Reluctant
Fundamentalist presents a unique narration that flows backward. The narrative
reminisces while a stranger listens quietly. The narrative’s memories revolve
around his journey to America to become a successful analyst. In the journey,
the narrative is subjected to a change due to the capitalist environment in
America. In the narration’s transformation from a regular immigrant to a
capitalist American dream pursuer, the ways in which capitalism weaves into the
individual’s mind-set become prominent. More importantly, the narration’s
realization of capitalism’s corruptive grip on him and on his nation displays
the capitalistic structure’s enforcing impact on colonization. In this essay, I
shall analyze how the protagonist’s beliefs and identity face changes and how
these changes show capitalism’s corruptive impact on colonization and I will
argue that capitalism’s competitive nature
The
main character’s journey to find himself a place in the capitalist structure of
America sheds a light on the unseen aspects of brain drain and how it enforces
colonialization. The main character’s hardworking and well-disciplined nature
acquires him a place in the capitalist America. We see that only the most
talented and brightest students are to be selected by such a system. “We
international students were sourced from around the globe, sifted not only by
well-honed standardized tests but by painstakingly customized
evaluations—interviews, essays, recommendations—until the best and the
brightest of us had been identified” (6). Changez’s observation unveils
capitalism’s competitive nature that eliminates the weak and rewards the
strong. More importantly, as the plot unfolds, we see capitalism’s oppressive
structure subjecting individuals’ cultural identity to a sense of loss.
Changez’s cultural identity faces such a loss displaying capitalism’s
oppressive aspect that captures individuals into its corruptive grip “But not
on that day. On that day, I did not think of myself as a Pakistani, but as an
Underwood Samson trainee, and my firm’s impressive offices made me proud.”
Changez’s sense of value also alters according to the value determined by the
capitalist standpoint “and my firm’s impressive offices made me proud”(19).
Changez here implies that he seeks importance and value in status and approval
from people in charge displaying a capitalist mind-set. Jim’s speech explaining
the rank system in the firm emphasizes the capitalist structure’s corruptive
mind-set that finds value in the quality and amount of work “We’ll rank you
every six months. You’ll know your rankings. Your bonuses and staffing will
depend on them. If you do well, you’ll be rewarded. If you don’t, you’ll be out
the door. It’s that simple. You’ll have your first rankings at the end of this
training program”(19). Here Jim portraits a competitive work environment for
the employees suggesting that their values will be based on their” rankings”
meaning the amount and quality of work. This strips down any sentimental or
traditional values and puts forward the materialistic aspect of life to an
important standpoint. Ultimately capitalism’s competitive and overwhelming
structure alters how individuals view the world. Changez’s change from an
American Dream pursuer to a critic of capitalism emphasizes capitalism’s impact
on the individual’s perception of the world. Kennedy contemplates on Changez’s
change and suggests that “When he adopts this different way of observing, he is
able to focus on the “Mughal miniatures and ancient carpets” of his parents’
house, as well as its “excellent library,” all of which enable him to realize
that his home “was far from impoverished; indeed, it was rich with history”
(142).” (8) Kennedy’s contemplation on Changez’s view of the world reveals the
aftermath of Changez’s realization of capitalism and how it affects
colonization. Changez can differentiate western and eastern perception and it
is the precise reason why Changez comments on his home’s richness with history.
Changez’s realization peaks when he is able to understand the importance of
history, culture, and the nation which makes Changez’s conflicting identities
prominent showing capitalism’s impact on individuals and colonization’s.
Changez’s attempt to adapt to such a
competitive and cruel system shows the struggles of immigrants leaving their
countries for educational and financial reasons reinforcing colonization. They
are exposed to such mechanized and cruel systems dissociating them from their
cultures and leaving their countries undeveloped. Changez in the process of realizing
the corruptive nature of capitalism contemplates capitalism’s tendency to
enforce colonization and observes that “On the flight, I noticed how many of my
fellow passengers were similar to me in age: college students and young
professionals, heading back after the holidays. I found it ironic; children and
the elderly were meant to be sent away from impending battles, but in our case,
it was the fittest and brightest who were leaving, those who in the past would
have been most expected to remain” (58). Changez here concentrates on
capitalism’s most destructive impact on the colonization and resents the fact
that the brightest and the most important leave the country in the pursuit of
wealth, status, or simply an escape from the colonized nation. Hartnell concentrates
on capitalism’s aspect to be “forward-looking” and asserts that “Jim thus makes
the future of the western narrative available to Changez, suggesting that he
allow himself to be transformed by his new environment, which in the world of
business in which Changez finds himself is relentlessly forward-looking”
(p.342). Hartnell’s comment on Changez’s
transformation into a capitalist individual alludes to the idea that capitalism
provides escapism from the hardship of finding value in life. The need for
efficiency and swiftness in capitalist structure initially drives Changez away
from sentimentality and his cultural identity letting him focus on business.
Regardless of what the reason for brain drain is, Changez’s transformation
sheds a light on capitalism’s impact on colonization and individuals.
In conclusion, Hamid’s “Reluctant Fundamentalist” displays the ways capitalism finds its way into the developing and colonized countries. Capitalism in the novel is characterized to be a venomous snake that corrupts individuals’ minds and changes their perspective of the world. The developed countries offer opportunities that developing countries cannot offer and it is this precise reason Changez travels to America. In Changez’s journey in America, he becomes exposed to capitalism which initially he finds meaning but later he realizes its corruptive influence on him. It is this reason he resents to be working in Underwood Samson and considers himself to be a janissary. Ultimately, Changez’s narration displays how young brains are influenced by capitalism and how it inevitably enforces colonization.
Hamid, M. and Rau, R.,
2012. The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Braunschweig: Diesterweg.
Kennedy, Valerie. "Changez/Cengiz's Changing Beliefs in The Reluctant Fundamentalist." CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 20.6
(2018): <https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.3321>
Hartnell, A. (2010).
Moving through America: Race, place and resistance in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Journal of
Postcolonial Writing, 46(3–4), 336–348
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