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Hannah Overly
Dr. Alpana Sharma
CST 2310
26 April 2015
The Parameters of Perception: The Fundamentalist in Limbo
The most typical definition of an Outsider is someone who does not belong, or
is not widely acknowledged as part of the accepted norm. It is believed that those who
scale the outer edge of society are somehow damaged or dangerous, when in reality
they are just different. In Mohsin Hamids The Reluctant Fundamentalist it is easy to dub
Changez as the outcast because he is physically and geographically the most unique
compared to those who immediately surround him. However, as Changezs tragic story
plays out, multiple reclusive-like relationships unfold. We find that culture has the power
to make one an outsider to the public, an outsider to loved ones, and an outsider to
oneself. Parameters set up by society, dictated by the past, influence not only how
others perceive us, but how we perceive ourselves. Hamid shows us how our
perceptions easily manipulate our actions and sense of motivation, through the eyes of
a man trapped within his very own label-induced nightmare.
It is made quite obvious that Changezs life is full of discrimination due to his
ethnicity. Upon inspection, it can be found that while he is exposed to multiple forms of
public judgement, including both racial and financial by those in America, he is also
scrutinized by those who are similarly considered foreign. Most assume that Middle
Eastern racial bias was a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center, however, prior
to, Changez attends Princeton where he is treated as a minority. One of only two

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Pakistanis, he is given an abundance of assistance and attention by the American
University. In return, it is expected that he, and any other foreign student, contribute
their intelligence and abilities to society: Students like me were given visas and
scholarships, complete financial aid, mind you, and invited into the ranks of mediocracy.
In return, we were expected to contribute our talents to your society, the society we
were joining (Hamid 4). In this instance, his culture compliments him, but even so, the
attention is still alienating, making him a vessel of jealousy for his American peers. In
the wake of September 11, Changez and other Middle Eastern descendants are
deemed a threat based almost solely on their skin color. Hamid describes how American
citizens treat naturalized American-Muslims with violence and malice following the
attacks. Changez himself experiences these injustices when bystanders deflate his tires
and verbally attack him with derogatory accusations (117). Even though Changez is
completely innocent of any act of terrorism, he is placed in the same group as those
who personally cause the destruction, only because they share the same race and
culture. Those from the Journal of International Affairs say that Middle Eastern
Americans were thrust under a microscope and scrutinized from every angle, Muslims
became the newest, and most immediately threatening, other (Moran 2013).
Americans were attacked so they continue to be on guard in an attempt to protect
themselves. In the process, they make Changez an outsider because, to them, he
shares the same mask as the monster that attacked their country.
Up until his trip to the Philippines, Changez is seen as Middle Eastern. However,
when he has an intense stare down with a local Filipino man, he is viewed as a
privileged American. He speaks of the encounter and explains that his dislike was so

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obvious, so intimate, that it got under my skin (Hamid 67). The foreign man sees
Changez for what he is trying to portray and he detests him for not claiming his culture
and tainting it with the American sense of pride and entitlement. This makes Changez
an outsider not only to the Philippine native, but to himself, for when he returns to his
American counterparts he is bothered by their foreignness.
Considerably, the most secretively tumultuous relationship within the novel is that
of Changez and his dinner partner, the American. While we do not get to hear the
Western man speak, we get the sense that, though he lacks knowledge concerning
Changez, he has already cast his judgement. With only a few words, and several
hypercritical actions, he forces Changez to explain himself. In this instance he becomes
an outsider within his own environment because he places himself on the defense,
defending his life and the choices he has made. Although the American is the
geographical guest he manipulates the situation; Changez is made the emotional guest
to an event that he is not hosting.
One can be easily estranged by those they are unfamiliar with; but what about
those whom we love? Throughout the novel, Hamid demonstrates how it is possible to
intimately connect to another and still be an outsider. Prime examples of this feature
Changezs family and his American love interest Erica. Changez first leaves his family in
Lahore to pursue an education at Princeton. This act causes a separation from his
family and the standard by which they live. He has left and seen the finer things in life:
parties, gourmet food, and wealth. He quickly becomes so accustomed to these
American normalcies that when he returns home he is ashamed. Changez is struck at
first by how shabby [his] house appeared, with cracks running through its ceilings and

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dry bubbles of paint flaking off where dampness had entered its walls (Hamid 124). In
reality, he knows that the only thing of significance that has changed is himself. His
family, though blood, are now strangers, made so by his pursuit of an American Dream.
Consequently, he is once again an outsider within his own family and home.
The second, and possibly most significant alienation from another is that of Erica.
From the second he sees the regal Erica, Changez becomes permanently infatuated.
He is a prisoner of his own desires for someone whom he can never fully have. As
obvious as this may seem to the reader, it is not to Changez. Erica is spiritually involved
with the deceased Chris, a bond that will not be broken, because it is not physical but
mental. Changez, nonetheless, continues to pursue her when, in reality, he will never be
Ericas Chris. She loves him, but is not capable of being in love with him for that position
has already been filled. Because of this, he is made an outsider by the woman whom he
loves.
Hamids most deceptive, yet substantial, form of an outsider features Changez
and himself. Several times throughout his story Changez admits to being an actor. Our
attention is drawn to think that his acting is merely a manipulation to make his
counterparts feel a certain way about him. However, he himself begins to become
entrapped by his new persona. Changez slowly becomes accustomed to lush American
life and the power that comes from working a prestigious job. These blinders affect his
ability to see himself for what he truly is causing him to live a life that does not belong to
him: I felt in that momentI was play-acting when in reality I ought to be making my
way home (Hamid 67). Up until this point he has adopted his Western counterparts
actions instead of adapting his own thoughts and behaviors to complement what

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already was. Another chief example of Changezs identity crisis is when he volunteers to
forsake his own character to become Chris. When he utters the words Pretend I am
him he inherently tells himself that he is not worthy; that he must change (Hamid 105).
This mentality separates himself from his own worth thus making him an outsider to
himself.
Eventually Changez returns home to Lahore. It is here that he becomes a mentor
at a local University where he teaches finance. He is living the life he would have lived if
he had not pursued America. However, despite his seemingly good, new life he cannot
escape the bit of America that permanently resides within his being. He finds himself
being the backboard for political complaints of America and war for his students. In this
sense Changez is an insider, for he has tasted what it is to be American; he has an
insight that his students do not. The issue is that while he holds the information, he
lacks the understanding behind the American motives. Being an outsider prevents him
from connecting emotionally with the impetuses behind Americas thought process. So
even with this life change, Changez is neither wholly an insider nor an outsider, but
something in between. Part of him has been lost in America, particularly within Erica: I
lost something of myself to her that I [am] unable to relocate in my city of birth (172).
Permanently stuck in a place of limbo, we find that the perceptions of our societal
counterparts affect our character and behavior without our consent.
Mohsin Hamids The Reluctant Fundamentalist is one of hidden lessons
concerning self-realization. The story of Changez illustrates how being reluctant to
boldly live life can lead to self-destruction. Internalizing the stereotypes of society only
breeds more judgement from others and ourselves. Changez describes the importance

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of this phenomenon in great depth when he speaks of his experiences: Such journeys
have convinced me that is not always possible to restore ones boundaries after they
have blurred and made permeable by a relationship: try as we might, we cannot
reconstitute ourselves as the autonomous beings we previously imagined ourselves to
be. Something of us is now outside, and something of the outside is now within us
(Hamid 173-174). The vicious cycle of societal hierarchy is never-ending because there
will always be judgment as long as there is uncertainty. These parameters of perception,
put in place my members of society, keep us from becoming the best version of
ourselves and successfully fulfilling our role as insiders.

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Works Cited
Hamid, Mohsin. The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Orlando: Harcourt, 2007. Print.
Moran, Kate. "Muslim in America: Changes in Perception in the Post-9/11 Era." Emory
Journal of International Affairs. N.p., 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.