characterisation-in-the-reluctant-fundamentalist-my-ppt.pptx

8/10/2019 characterisation-in-the-reluctant-fundamentalist-my-ppt.pptx

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Characterisation

in

The Reluctant

Fundamentalist


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Characters

Overall, the characters in TheReluctant Fundamentalist aresimultaneously human and symbolic.

In other words, Hamid fashions themhuman identities through character

development, but he also uses them assymbols to illustrate the novels largermotifs and themes.


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Because the characters are

human, they are not plain anduncomplicated symbols such asthe characters in an allegory.

Rather, as humans, theyoccasionally do and say things

that contradict their symbolicmeanings.


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By using character development andsymbolism simultaneously, Hamidcreates a complex and multilayered

tale.

The Reluctant Fundamentalists

multifaceted nature makes the storyrich but also ambiguous: thequestions that Hamid raises oftenlack definitive answers.


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Changez Narrator and protagonist

Pakistani from Lahore

Mid twenties

Graduates from Princeton

Little money financial aid 3 jobs

Polite and formal different raised in upper class society

His polite manner helps him at Underwood Samson

Jim takes a special interest similar backgrounds

Falls in love with Erica he meets in Greece

After 9/11 realise cant keep Erica or his job opposesmaximum efficiency

Returns to Lahore, becomes uni lecturer, makes statements

labelled anti-American, popular with students


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The American

Never named what does this do?

His nationality is easily guessed

Tall, barrel chested, looks like a seasoned army officer

Fancy cell phone contacted on the hour and always textsback

Bulge in jacket

Sits with back to wall

Knows Manhattan well and has travelled to the East

Uncomfortable with Changezsreaction to 9/11 Begins to question if C is telling the truth

Glances over shoulder as walking down Mall Road.Wonders if they are being followed

Reaches for something metallic in his pocket


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Erica

Wealthy, athletic Manhattan socialite

Detached, sinking into depression

Inspired to write by grief

Her love for Chris prevents her from becomingtruly intimate with Changez

Eventually committed to a mental health clinic bythe Hudson River

Clothes are found neatly folded by river

Symbolic of America Cs relationship: C is at oddswith her just as he is at odds with America


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Jim

Cs boss at Underwood Samson

Middle aged

Princeton alumnus

Poor background

Look of seasoned army officer

Takes special interest in C

When C visits Jims apartment, he sees nude malesamong his artworks

Senior valuer sees thru people easily

Finds it easy to evaluate without becoming emotionallyinvolved a true valuer (blind to human cost)

Remains supportive of C, even tho he has to fire him


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Wainwright

Colleague and friend at US

Father from Barbados

Ranked second to C

Light-hearted and social

Likes to quote movie lines

first person to dance at Jims party in the

HamptonsDoesnt lose trust of C after 9/11

Tries to help C


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Juan Bautista

Runs music business in Valparaiso that US is valuing

Resembles Cs grandfather

Thick glasses, cane, walks slowly

Juan-Bautista tells C about the janissaries and suggests Cis like them

Directs C to Pablo Nerudas house encouraging him tobecome a revolutionary, a change of heart follows for C ashe vows to become an ex-janissary and see America thruclear eyes

John and Baptist - like him to C cleanses C of his conflictand helps him find a new way to live his life


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Minor Characters of Note read at homeThe waiter

The waiter is a large and imposing man. He continually approachesthe table to wait on the American. At the novels end, he is walkingon the road behind them. The American seems to distrust thewaiter.

Chris

Chris is a character that never actually appears in the story,although he plays a significant role. He was Ericas first and only

love, an artist with long skinny fingers (28). Chris was like Ericasbrother until they became romantically involved in high school; shecalls him her home. Chris, or the idea or memory of him,consumes Ericas thoughts and eventually devours her when she(presumably) commits suicide.

Sherman

Sherman is a vice president at Underwood Samson who gives thetrainees their orientation on their first day of work. Therefore,Sherman is Hamids mouthpiece for stating the ethos of UnderwoodSamsonand, symbolically, America. He is also the person whoinitiates Changez and the other new hires into using their expenseaccounts. He takes them out for a bottle of champagne and, before

leaving, tells them to drink to their hearts content.


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The Filipino driver

The Filipino driver glares at Changez when they are both stopped atan intersection in Manila. Although we do not know why he staresChangez down, his gesture makes Changez aware of his inner conflictregarding what it means to work in corporate America.

The cashier

The cashier works at the Pak-Punjab Deli in New York City. He givesChangez a free breakfast on his first day of work. That night, Changeztries to pay him with his American Express corporate charge card.

The nurse

The nurse is a friendly woman who works at the clinic where Erica issent. She is Ericas go-between both times Changez visits. On thesecond visit, the nurse tells Changez about Ericas disappearance andshows him the place where her clothes were found. The nurse, like thewall on the island of Rhodes, represents the emotional and moralbarrier that separates Erica and Changez.

The man in the parking lot

The man in the parking lot accosts Changez and speaks to him innonsense syllables meant to sound like Arabic. He creates Changezsfirst direct and personal experience of prejudice in the post-9/11climate.


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Chuck and Mike

Chuck is Changezscollege soccer buddy who invites him to Greece.Mike is Chucks friend and a rival for Ericas affections. Both Chuck andMike are wealthy Princetonians, members of the Ivy dining club.

Chuck and Mike are important because they are generic characters;they represent a certain class of people and their individual identitiesare unimportant. In this case, they represent the type of spoiled,impolite young American that annoys Changez.

Hamid underscores Chuck and Mikes similarity by making their namessimilar. As Changez remarks, they are monosyllabically monickered(18). Incidentally, the common thread of monosyllabic names extendsto a major character: Jim.

Jim is not a generic character; Hamid gives us a clear sense of what

makes him unique, and he is not from the same background as Chuckand Mike. However, Jims position in corporate America connects himto Chuck and Mike; he may be a compassionate person, but he is alsoa typical American in his quest for profitability at any cost.


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Ericas Parents

Ericas parents are wealthy, educated, and elite Manhattanites. WhenChangez comes to their penthouse apartment for dinner, Ericas

father unwittingly offends him with his brief, cold summation ofPakistans political state. Changez has more interactions with Ericasmother, because shelike the nurseis a go-between in Changezsrelationship with Erica. When Changez visits her after Ericasdisappearance, she gives him Ericas manuscript.

ChangezsFamily

Changez family once belonged to Lahores wealthy elite class. Theyare still elite, but their economic situation has been deteriorating forseveral generations. According to Changez, his relatives are addictedto nostalgia because the reality of their financial decline is too painfulto bear. Their resulting debts, arguments, and emotional problems

wreak havoc on the whole family.

When the conflict between India and Pakistan begins, some ofChangezsrelatives begin making emergency preparations. After hisvisit to see his parents, Changez feels guilty that he is leaving thecountry instead of fighting for it.

C l i


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Conclusion

In this section, we learned that:

Overall, Hamid treats characters both as individuals and assymbols. He uses character development simultaneously withsymbolism.

The novels main characters are Changez, the American,

Erica, Jim, Wainwright, and Juan-Bautista.

The Americans ambiguity, including his namelessness, makesit easy for the reader to put himself in the Americans

position.

Chuck, Mike, and Jim all have monosyllabic names thatconnect them to the idea of a generic, spoiled and impoliteAmerican.


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Moving on

Now that you have learnt about the characters and howHamid developed them, turn to the Running Sheet DLA,and begin your work on this assignment. Think carefullyabout the characters and how they have been crafted asyou respond to the scenes on the running sheet list.

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