Changez’s Fractured Identity in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist

In this paper, I argue that Hamid’s character Changez represents those immigrants who are frustrated due to their fractured identity on foreign soil. Moreover, Changez, who initially embraces new cultures but later falls into a big ditch located between native cultures and foreign cultures. This paper examines The Reluctant Fundamentalist through the postcolonial lens. In this era of globalization, emigration has become a normal phenomenon, indicating a possibility of cultural harmony and multiculturalism. The technological advancements have shrunk the word, resulting in a “global village.” The world is becoming smaller and interaction among people from different cultural backgrounds is getting stronger. Yet, there are occasions when multiculturalism proves to be an obstacle to cultural harmony, which exactly is reflected in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Upon examining the novel, the paper claims that failure to reconcile two identities on foreign soil leads to isolation from native and foreign cultures, leading individuals to confront massive psychological turbulence such as frustration and depression.