Status Updates From The Reluctant Fundamentalist

I find it kind of strange that Dex had never heard the sound of crickets before. I get that he lives in a monastery, but he also was a kid once, not being a monk. I wonder if he just did not like going outside as a kid

I see that Changez keeps thinking about Erica, even when he tries not to, while also facing suspicion and unfair treatment after 9/11. Fear spreads fast, and normal places start to feel unsafe. On the other hand, I found that Erica is hard to understand because she is still stuck on Chris. Since their relationship isn’t growing and Changez feels isolated, I wonder how his feelings and view of the world will change.

As the situation has worsened for foreinghers especialy in the Middle Eastern region, including Changez. Rumors like people killing Muslims, raiding their homes, and closing off temples made me able to see clearly what the society was like in the US. He also starts to question his identity after he's been less welcomed in America. It also made me wonder that it's going to be the main cause of Changez leaving the US.

After 911 had happened, Changez's whole world had changed; he was judged by Americans by his appearance and nationality, even when he claimed he loved the country and lived there for years. Prejudice comes into Changez's life when he's the last one to board the plane, when he's getting questioned again and again by the customs, which makes me feel about the 'power' of people's opinion, and the society's prejudice.

The way Underwood Samson works is extremely efficient, but the meritocracy within the company also ignores personalities, focusing only on results, not the process, which could cause problems. Also, as Changez went to Erica's home, her dad was unfriendly to Changez. Which made me concerned about the situation that Changez is and will be facing after 911 because of his Pakistani identity and his appearance.

As Changez has met and known Erica and her past, I realized that the name Erica is very close to America. As Changez starts to get close to her, he's trying to involve into the country of the US. Meanwhile, Changez got his training started in Underwood Samson, proving that he had stepped into the top class of New York, as he himself says, he felt like a New Yorker, which could be changing him in the future.

As the waiter comes by the American, his mysterious and suspicious act all seems to have a reason. Whether he has something likely to be a weapon hiding under his jacket, so he wouldn't like to take it off, sitting in the corner so no one can reach him from behind, and the awareness he'd shown from the start, makes me think that he might be a spy or intellegence related person in Lahore rather than a tourist.