The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid- The Inheritance of Loss – Kiran Desai
Similarly both show a lack of empathy and emotion in the immigration
process, there is no compassion shown towards immigrants, even those who live
in America and have done for years, Changez feels this way. After 9/11 Changez
flies to America after his trip in to Dubai and people look at him differently “I
flew to New York uncomfortable in my own face”. People don’t look at him as a
person, with feelings, but a threat to their own safety due to stereotypes. Before
the attack on the twin towers Changez didn’t feel this way, there were still
people who would look down on him for being a migrant but it didn’t make him
feel uncomfortable like this. In The Inheritance of Loss the lack of empathy is
shown as people are queuing for their visa, “will all visa applicant’s line up
at window number seven to collect a number for visa processing”. The word ‘processing’
doesn’t imply the way you would treat a human, its normally used to describe an
industrial procedure rather than the lives of humans. This resembles when
Changez arrives in New York and is questioned by the women with the pistol “What
is the purpose of your trip to the united states… ‘I live here’…that’s not what
I asked you” there is no emotion shown toward Changez and he isn’t treated the
same as the white Americans, but is treated with hostility.
Both texts use humour in the narrative to further show the animosity
towards immigrants, in The Reluctant Fundamentalist Changez is taken in for a
strip search and to his embarrassment was wearing boxers that were “a pink pair
patterned with teddy bears” for most people this would be a funny situation and
a smile would be shared at least, but this discovery had “no impact on the
severe expressions of my inspectors”. This lacks human behaviour, there shouldn’t
be such resentment and hostility towards someone that has done nothing other
than have a beard and different colour skin. Throughout the text Changez uses
clothes as a metaphor for himself, he disguises his culture by wearing
expensive suits but here he is just in his boxers, he is completely vulnerable.
In The Inheritance of Loss when filling out the visa application there is a
space for “other names” and a list of different pet names are given “Guddu,
Dumpy, Plumpy, Cherry, Ruby, Chicky,,” this also contradicts the formal,
hostile setting.
Success in America is based on wealth and pushing to overtake others. In The Inheritance of Loss people are queuing for their visas and "Biggest pusher;first place", in their first experience of America it sums up the way of life there. Regardless of who you have to 'destroy' success is the most important outcome. In The Reluctant Fundamentalist wealth appears the most important factor, it allows you to create a new identity. "my pakistaniness was invisible, cloaked by my suit, by my expense account" wealth has the ability to remove stereotypes to a certain extent.
Success in America is based on wealth and pushing to overtake others. In The Inheritance of Loss people are queuing for their visas and "Biggest pusher;first place", in their first experience of America it sums up the way of life there. Regardless of who you have to 'destroy' success is the most important outcome. In The Reluctant Fundamentalist wealth appears the most important factor, it allows you to create a new identity. "my pakistaniness was invisible, cloaked by my suit, by my expense account" wealth has the ability to remove stereotypes to a certain extent.
