Capitalism, Desire, and Disillusionment in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Abstract

Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist uses the geopolitical aftermath of 9/11. It does not rehearse familiar themes of terror. It also avoids a simple focus on cultural clash. Instead, it launches a deeper, systemic critique. This critique is of neoliberal capitalism. This paper argues a specific point. The novel operates as a searing examination. It examines how global capitalism functions. It functions not just as an economy, but as a culture. This culture engineers human desire. It commodifies personal identity. It promises inclusion through a meritocratic ideal. This ideal ultimately demands total allegiance. It also demands historical amnesia. The analysis uses a close reading. It focuses on the protagonist Changez’s trajectory. His journey from assimilation into Wall Street’s elite to a disillusioned return to Pakistan. This demonstrates how Hamid exposes the American Dream. He reveals its conditional nature. The Reluctant Fundamentalist also demonstrates the psychic dislocation inherent in globalization. Central to this critique are two key elements. The first is the allegorical figure of Erica. She embodies a melancholic America. She is also an inaccessible America. The second is the pivotal “janissary” epiphany. This revelation shows finance as an instrument. It is an instrument of neo-colonial power. Ultimately, the novel diagnoses a central crisis. This is the crisis of the global subject. The conflict is between two opposing valuations. One is the price assigned by the market. The other is the value ascribed to history, culture, and conscience.

Keywords: Post-9/11 literature, American Dream, Capitalism, Neoliberalism, Disillusionment