LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 11 : 8 August 2011
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.

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An Analysis of Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Abdul Baseer, M.Phil. (English), Ph.D. Candidate
Sofia Dildar Alvi, M.A. (English), M.Phil.

Introduction

The Reluctant Fundamentalist, like many first-person narratives, is a fictional autobiography. Changez, the protagonist, is an intellectually ripe and mature narrator who looks back on his past happenings during his stay in America. Although he is only twenty five at the time of narrating the story, he feels his life completely over-turned rather metamorphosed. Like many first-person narrators, he has become wiser after his experiences in America on 9/11---the time when history is taking shape. Looking back on his life, he remembers his brilliant career in juxtaposition of his love for mentally unhealthy Erica and his love for his homeland---facing the shadow of impending war. The story's first-person narrative situation is uniquely suited for presenting Changez’s insights about his wasted life in the country of Uncle Sam.

The story is told in a straightforward, chronological manner and its timeline can be established quite accurately. The story's action begins with Changez reaching New Jersey as a young Princetonian of eighteen and ends on his attaining twenty five.

Plot of the story is linear: narrator Changez, recounts the events of his recent past in first-person narrative. The narrative technique employed in the novel is dramatic monologue. Throughout the novel it is the hero, Changez, who tells us and narrates while talking in his own voice. We know of the reactions and the attitude of the audience, the person who listens to the narrative, the silent American who is constantly listening to him. But we know this only through the words of the one narrating self, Changez. So, we cannot know more of the silent but physically present listener than what Changez thinks he (the American) might be.

This narrative technique is, indeed, dramatic, and the monologue is very impressive. There is no verbal and direct reaction of the American for what the narrator says to him as well as makes comments about his people, their attitude towards the Muslims after 9/11, and, also, what he (the narrating self) comments on the listener’s gestures and physical movements. The deliberate, contrived complete silence of the listener (the American) as a technique functions to convince the readers about the reliability of the report.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Abdul Baseer, M.Phil. (English), Ph.D. (English) Candidate at International
Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Lecturer in Linguistics
Government College University
Faisalabad
Pakistan
abdulbasseer@yahoo.com

Sofia Dildar Alvi, M.A. (English), M.Phil.
Lecturer in English
Government College University
Faisalabad
Pakistan
sofia.alvi@yahoo.com
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