In Mohsin Hamid's novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the scene that captivated my attention most was Changez's monologue upon returning to his childhood home. This scene exemplifies the shift in perspective Changez goes through when he tries to assimilate into the wealthy American upper class. Even the pretence of pretending to become something changes people at their core. Changez slowly incorporates his American role into his identity. After reading this scene, I realized that Changez's name could symbolize the change he goes through.
When Changez notes that in America, "a different way of observing [is] required" (Hamid, 124), he views his own home with appraising eyes. Before this, Changez had described his land of origin with nostalgia and praise. He is "saddened to find [his home] in such a state" (Hamid, 124) and feels "shamed" about his native country. He can only focus on the "shabby" (Hamid, 124) and "gloomy air" (Hamid, 124) of his home. The "Americanness of [his] own gaze" (Hamid, 124) "angered him" (Hamid, 124). The education Changez pursued with the goal of becoming rich and successful has changed the way he values things. Seeing the outward disrepair and shabbiness of his home makes Changez ashamed of his origins now that he is used to the modern apartments in New York. Driven by his career to focus on the materialistic and monetary aspects of both people and places, Changez finds it jarring to judge his home in the same manner. His home “smacked of lowliness” (Hamid, 124) devoid of the sentiment and nostalgia Changez holds for the place.
The shift in Changez’s worldview has turned him into an entitled American. Changez feels disgusted when he realizes that “the house [has] not changed in [his] absence...[he has] changed…looking about [his house] with the eyes of a foreigner” (Hamid, 124). The realization that he has been influenced by his comparatively short stay in American makes Changez feel the hypocrisy of his judgements on his Princeton friends. Finally stepping back from “the unwelcome sensibility by which [he] had become possessed” (Hamid, 124) Changez is again open to the “enduring grandeur…unmistakable personality and idiosyncratic charm” (Hamid, 125) of his home. He sees himself as “a man lacking in substance” too easily influenced by his environment and work. The roles and ideals he learned in America have created a long lasting impact on his identity.
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