The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Nostalgia - Book Report/Review Example

The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Nostalgia The theme of nostalgia is common in Mohsin Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Largely, Nostalgia refers to the desire of a period in the past, which is often perceptibly better than the present reality. Hamid presents nostalgic moments among the characters for previous, better and optimistic times. Changez, a young Pakistani from the city of Lahore who moves abroad to the United States, experiences several nostalgic moments that define his past and happy moments. In his pursuance of a career in international business, Changez sees the repulsive underside of American foreign policy and its effect on smaller countries such as Pakistan. The novel presents a romanticized view of past life in the contemporary society. Hamid’s novel ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ uses nostalgia to differentiate the past and contemporary events and relationships. Nostalgia has different meanings in the novel because Hamid presents it in different forms and context. Nostalgia is rampant in the chief protagonist, Changez, and another main character, Erica, to the extent that the novel should have been named ‘nostalgia’ instead of ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’. Nostalgia presents both benefits and dangers for all the characters in the novel. Both Changez and Erica use nostalgia to escape their reality and problems in life. They are unable to live their lives because of their thoughts of the past. Pride often accompanies nostalgia, as seen in the way the characters in the novel handle their present conditions. Erica is too proud to accept the current situation in which she exists with Changez, to the extent that they cannot have a meaningful relationship. In addition, nostalgia can reduce pain of present realities, as seen in Changez case, but it can also be destructive because it apparently resulted in Erica’s death. Changez previously proud family is nostalgic about their previous material possessions, and seems unable to move forward to greater success because of their pride. Immediately Changez enters America, he has a nostalgic feeling. There is a notion that immigrants have about the United States before their first visit, which makes them believe that it is the best area and everywhere else is subservient. Changez tells the American, “I had been telling you of the nostalgia that was becoming so prevalent in my world at the onset of the final winter I would spend in your country.  But one notable bulwark continued to hold firm against this sentiment: Underwood Samson . . . an institution not nostalgic whatsoever. At work we went about the task of shaping the future with little regard for the past . . .” (Hamid). Although Changez has a successful career with Underwood Samson, the propensity of Americans and Pakistanis weakens the likelihood of his future. Changez, who is from another part of the world, is submissive in his quest to gain acceptance in America. He has fond memories of his time in America despite the negative challenges that he previously underwent. This nostalgia is beneficial because it eases Changez pain. He thinks about the beauty of glamorous American buildings, and the food, especially shrimps. Erica, Changez’ love is nostalgic about her past relationship with Chris who died of cancer. Most of her interactions with Changez are about him, and he notices her change in attitude. Changez observes that “she was utterly detached, lost in a world of her own…” (Hamid). Her previous relationship dominates her personal relationship with Changez, and she is unable to move forward. Erica represents the perception of past purity and imperviousness because of her lost life that she believes is unmanageable without Chris. Her past appears more real than her present realities, in a menacing and dangerous manner that results in fatal consequences. The connection between the two is only possible if Changez acts like Chris. This is destructive of their relationship because they cannot love each other naturally. Hamid uses Erica’s nostalgia to represent the damaging effects of nostalgia. She represents America and the challenges it presently faces. America had a rich history that sought and its early leaders fondly presented the concept of ‘the American dream’. Even so, this failed to pass because of the current challenges it faces. Changez laments, “The destruction of The World Trade Centre, as she had said, churned up old thoughts that had settled in the manner of sediment to the bottom of a pond; now the waters of her mind were murky with what previously had been ignored. I did not know if the same was true of me” (Hamid). Erica is nostalgic about the previously admirable United States and the events of September 11, 2001. The events in America psychologically destroy Erica. Changez is skeptical on whether Erica still loves her, or if her murky past had reignited what she had previously ignored. Changez is nostalgic of Erica when he returns to his homeland. He carries her memories wherever he goes. The nostalgia is evident when he envisions, “… Erica and I would have lived an entire day together. We would have woken in my bedroom and breakfasted with my parents; we would have dressed for work caressed in the shower; we would have sat on our scooter and driven to campus, and I would have felt her helmet; … I would have corrected her Urdu and she my course plan; and we would have made love in our bed to the hum of the ceiling fan” (Hamid). Changez thinks about Erica in several instances because of their lost love. All he has are nostalgic memories about that make him reminisce on their past life. America previously served as a model of good organization and modernity for third world countries. However, the attacks seem to alter the ideology of visitors because the country seemed weakened by the attacks. Hamid asserts, “. . . it seemed to me that America, too, was increasingly giving itself over to a dangerous nostalgia at that time. There was something undeniably retro about the flags and uniforms, about generals addressing cameras in war rooms and newspaper headlines featuring such words as duty and honor. I had always thought of America as a nation that looked forward; for the first time I was struck by its determination to look back” (Hamid). There are diverse cultural and psychological transformations that arose from the September 11 attack, which make Changez nostalgic of the tranquility that existed before the attack. The September attacks drive Erica into nostalgia in relation to her relationship with Chris. For her, the future is uncertain after the attacks, and it skews her initial perceptions. Her detachment from reality results in misery, which gradually kills her from inside, despite her attractive outward looks. Changez embracement of contemporary events is nostalgic. He believes that fundamentalism can answer most of his concerns about the future. In several instances in the novel in which Changez experiences a difficult situation, he chooses nostalgia. He presents an imaginary and romanticized perception of the world that does not exist in the present. His choice of nostalgia over reality is dangerous because it means that he cannot deal with current situations and shape his future. Fundamentalism presents changes with a nostalgic feeling to recapture the golden past that Islam enjoyed before America started bombing areas such as Afghanistan. Changez’ family is nostalgic about their previous financial and societal status. His family was better off in previous generations because they had wealth and an appreciable social standing. In addition, they miss the past glory of Islam, as the American culture presently dominates their culture. Changez says, “So my grandfather could not afford what his father could, and my father could not afford what his father could” (Hamid), to show the declining standards of living through his family. Changez and his family are nostalgic of the things they have lost, and the life they could be living in present. His family belonged to a prestigious class before the effects of the inflation, which reduced its, and those of other Pakistanis families, standards of living. His great-grandfather owned several estates, but their present condition is pathetic to say the least. This nostalgia seems to hinder their efforts of future success as they apparently resign to their fate. He says that he “did not grow in poverty. But I did grow up with a poor boy’s sense of longing, in my case not for what my family had never had, but for what we had had and lost” (Hamid). The nostalgia about the loss dominates his present ambitions to succeed in the multicultural American society. Changez wishes for a happier past in which life was easier than it is in his current circumstances. This sentiment is also true for most of his relatives. “Some of my relatives held onto imagined memories the way homeless people hold onto lottery tickets. Nostalgia was their crack cocaine, if you will, and my childhood was littered with the consequences of their addiction . . .” (Hamid). Unmistakably, the current global situations resulting from poor policies undermine their efforts of progress in life, and so they look at the past for solace. The American society is nostalgic about their superpower state before the September 11 attacks. His perception changes because he always thought of America as a progressive society. He says, “I had always thought of America as a nation that looked forward; for the first time I was struck by its determination to look back (Hamid). Americans too feel vulnerable after the attack. Although Changez is comfortable and enjoys the American lifestyle, all this changes after the attacks and the city sinks into nostalgia. He previously saw himself as a New Yorker, but the discrimination on Muslims that follows changes his perception of America. In conclusion, nostalgia is rampant in the novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist. As seen in the experiences of Hamid’s characters, it presents both positive and negative effects. Everybody seems to grip a past that no longer exists, and fail to live in the present. Changez is nostalgic about his family whom he dearly misses. He also misses the old America, before the attacks, which changed relationships between America and his home country, Pakistan. Changez’ family misses their old status in which they enjoyed financial freedom. Erica is nostalgic about Chris, her former boyfriend, who succumbed to cancer. America is nostalgic about its previous state after the September 11 attacks in which they were a superpower that the world respected. There is need to handle nostalgia carefully because it may result in antagonism, drug abuse, and detest of other cultures. The novel suggests that romanticism of the past may hinder future success. Work Cited Mohsin Hamid. The Reluctant Fundamentalist. New York: Harcourt, Inc. 2007. Read More