Cameron Suh’s Reviews > The Reluctant Fundamentalist > Status Update

It's crazy how fast Changez's life falls apart. I think the turning point and the final blow for Changez was when Juan compared him to a janissary. Changez realized how true this was and wanted to be disconnected with America after that talk with Juan. I honestly felt like he was a little embarrased to be known as Pakistani at first but as the book developed, he became more mature and learned to embrace.

Erica seems like a total fiend. First off, she keeps Changez emotionally attached even though she can't get over her dead boyfriend, Chris. Who does that? She even had Changez roleplay as Chris while having an intimate moment. Now, after 9/11, she acts like Changez doesn't even exist? I'm glad that she decided disappear instead of lingering in Changez's life and constantly giving him troubles and mixed feelings.

Man, do I feel bad for Changez. He always worked hard and truly put his effort into making not only himself better, but his surroundings as well. I think that he will indeed return to Pakistan because of all the stress he is going through. I wonder how the relationship between Erica and him will be in the future. I wonder why America treats him like this, even though he is very beneficial to society.

Recently, I have started truly questioning what is wrong with America. Yes, they are allowed to feel sad and mourn, but taking their anger out on innocent people simply because they are a certain skin color is not acceptable. I wonder how Changez will respond to this. I hope that he will be able to bounce back stronger and continue his best even when facing prejudice. I was wondering if it was prejudice or racism?

What is genuinely wrong with Changez? After seeing 9/11, instead of feeling any sadness for the country that allowed him to acquire a great job and attend one of the prestigious colleges, he decides to laugh. Wow, that really took me off guard. Is this because he genuinely feels glad America got attacked, or is it that he was filled with mixed emotions and did not know what reaction to put on? I am extremely confused

So far, this book has really been about building the foundation of what I think will happen next, 9/11. In the last 20 pages, I wonder what the purpose of Erica is because she is sort of the whole focus of this book so far. We know that her and Changez's relationship will crumble but I wonder how this will exactly affect not only Changez's view on Erica, but his view on America itself after being treated poorly.

I can see that Changez is thriving in America. He lands a very prestigious job in Underwood and is top of his class at Princeton. I appreciate the relationship building and building with him and Erica. I do wonder how their relationship will play out in terms of building the theme and true meaning in the story. I wonder if, after 9/11, all of the things that are going well for him will backfire on him and crush him.

After reading the first 20 pages, I could not be more excited about uncovering more about this book. First, we could see how the author uses symbolism as the American does not have a voice, symbolizing tension with Americans after 9/11. I wonder how this story will progress with Erica, and I feel like she will play a major role in this book. I also wonder what the American's intentions were by visiting Pakistan.