The secret to success lies in conformism
In Hanif Kureishi's novel The Buddha Of Suburbia, we meet a bunch of interesting characters. Despite their many differences, success is something that almost everyone in the story is yearning for. It's one of the main themes and something that greatly affects the characters' personalities. What the characters in the book, Haroon Charlie Eva and Karim want is admiration and popularity. They believe fame and confirmation will bring happiness and that if you want to succeed you must conform.
The first characters in the novel who are noticed reaching for success are Haroon, the protagonist's father, and Charlie Kay. Both, Haroon and Charlie achieve social success through their wise marketing of culture …show more content…
Throughout the book, his values, style, attitude and overall personality change multiple times so that he fits in with the latest trends. Charlie doesn't really have an identity, he always tries to adapt. At first, that seems like a characteristic that everyone, especially Karim, admires. First, he is something like a role-model for Karim who's mood actually depends on Charlie's presence. But as Karim realises that Charlie is not talented enough to be successful, he also notices that his friend must constantly conform in order to get attention. Charlie undergoes the biggest transformation when he visits a bar in London with Karim and sees a punk band for the first time. The band members look nothing like Charlie and at first he actually mocks them and calls them unprofessional. They represent rage, angst and rebellion and the concert is an obscenity itself. The crowd loves the band and Charlie wants to experience such fame and wishes to have that sort of influence over the masses. Because of that, he decides to change himself since he is sure that it will bring him fame. We notice that Charlie is aware of his conformism when he encourages Karim to change and when he refuses, Charlie says he will never succeed because he does not adapt and is always facing the wrong direction. Charlie then changes his name and …show more content…
Charlie attributes his international success to selling his 'Englishness'. His character represents how individuals can profit off of other's desires to consume something foreign. Alike Haroon who sold his exotic Indian traditions to launch his yoga career and make money. Charlie's character is about marketing, greed, fame and a quest for awareness and recognition. Though Charlie feels as fame would fulfill him, Kureishi seems to accentuate that, for Charlie, success cannot bring total fulfillment. Haroon contradicts this statement because he eventually start to live by the principles he teaches and starts feeling remorse towards his previous decisions, especially the ones involving Margaret and leaving his marriage to be with Eva. Therefore, he is also not affected by the materialistic world and the success he achieved whilst Eva stops meditating and is driven mainly by money and social recognition. Haroon profits socially and financially off of his teachings of selflessness and the jettisoning of the material which makes him successful but it's not the success itself that brings him happiness, but inner
In Hanif Kureishi's novel The Buddha Of Suburbia, we meet a bunch of interesting characters. Despite their many differences, success is something that almost everyone in the story is yearning for. It's one of the main themes and something that greatly affects the characters' personalities. What the characters in the book, Haroon Charlie Eva and Karim want is admiration and popularity. They believe fame and confirmation will bring happiness and that if you want to succeed you must conform.
The first characters in the novel who are noticed reaching for success are Haroon, the protagonist's father, and Charlie Kay. Both, Haroon and Charlie achieve social success through their wise marketing of culture …show more content…
Throughout the book, his values, style, attitude and overall personality change multiple times so that he fits in with the latest trends. Charlie doesn't really have an identity, he always tries to adapt. At first, that seems like a characteristic that everyone, especially Karim, admires. First, he is something like a role-model for Karim who's mood actually depends on Charlie's presence. But as Karim realises that Charlie is not talented enough to be successful, he also notices that his friend must constantly conform in order to get attention. Charlie undergoes the biggest transformation when he visits a bar in London with Karim and sees a punk band for the first time. The band members look nothing like Charlie and at first he actually mocks them and calls them unprofessional. They represent rage, angst and rebellion and the concert is an obscenity itself. The crowd loves the band and Charlie wants to experience such fame and wishes to have that sort of influence over the masses. Because of that, he decides to change himself since he is sure that it will bring him fame. We notice that Charlie is aware of his conformism when he encourages Karim to change and when he refuses, Charlie says he will never succeed because he does not adapt and is always facing the wrong direction. Charlie then changes his name and …show more content…
Charlie attributes his international success to selling his 'Englishness'. His character represents how individuals can profit off of other's desires to consume something foreign. Alike Haroon who sold his exotic Indian traditions to launch his yoga career and make money. Charlie's character is about marketing, greed, fame and a quest for awareness and recognition. Though Charlie feels as fame would fulfill him, Kureishi seems to accentuate that, for Charlie, success cannot bring total fulfillment. Haroon contradicts this statement because he eventually start to live by the principles he teaches and starts feeling remorse towards his previous decisions, especially the ones involving Margaret and leaving his marriage to be with Eva. Therefore, he is also not affected by the materialistic world and the success he achieved whilst Eva stops meditating and is driven mainly by money and social recognition. Haroon profits socially and financially off of his teachings of selflessness and the jettisoning of the material which makes him successful but it's not the success itself that brings him happiness, but inner