!"# %#&'(!)*! +'*,)-#*!)&./!

/)-0&# 0)%)1%)0"/ 2 !##& /!%'(!'%#

!" $%& '()&* +, -.&,&'/&0 +' /%& 1(.2 (1 ('& 23'4, 2('(*(56&" 7+,86,, /%& &11&8/,
(1 /%+, '3..3/+)& /&8%'+96&"


.*!%3,'(!.3* - overvlew of Lhe Loplc and LexL, hlghllghL of whaL ls Lo be ouLllned
ln Lhe LexL (Lhemes, Lechnlques)

1he framed narraLlve sLrucLure of Mohsln Pamld's !"# %#&'()*+) ,'+-*.#+)*&/0),
provldes an lnLeresLlng lnslghL lnLo Lhe deslres and moLlvaLlons of Lhe proLagonlsL
Changez. 1he use of monologue, however, also allows Pamld a level of conLrol over
Lhe reader wlLh regards Lo Lhe core Lhemes of ldenLlLy and fundamenLallsm as well
as effecLlvely drawlng Lhe reader lnLo Lhe lssue of Amerlcan lnvolvemenL ln Lhe
pollLlcal and flnanclal affalrs of oLher naLlons, ln parLlcular Lhose wlLhln Lhe Aslan
reglon. 1he sLrucLure asks Lhe reader Lo reflecL upon Lhelr assumpLlons on Loplcs
such as rellglous fundamenLallsm and Lhe human cosL of economlc fundamenLallsm.
ln Lhe same respecL however, Lhe sLrucLure does noL allow for a 'dlalogue' as such,
so Changez - and by consequence, Pamld - ls able Lo presenL hls argumenLs ln a
purely sub[ecLlve manner, allowlng hlm Lo geL hls message across and force we Lhe
WesLern readers, Lo reconslder Lhe sLereoLypes and pre[udlces we hold agalnsL Lhe
Musllm world.









0)%)1%)0" - Lhe Lense (1
sL
person and 2
nd
person) engages Lhe reader dlrecLly
drawlng Lhem ln Lo Lhe narraLlve


ln sLrucLurlng Lhe dellvery of Lhe narraLlve as a monologue, Pamld aLLempLs Lo draw
Lhe reader lnLo Lhe LexL ln order Lo empaLhlse wlLh Lhe slLuaLlon. Pls drlve ln dolng
so ls Lo force Lhe reader lnLo becomlng an acLlve parL of Lhe lssues ralsed LhroughouL
Lhe LexL. 1he characLer of Changez lmmedlaLely engages Lhe reader ln Lhe openlng
llne wlLh 1
sL
person narraLlon and dlalogue: Lxcuse me, slr, buL may l be of
asslsLance? Ah, l see l have alarmed you." (p.1) lmmedlaLely, we as readers are
engaged ln Lhe conversaLlon as we Lake on Lhe persona of Lhe Amerlcan LourlsL. ln a
broader sense, Lhls narraLlve sLrucLure ls represenLaLlve of Lhe auLhor slLLlng down
wlLh us, Lhe reader, and engaglng ln a conversaLlon abouL Lhe pollLlcs beLween
Amerlca and Asla. ln order Lo malnLaln Lhls sense of a framed narraLlve, Pamld
conLlnuously brlngs Lhe reader back Lo Lhe seLLlng ln Lahore, remlndlng us LhaL we
are noL slmply readlng a Lale abouL Lhe advenLures of Changez, buL are lnvolved ln
conversaLlon lnvolvlng Lhe monologue of Lhe proLagonlsL's llfe. Lach chapLer ls
book-ended wlLh asldes abouL Lhe menu and Lhe surroundlng of Lahore: 8uL whaL ls
LhaL? Ah, your moblle phone!"(p. 34), 8uL l observe, slr, LhaL you are waLchlng me
wlLh a raLher pecullar expresslon." (p. 103) 1he drlve behlnd Lhls form of narraLlve
sLrucLure peaks ln Lhe flnal scene where Lhe amblguous endlng leaves Lhe reader ln a
poslLlon where Lhey have Lo declde wheLher Lhey (Lhe Amerlcan) klll Changez. 1he
monologue sLrucLure and 1
sL
person narraLlve, Lurns susplclon abouL LerrorlsLs and
exLremlsLs on lLs head and forces Lhe reader Lo conslder all of Lhe wrong-dolngs of
Amerlca and Lhe WesLern world, as Lhey are now ln Lhe cenLre of Lhe slLuaLlon.

0)%)1%)0" - Lhe sub[ecLlvlLy of Lhe monologue allows Lhe auLhor Lo llmlL our focus
as readers - commenLary on fundamenLallsm and an aLLack on Amerlca whlle
llmlLlng Lhe focus of exLremlsL Musllm fundamenLallsL aLLacks

1he cholce Lo convey Lhe sLory of Changez as a framed narraLlve monologue, allows
Pamld Lo llmlL Lhe focus of readers Lo Lhe lssues and lnLerpreLaLlons LhaL he wlshes.
ln dolng so he ls able Lo Lurn Lhe spoLllghL on Lo Amerlca and Lhe ramlflcaLlons of
Lhelr pollLlcal acLlons, and Lurn lL away from Lhe Musllm sLereoLypes LhaL frame
WesLern socleLy's collecLlve LhoughL. 1he LlLle of Lhe LexL plays on Lhe
fundamenLallsL ldeology commonly assoclaLed wlLh rellglon, buL also Lhe flnanclal
and pollLlcal fundamenLallsm LhaL drlves economlc superpowers such as Amerlca.
Pamld crlLlques Amerlca's economlc fundamenLallsm allegorlcally Lhrough Lhe flrm
underwood Samson (uS), for whom Changez works. 1helr moLLo Lo locus on Lhe
fundamenLals" (p. 112) demanded a commlLmenL Lo Lhe flnanclal boLLom llne, no
maLLer Lhe human cosL. Pamld ls able Lo enacL a harsh crlLlclsm of Amerlca's
conLlnual lnvolvemenL ln oLher counLrles, parLlcularly LhroughouL Asla vla Lhls
allegory. l reflecLed LhaL l had always resenLed Lhe manner ln whlch Amerlca
conducLed lLself ln Lhe world, your counLry's consLanL lnLerference ln Lhe affalrs of
oLhers was lnsufferable." (p. 177) Much llke Lhe scenarlo ln valparalso, Amerlca has
lnfllcLed unLold damage Lo numerous counLrles as a resulL of pollLlcal and flnanclal
lnLerference. Pamld's monologue sLrucLure allows hlm Lo convey Lhls message ln an
enLlrely sub[ecLlve manner Lhrough Lhe proLagonlsL Changez. 1he Amerlcan ls noL
glven volce Lo refuLe Lhe lmplled accusaLlons and as such Pamld ls able Lo dellver ls
argumenL unhlndered.



+456785 9:;<4;;:=> :98?;@

- Pls sub[ecLlvlLy can be mlslnLerpreLed or slmply dlsmlssed because lL doesn'L allow us an
lnslghL lnLo Lhe oLher slde of Lhe argumenL. ercelvlng Changez as a blased characLer can
Lhen lead Lo washlng over everyLhlng as AnLl-Amerlcan, Lhus conLradlcLlng Lhe whole polnL
of Lhe LexL.

luLAS

!

!

!

LxAMLLS

!

!

1LCPnlCuLS/1PLMLS

!

!


- 1he monologue form allows us Lo develop a very deLalled undersLandlng of Changez's
ldenLlLy crlsls as he openly dlscusses numerous personal aspecLs of hls llfe. Pls exLernal"
conversaLlon wlLh Lhe Amerlcan, whlch frames Lhe narraLlve, provldes furLher lnslghL lnLo hls
demeanour posL-Amerlca/underwood Samson, whlch we may noL have been able Lo read
lnLo had lL slmply been Lold as a Lhlrd person narraLlve.

luLAS

!

!

!

LxAMLLS

!

!

1LCPnlCuLS/1PLMLS

!

!