What is a Reluctant Fundamentalist? According to Changez, it is someone who avoids their principles. Someone who avoids their beliefs. Changez says this from experience through the memoir of his life in America. He is not retelling this as a statement that he dislikes America, but that his stay in America grew to symbolize his reluctance to accept reality.
Changez is an idealist. Right off the bat, he was the best of his class. Despite his below average upbringing, he went to a different country, and obtained the most prestigious education and job without hesitation. He is an idealist because of how much spirit and ambition he had from how well he excelled in America. In his narrative, he describes himself as the best soccer player, worker, flirter, and negotiator. Therefore his job symbolized his idealism. It symbolized his idea that through his accomplishments, he was doing the right thing. Idealism was the idea that he could do anything he put his mind to. This however was his downfall.
Changez’s main conflict was that he felt he didn't belong. Erica was what kept him grounded. Through Erica accepting and opening up to Changez, Changez not only felt welcome as a New Yorker, but also as still being a Pakistani. Wainwright and Jim also shared this empathy for Changez. For example when Jim told Changez of his poor childhood. However, after September eleventh, everything changed for Changez. Erica redeveloped her feelings for Chris.
Chris symbolizes Changez’s impossible competition. After this change in Erica, it was impossible for Changez to rekindle their relationship. Changez, however, was in denial of this. In the latter half of the book, Changez’s idealism was what kept him in America. When Erica couldn't accept Changez’s attempt at making love, it was evident that the relationship was over. And yet Changez still tried to force the relationship. He sent many emails, and phone calls, and finally when he was capable of having sex through pretending to be Chris, it only confused her more. It came to the point where he couldn't have any contact with her, and yet he stayed in America with the hopes of being contacted eventually. Despite her abandonment, he still stayed to hopefully start his relationship with her.
This abandonment from Erica renewed his main conflict of not belonging. With knowing that America was planning on going to war with Pakistan, along with the day-to-day racism, Changez’s entire world was turning against him. Because of this, he let go of his idealism. After he talked to Juan-Bautista in Peru, he realized that he couldn't accept his idealized American lifestyle. Until then, he was too reluctant to see how his life was turning against him. With Erica gone, and helping America in financing, he felt like a traitor to Pakistan. Changez is a reluctant fundamentalist because he was eventually able to accept his American lifestyle was too idealized. He finally accepted the fundamental reality that his American lifestyle goes against his principles and so he gave up his whole American life.
