Published in 2007, the novel "The Reluctant Fundamentalist", written by acclaimed Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid, is a coming-of-age story set in America during 9 /11 attacks. It follows the fictional journey of protagonist Changez, a young Pakistani Princeton graduate who attempts, but ultimately fails, to integrate into American society. The narrative takes place during a single evening in a bar, in Lahore, Pakistan, where Changez tells an American foreigner the story of his life while in America. The book makes use of a dramatic monologue structure, where Changez is the only perspective we hear. The American is silenced. Who is he? A secret agent sent to assassinate Changez or simply a tourist looking for a cup of tea? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIt can be argued that the way characters are developed in novels is crucial in reflecting the underlying ideas the author wishes to address. This concept is very evident in Hamid's novel, particularly in the character of Erica. A beautiful and popular Princeton graduate, Erica is Changez's love interest. As we soon discover, after 9/11, she falls into depression and some form of mental illness, centered around an obsessive nostalgia for her dead boyfriend, consequently dashing any possibility of a relationship with Changez. Erica as a representation of American decline and Eventual Collapse After World War II and the Cold War, the United States established its dominance as a global superpower, leading contemporary society in economics, military, technology, and other various achievements. However, the coordinated terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 saw the destruction of the World Trade Center and with it, one could argue, a symbolic collapse of American authority and supremacy. We see, in the wake of these attacks, the nation becoming increasingly obsessed with its “glory days,” characterized by a refusal to address the current situation. It has become nostalgic – defined as a sentimental longing or melancholic affection for a past period. Paraphernalia of American symbols and flags, televisions with military ads, newspapers with words like "duty" and "honor" enveloped the country. Is this seemingly harmless patriotism really a dangerous nostalgia? Following these attacks, America waged the so-called “War on Terror,” fueled by a dark undercurrent of prejudice and racism. Indeed, it was the events of September 11 that began the collapse of American sovereignty. He seemed unable to find the distinction between murderous terrorists and harmless citizens. It is no coincidence that 'Erica' is contained in the word 'America'. He symbolically represents the nation, and his development as a character throughout the novel is deliberately parallel to that of America. Like the undisputed dominance of America after World War II, Erica is shown in the early chapters of the book as flawless, the embodiment of the perfect woman. She is intelligent, a graduate of Princeton University, and an avid writer, currently in the process of publishing her first novel. She is also rich, lives in a "prestigious" apartment in New York, regularly goes to parties and vacations in the Hamptons. When Changez first meets her during a Greek graduate vacation at Princeton, he describes her in chapter 2 as "extraordinarily regal" and makes many observations about her during this time. Perhaps one of the most insightful comments about Erica and one that gives us true insight into her character wasagain in chapter 2 where Changez says "she had told me she hated being alone, and I noticed she was rarely alone." It attracted people; he had presence, an uncommon magnetism.' He then compares her to a lioness: "strong, elegant and invariably surrounded by 'pride.' These four characteristics that Erica embodies at the beginning of the novel - beauty, intelligence, wealth, and popularity - are similar to America before the September 11 attacks. After returning to America as star-crossed lovers and spending time together, Changez also learns of her now-deceased boyfriend Chris, who died a year ago of lung cancer. Despite this, Erica had moved on, ready for a new relationship, as was evident with Changez during the early stages of the novel. However, after 9/11, the situation changed dramatically for both Erica and Changez. Erica, for a reason currently unknown to Changez, becomes increasingly obsessed with Chris, talking more and more about their past experiences together: their childhood, their first kiss, their dates together. As Changez describes her in chapter 6: “like so many others after the attack, she appeared deeply anxious. The destruction of the World Trade Center, as he had said, had rekindled old thoughts that had settled at the bottom of a pond; now the waters of his mind were cloudy because of what had previously been ignored.' Eventually, it comes to a point where Changez realizes the danger of pursuing a serious relationship with Erica, and senses in the "strength of her continued attachment to Chris" a rival and feels he can "never compete" against it , even if a "dead" one. While Erica and Changez were still dating, their experience had changed. He notes that she often seems "totally detached, lost in a world of her own." His eyes were constantly turned inward, and any remarks made by his friends only registered indirectly on his face. She was fighting against a current that was pulling her inside. It is in Chapter 7, however, that we begin to see the repercussions of this obsession with the past. After returning from a night out together, Changez attempts to achieve intimacy with Erica. It fails, Erica's body denying her own, as a direct result of her dependence on Chris. Then, Changez whispers to her "then pretend, pretend I'm Chris." She tells the American "it was as if we were under a spell, transported to a world where I was Chris and she was with Chris, and we made love with a physical intimacy that Erica and I had never enjoyed." Changez pretending to be Chris to make love is a clever metaphor for the way Changez has to pretend to be someone he's not to escape American racism after 9/11. This is also synonymous with the Muslim population of America. Their culture was under attack and they had to disguise their religion to avoid prejudice. Shortly after, Changez's relationship with Erica rapidly declines and she is admitted to a psychiatric clinic to help with her illness. All attempts made by Changez to communicate with Erica have been in vain and at this point in the novel he does not know what is happening to Erica, but he understands that he needs someone who he, even agreeing to play the part of a man not himself. , he is unable to give them. As Changez explained, "she was disappearing into a powerful nostalgia, from which only she could choose whether or not to return." She found happiness in solitude, in the past, something that the present cannot give her. Erica as a symbol of the America of that day As already discussed, just like Erica, America also fell into a dangerous patriotism after 9/11 and Changez, during this turbulent phase of his relationship with Erica, discovered this for himself. In chapter 8 he describes that.’