Christine
Yuan
Christina
Black
ENGL1147.101
December
16, 2013
Unraveling
the Mystery in the Story: An Analysis of Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist Inspired by Arthur Conan-Doyle
Holmes had been pacing the room for
half an hour. The absence of crimes and games,
made him restless. It made his hands itch and it made his brain crave something
to unravel.
“Anything at all, Mr. Watson? I need
something to eliminate this monotony. Any crime, any conundrums, anything?” he
inquired.
“No crimes. But I do have something
somewhat unlike our usual mystery,” I replied.
His eyes darted quickly toward me at
this idea, but with some wariness about the peculiarity of it. “Well what is
it?”
“A book,” said I, “a rather
stimulating but puzzling novel called The
Reluctant Fundamentalist, by a fellow named Mohsin Hamid.”
“And how, exactly, is it puzzling?”
“Well, reading the story reminded me
of the mysteries that we encounter. Much of it is extremely ambiguous, and the
fate of the protagonist at the end of the novel is never revealed, although the
author gives hints along the way.”
Holmes listened, to my surprise,
with increasing attentiveness. His eyes lost their hints of restlessness. He
said, “Tell me more. Give me the facts. What is this story about?”
“The narrator’s name is Changez, and
he hails from Pakistan (4). He speaks to some unnamed American interlocutor in
second person throughout the novel, recounting the events of his entrance from university
into the real world (3). He tells the interlocutor of his pursuit and
acceptance into an excellent business firm, and of a young lady with whom he
grew very smitten after a vacation after his senior year of university (17). He
also speaks of his struggle with his identity as a Pakistani in America.”
“But what are the details? What was peculiar? Where is the mystery
that you were speaking of?” asked Holmes, with both impatience and excitement.
“Yes. Throughout the telling of his
story, I notice an alarming paranoia from the side of the American
interlocutor. He seems wary, threatened, almost. And our protagonist seems very
intent on easing this paranoia. I also learn that, this novel was set around
the time of the September 11th attack, which seems to have shaken
the protagonist’s sense of identity (73). And after the protagonist returns to
Pakistan, he instigates several protests against the actions of Americans (179).
The mystery lies in the final pages of the novel. As they leave the café in
which they are sitting, the interlocutor’s wariness increases. As Changez walks
the interlocutor to his hotel, it is revealed that the two are being followed,
and the suspicions of the interlocutor further increase (183). Finally, when
they arrive at the hotel, and when their pursuers draw very close, the
interlocutor reaches into his jacket for some metal object (184). Changez makes
a remark about it, but the novel simply ends there!”
“And what do you presume this metal
object must be?” asked Mr. Holmes, deep in thought.
“A gun, perhaps? He could have ended
the life of the protagonist,” I proposed with much uncertainty.
“Well we certainly need to know
more. What events brought Changez back to his home in Lahore? What instigated
this bitterness toward Americans? What were his motives? Tell me more about Changez. What is he like? Tell me about
the girl, his job, his family,” he demanded.
It didn’t surprise me how intent my
friend was about the knowledge of the facts. Therefore, I decided present him
with concrete ones straight from the pages of the novel.
I first pointed out how much Changez
loved his home and his family: “Princeton made everything possible for me. But
it did not, could not, make me forget
such things as how much I enjoy tea in this, the city of my birth” (Hamid 15).
Despite the promising future that his education in America provides him with, the
humble life and city where he comes from are still very close to his heart. His
sense of home is noticeable to other people, like his love interest, Erica: “‘You
give off this strong sense of home,’ she said” (19).
Furthermore, I noted that Changez
seems to connect with people who remind him of and accept his home. One of
these people is Erica, who shows great interest in his past, constantly asking
him if he misses his home and what his home was like (27, 58). He also finds
great comfort in spending time with Erica, as her house makes him feel as if he
was “at home” (50). Another person with whom he develops a strong bond is a
young man whom he works with named Wainwright. He describes him so: “He had a
penchant for quoting lines from popular cinema, much as my mother quoted the
poems of Faiz and Ghalib” (38). And upon introducing Wainwright to the cuisine
of his hometown, Changez sees “Wainwright licking his fingers, having
dispatched the last crumb on his plate,” and he knows the he “had found a kindred spirit at the office”
(40). Changez sees, in these small details in Wainwright’s behavior, glimpses
of what his home was like. Wainwright respects and understands Changez’s
upbringing. Finally, there is Jim, his recruiter at Underwood Samson &
Company: Jim: “‘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’”
(43). Jim, like Erica and Wainwright, respects Changez’s upbringing in
Pakistan, and shows him that he understands where he comes from by saying “I
know”.
Another observation that seemed quite
salient was the protagonist’s sentimental feelings toward New York. About his
wearing his own country’s traditional garb, he says, “It was a testament to the
open-mindedness and…cosmopolitan
nature of New York in those days that I felt completely comfortable on the
subway in this attire” (49). Here, it is clear that he feels most comfortable
in an “open-minded” and “cosmopolitan” environment, where he did not feel like
a foreigner. Conversely, feeling foreign makes him extremely uncomfortable. On
a business trip to Manila, he tries to blend in with the rest of his co-workers.
However, this makes him greatly ashamed: “I felt like I was play-acting when in
reality I ought to be making my way home, like the people on the street
outside” (67). Here, the word “home” seemingly refers to homes of the Filipinos
on the streets. However, it also refers to Changez’s own home. The double
meaning of the word “home” ties Changez to homes of the foreigners, making
Changez seem foreign.
Sherlock suddenly asked, “You
mentioned September 11th earlier. How, exactly, does this event
leave Changez shaken?”
“Yes,” I assured him, “I was about
to address this topic. Our protagonist’s life seems rather successful at the
moment. And most importantly, he seems to have found home.”
However, the onset of the September
11th attack causes fissures in his sense of home in America.
Suddenly, he is set apart from the rest because of his race. Shortly after the
attacks by the Taliban, he and his colleagues fly back to New York from a
business trip. While the rest are allowed to pass through customs with ease,
Changez is stopped by the airport officials for interrogations: “My team did
not wait for me; by the time I entered the customs hall they had already
collected their suitcases and left. As a consequence, I rode to Manhattan that
evening very much alone” (75). I was very much taken by the author’s use of the
word “alone” in this sentence. Changez was physically alone, for he was
separated from his cohorts because of his dealings at the airport. However, he
was also alone because of the color of his skin, his race. He was alone because
he was foreign compared to the rest of his colleagues. The Taliban attacks in
New York City set Changez apart from the rest. He no longer feels the same
sense of home in New York that he felt before the catastrophe, and thus begins
his downfall.
This sense of home is taken away
from Changez in other aspects. Erica sinks into a depression, for the events of
September 11th remind her of the death of her past boyfriend, Chris.
At first, when Erica speaks to Changez of Chris, he tries to change the
subject, saying “‘I have an aunt,’ I said, ‘my mother’s most beautiful sister’”
(81). Erica’s depression and obsession with Chris make her seem unfamiliar, and
Changez tries to remove this sense of unfamiliarity by bringing in the topic of
home again, in the form of a story about his aunt who also lost a loved one.
Eventually however, this does not work; “she would not have it” (111). Finally,
Erica goes missing during her stay at a mental institution. The nurse tells
Changez “‘Erica’s gone’” (162). And Erica departs along with much of Changez’s
sense of home in America. These frustrations also cause problems at the office
for Changez, causing him to lose his job, and bruising his relationship with
Jim and making him part with Wainwright (169). Shortly afterward, Changez is
forced to return to Pakistan.
Throughout my presentation of these
facts and observations to Holmes, he became increasingly quizzical, with his
brows furrowed and eyes focused on some vague point in the room. He proceeded
to ask: “But what causes Changez to instigate these protests that you mentioned?
He must have felt great bitterness to arrive at that point. Why did he do what he did?”
I replied: “Several things occur. As
you would imagine, the attacks by the Taliban cause much scrutiny of Changez by
Americans.”
Changez tells the interlocutor, “Often
I would emerge into the car park to find that one of the tires of my rental car
was punctured – far too often for it to be mere coincidence” (96). It is
implied that this was an act of discrimination. Changez was also very shaken by
the act Americans attacking Afghanistan: “Afghanistan was Pakistan’s neighbor,
our friend, and a fellow Muslim nation” (100). The safety of his home, which is
the one most important thing to him, is threatened by the actions of Americans.
And this angers him. Furthermore, New York, which was once a cosmopolitan haven
for Changez, was no longer so, as exemplified by the manner in which he
describes New York’s reaction to the attacks: “We are America – not New York, which, in my opinion, means
something quite different – the mightiest
civilization the would has ever known; you have slighted us; beware of our
wrath” (79). Here, the author uses the word “you,” indicating that Changez
feels as if he is being directly targeted because of his race. Because of this
discrimination and threat that Changez feels, he asserts, “I made it my
mission…to advocate a disengagement from your country by mine,” thus leading to
his protests (179).
Sherlock mused, “Ah, I understand
now. There seems to be some light in the darkness of the plot of this peculiar
novel. Changez is a young man who loves his home of Lahore, Pakistan. He seeks
to cherish his humble upbringing even during his much more successful life at
Princeton University and at Underwood Samson & Company. Furthermore our
protagonist strongly connects
with people who remind him of home, and accept where he is from. This allows
him to find a sense of home in America. However, feeling as if he doesn’t
belong makes him extremely uncomfortable. Therefore, the onset of September 11th
causes fissures in his sense of home in America. The attacks make people in
America set him apart from the rest because of his race, causing him to develop
a feeling of bitterness toward Americans. And Erica’s downward spiral into
depression and Changez’s departure from his job intensify his loneliness. The
absence of these reminders of home made him have to return to Pakistan to be at
home again. But Changez’s feelings of bitterness do not leave, and this is what
fuels the protests he leads in favor of more impendence of Pakistan in foreign
affairs.”
I nodded in agreement, “Yes, Mr.
Holmes! You seem to be arriving at some conclusion.”
Mr. Holmes stopped me, saying,
“Possibly, but we still know very little about Changez’s interlocutor. More
facts, please, Mr. Watson.”
I noted, again, the very noticeable
paranoia in the interlocutor, as Changez describes him as “an animal that has
ventured too far from its lair and is now, in unfamiliar surroundings,
uncertain whether it is predator or prey” (31).
Sherlock interrupted: “The use of
the words ‘predator’ and ‘prey’ is quite significant. It is understandable why
the interlocutor may feel like prey. However, how is he a predator? Perhaps he
is out to get Changez?”
I agreed, “Yes, there seems to be a
tension between the two men.”
While the interlocutor displays
wariness, Changez tries to ease this, pointing out “Your demeanor all but
precludes the possibility that you are a tourist wandering aimlessly through
this part of the world” (77). This occurs several times throughout the novel: “I
observe, sir, that there continues to be something about our waiter that puts
you ill at ease” (108). Something seems to be very off when he tells the interlocutor, “A bulge manifests itself
through the lightweight fabric of your suit” (139). When Changez likens this to
an undercover agent hiding a gun, the interlocutor becomes increasingly
uncomfortable, and Changez hastily responds with, “I did not mean to imply that
you were so equipped” (139).
Sherlock observed, “I agree, very off indeed. Do you not notice the use of
the words ‘preclude’ and ‘observe’? It seems as if our protagonist attempts to
cover up the fact that he knows that the interlocutor is not simply some random
stranger.
“How so?”
“Changez uses words like ‘preclude’
and ‘observe’ to attempt to show that he does not know what is going on, so he
is simply making assumptions. It
seems clear that Changez knows who the interlocutor may be, for he was taught
during his time at Underwood Samson the ability to read people quickly.”
I nodded in agreement with my
companion’s deductions.
I pointed out that Changez also seems
to talk about the waiter several times: “Do not be; this burly fellow is merely
our waiter, and there is no need to reach under your jacket, I assume to grasp
your wallet, as we will pay him when we are done” (5).
Sherlock grew increasingly
thoughtful: “There seems to be a sort of relationship between the waiter and
Changez. The waiter possibly knows that Changez is being interrogated, and is
there to have his back and keep an eye on them. That is why the waiter follows
them in the end when they leave. This makes the interlocutor even more
paranoid, scared that the waiter or Changez is going to attack him, so out of
fright, he kills Changez.”
“You have done it, Mr. Holmes!” I
exclaimed, although I was not surprised by my friend’s deductive abilities to
unravel the mystery in the novel.
Work Cited
Hamid, Mohsin . The Reluctant Fundamentalist. New York: Mariner Books, 2007. print.
ANALYSIS:
Christine
Yuan
Christina
Black
ENGL1147.101
December
16, 2013
Project
Analysis
While brainstorming for this project
I made sure that I would create something that could embody the themes that we
discussed in The Mystery in the Story that I really enjoyed. I also wanted to
offer an analysis of Mohsin Hamid’s The
Reluctant Fundamentalist because of the amount of room for interpretation
that Hamid allows the reader.
The
Reluctant Fundamentalist simply ends with the sentences: “But why are you
reaching into your jacket, sir? I detect a glint of metal. Given that you and I
are bound by a certain shared intimacy, I trust it is from the holder of your
business cards” (Hamid 184). This is extremely unsettling for the reader
because, based upon the paranoia of the interlocutor throughout Changez’s meeting
with him, the reader is pulled to assume that the “glint of metal” is a gun
used to kill Changez. Of course, this isn’t necessarily the only ending
possible for the story. Therefore, I wanted to explore what conclusion I could
draw about the ending of the novel based upon close readings and attention to
certain events throughout the novel.
We had discussed themes like the
attention to detail that authors use to describe characters and events in the
novels we read. For example, Arthur Conan Doyle in “The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington
Plans,” describes Sherlock Holmes with great detail “He paced restlessly about
our sitting-room in a fever of suppressed energy, biting his nails, tapping the
furniture, and chafing against inaction” (Doyle 38). I then realized that
Sherlock Holmes in Doyle’s stories also paid very close attention to detail
when solving crimes, asking Watson, “Now Watson, let us have the facts” (40).
In order to determine the fate of
Changez at the end of the novel, I had to understand what brought Changez and
the interlocutor to the present conversation in the novel. To do that, I had to
understand the backgrounds of Changez and the interlocutor. The reader learns
in the novel that Changez feels great internal conflict, as well as a
disagreement with the actions of Americans: “I made it my mission on campus to
advocate a disengagement from your country by mine” (Hamid 179). This led him
to lead protests, landing him in prison and making him a suspicious individual
(179). But to be sure of this, I analyzed Changez’s motives, to answer where
this internal conflict and this hatred stem from. Essentially, I wanted to
understand Changez’s motives, much like the way Holmes was concerned with
motives in “The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans”: “‘His coming marriage
gives a motive for the crime. He naturally wanted money’” (Doyle 50).
Therefore, I came to the conclusion that, because of the discrimination that
Changez faced in America, and because of the tensions that the onset of
September 11th cause, and because these problems robbed Changez of a
sense of home in America, he had to return to his old home in Pakistan, while
still harboring some bitter feelings toward the actions of Americans.
I then had to understand the
interlocutor’s background, which Hamid does not divulge much about. Therefore,
the details of the conversation between Changez and the interlocutor were the
only set of facts that I had to deduce from. I noticed that Changez often made
comments about how the interlocutor reminded him of a security agent, but would
then proceed to ignore these observations. For example, he likens the bulge in
the interlocutor’s clothes to the place where a security agent would place his gun
(139). But immediately following this, he would deny and ignore the observation
he just made, telling the interlocutor, “I did not mean to imply that you were
so equipped” (139). Furthermore, he applies this same process to the
interlocutor’s reactions to their waiter, making an observation but then
denying it: “You seem worried. Do not be; this burly fellow is merely our
waiter, and there is no need to reach under your jacket” (5). I then noticed
that Changez did the same when he was in America, trying to avoid the truth of
the situation. Of his awareness of the tensions occurring back in his home
country, he says, “Thus clad in my armor of denial, I was able to focus – with
continuing and noteworthy success – on my job” (95). Here, he uses his “armor
of denial” to shield himself from the reality at home. From this, I concluded
that Changez points out the truth, but then proceeds to avoid it. Therefore,
the status of the interlocutor as a secret agent is an extremely likely truth.
Furthermore, the threat that the waiter posed is also an extremely likely truth.
From these deductions I concluded
that the interlocutor is a secret agent trying to obtain information from
Changez, who is a wanted individual. The waiter is possibly someone who works
with Changez because of the interlocutor’s wariness of him. At the end of the
novel, the act of the waiter following and chasing the interlocutor and
Changez, and the increasing paranoia and nervousness of the interlocutor, led
me to believe that the interlocutor must have done something to defend himself.
And the “metallic” nature of the object that he pulled out of his jacket, along
with the bulge that was there before, led me to believe that this method of
self-defense was in fact a gun used to kill Changez.
After I had made these deductions, I
had to mold these deductions into a story that would match the style of Arthur
Conan Doyle’s whodunit stories. This included the attention to detail that
Holmes uses to solve crimes and the detail that Doyle uses to describe his characters,
as described before. I focused on Sherlock’s need for the facts, his treatment
of detection as a game, and his very sharp, attentive, almost animalistic
nature. I also focused on Watson’s encouraging attitude toward Holmes. I
decided to structure the story so that Watson would present the facts, while
Holmes interrupted at certain points with questions and deductions. I found
this part to be the most difficult of all because I felt as if I would confuse
the deductive process if I interrupted it with so much stylistic dialogue between
Holmes and Watson. It was therefore difficult to find a good balance between
deduction, facts and style. However, I found the process of completing this
assignment to be very stimulating and enjoyable, and an excellent summary of
the topics we covered in The Mystery in the Story.
In the beginning of the semester,
when we discussed detective fiction in class, we mentioned how detection can be
done simply from behind a desk, and the analysis of this novel pays homage to
that fact.
Works Cited
Doyle, Arthur Conan. "The Adventure
of the Bruce-Partington Plan." Trans. Array The Adventure of the Dancing Men and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories.
Mineola: Dover Publications, 1997. 38-62.
Hamid, Mohsin . The Reluctant Fundamentalist. New York: Mariner Books, 2007. print.
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