In The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, the narrator, Changez, tells the story of his

childhood, life in America, and eventual fallout with the country to an American stranger, who is never
revealed. The narrator had been born and raised in Pakistan, went to college in America, and worked a
high-paying job in New York during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. After being subjected to the subsequent
rise of racism and hostility toward Pakistanis by Americans, Changez leaves America, and meets an
American stranger in Pakistan, who he tells his story to over the course of the book. While seated in the
marketplace in Lahore, Changez points out bats emerging overhead, which the American notes as creepy.
Hamid uses setting and bats to generate a cold, unfeeling mood, which highlights Changez’s impassive
attitude in his own analysis of his loss of innocence and on his opinion on the difference between
immigrants who succeed and fail in America.
The bats hovering above the Lahore marketplace in the growing darkness creates a cold, chilling
atmosphere that highlights the unemotional tone with which Changez analyzes the ways he has changed
since his childhood. Changez refers to the ways he has changed through the “flying foxes” that used to
fly around him as he played as a child, stating that “they are gone now”, maybe because “they belonged to
a dreamier world” without the “pollution and congestion of a modern metropolis”. The use of “dreamy”
to describe the world the flying foxes belong in also describes the conditions of his childhood in Pakistan,
where he lived a relatively calm, quiet, and uncomplicated life compared to New York. However, the
flying foxes had disappeared as cities started growing crowded, whereas Changez was able to adapt and
change to the new conditions in New York, which are more convoluted and chaotic than those of his old
life in Pakistan. Where he had once associated himself with flying foxes, he now associates himself with
bats, which may later contribute to his increased independence, cunning, and loss of faith in his
teammates. Thus, Changez explains how adapting to New York City has changed him, and contrasts the
environments of his childhood and his adult life in an objective, analytical fashion, as highlighted by the
haunted setting.
The creepy atmosphere created by the bats also emphasizes Changez’ harsh opinion of people who fail to
adapt to less “dreamy” conditions, as he has. Changez compares immigrants to various flying creatures,
such as bats to “urban dwellers”, who can survive in the city because they can navigate the cityscape, and
never run into buildings. Changez himself is like a bat, because he could adapt to city conditions despite
having come from rural areas. On the other hand, butterflies tend to “splatter” on windshields, fireflies
run into windows repeatedly because they cannot comprehend glass, and flying foxes “hurtled to their
deaths” against buildings. The animals that are unable to learn to move fast enough and to navigate the
chaos of a metropolis are contrasted with Changez’ bat, as they were unable to adapt to city life and so
were trampled and destroyed by the rapidly growing societies. By referring to the new buildings that
send many of these animals to their dooms as “structures that rose higher than any had before”, Changez
also implies that those unable to adapt modern are left with obsolete, rural lifestyles, as modern society
and development is proven to be unsuitable for these failed immigrants, who would not be able to survive
in New York, and foreshadows his upcoming project in Manila. Changez also reveals his opinion that
those who cannot adapt are below him, as they are simply more stupid and unable to comprehend new
technology and development, just like fireflies cannot understand glass. Thus, Changez reveals his harsh
opinion that the “butterflies” and “fireflies” of society who live in a dream are unable to keep up with the
modern world, and are doomed to fail in a large city.
By generating a haunted, creepy atmosphere, Hamid emphasizes Changez’s cold and analytical
discussion of the ways he has changed since his childhood, as well as the difference between him and
failed immigrants. The setting creates a darker tone to the entire story to show how the story and
characters are taking a darker turn, as demonstrated by Changez’s escalating story and increasingly cold
and angry attitude. The setting is crucial in hinting at change and creating buildup, as well as to draw
attention to tone and details about the characters. Hamid employs the connotations attached to the color,
shape, and reputation of bats to enhance the mood, which is used to draw attention to Changez’ character
development and changing world view.