The Reluctant Fundamentalist Analysis

In The Reluctant Fundamentalist many of the central ideas of identity can be explored. There are points of interest when it comes to Changez’s, as well as other characters’, identity; religion, and race and ethnicity seem to be the most common in the story. The most prominent of these is probably Changez’s ethnicity and race as it affects negatively over the story and shapes him into the man he is by the time he is wondering what the metal glint in the stranger’s coat is. In the beginning of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, we see that his ethnicity makes him appear sophisticated and polished as stated by Jim at Underwood Samson during an interview. This idea of him being courteous and polite is what defines him throughout most of the story and even in his talks with the Stranger. Offering to pay for meals, indulging the stranger in deep details of his past, are all part of the Changez that does not ever seem to leave him throughout the story. It does not matter if he was treated poorly as he will still be polite. This part of him is shaped by his ethnicity you could say since he was raised to be that way to others and upbringing could be considered part of your ethnicity. …show more content…
He was joking even saying he wanted to rule an Islamic republic with nuclear capability. While it took some explaining to get out the situation he came off easily well liked in most instances. He blended in while he stayed in New York City, often in the middle of the color of skin spectrum when on a subway car. He blended in so well he himself thought, “I was, in four and a half years, never an American; I was immediately a New Yorker,” (33). His ethnicity and race allowed him to feel at home in a new place making him enjoy everything he was experiencing. He was happy and content with no “hate” of