Sampson Wu’s Reviews > The Reluctant Fundamentalist > Status Update

At the end of the book, Changez and the American were leaving the coffee shop. I felt like it was really awkward or the American was very nervous. Later when they were walking to the hotel, a group of people walked by them. The American's reaction was very interesting. Even if Changez said they are not harmful, he was still ready to defend himself. But Hamid stopped the story there, an ending for us to guess.

When Changez returned from his trip to Chile, everything felt different and New York didn't feel like home to him. People were looking at his huge beard and it can connect to his identity as a Pakistani because of 9/11. He felt like he was left out and an outsider of a place that he was originally part of. It feels bad. This shows how America has changed and how Changez is going to change his perspective on America.

After reading chapter 10, I realized how important Juanis is towards Changez. He is the mentor of Changez and he values the things other people don't in Underwood Samson. Juan sees people/things more than numbers on a chart and the profits. Juan also tells Changez about the janissary. He can see the internal conflict Changez has, since Changez was fully committed to work and he seems to be distracted by something.

When Changez watched the Twin Towers fall on TV, he had an unexpected smile on his face. I think the reason for that might be that he still has a hidden resentment toward the US, since the US dominates so many things. And he has an internal conflict within himself. He knows he isn't part of the US, and as a Pakistani, it is even harder to be part of it. This might be the turning point in his loyalty towards the US.

Erica disappeared for a while in the book. Before, I thought Changez and Erica were going to have a romantic relationship. However, Erica is still trapped by Chris, her ex-boyfriend. She is not just simply sad. More importantly, she is emotionally paralyzed by Chris leaving. I feel really bad for Changez because the girl he likes might not actually like him. He might be a replacement for Erica.

After reading the 9/11 incident in the book, I felt nervous for Changez's future at Underwood Samson. Being a Pakistani, it is very hard for others to not have a filter when they are looking at Changez. His different identity does not match the American dream he is trying to achieve in New York. People might think he is a terrorist or a spy from Pakistan and Changez might be planning for another terrorist attack.

When Changez got sent by Underwood Samson to Manila, he was impressed. That made him relate to his hometown, Lahore. Even a place like Manila, Philippines, looks more fancy and modern than Lahore. I think it made Changez want to be more "American" and wanted to adapt to a more American style. This creates an interesting comparison of how he respects Pakistan for not looking at the looks of things, but now, he is.

The author describes in the book how Americans moslty focuses on the image and looks. However, Pakistan focuses more on the thing and the purpose itself. For example, Princeton tried to make its campus beautiful with the "fake" ancient buildings. On the other hand, it is pretty ironic that Changez was attracted to the looks of Erica. He considers himself not as a facade person, but he kind of is.