Medium: watercolor

In the Reluctant Fundamentalist, the main character, Changez, describes a series of events from his adolescence and young adulthood. When I first read the story, I focused primarily on the evolution of his conceptualization of religious and national identity. Later, I began to think more about how his interpersonal, academic, and professional experiences affected his mindset and personality, which in turn affected his response to political and religious experiences. I find this concept fascinating. The question I found most interesting for my response paper was: “What role does the love story between Changez and Erica play in the plot? How does it shape Changez’s identity?” After thinking more carefully about the role that Erica played in Changez’s life, I became more interested in how his relationship with Erica actually ended up shaping his identity. As the course progressed, we began to focus more on themes of the politicization of Islam. I think the most interesting part of religious politicization is its impact on the identities of the various people affected, and I found this story so engaging because it dealt with exactly that issue.

For my creative response this week, I chose to paint a collection of things that affected Changez’s identity. Some are quite straightforward: at various times he identifies as a Pakistani (flag of Pakistan), as a Muslim (Allah), as a Princeton student (Princeton shield), as an analyst at Underwood Samson & Company (company logo), or as a New Yorker (big apple). But some are less concrete or seemingly much smaller: he identifies as someone who has been in love (heart), someone who has had his heart broken (broken heart), someone who has been rejected from the United States (in and out arrows), someone who has loved someone with mental illness (medical symbol), and a Muslim who drinks although it is illegally in Pakistan (wine bottle). Focusing in on the widely varied experiences that contribute to Changez’s identity helped me better understand the rich and complex nature of every person’s identity. Ultimately, Changez is a character in a story, and a relatively short story at that; the identity of a real person is even more fascinatingly intricate and multi-layered. Being a Muslim and being from a middle eastern country each are only part of Changez’s identity. This exercise also demonstrates how feelings of alienation due to discrimination can become a large part of someone’s identity as well.

Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist