In White Teeth by Zadie Smith and The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, the authors demonstrate the different ways in which religion can become a factor of cultural tradition and friction between different racial groups and nationalities. Changez Khan's character in The Reluctant Fundamentalist becomes an advocate of "fundamentalist" jihadist actions through external events and in reaction to American aggression, rather than as an expression of true internal Islamic beliefs. Other characters, however, associate him with the Muslim faith due to his country of origin and culture, and religion appears inextricably linked to culture throughout the novel. Smith's approach departs to some extent from Hamid's, in that White Teeth explores the extent to which its characters attempt to forge precise identities through tensions with their original religions and cultures . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay For example, in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the first physical characterization of Changez given to the reader is his "beard", in the opening paragraph. Although the vernacular here, which Changez maintains throughout, is extremely polite and initially phatic (since his first sentence is "Excuse me, sir, but may I be of service to you?"): a sentence which might even seem intentional servile), the anonymous American is 'alarmed'. Hamid then lays out the implicit assumptions, which the American presumably made to be afraid, in the sentence: "Don't be frightened by my beard: I am a lover of America." A beard in the Lahore setting implies a commitment to the Islamic faith, as the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi, Hanbali and Shia schools of religious law encourage men to grow beards in order to emulate the Prophet. However, the setting is not revealed to the reader until later, so all they have to infer Changez's alarming qualities is the second half of the sentence, "I am a lover of America." While this implied statement from his foreigner complements the description of his traditionally religious appearance, Hamid associates culture and religion as co-equal threats to a white American citizen. Changez described Erica and Chris's past relationship after she left, saying "Maybe the reality of their time together was as wonderful as she had described it to me many times. Or maybe their past was d 'all the more powerful because it was imaginary. I didn't know if I believed in the truth of their love; it was, after all, a religion that didn't accept me as a convert. , and I felt small for not being able to offer her anything comparable to her splendor If the relationship between Erica and Changez is interpreted as representative of her ultimately unsuccessful infatuation with the West, then it is significant that the two's earlier love affair. Americans is a “religion which would not accept him as a convert”: he cannot replace the American Chris or really imitates his life Hamid therefore perhaps suggests that for the West, religion and culture are inextricable. The description of these two Americans' relationship focuses specifically on the ambiguity as to what was "imaginary", although Changez wonders, in emphatic italics, whether the truth of this American religion matters as much as this individual's faith in particular: “I knew she believed it. '. Hamid continues the lexical field of religion by also mentioning its "splendor", a word often associated withthe "light of God", and when Changez sees Erica later at the clinic, he describes her as looking "pious" and hungry, as though she had been "too consumed by prayer" to eat. Changez also describes Erica's downfall as "powerful nostalgia", clearly echoing the condemnation of "crippling nostalgia" in America. This force is a connection that Changezcannot understand, because it is outside of him and acts as an illogical constraint. This conceptual metaphor, which extends throughout the novel, presents the American presence as a religious presence, as if to clarify to Hamid's Western audiences that the patriotic connection with the United States might be just as mystifying and threatening to someone. 'one from Pakistan (even if he is capable of doing it). to be comfortable in America) as Islam could be for them. Arguably, as personal religion does not affect Changez's isolated life, but confusion and appeal to faith on the logic of American nostalgia harm Erica, Hamid even describes the appeal of America as a more powerful dogmatic religious force in the novel than Islam itself. Changez identifies with the "Janissaries" of the Ottoman Empire, observing: "I was a modern-day Janissary, a servant of the American Empire at a time when it was invading a country close to mine." This “kinship” is both racial and religious, which form a family bond more compelling than his geographic connection to America when he lived there. Although the Janissaries were Christians forced to serve in a Muslim army, suggesting that the Islamic religion itself is not inherently exploited by others or even necessary to the allegory, the fact that he considers himself metaphorically as serving another religion as well as a rival nation reinforces the idea of ​​Americanism as a religion. The location of this epiphany corroborates the priority given to ideological "kinship" over geographic loyalty: in Chile he knows no one and cares for no one, but Juan-Batista influences him considerably because of the vision anti-Americanism that they share. His decision to grow a beard also stems from this visit: religion is once again an instrument of resentment against a nation. In White Teeth, Smith depicts Islam disconnected from culture through the character of Millat Iqbal, while Smith contextualizes his conversion to the fundamentalist group KEVIN. by Western culture more than by Samad's traditional Muslim education, which he tries to pass on to the more academic twin Magid by sending him to Bangladesh. Millat's obsession with American gangster films influences his journey towards fundamentalism: when he tries to reject thoughts related to the films, the recurring reference to Goodfellas in his mind: "As far back as I can remember, I 'always wanted to be a gangster', becomes 'For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a Muslim. This obvious parallelism may highlight the absence of any original, purely introspective motivation behind his desire to join KEVIN, but Smith also demonstrates that this decision comes from a compulsion towards the clear order of an organization like the mafia. Unlike his twin, Millat remained in a multicultural and confused London as a second-generation immigrant with little sense of his roots, and as a result his mind is a "mess" between West and East, requiring a structure or link with one's own culture. . Ironically, by joining this organization, he also rejects his cultural roots by turning away from Islam and his father's orientation. The young men's organizations all seek their own religious origins through the "fundamental", as Millat describes it: "a pure life, prayer (five times a day without fail), fasting, working for the cause, spreading the message", although he admits that this "irritated him let them not be pious thoughts” and he adds hesitantly: “And that was enough, wasn’t it? Maybe. Whatever it is,” adolescent vernacular imbuing his introversion with a superficial, dismissive attitude toward a deeper faith. The connection that is missing here to culture and faith is therefore found in the spirit, and in the deeper contemplation or compassion that these directionless young men lack. Samad is a displaced Muslim character, similar to Changez. Even though he has turned to a Western culture, Samad clings to his faith in the face of Smith's diverse London. Irene Pérez Fernández describes it as a "multicultural space where a homogeneous cultural identity is questioned" or "a reality hybrid which for (Smith) is neither extraordinary nor magical but is part of (his) ordinary life.” He maintains a unique identity, unlike the more confused characters of the second generation, thanks to his religion and deeper mental connection – untainted by Western contextualization unlike his son. He sees his roots as intrinsic, as he explains to Arthur: "I don't eat [pork] for the same reason that as an Englishman you can never really satisfy a woman... It's in our cultures, my friend. » He thought for a minute. "Maybe deeper. Maybe in our bones." His pause in thought, reproduced by an actual interruption in the reported speech, and the anaphora of "Perhaps" subverts his actual word, as if he is unsure of this supposedly certain fact of his identity. However, Smith also appears to criticize this interpretation in the text by having him drink and commit adultery: his loyalty appears to be to a cultural ideal of religion rather than to religious principles themselves. Smith also states: “If religion is the opium of the people, tradition is an even more sinister painkiller, simply because it rarely appears sinister. » Religion does not act alone here; Samad commits the "sinister" act of kidnapping his own son due to an idea of ​​cultural tradition in his head rather than a commitment to Allah, because the environment provides an external cultural force: Magid could have simply become more pious anywhere. He seems much more secure in his religious identity than Millat, but maintaining cultural traditions in combination with Islam leads him to tear his family apart. In contrast, Smith evokes a total rejection of roots through the character of Clara Bowden and her decision. leave religion behind. Her family is also inextricable from their identity as Jamaican Jehovah's Witnesses, so Clara consciously decided to disrupt this emotional connection as well as their inherited culture. Smith suggests, however, that because of her upbringing, she can still resist the urge to fall back into faith. When she criticizes her mother for influencing Irie, Smith undermines her words: “Hortense, I don't want you to fill her head with a whole bunch of nonsense. Do you hear me? Your mother was an idiot, and then you were an idiot, but the buck stops with me and it doesn't go any further. If Irie comes home spouting all this crap, you can forget about the Second Coming, because you'll be dead by the time it arrives. Big words. But how fragile Clara's atheism is! The mention of "responsibility" stopping with Clara recognizes that faith is her cultural heritage, and while "it doesn't go any further" seems to categorically deny the possibility of Irie succumbing, the fact that she must violently warn his mother. demonstrate to what «.