Thomas Sezak’s Reviews > The Reluctant Fundamentalist > Status Update

In my opinion, Changez is going to get fired. Even if he was very talented and thought of as the best-paid intern. However, ever since the war with India started, and Erica has been in the rehab center, Changez hasn't been the same. He can't focus and is thinking about anything but work. In my understanding, if you want to be successful in New york you have to be ruthless and have work on your mind 24/7

When Changez was on the plane back to america he realized all the people around him were similar in age, college, and young professionals heading back from the holiday. Instead of helping with their home country thats about to go to war, the smartest of Pakistan are leaving. I could see how Changez would feel sad or regretful. Because why is he one of the lucky few who gets to leave and possibly not get killed?

When Changez returned home to Lahore, on the first night, he looked around his old house and realised all the broken and old things, and even became ashamed to be from there. After he realised that he was taking stuff for granted, he started appreciating the objects that made his house special. A lot of times, people take for granted what they have, and when they lose it, they realise how spoiled they were being.

I find it extremely interesting that Changez has been talking to this American stranger for so long. In my experience, people don't usually talk with the owner or worker of the store for this long. So far in the book, they have been talking for over four hours because they started in the afternoon, and now it's nighttime. It's very strange how the American has nowhere to be and has all this time to talk to Changez.

One characteristic I admire about Changez is his deep affection for his home country. I think one of the reasons he is so motivated to be successful is that he wants Pakistan to be well-represented. I can relate to that because my mom is from Costa Rica, and half of my family is from there. That's the country that my roots come from, so I want to represent Costa Rica well, like Changez wants with Pakistan.

The guy that Changuz works with, named Wainwright, seems like a really cool guy. Wainwright loves to use quotes from movie lines like "Beware of the dark side"38. These quotes from Wainwright give him a unique and funny side to him and make reading the book more enjoyable. I hope that Changuz and Wainwright can become good friends so he can stay in the book and keep making these jokes.

When Changez is telling us the story about the summer in Greece. I thought for sure he and Erica were going to end up being a couple; it seemed like they had a lot of chemistry and were a good fit with each other. But when I found out Erica boyfreind died from cancer, then it all made sense. Because she was probably still grieving and trying to get over her dead boyfriend, and didnt want to start a new relationship.

When Changez was being interviewed for Underwood Samson, at the start of the interview, I thought there was no way Changez would get the job. It seemed like he was very nervous, and I thought that the interviewer was not going to like that. However, as the interview went on, Changez settled in and got the job. This demonstrates Changez as a very intelligent and smart person because he was selected out of many people.