Oskars Apsitis’s Reviews > The Reluctant Fundamentalist > Status Update
Oskars Apsitis
is on page 45 of 228
I was interested in how Changez, the main character, went out drinking with his work associates. I think this is because he's is just trying to fit in, and be ''cool'' even if it's not morally right and against his culture. This social mimicry of americans acts like a passport for him to fit in the firm of Underwood Samson. This desire of fitting in comes at a cost of betraying his home country's beliefs and culture.
— Jan 16, 2026 05:43AM
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Oskars’s Previous Updates
Oskars Apsitis
is on page 181 of 228
On page 172, Changez says that even though he went back to Pakistan, a part of him is still left in America. He's like a ghost haunting his own life because he is so sad about losing Erica. He compares his misery to the ocean tides, it comes and goes in waves, pulled by memories he can't escape. I think this makes him feel like a stranger in his own home, as if he is physically in Lahore but mentally in a world far.
— Jan 30, 2026 11:09AM
Oskars Apsitis
is on page 161 of 228
On page 144, when the vice president is getting irritated with Changez. I felt like Changez feels like a replaceable tool rather than a human being. His boss tries to fix his low output with business solutions, but he completely ignores Changez’s emotions. By saying their connection was "nil," the author shows how the corporate world strips away a person's humanity in favor of pure productivity and money.
— Jan 28, 2026 06:01PM
Oskars Apsitis
is on page 141 of 228
On page 124, after coming home Changez realizes that he has become a stranger to his own culture. After being in the U.S he accidentally starts evaluating his own house as if he were still the wealthy American, only noticing the flaws and the shabbiness of the house. Seeing his reflection in the dirty mirror forces him to see that he has become the type of person he dislikes, leading him to reclaim his real identity.
— Jan 27, 2026 11:40AM
Oskars Apsitis
is on page 121 of 228
On page 117 when Changez was going to work and a weird man came up to him and started mumbling. After an exchange of words he went back to his car to grab a tire iron, I think this shows the shift from his usual smartness to a kind of primal defense. Changez is a man of words and numbers, but the hatred from the stranger strips away his ''civilized self''. He realized no matter hard he tries he will never fit in.
— Jan 25, 2026 11:01AM
Oskars Apsitis
is on page 101 of 228
The part that stood out to me the most was when after the failed love scene, they didn't fall asleep in each other's arms, but they fell asleep shoulder to shoulder. This reminds me of parallel lines - they share the same space, are heading in the same direction, but never intersect. I think this represents how Changez and Erica have more of a friendship that lacks the heat and fusion needed for a romantic bond.
— Jan 23, 2026 05:31PM
Oskars Apsitis
is on page 81 of 228
The part that stood out to me the most was the paragraph about the bats flying above their heads. What is cool about bats is that they are mammals, but can fly. So this means that they are something in between the two 'the gray area' I think this is how Changez feels in America- stuck between two sides, belonging neither to Pakistan or America. He's like a bat in the dark, trying to find a place to really fit in.
— Jan 21, 2026 05:52PM
Oskars Apsitis
is on page 61 of 228
When Erica takes Changez to her roof terrace, I think this shows that he has reached the top of New York society. Standing high above the city makes him feel powerful and successful, like he finally belongs. It is a private place that feels far away from his old life in Pakistan. But, being so high up also shows that he is losing touch with his roots. He is looking down on the world and forgetting where he came from.
— Jan 18, 2026 10:32AM
Oskars Apsitis
is on page 21 of 228
The author had me hooked at the interview. I was interested in why Changez, was anxious for this interview more than any other. I didn't understand why this one was special. I think it's because of how Changez comes from a poor family, where income is important. I think Changez also wants to actually be wealthy not just act and look like it, until now nobody has cared what's on the inside, only outside.
— Jan 15, 2026 02:46PM
