative of Changez becoming increasingly conscious of his status as a guest in America and the military verb "invaded" is highly suggestive of the global repercussions

"I felt in the strength of her ongoing attachment to Chris the presence of a rival - albeit a dead one - with whom I feared I could never compete." (p.93)

Despite Changez's determination to delude himself, it is clear that deep down he is aware of the limitations of the relationship and how unlikely it is to flourish. Chris represents happiness in Erica's past; it is a romantic notion that she cannot suppress. Her nostalgia inhibits her from developing any meaningful relationship in the present. Erica has put Chris on a pedestal; she reveres him and consequently has forgotten any of his faults and instead merely augments her memories of him so she is rendered incapable of moving forwards.

"Her body had lost its tan and appeared almost blue in the glow of the television... She seemed otherworldly" (p.101)

Changez's description of Erica as being "otherworldly" illustrates their incompatibility and, allegorically speaking, Changez's incompatibility with America.

"I overlooked the growing wound this inflicted on my pride and continued... her body had rejected me." (p.102-103)

The allegorical relationship between America and Erica intensifies after their aborted attempt to make love; Changez is "rejected" by both Erica's body and by America itself. In order to be compatible with Erica, Changez has to suppress his own identity. Here Hamid creates pathos with Changez.

"I found reassurance in my father's views, and I dressed myself in them as though they were my own." (p.107)

Here the clothing metaphor illuminates the fact that Changez is deceiving himself and is not yet ready to accept the inevitable changes that are enveloping society.

"We built the Royal Mosque and the Shalimar Gardens in this city, and we built the Lahore Fort with its mighty walls and wide ramp for our battle-elephants. And we did these things when your country was still a collection of thirteen small colonies, gnawing away at the edge of a continent." (p.116)

Changez continually criticises America for its lack of culture and waxes lyrical about Pakistan's rich cultural history. The italicised and repeated 'we' reveals the bitterness that lurks behind Changez's polite and intelligent demeanour; Changez invokes an ancient glory in order to recuperate Pakistan in its present position. Here, he is clearly showing his affiliation to Pakistan.

"Then pretend," I said, "pretend I am him." (p.119)

Allegorically, the suggestion here is that only by surrendering his identity and assuming the persona of a white, Christian American, can Changez be adopted by America; Changez obliterates his past identity in order to gain Erica's acceptance.

"I suspect I was never better at the pursuit of fundamentals than I was at that time, analyzing data as though my life depended on it. Our creed was one which valued above all else maximum productivity, and such a creed was for me doubly reassuring because it was quantifiable - and hence knowable - in a period of great uncertainty" (p.132-133)

Underwood Samson is synonymous with aggressive capitalism. Although Changez is riddled with doubts and uncertainties about his future, he is still clinging on to his career. The use of the word "creed" is interesting because of its religious connotations.

"Yet even at Underwood Samson I could not entirely escape the growing importance of tribe." (p.133)

The italicised "tribe" is suggestive of a community that is hostile to others and this certainly has resonance in the aftermath of 9/11. Changez attempts to manage this period of uncertainty by approaching his work with greater ferocity than ever, however, he is increasingly aware of his status as a guest rather than a resident in America. A tragedy such as 9/11 leaves indelible marks upon a group's consciousness and thus America, whilst succumbing to the rhetoric of nostalgia, looks inwards, leaving people like Changez on the marginalised periphery.

"I recall the Americanness of my own gaze when I returned to Lahore that winter when war was in the offing... I was saddened to find it in such a state - no, more than saddened, I was shamed. This was where I came from, this was my provenance, and it smacked of lowliness... I had changed; I was looking about me with the eyes of a foreigner, and not just any foreigner, but that particular type of entitled and unsympathetic American who so annoyed me when I encountered him in the classrooms and workplaces of your country's elite." (p.140-141)

American culture and propaganda is so powerful that Changez has been transformed in less than a year. Changez has allowed himself to be brainwashed and thus he believes that his feeling of shame and sadness when he returns home is a negation of his own identity.

"What sort of man abandons his people in such circumstances? And what was I abandoning them for? A well-paying job and a woman who I longed for but who refused even to see me? I grappled with these questions again and again." (p.145)

Rhetorical questions permeate this passage exposing Changez's internal conflict. Changez becomes increasingly and unhappily aware of the impotence of one individual to impact upon the inexorable development of geo-political concerns, but regardless, feels that he must make a choice. Of his writing, Hamid has expressed his belief that "a novel can often be a divided man's conversation with himself" and, given Hamid's similarities to his narrator, many have thought that Hamid is Changez. However, Hamid has referred to himself as a "mongrel" and has stated that Changez's problems stem from the fact that he feels he has to choose one side, whereas Hamid himself does not.

"I had not shaved my two-week-old beard. It was, perhaps, a form of protest on my part, a symbol of my identity, or perhaps I sought to remind myself of the reality I had just left behind; I do not now recall my precise motivations. I know only that I did not wish to blend in with the army of clean-shaven youngsters who were my coworkers, and that inside me, for multiple reasons, I was deeply angry." (p.147-148)

Changez has a growing need to assert his own identity. He seemingly does not care that growing a beard will undoubtedly provoke unease. This illustrates startlingly immaturity on Changez's behalf.

"I was subjected to verbal abuse by complete strangers, and at Underwood Samson I seemed to become overnight a subject of whispers and stares... Jerk chicken is common where I come from... but I don't smear it all over my face." (p.148)

Changez is deliberately nurturing ill-feeling and choosing to alienate himself from his co-workers. Wainwright, who previously bonded with Changez over their shared non-Western identity, now warns Changez to keep his cultural differences outside the office. In the wake of 9/11, Underwood Samson's assertion that, as an organisation, it is only interested in results, is exposed as an unconvincing façade; unease, born of instinctive suspicion and prejudice, begins to permeate the office when his co-workers see Changez growing his beard.

"What was essential was that I seek to understand why I had failed to penetrate the membrane with which she guarded her psyche... my longing for her was undiminished despite our months of near-complete separation." (p.160)

Despite the finality of their last meeting, Erica seems to occupy Changez's thoughts. Evidently he is struggling to let go and move on.

"In other words, my blinders were coming off, and I was dazzled and rendered immobile by the sudden broadening of my arc of vision." (p.165)

Changez experiences an awakening to his own complicity in American egocentrism. He realises that Underwood Samson transformed him into someone who was completely fixated on the firm's economic ambitions. Changez's love affair with America is coming to an end.

"All I knew was that my days of focusing on the fundamentals were done." (p.175)

Changez resolves to stop aiding and representing the American Capitalist machine. However, the lurking question that has permeated the latter part of the novel - will Changez exchange one type of fundamentalism for another? - continues to compel the reader to read on.

"I felt as though a world had ended" (p.182)

Here the reader is reminded that Changez is only a young man who is desperately confused and unhappy. Changez displays a deep homesickness for the innocent world of his youth. Whilst he feels that he has betrayed his origins and has shared in the oppressor's guilt, he is also giving up a lucrative and tremendously successful life in America, something which is difficult for him to reconcile. His feeling of failure elicits sympathy from the reader. It is interesting that Changez says "a world" and not "the world", clearly he feels that his American "world" is collapsing.

"One evening I was walking with Erica through Union Square and we saw a firefly. "Look!" she said, amazed. "It's trying to compete with the buildings." Indeed it was: a tiny greenish glow visible up close but overwhelmed by the city's luminance when viewed from even a modest distance. We watched as it crossed Fourteenth Street, headed south. Erica stood in front of me, her back to my chest, and I placed my arms around her, resting my palms on her belly. It felt an intimate gesture - like that of an expectant father with his pregnant wife - and she leaned against me. I can still recall the movement of her muscles as she breathed. A taxi sped by and we lost sight of the firefly. "Do you think he made it?" she asked me. "I have no idea," I said "but I hope so." (p.187-188)

The firefly motif reappears here. In this moment, Changez is still full of hope; the image of Erica as an expectant mother is indicative of his desire to establish a home with her. As with the firefly reference in Chapter Five where Changez notices a firefly "bumping repeatedly against the window of a house, unable to comprehend the glass that barred its way" (p.72), we could see the firefly as a metaphor for the immigrant experience - a lifetime of competition and desire to be accepted and welcomed. This beautifully sad passage stimulates sympathy in the reader for Changez who hasn't "made it" in America.

"And so I left my jacket on the curb as a sort of offering, as my last gesture before returning to Pakistan, a wish of warmth for Erica - not in the way one leaves flowers for the dead, but rather as one twirls rupees above the living. Later, through the windows of the terminal, I saw that I had caused a security alert, and I shook my head in exasperation." (p.191)

This is Changez's departing gift to Erica, however, it is clear that despite all evidence to contrary, he is still desperately clinging onto any fragment of hope that she may still be alive. It is interesting that Changez leaves the United States on a note of suspicion.

"I lost something of myself to her that I was unable to relocate in the city of my birth. Regardless, the effect of this was to pull and tug at my moods; waves of mourning washed over me, sadness and regret prompted at times by an external stimulus, and at others by an internal cycle that was almost tidal, for want of a better word. I responded to the gravity of an invisible moon at my core, and I undertook journeys I had not expected to take." (p.195)

Hamid uses water imagery again when dealing with grief. Despite Changez's intense hatred towards America, he cannot deny that he has been forever changed. His grief for Erica is desperately sad.

"I made it my mission on campus to advocate a disengagement from your country by mine. I was popular among my students - perhaps because I was young, or perhaps because they could see the practical value of my ex-janissary's skills, which I imparted to them in my courses on finance - and it was not difficult to persuade them of the merits of participating in demonstrations for greater independence in Pakistan's domestic and international affairs, demonstrations that the foreign press would later, when our gatherings grew to newsworthy size, come to label anti-American." (p.203)

Once again the word "mission" resurfaces. In a way, Changez has become a sort of double agent; he learned American business strategies from his time at university and at Underwood Samson and then encourages his students to use them to tackle American Imperialism. Evidently, he has become a key player in inciting political unrest within Lahore though it is unclear how deep this runs. Here a major ethical debate is called into question. What exactly constitutes a terrorist? Arguably, Changez is indirectly inciting or inadvertently encouraging criminal activity and lawlessness in his students, therefore, morally speaking, even if he himself is not engaging directly with terrorist activities, he could still be seen as guilty for projecting his violent fantasies and dreams of America being punished on others, particularly young, impressionable and vulnerable students who may be likely to take him at his word.