The Reluctant Fundamentalist- Molly McLaughlin

            Before I address the questions about The Reluctant Fundamentalist, I want to just say that I think, as a Hollywood film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist was successful- meaning; it kept my interest and taught me something about fundamentalism in both the United States and countries like Pakistan. I often find it is unfair to judge a film adaptation of a book solely on its ability to stick to the book’s plotline. It is just that- an adaptation.

That being said, I can understand why some of the changes made between the book and film might have upset some people. From reading other’s responses on the film, I’ve gathered that people were definitely rubbed the wrong way by the interpretation of Erica’s character in the film. That seems to be the most drastic and obvious change from the book to the film. Basically everything about Erica’s character, from her profession to her overall demeanor, is changed from the book. Unfortunately, that did seem to put a bad taste in people’s mouths when it comes to her character. The thing that bothered me most about these changes was the fact that Erica and Changez’s relationship is seemingly tied up into a pretty little package at the end. While the relationship does not last, it ends with both Changez and Erica receiving some kind of closure and being able to move on in life. In the book, Erica’s character essentially disappears and there is absolutely no closure for either person.

I think in both the film and the book versions of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the message that is trying to be portrayed is that deep-rooted evil can evolve from fundamentalism. Through paralleling the importance of the fundamentals both in corporate America and in Al-Qaeda, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is trying to show that focusing solely on the fundamentals can taint one’s judgment severely. In a way, I think the film and the book are both trying to show an American audience how the horrors that we see on the news on part of Al-Qaeda are being demonstrated on our own soil, albeit in a different manner. Furthermore, I think The Reluctant Fundamentalist is trying to show an American audience that not all Middle Eastern people- whether they are Afghani, Pakistani, Iraqi or Iranian- are potential terrorists. Unfortunately, after the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, many Americans began making such generalizations against people of Middle Eastern descent and extreme feelings of prejudice emerged. While, unfortunately, some of these sentiments may have existed before, they became much worse after 9/11. The Reluctant Fundamentalist, through Changez’s character, is trying to show that these generalizations are dangerous and, most of the time, are completely unfounded.