Status Updates From The Reluctant Fundamentalis...

I find it odd that Changez is going so in-depth with this conversation, including personal things. It feels like a movie when a character knows he is in checkmate and feels he has to share everything. Or he knows he has the opposing person in a vulnerable position, so he can take advantage of the time he has because he controls the situation. I still think that this story may have a strong point behind it.

I am starting to enjoy this book more as I read it. In class, we discussed the possibility of Erica being a symbol or a physical form of America, but I disagree. I think that there is really no point in that theory. I see how maybe later on in the book there could be a point of interest, but from what I have read, I don't believe that could be so. I also find that there could be a deeper meaning to this conversation

The first chapter introduces Changez and shows how he feels about America and Pakistan. He seems polite but also angry inside. I think the chapter is interesting because it makes you curious and slightly nervous about what will happen next.

In pages 5 to 20, Changez meets an American and starts telling his life story. He keeps talking without letting the American speak. I think this is cool because it makes the story feel tense and makes you wonder if the American is safe.

Chapter one is about a man named Changez talking to an American in Pakistan. He sounds calm but also kind of intense. I think it s interesting because it feels mysterious and a little uncomfortable, like something important is about to happen.

Changez seems much more mature in Lahore. The way he speaks to the American is extremely polished and sophisticated, and I think that his experiences in the U.S are part of why. Towards the end of the book, the American grew unsettled by the pistol shots and the people behind them. I think Hamid was trying to connect this to the tension between Pakistan and India, as they are close to going to war, as Changez states.

My predictions were correct. Exactly like I thought, Changez's time in the U.S over now that he lost his job at Underwood Sampson. What does this symbolize, though? Changez's being fired to me represents the liberation or freedom from America. This is a blessing more than a curse. Changez is about to go back to Pakistan, but he has learned so much about himself in the U.S, and I believe he will live his life wiser.