Status Updates From Il fondamentalista riluttante

Today in class we discussed about the Erica’s relationship with Chris, and pointed out that Chris is still taking an important part of Erica’s feelings. Through the reading afterclass, this idea was clearly proven to be even more right, as she keeps mentioning Chris when Changez is talking others. Also, I didn’t understand when Changez keeps his beard. This behavior can only deepen the stereotype of a Pakistani.

Erica remains deeply attached to her deceased boyfriend, Chris. Changez realizes that he cannot fully reach her emotionally, no matter how much affection he shows. This makes him feel excluded and insecure, as if he is competing with a memory rather than a real person. Why Erica would not forgot that memory? and why did changz did not say about his feeling?

Starting the final third of the book i really noticed how much the author makes each chapter its own theme and emotion. During this chapter i could really feel the sorrow and attempted compassion the reader has to Erica as she has to go through such things and the crisis of Changez's situation. This also makes me feel that it might be the peak of the climax before everything settles/fixes and it reaches present day.

My prediction came true as Changez returned to Pakistan. I feel ambivalent about this situation. While I’m happy he is reunited with his family, I’m saddened that his American Dream died when I was rooting for his success in the land of opportunity. I think he will struggle, as Pakistan remains in a fragile state. I feel like Changez will lose his place of "home", as his American Dream died and Pakistan is weak.

The moment when Changez’s mother tells him to shave his beard because he is “still a boy” stood out to me because war seems likely in Pakistan, yet she fears how America will treat him. I felt worried because his mother hides her fear behind a small excuse. The author included this to show how political fear affects family life and forces Changez to change his appearance and hide part of his identity to stay safe.

After 911, the whole society's fear has spread to prejudice within society, as Changez just looks like a Muslim, people start to isolate him. Also, I think his relationship with Erica has achieved more than just friends, but Erica still thinks about Chris, which is comprehensible since she spent a lot of time with him earlier, but I think this memory would become an obstacle for their relationship to go further.

I feel bad for Changez because he keeps having to change who he is. First at Princeton, he felt he had to act rich to fit in. Then, after 9-11, everyone was telling him to shave his beard so no one would make assumptions about him. Finally, he is always trying to change who he is for Erica, so that she will like him more. I think this is why the author made his name Changez, because he always has to change.

Changez’s beard shows his growing distance from America and his pride in his roots. He is no longer trying as hard to fit the image of an Underwood Samson employee. I was also struck by the racism he faces, especially being held up at the airport, which makes him feel unwelcome. His complicated feelings for Erica and his reaction to 9/11 reveal an inner conflict about his belonging of America

In this section, I felt Changez is starting to leave and get farther away from the life he once admired before. His confidence in America looks to be weaker, and he becomes more aware of how events around him affect his identity. I noticed how his thoughts turn more critical, especially about control. These pages made me feel complex because it shows how quickly belonging can fade when trust is broken.

I am happy for Changez because he returned home and saw his family after a while. I am surprised that Erica is still thinking about Chris after all that time passed by without her seeing changez. I am curious to know why everyone is hating on Changez's beard. I feel bad for citizens in Pakistan, as they have to prepare provisions for what could be a possible war due to the 911 incident.

Changez has now been fired by Underwood Sampson. Which means now that he has no job, he heads back to Pakistan. Also, earlier in the chapter, Changez and Erica were having sex, and Changez brought up Chris. Changez said, "pretend I'm Chris, and I think that this was a very weird part in the book because Changez was talking about how he doesn't like how Erica brings up Chris so much, and he now brings Chris up.

Changez's new beard not only reflects a loss in belonging, but also his resentment for the power America holds. I found this compelling. He is starting to be more expressive of his roots, going against the grain of a typical Underwood Samson valuator/ American, rather than trying to blend in. I predict that Changez will be slowly pushed out of America due to his physical appearance and reputation after 9/11.

It is interesting to me that when Changez went home to see his family, he was ashamed that his house was not that nice and that he could only seem to focus on the negative things. I think that Changez and Erica are finally done with each other and that they will stop talking. I feel bad for Changez because after all of the effort he's put in to help Erica, she still loves Chris. Overall, I am excited to read further.

Changez appears to have everything figured out, with a strong job with Underwood Samson, a relationship with Erica, and a high social status. However, this success feels forced like it's the american dream but not Changez's. He changes how he acts and hides his real feelings to fit into American society, he's almost pretending in order to feel accepted.

I think when the Author writes about America facing a yearning nostalgia and the past, it is highlighting Erica's character. To me, Erica is a microcosm of America for Changez. At first, he is infatuated with her and views her as perfect, paralleling his arrival in New York, but after 9/11, she becomes damaged and looks for an escape in the past through Chris, just like what American society is doing at the time.

After 9/11, Changez starts to feel the true difference of being seen as an outsider in life. He notices the uneasy looks from stranger, particularly at work. Even though he is still good at his job, he feels less comfortable and more left out from his surrounding. Hamid shows how no matter the circumstances in his occupation, good or bad, he can't change the prevalent prejudice views he gets within the society.

I was very stunned on how Erica has done Changez wrong a lot. He continues to still visit her and she always tends to kiss him on the forehead or cheek, it's not something you usually see in America. I still feel for Changez because how Pakistan is in a tough situation. He is over in America ranked as the number one in his business and giving a bonus reward. I hope he finds something who truly loves him.

Erica is frustrating to read about. Whenever Changez grows close to her, she brings Chris back into the moment. I understand why—she’s known him her whole life—but most people eventually start to move forward after a loss. Erica shows little of that, except for briefly trying to begin something with Changez.

In the book, I can tell that Changez is always thinking about Erica, even though he sometimes try to relief himself from caring about her. However, Erica's thought towards Changez in the meantime is inscrutable. The death of her ex-boyfriend Chris had continuously been a problem in her heart. Knowing that this relationship isn't developing, I wonder if Changez change in his point of view towards Erica.

I think all of these experiences will really build Changez. This reminds me of Erica because of how different their experiences in America are. Not specifically because of where they are from but because of how they look.

Changez’s experience with 9/11 really shows how people will always assume things just because of how you look. I don’t think that Americans intentionally want to assume things but are just not accustomed to not assume things.

In class we talked about how the author chose the name Erica to represent America. To me that means a different perspective of life. She has a different perspective of life because she is from a different place than Changez. If she was from Pakistan her experiences would be a lot different than they are.