This paper aims to show how a genre can be utilised in order to clarify specific struggles of a fictional character and make them universally accessible to any reader, which proves that Postcolonialism is not only a discussion about the past, but still influences people all over the world as colonialism finds its new ways to establish itself in many parts of the world as the colonial “legacies continue to inflect contemporary geo-political realities and conflicts around the world and impact upon how different people (are forced to) live today”. Hamid’s "The Reluctant Fundamentalist", one of the most well-known 21st century novels written by a Pakistani author intelligently combines the elements of the Bildungsroman and concepts of Postcolonialism. Changez is the protagonist of a modern Bildungsroman who experiences the power of a new form of colonialism and is made aware of his role as a colonised subject by his journeys throughout a crucial phase of identity formation in his life.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Postcolonialism as a Form of Literary Analysis
3. The Bildungsroman as Genre
4. The Functions of the Journeys in The Reluctant Fundamentalist
4.1 Departure: Changez’ Migration to America
4.2 Growth: The Journeys to Manila, Lahore and Valparaiso
4.3 Return to Lahore
5. Conclusion
Objectives & Core Topics
This work examines Mohsin Hamid’s novel "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" by synthesizing the literary framework of the Bildungsroman with the theoretical lens of Postcolonialism. It seeks to analyze how the protagonist's physical migrations function as catalysts for his internal transformation, identity formation, and shifting ideological alignment between Eastern and Western values.
- The intersection of Postcolonial literary theory and the Bildungsroman genre.
- Changez's diasporic experience and his evolving perception of the American "colonizer."
- The function of specific geographical journeys (Manila, Lahore, Valparaiso) in the process of self-actualization.
- The challenges of double-identity and the impossibility of a clean decolonization of the mind.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2 Growth: The Journeys to Manila, Lahore and Valparaiso
When Changez arrives in Manila he is overwhelmed by the city’s appearance as he had expected a city that would remind him of Lahore and instead found one bearing greater similarity to New York than to his home which can also be seen when he refers to, both, Lahore and Manila as part of ‘the East’. Changez has adopted the western notion of the East being inferior to the West, as Said argued in Orientalism. “It was one thing to accept that New York was more wealthy than Lahore, but quite another to swallow the fact that Manila was as well” (Hamid 74). This indicates how much the colonial western world view described by Said has taken effect on Changez who thinks that only western cities such as New York are supposed to be developed.
Consequently, it represents a significant collision of values leading to a change in his behaviour which marks this event as a striking growth point necessary for Changez maturation to take place. However, he is not entirely comfortable in his situation and cannot commit himself fully as American which can be seen when on his way back to the hotel in Manila with his colleagues a strange driver glares at Changez in a hostile way. This experience troubles him for a quite a while. Changez suspects “that he [the driver] and I share a Third World sensibility” (ibid. 77) and when he looks at his colleague he thinks “you are so foreign. I felt in that moment much closer to the Filipino driver than to him” (ibid.). This situation is remarkable because it displays “the Bildungsroman characters need to ‘master multiplicity’ in order to become an individual to the threshold ‘reality’ of post-colonial subjects” (Lima 454) and mirrors how Changez is still struggling with his identity and thus digs further into the process of identity formation.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the research aim to utilize the Bildungsroman genre and Postcolonial theory to explore the struggles of the protagonist, Changez, in Hamid's novel.
2. Postcolonialism as a Form of Literary Analysis: This chapter defines Postcolonialism as a critical field, tracing its academic emergence and its focus on analyzing the cultural and historical legacies of colonialism.
3. The Bildungsroman as Genre: The chapter explores the traditional characteristics of the Bildungsroman while contrasting them with contemporary, expanded, and postcolonial interpretations of the genre.
4. The Functions of the Journeys in The Reluctant Fundamentalist: This section analyzes how the protagonist's migrations to America, Manila, Valparaiso, and his return to Lahore serve as essential stages in his development and his realization of his "colonized" identity.
5. Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, confirming that Changez's journey effectively mirrors the classic developmental trajectory of a Bildungsroman while highlighting the lingering complexities of a double identity.
Keywords
Postcolonialism, Bildungsroman, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid, Changez, Identity Formation, Diaspora, Colonialism, Mimicry, Double-Identity, In-betweenness, Literary Analysis, Modernity, Cultural Conflict, Transformation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic work?
The work primarily analyzes Mohsin Hamid’s novel "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" through the lens of the Bildungsroman genre combined with Postcolonial literary theory.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The study explores themes of cultural displacement, the psychological impact of colonialism, the concept of the "colonized subject," and the struggle for identity formation in a globalized world.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine how the protagonist’s physical journeys function as developmental stages within the Bildungsroman genre, specifically in the context of his conflicting loyalties to Eastern and Western cultures.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper utilizes a literary analysis approach, scrutinizing the novel's text against established theoretical frameworks such as Said’s concept of Orientalism and Buckley’s definition of the Bildungsroman.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body breaks down the protagonist’s journey into specific phases—departure, growth through travel in Manila and Valparaiso, and the eventual return home—to map his evolution from an admirer of Western success to a critical, conflicted individual.
Which keywords best describe the work?
Key terms include Postcolonialism, Bildungsroman, Identity Formation, Diaspora, Mimicry, and Double-Identity.
How does the author define the "Bildungsroman" in this context?
The author moves beyond the traditional European definition to include modern and postcolonial perspectives, where the "formation" of the hero involves navigating multiple, often contradictory, cultural systems.
What is the significance of the "Janissary" comparison in the novel?
The protagonist compares himself to a modern-day janissary, a realization that he is serving an empire (America) that is actively harming his own kin, which serves as a turning point in his identity crisis.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2017, Exploring Mohsin Hamid’s "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" as a Postcolonial Bildungsroman, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/497733
