the reluctant fundamentalist book sparknotes

She remained distant despite the time they spent together. The recent events had sent her into a depression over Chris’s death. Changez attempted to reconnect with Erica. When he returned to America, he faced extensive scrutiny at airport security because of his ethnic background. He was not happy at the loss of lives, but was glad that someone was able to bring the powerful America to her knees. The news of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center reached the team and Changez had to hide his pleasure upon hearing the news. But a brief encounter with a jeepney driver in the street reminded Changez of the world from which he came and he sensed a closer connection with the poor worker than with his aloof and entitled American colleagues. He traveled to Manila with a valuation team and enjoyed the fruit of lavish transportation, accommodations and respect. He achieved top ranking among the trainees at Underwood Samson and the top executives were impressed with the work he did for the company. Meanwhile, Changez made great strides at work. Their relationship continued and deepened once they returned to New York, but encountered difficulty as Erica was still emotionally attached to her deceased boyfriend, Chris.

During a vacation in Greece with other Princeton graduates, Changez met the beautiful Erica and became totally enamored. He applied to a prestigious valuation company, Underwood Samson, and following a rigorous interview was hired and on his way to achieving financial success. Beginning as a student at Princeton University, Changez was among the best of his class. An embedded narrative depicts a suspenseful and ill-fated relationship between Changez and the American as the motives of both men are slowly revealed.Īs Changez and the American stranger dine together at the café over a period of several hours, Changez tells his personal story of transformation. The story is a frame narrative in which Changez tells his story to an American he meets near a café in Lahore, Pakistan.

Living in New York City at the time of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Changez discovers that he no longer wishes to pursue the American Dream and instead finds his path in shifting beliefs and loyalties closer to home.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a fictional novel about Changez, a Pakistani man who undergoes ideological and political changes as he studies and works in America.

The reluctant fundamentalist book sparknotes