At the table of an unpretentious café in the old Anarkali market in Lahore, Changez tells the story of his American citizenship and traces the nature of his stay. In The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid is able to successfully employ a rare style of dramatic monologue that allows Changez to create the entire narrative, without any impregnation or interruption from the deliberately secretive "American." to reinforce the mystique of the scenario. Hamid uses both structural and linguistic techniques to explore the theme of conflicting identities. In fact, both in Hamid's novel and in another displacement novel, John Updike's Terrorist, several characters seem to express opacity about their true identities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Erica, Changez's friend and failed lover, seems to lack real conviction to redevelop her identity after the loss of her late Chris boyfriend. Changez claims she became dangerously introspective, stating "Her eyes turned inward,…she struggled against a current that pulled her within herself." The repetition of “she” creates a centralized image of self-entrapment. Culture is an important indicator as to where an individual has a certain identity, for example Changez feels a sense of belonging in the world of commerce, with Underwood Samson. However, when culture changes, such as during the catalytic 9/11 movement, some individuals find themselves distanced from previously strong foundations. Hamid uses dramatic monologue for two main reasons, in an attempt to delve deeper into many of Changez's moral issues, opinions, and beliefs. This would also allegedly distort the legitimacy of the truth, after all, Changez's charisma and pride would certainly be reason enough for a slight embellishment, which Changez himself acknowledges, stating "it may be that I am inclined to exaggerate these irritants in retrospect,” which is an interesting self-recognition. Changez's identity becomes clear throughout the novel. Of course he's a hybrid, he doesn't fit into any of the racial appropriations in America. However, within the first months of his residency, Changez moved to New York, claiming "[he] was immediately a New Yorker." The immediately italicized word underlines the fact that Changez quickly found an identity in the metropolis. The comically “cosmopolitan” description of the hustle and bustle of New York follows a series of unanswered questions in the novel, the epitome of the elusive Changez. For example, Changez makes several references to homosexuality, which could suggest that Changez's identity may be different from his façade of righteousness. His reluctant friendship with Jim seems to emphasize this point, but Changez evades this question on the American's part. Unanswered questions are common in the novel, leading to assumptions and prejudices about how Changez acts. This element of subtextual activity is also prevalent in Updike's novel Terrorist. Ahmad, the radical Muslim schoolboy, proves that an unexpected level of underlying emotion exists in several characters. He explicitly advocates a "clean and pure" method of living, regarding sexual activity and interaction with "ungodly" American Christians. However, it is clear that an imbue of natural emotion draws the radical into a state of moral turpitude. The desire narrated illustrates this dichotomy between religion and humanity, Ahmad is interested in Joryleen's "breasts" and "lips" which are bothcultural symbols of sexuality. A clever analogy of this disparity between the fullness of an identity and the permeation of a discrete and parasitic identity concerns Ahmad's eye. It reads: “As Ahmad widens his eyes, staring at so much injustice, Jack notices that his irises are not quite black but with a greenish tint to their brown, a pinch of Mulloy in him. This description indicates an identity-based imperfection, perhaps proving that there is a range of characters within a single identity; it is up to the individual to decide which prevails. Identity in the form of belonging to Erica is a strange case. Erica appears to accept her receding nature and is not prompted by Changez to re-emerge from the darkness of her misguided acquiescence after Chris's death. His identity certainly changed after 9/11, claiming it "rekindled old thoughts." Changez notices a bruise on "the top of his ribcage" which could be interpreted allegorically as a bruise resulting from the defining events of the terrorist attack. Erica is interested in the isolated nature of the islands, Changez observes that the decor and artwork in her "penthouse" resembles islands. He said: “As we were leaving his room, I noticed a sketch on the wall. It depicted a tropical island under a stormy sky with an airstrip and a craggy volcano; nestled in the caldera of a volcano was a lake with another smaller island - an island within an island - wonderfully sheltered and calm. The expressions “sheltered and calm” indicate unhealthy comfort. There are obvious struggles in Erica's mind, either to move forward and develop new relationships, or to take "a step within herself." Changez does not intervene, which is a criticism of her actions in the novel, after all she only inflames and hastens her own downfall as she lacks challenge or control in terms of friendship. This situation is reminiscent of Ahmad in Terrorist. When thoughts remain incubating, they tend to become overly complex, stressful and dangerous. The mind has the ability to embellish or exaggerate certain issues, which could lead to more harmful circumstances than if those thoughts were toned down. Contextually, Ahmad never met his father, his thoughts about him are most certainly positive and complimentary. The father left his family when Ahmad was young and, above all, he was irreligious and secular, the opposite of the sacred Ahmad. Ahmad, after years of thinking and worrying, comes to the false conclusion that his father is a moral and strong man, which in fact is not correct. Ahmad's mother, Teresa, comically states: “[Ahmad] has no illusions about his father. I made it very clear to him what a loser his father was. » In fact, Ahmad of course has these stated delusions and so it is an interesting concept of such unreflective delusion. Changez, at the novel's climax, is embroiled in a complex moral dichotomy regarding his true identity. In a way reminiscent of Camus's The Fall. Hamid's inclusion of the culturally external "Juan Bautista" "added considerable momentum to [his] inflexible journey, a journey that continues to this day." Bautista's questions "threw him into a deep period of introspection" that led Changez to evaluate his situation in America and end his "Janissary" operations. On the other side of the issue, it is often necessary for another individual to catalyze thoughts and provoke introspection to discover an identity. Perhaps the comforting nature of the mind allows substandard values ​​to fester and become normalized, forcing another person to deconstruct themselves. Although the novel conforms to.