The story of Charlie Marlow, the narrator in Heart of Darkness, is recounted to four companions by Marlow himself, while aboard a boat docked on the River Thames in England, The tale tells of how Marlow acquired a position at an ivory trading company in the Congo, his journey from England to his new post, and the horror he experienced at the sight of the conditions of the black slaves. During his trip, he repeatedly hears about a man named Kurtz who plays a central role in the ivory business. Marlow eventually finds Kurtz, a man driven by madness and worshipped by the natives. Kurtz dies from disease, and Marlow carries on his memory.
Changez, the narrator in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, is at the top of his class at Princeton, and is snapped up by the elite "valuation" firm of Underwood Samson. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his infatuation with the elegant, beautiful Erica. But, in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his budding relationship with Erica eclipsed by the reawakened ghosts of her past. He too recounts his story to an unnamed character, the Stranger, who Changez meets in the …show more content…
When they travel to Greece together, Changez experiences various forms of “soft” racism. For example, when Chuck asks everyone what they would like to be after university, Changez replies that he “hoped one day to be the dictator of an Islamic republic with nuclear capability” to which the other “appeared shocked” and he was forced to explain that he had been “joking.” While not rude or disrespectful to him, his friends think of him as an exotic “pet”; even Erica is attracted to Changez because he is “different.” Changez accepts and in some ways encourages these feelings, partly because he wants Erica and his other friends to accept him and partly because he himself is unsure who he
Changez, the narrator in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, is at the top of his class at Princeton, and is snapped up by the elite "valuation" firm of Underwood Samson. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his infatuation with the elegant, beautiful Erica. But, in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his budding relationship with Erica eclipsed by the reawakened ghosts of her past. He too recounts his story to an unnamed character, the Stranger, who Changez meets in the …show more content…
When they travel to Greece together, Changez experiences various forms of “soft” racism. For example, when Chuck asks everyone what they would like to be after university, Changez replies that he “hoped one day to be the dictator of an Islamic republic with nuclear capability” to which the other “appeared shocked” and he was forced to explain that he had been “joking.” While not rude or disrespectful to him, his friends think of him as an exotic “pet”; even Erica is attracted to Changez because he is “different.” Changez accepts and in some ways encourages these feelings, partly because he wants Erica and his other friends to accept him and partly because he himself is unsure who he