Pakistan, United States, and Afghanistan! oh my!

Thesis: The Reluctant Fundamentalist represents the depression and discrimination 9/11 has left individuals of Arab or Muslim descent in the United States and portrays the ongoing tension between Pakistani's and Americans. 

 the trust issues between Pakistan and the United States pre-9/11 and post 9/11, and a clear understanding of the historical point of view of what it felt to be a Pakistani at such a significant and saddening time. 

The current US-Pakistani relationship is short of trust. The two countries have tried to create a stable relationship, especially with the war in Afghanistan, however it is unsuccessful because of the lack of trust. In The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Changez implicitly and explicitly references to the fact that America is shameful for not supporting Pakistan during its conflict with Afghanistan. Especially, since after 9/11, Pakistan had given its highest effort to win the satisfaction of the United States by performing actions like capturing members of Al-Qaeda and allowing the United States to plant military bases in order to attack Afghanistan. Changez says “I was saddened to find it in such a state...This was where I had come from…and it smacked of lowliness” (141). A man, who had seen his homeland change completely, was flustered at the thought that America was doing nothing to help even after Pakistan had aided them in a battle. Throughout the novel, Changez never permanently identified himself as an American, and it came to be of no surprise that a smile was revealed during the 9/11 incident. He had no ill intention towards either country, however because he was so attached to Pakistan from the start, he felt it was like a duty for him to side with his country, instead. This was basically a symbolic way of representing the relationship with the two countries because Changez smile was like the “I know you’re lying” type of smile, which is exactly the main reason behind the problematic countries.

The situation the US and Pakistan is currently in is an accurate representation of the relationship the two countries had during the time period this novel is set in. During the course of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, after 9/11 became a reality Changez depicted the US-Pakistani relationship as one that never had an effective set of rules or policies placed on either country. The way that Changez talks about America in the novel, it’s as if he’s let whatever pride he had in America die alongside with his love Erica. Changez “had always thought of America as a nation that looked forward; for the first time [he] was struck by its determination to look back” (131).  It’s as if Changez knew that United States and Pakistan weren't going to have the best of relations, and so his views on both countries had changed by the way he declared the United States shameful and unhelpful. Changez was mostly accurate in portraying the relationship because it just goes to show how moment or an incident can change everything. Pakistan wanted help from the United States, and in a moment that bond the two countries had was torn.

However, at the same time the portrayal of the US-Pakistani relationships was somewhat inaccurate. Since during the time around 9/11, Changez felt that Pakistan is dependent on support from the United States, and without that support they are feeble. However, Pakistan had not directly called to the United States to come and rescue them in their war against Afghanistan; help was more expected than asked for.  In The Reluctant Fundamentalist there is actually more disagreements between Pakistan and the US however the negative side of the relationship was not stressed during the novel at all. This is the reason it is important to read the novel through a historical point of view, because the disagreements, history, and content becomes clear and understandable. 

Topic Four