Status Updates From The Reluctant Fundamentalist

At the end of the book, it ends on a bad note, with Changez realizing he really doesn't fit in with American life and that he remembers he can't have the American life; he is a true Pakistani person who realizes he needs to be true to his country.

In the final parts of the book, Changez walks with the American to his hotel after their long conversation together. The book ends off with Changez seeing a glint of silver being taken out of his pocket. This could be many different things as Changez never says what it is exactly. It is interesting that the book ended off this way as it could have resembled the end of his life.

As the author hinted Erica's suicide at the end of the book, It represented that if America continues to be stuck in the past, it will only end up in a bad result. Moreover, in the last few sentences, the American placed his hand into his pocket while the waiter came over. This creates suspense, but I think that after listening to Changez's story, the American stranger might want to share something of his own.

I found this section of the book enlightening as Changez struggles with the aftermath and change within his life. After all, he is Changez. He struggles with finding a true identity and who he was but after thinking it through, he realizes that his life in America was never meant to be, and that while his time in America was blissful, all good things have to come to an end. Depressingly, he soon returns to pakistan.

Following the tragic events, Changez is increasingly alienated and finds it difficult to find what to do next. Through these events, the author highlights the pursuits of life and all the struggles flashing through his life. I enjoy seeing all of the emotion being shown finally and even seeing who Changez is without his composure. Despite the way of talking, he is rattled and I can't stop but feel pity for him.

Changez’s growing distance from America becomes unmistakable after he’s fired from Underwood Samson, revealing his acceptance was tied only to performance. He carried himself in a way reflection of his Pakistani identity, having harsher parts of himself to fit in. Erica’s disappearance and subtle discrimination deepen this divide, pushing him to revive the self, and had a question of the future he dreamed of in US.

In my opinion, Changez is going to get fired. Even if he was very talented and thought of as the best-paid intern. However, ever since the war with India started, and Erica has been in the rehab center, Changez hasn't been the same. He can't focus and is thinking about anything but work. In my understanding, if you want to be successful in New york you have to be ruthless and have work on your mind 24/7

The tensions between India and America was visible. War was about to happen. It was interesting how Changez chose to influence this big event in a subtle way. He chose to become an educator and educate future generations. He spread awareness to his students about what was happening in the world . This was interesting because this empathized how knowledge is the most powerful weapon.

Changez is not a "janissary" anymore, finding his true identity as a Pakistani. As Changez and the American are walking through Lahore, Changez is calm unlike the American who is panicking as he constantly looks over his shoulder. His comfort in Lahore and its surroundings indicates that he has stopped trying to fit into a country that saw him as a potential terrorist, and not the person he was.