The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout the novel, Changez mentions a number of American movies.

• What do his mentions of these movies symbolize? (topic sentence)
• What are three movies that Changez mentions and how do they relate to the way he thinks about his experiences?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect this to the theme of The American Dream or Identity.

2. Lahore and New York City are the two primary settings for this novel.  

• How are these two cities similar and different? What do they represent for Changez? (topic sentence)
• Explore at least three ways these cities contribute to the motif of geography and how they help Changez to think about his Identity.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, describe how the overall setting of the novel contributes to Changez’s view of the United States.

3. After 9/11, Changez is often stereotyped as a terrorist.

• How does this affect Changez’s view of the United States and of his home country? (topic sentence)
• How do these moments contribute to his ultimate decision to quit his job at Underwood Samson? Use at least three examples from the text as evidence.
• Finally, discuss in your concluding sentence what this might suggest about The American Dream and who it is included in it.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider the role of the stranger as Changez’s audience. How does Hamid use the stranger to build tension in the novel, both through the events in Lahore in the story’s present and the way the frame narrative describes the story’s past? Using at least three examples from the text, make an argument about the stranger and their role in the novel. Ultimately, connect this back to the theme of 9/11 and the War on Terror through the stranger’s role as an American in Pakistan.

2. Readers never find out precisely what happened to Erica by the end of the novel and can only make assumptions based off of Changez’s attempts to write to her or learn about her from Princeton’s alumni newspaper. How does her story shape Changez’s character development? Think about her aspirations as a writer, her relationship with her late boyfriend, and her nostalgia, and use at least three examples from the text to support your argument. In your conclusion, think about what her role as an American in Changez’s past suggests about the United States and/or Changez’s experiences there.

3. By all accounts, Changez was on track to being very successful in the United States. He was getting bonuses at work, gaining a close relationship with his boss, and loved living in New York. What happens to him and what does his decision to leave America suggest about The American Dream? In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss what Hamid might be trying to suggest about The American Dream and the Identity of those who come to the United States from the Middle East.