Thesis Statement:
Investigating the meshing between text and film in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist, this paper demonstrates that the hybridity of Changez’s character is not only formed through real life experiences, but also through the exposure of being the stereotyped ‘other’.
Abstract:
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid delves into the rich world of postcolonial identity through the lens of the main character, Changez, who is a Pakistani man living in the United States of America. This paper explores how the hybrid identity of the protagonist is formed through his real-life experiences as well as his engagement with actual representations of the colonized ‘other’. Furthermore, we look into how the main character merges his Pakistani heritage and his American ideals and how they sometimes contrast each other. Examining the similarities and differences between the novel and the film, this paper demonstrates that visuals, such as film adaptations and stereotypes based on culture greatly contributes to shaping Changez’s self consciousness, thus feeding into his identity crisis. This paper also aims to show the complexity of identity in a postcolonial world that is filled with visual narratives by investigating how the protagonist internalizes and challenges those visuals. By using textual analysis, this research paper aims to delve into how the novel shows us the internal dialogues and reflections of Changez, and how the film uses visuals and the interactions between the characters to show his experiences and the pressures that he faces from the society that he surrounds himself in.
Methodology/ Close Reading:
One of the reasons why I chose to analyze both the novel and the film is that both versions of The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid are really great examples of how the life of a Pakistani man living in the United States was influenced and affected after events that were not his fault. Moreover, by analyzing both mediums, I can get a deeper understanding of how the story changes throughout, which will allow me to understand the main themes and the true message behind the story. Analyzing the story from two lenses, the internal lens of the book which offers up more of Changez’s thoughts and the external lens of the film which shows the more visual side of things, may revel new meanings that we otherwise may not have seen. Another interesting point that made me want to analyze both mediums is how the portrayal of the 9/11 attacks and the aftermath the event can be different and the potential reasons for the changes that were made in the adaptation. Analyzing the ending of both the novel and the film is also one of the main reasons why I chose to do a comparative critical analysis on them because I would like to see how similar, or different, the messages of both are and which version gives a deeper understanding of the situation.
Annotated Bibliography:
Hamid, M. (2007). The reluctant fundamentalist. Houghton Mifflin.
· This is a primary resource. It directly fits into my paper because this research paper is about this novel as well as the film adaptation.
Nair, M. (Director). (2012). The Reluctant Fundamentalist [Film]. IFC Films
· This is a primary resource. This directly fits into my paper because it is also what this research paper is mainly about.
Morey, P. (2011). “The rules of the game have changed”: Mohsin Hamid’s the reluctant fundamentalistand post‐9/11 fiction. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 47(2), 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449855.2011.557184
· The title of this journal quotes on of the lines that is said by Changez which shows the shift in the way he views things after the attack on 9/11. This resource delves into themes that are crucial to my research paper, like hybridity and postcolonialism. Furthermore, it delves into characters from other post 9/11 fiction and the identity issues that they have faced which I want to use to relate to Changez. This journal has a potential to offer up evidence that supports my ideas, and maybe even other perspectives than my own so I can gain a deeper understanding of the situation which may help me make my ideas and main points stronger and more thorough.
Gasztold, B. (2015). Of promises delivered and failed: Post‑9/11 America through the eyes of the reluctant fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid. Ad Americam, 16, 17–28. https://doi.org/10.12797/adamericam.16.2014.16.02
· This journal fits into my research paper because it highlights postcolonial hybridity and identity crisis in the United States of America post the tragic events of 9/11. Furthermore, by using this resource, I can dig deeper into how the identity crisis that Changez goes through can be shaped by the sociopolitical landscape of America and the promises that it made towards marginalized groups, mainly immigrants, and how they failed to go through with these promises. This journal can help me make my research paper stronger by backing up my points or providing me with new ideas to fit into my paper.
Munos, D. (2012). Possessed by whiteness: Interracial affiliations and Racial Melancholia in Mohsin Hamid’sThe Reluctant Fundamentalist. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 48(4), 396–405. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449855.2011.633014
· This article fits into my research paper because it focuses on the aspects of identity crisis that are specific to our main character, Changez, and his relationship with the idea of “whiteness” and how that influences his self-esteem and how he views himself which directly fits into my ideas of writing about identity crisis and postcolonial hybridity. Although this journal mainly focuses on the novel, I can easily translate Munos’ ideas to fit into both of the mediums that I am working with.
Mitchell, W. J. (2020). The panic of the visual: A conversation with Edward W. Said. Edward Said and the Work of the Critic, 31–50. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822380092-003
· This journal/interview with Edward Said fits into my paper because I am discussing visuals and how they help shape characters, and this whole interview is basically about visuals and art and so on.
Purgar, K., & Thomas, M. W. J. (2019). W.J.T. Mitchell’s Image Theory: Living Pictures. Routledge.
· This book can help me look into the Image Theory, which can help me in my paper. In this book Mitchell shows us the distinctions between pictures, texts, and images, which helps me in examining how the visuals of this film adaptation are different from the text in the novel and how each can create their own meanings. This book also teaches us about the power of visuals and that helps me in exploring how the film and its visuals influence the self-perception of Changez and his identity.
McAlister, M. (2007). Epic encounters culture, media, and U.S. interests in the Middle East since 1945. University of California Press.
· This book is extremely helpful in strengthening my paper because it sheds light on how the United States of America views the Middle East, especially through media portrayals. An insight of this context shows the us the power dynamics and the cultural assumptions that Changez faces on a daily basis as a Pakistani man living in the United States. This book also talks a lot about postcolonial theory which is a huge part of my paper because I focus a lot on postcolonial hybridity.
Cultural Hybridity and Identity Formation. (2018). Cultural Hybridity and Fixity, 84–125. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvh9vxzs.7
· This Journal fits into my paper because it delves into the theoretical perspectives on how cultures interact and the tensions that it causes in people who fit into that idea. It can provide me with good conceptual framework to deeper understand the struggles that are faced by Changez in the novel and the film.
Bhabha, H. K. (1994). The location of culture. Routledge.
· This book that is by Homi K. Bhabha is a great resource for my paper for its exploration of “The Third Space”, which is described as an in-between place where cultures meet and interact. It also discusses hybridity in postcolonial places which is a major theoretical framework that I am using in my research paper.
