The Reluctant Fundamentalist:explores the fundamentals of conscience...

This book is a conglomeration of many thoughts. It goes beyond time and space to disclose various stages of human cognition. There is a touch of juvenile vivacity here and ephemeral fanaticism there. There are also glimpses of deep-rooted ideology and ethical consciousness. On the one hand, the narrative simulates with the Western meritocratic, elitist statuesque and on the other, there is assimilation with the eclectic Islamic traditions of the recessive past. The author, Mohsin Hamid neither advocates nor condemns any specific dogma or doctrine. He does not publicise religious efficacy. However, his writing emits an aura of intimate conviction.

The cover says that Hamid worked on the manuscript of this near-memorabilia for more than seven years. Indeed, The Reluctant Fundamentalist displays astute subtlety in describing complex subjects that need prolonged, patient analysis.

The chief protagonist, Changez, is perhaps sketched with the attributes of the author himself. Like him, he is an Ivy Leaguer, summa cum laude from Princeton. He is a brilliant scholar with a blend of western dynamism and eastern sensitivity. He hails from an erstwhile aristocratic Pakistani family, now in the process of material decadence but camouflages his dwindling financial conditions with “three on-campus jobs” and a generous attitude. Stalwart as he is, to the age-old customs of his ancient land, he is prepared to imbibe the essentials of the American hierarchs as well.

Hamid’s portrayal of America’s obsession with meritocracy or solemnity of the Ivy League heritage, detached, self-centric American society or the nostalgic edifice of Pakistani marketplace-every portion has this strong sense of emotive connection. He writes, “Princeton made everything possible for me. But it did not, could not, make me forget such things as how much I enjoy the tea in this, the city of my birth, steeped long enough to acquire a rich, dark color, and made creamy with fresh, full-fat milk”. It reminded me of yet another Pakistani writer Tehmina Durrani’s poignant works.

As the story goes, a much-coveted job as a financial analyst in Underwood Samson and a constructive rapport with Jim, its managing director promised to put a stop to Changez’s worries and insecurities. “His grip was firm” Changez had thought “and seemed to communicate to me, in that moment, that Underwood Samson had the potential to transform my life as surely as it had transformed his, making my concerns about money and status things of the distant past”.

All were hunky dory in his social life as well. With a growing camaraderie to Erica, an elite Princetonian the then unchartered realms of American aristocracy ushered him with both hands.

At this juncture, America faced the utter humiliation of September 11th. The terrorist attack not only impacted the disposition of American people, processes and systems, it also realigned Changez’s perspective. He began to experience a gradual ideological metamorphosis. His sense of attachment to a poor Filipino driver than his fair skinned, blue-eyed co-worker substantiated that. Concerns about the unsettled present and the dubious future of his own country Pakistan, along with a sudden urge of exhibiting religious affiliation, alienated Changez further from his career-focused counterparts.

Towards the end of the narrative, Changez vocalizes Hamid’s perspective on America’s reaction to terrorist attack, during a chit-chat session with an American in the districts of old Anarkali, Lahore -“It seemed to me then-and to be honest, sir, seems to me still-that America was engaged only in posturing. As a society, you were unwilling to reflect upon the shared pain that united you with those who attacked you. You retreated into myths of your own difference, assumptions of your own superiority”.

Post 9/11, Erica, the love of Changez’s life submerges in the hollows of her haunting past; “…hers was an illness of the spirit” he explains to the American “and I had been raised in an environment too thoroughly permeated with a tradition of shared rituals of mysticism to accept that conditions of the spirit could not be influenced by the care, affection, and desire of others”. Perhaps this affected him as well as following a self-introspecting tour to Chile, Changez embarked upon an unclear trail to redemption.

The unique, interactive style of the narrative right from the start acquaints the readers to the situation and helps them savour the taste, smell, and touch of the contextual environs. It feels as if we, the readers are participants in this story-telling session and share the café table where Changez and the American visitor indulge in a day long engagement, with Changez treating the foreigner to local cuisines and disclosing his nostalgic repertoire.

As the name suggests, this book documents a gradual, reluctant yet assured journey, - discovering in the process the fundamentals of one’s ideology in life. The ideology that may have pros and cons, but Mohsin Hamid surely has made a long lasting impression.

Somanjana Bhattacharya is a postgraduate from the Department of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is a freelance
writer and lives in Hamden, Connecticut.

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