Explain the Importance of Setting and Atmosphere in the Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Explain the importance of the setting and atmosphere in The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Marilyn
‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ is essentially a novel about one man’s tragic relationship with a country. The main character Changez is a Pakistani student who builds a very strong relationship with America. But as Changez says ‘…it is not always possible to restore one’s boundaries after they have been blurred and made permeable by a relationship…’ ; he starts to realize that his relationship with America is blurring his own boundaries, and changing him. The settings and atmosphere play an important role in this novel because they act as the other side of Changez’s relationship with America. As the settings act as the physical place, the atmosphere is Chagez’s feelings about the setting. Also as the novel is told in the first person the atmosphere reflects his interpretations of the happenings in a setting. The novel’s characters are influenced by their settings, as well as the atmosphere which is linked to the character’s opinions and feelings.
The setting in which characters live acts as their world. Events and physical surroundings influence the characters’ thoughts and actions. The importance of this for Changez in ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ is very obvious to the reader, as physical location has a direct link to Changez’s decisions and views. In the novel Changez moves from Lahore, to America and by the end returns to Lahore. Every location which he travels to has some kind of influence on him. At the beginning Changez is a very polite and hard working person. This was noted by other characters such as Erica who thought he was ‘never rude’. And in his narration he described himself as having worked very hard during his time in Princeton. Changez gets these personal traits from growing up in Pakistan. This setting directly influences Changez’s actions, and when he goes to America his differing values become very obvious. At first Changez in enchanted by
Marilyn
‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ is essentially a novel about one man’s tragic relationship with a country. The main character Changez is a Pakistani student who builds a very strong relationship with America. But as Changez says ‘…it is not always possible to restore one’s boundaries after they have been blurred and made permeable by a relationship…’ ; he starts to realize that his relationship with America is blurring his own boundaries, and changing him. The settings and atmosphere play an important role in this novel because they act as the other side of Changez’s relationship with America. As the settings act as the physical place, the atmosphere is Chagez’s feelings about the setting. Also as the novel is told in the first person the atmosphere reflects his interpretations of the happenings in a setting. The novel’s characters are influenced by their settings, as well as the atmosphere which is linked to the character’s opinions and feelings.
The setting in which characters live acts as their world. Events and physical surroundings influence the characters’ thoughts and actions. The importance of this for Changez in ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ is very obvious to the reader, as physical location has a direct link to Changez’s decisions and views. In the novel Changez moves from Lahore, to America and by the end returns to Lahore. Every location which he travels to has some kind of influence on him. At the beginning Changez is a very polite and hard working person. This was noted by other characters such as Erica who thought he was ‘never rude’. And in his narration he described himself as having worked very hard during his time in Princeton. Changez gets these personal traits from growing up in Pakistan. This setting directly influences Changez’s actions, and when he goes to America his differing values become very obvious. At first Changez in enchanted by