The Influence on Identity of Changez in the Novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Essay Example

The Influence on Identity of Changez in the Novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist Changez is the novel's protagonist and narrator. He is of Pakistani origin and managed to graduate from the top of his class in Princeton. According to the novel, unlike many of his colleges in Princeton, he had little finances and mainly relied on aid so as to be able to finance his education. Additionally, he worked three off college jobs, cooked his meals and mainly did his studies in the wee hours of the day and night in his dormitory. He was a polite young man despite coming from a family that previously had a high economic status. This polite nature made it difficult to for him to fit in college and at most of the time he was considered as an outsider. However, it worked to his advantage in the co-operative world of Manhattan-based Underwood Company. Because he was always top of his class, Jim the person that employs him shortly takes keen notice of him. The notice is mainly because of two things which include the fact that they shared the same education background at Princeton and same economic background that was coupled with financial hardships (Hamid, 34). The discussion that is advanced in his paper looks at the indecisive nature of the protagonist and how this aspect has been affected by other characters in the novel especially Jim and Juan. It opines that despite the fact that Changez has a high level of education, much of his actions are deviated by the characters in the novel. It is therefore difficult to identify his own standing in the main issues that the writer tries to project through him. In this perspective, the author tries to show that the influence of many factors put together like environment add to the personality of an individual and direct the position taken. The input of education is important in one’s life. The protagonist goes through a high level of education but several instances indicate that the personality is motivated by his previous environment. Ailing from a poor background, Changez is forced to live in a society of the elite in order to receive an education. He has to cook his own meals just to sustain his livelihood while receiving the education. The identity that is being built here is resilience. He has to survive in a totally new environment despite the fact that his previous environment does not fit this lifestyle. Poverty forces him to come up with techniques to survive and in this case he has to make do with the little he has. We are also informed of the cases in the novel that he is footing much of his educational bills by aids. Regardless of the fact that his schooling fees and survival in the collage are as a result of aids and difficult moments, Changez still manages to pull through his education. One would be perplexed by the fact that in the face of this difficulty, the individual Changez still manages to graduate at the top of the class or within the highly qualified. The influence of his previous environment as a poor Pakistani shapes his identity to the readers as a resilient and hardworking individual. In this case, he has to work hard and live a life that the priviledge in the society do since he is in a new environment. He has no choice but to adapt the new lifestyle as a result of the changes that the environment has imposed on him. If he had a choice, the decision would be to study at his hometown or even fail to meet the high standards that fellow graduates attained. Apart from the environment as a force in shaping the identity of the protagonist, other characters also show a significant input in the shaping of the identity of the narrator. Erica is one person that shows us a side of narrator especially in interpersonal relationships. In his vocation in Greece, Changez falls in love with Erica. Erica was a fellow classmate at Princeton. In the episode that the two individuals have sex, the narrator’s details show that the level of passion and enjoyment is missing. He then purposefully sets out to make this a reality. At the next similar episode, he is forced to act as Erica’s personal psychologist. All this is aimed at bomth of their satisfaction in the end of the ordeal. As a person with a financial background, the narrator is not in any way poised to give psychological advice. One would argue that this position taken is paradoxical to the narrator’s line of duty, but still he manages to pull it off effectively. The other characters that build the personality of the narrator are Jim and Juan. . In character, Jim is an imposing man and takes a special interest in Changez among his new hires. Once in a while, Changez would visit Jim's apartment and would notice several artworks of nude men. Additionally, he was not married, and clues of him being homosexual were being noticed by Changez. The skills Jim had as a senior valuer in Underwood helps him see through Changez easily. This is one of the greatest influences of from Jim that Changez took after and used this skill on his students at Lahore when he became a lecturer. Changez often referred to Jim as having cold blue eyes that seemed judgmental in a sense portraying professionalism, for example, like jeweler inspecting a diamond he/she is interested in. Changez observed that Jim had the ability to pass judgment in a cool and professional way. He did this by majorly not becoming emotionally involved, and Changez adopted this as a key to being a professional valuer. In most instances throughout the novel, he remains composed that the decisions taken by Jim would in the end favor him. In (Slagle, 67) the importance of memories in deflecting the opinion of the persona in work has been discussed. The implication of nostalgia on the decisions made by individuals is still a crucial factor in developing a common ground to the several personal judgments. In most individual judgments, the position adopted by a person is as a result of the positive evaluation of the situation that the individual has taken. In this case to make a judgment, Jim remains supportive of the general Changez even in adverse situations to cope with the nostalgic positions that the two have had in the past. Underwood Company is tasked with valuing the trading section of the business which was currently staffing under qualified individuals for clients and was most likely that the new owner would get rid of the entire section. Juan Bautista is not pleased with this initiative and uses cunning kindness to get close to Changez. Changez develops a liking for Juan Bautista because he resembles his grandfather. It is through getting close with each other that Juan Bautista starts telling Changez that he is like the Janissaries and directs him to Pablo Nerubos house. It is in these activities the Juan Bautista urges Changez to become a revolutionary. This similar instance still builds the position adopted earlier in the discussion that the role of Juan and Jim are to build the personal identity of Changez. As illustrated in the previous discussion, through these characters, Changez develops a unique sense of trust, and it builds his confidence throughout the book. Therefore, the role of nostalgia, and the main characters interaction with Jim and Juan are meant to instill a level of confidence and trust that shape the identity of Changez in the text. Works cited Hamid, Mohsin. The reluctant fundamentalist. Ernst Klett Sprachen, 2012. Slagle, Amy. " Nostalgia Without Memory": A Case Study of American Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ProQuest, 2008. Read More