Reluctant Fundamentalist Essay Example

Diasporic Life in The Reluctant Fundamentalist It is no secret that life for Muslims, not just in America but globally, has gotten more difficult than it already was pre-September 11th. Naber's Arab Americans and U.S Racial Formations as well as Hamid's Reluctant Fundamentalist exemplify the issues dealing with Muslim diasporic life in America. Post September 11th, Muslims and anyone deemed that looks like a Muslim(meaning anyone who has brown skin, a beard, and facial features that the Nazi's deemed Jewish) have had to deal racial profiling, racial stereotypes, hate crimes and other forms of racism. In Hamid's Reluctant Fundamentalist Hamid uses two characters as metaphors for America and each one represents different diasporic issues Muslims have had to deal with before and after 9/11. One of these characters that represents America is Changez's love interest, Erica; like America she accepts this foreigner, makes him feel like she accepts him, only to reject him. The change she goes through after 9/11 represents the change America had gone through during that time. “The attacks churned up old thoughts in my head.”, this change within Erica-America represents two things, America returning to her old ways and that means the return of the issues of race relations in America. Hamid chose to represent America with a woman on purpose; through Erica America is described as prestigious, desirable, and powerful, which is what 1 everyone hopes to be once they've immigrated to the U.S. The other character that represents America is Underwood Samson, Changez's place of work. Underwood Samson represents America as a corporation meaning that profits are first and foremost what is important. This also represents how Changez and many other immigrants have to blend in and feel the need to wear a mask, just like in the