Notes on ‘My Son The 

Fanatic’
EXPECTATIONS

The title is significant because it is meant to be ironic. In the end, the father is more of a
fanatic than the son. The father is the one who abuses a child who is praying and splits
his lip open in a drunken rage. He is unable to communicate anything other than anger
and wrath because of what his son has become: A devout Muslim. It is here where the
title is most appropriate because the “fanatic” is not the son, but the father. However,
society, as biased as it can be against things it does not understand, would most likely
see the son as the fanatic and not the father, for it, too, does not understand why its
values would be rejected. In this, further alienation of the youth is present, leading to
greater labels of fanaticism for that which is not understood, making the title not only
appropriate but quite prophetic and ambiguous. Thus, ‘My Son the Fanatic’ brings in
themes both at an individual and a societal level, exploring the stereotypes and culture
clashes apt not just for this sect of the society, but for the rest too.

PLOT

The plot of the story revolves around Parvez, a taxi driver in England, who is struggling
to provide the best for his family, and his son Ali, who is studying in order to become
an accountant. Having noticed unusual behaviour shown by Ali, Parvez is now a tad bit
worried for his colleagues and his lover are of the view that he’s addicted to drugs. On
constantly observing, Parvez notices Ali’s strong inclination towards Islam. While
Parvez is now living the life he has toiled for, Ali is digressing towards living a life of
detachment. Parvez is following the kind of lifestyle he is in order to fit in, whereas Ali
is living the pure life based on Islamic teachings in order to sense the feeling of
belonging and receiving his ultimate reward in paradise. This leads to a cultural and
identity conflict where in both of them are trying to impose their personal beliefs onto
each other. This ends in an ugly spat where Parvez is under the influence of alcohol and
hits Ali out of frustration. Parvez could not handle his own son telling him his wrong
doings and in the final scene he ends up beating him, to which his son does not retaliate.
His only repose is the statement; “So who’s the fanatic now?”

CHARACTERS

The story is narrated from third persons point of view hence not from any character in
the story. This story consists of 3 main characters: Parvez, his son Ali, and Bettina, who
is a prostitute and a very good friend of Parvez’s. Although Parvez lives with both his
wife and son, his wife’s name is never mentioned. She’s almost invisible throughout the
story except for when she is mentioned in comparison to Bettina, who Parvez finds
easier to confess things to.

Parvez who is the protagonist of the story, is a hardworking cab driver, who has strived
all his life to earn a living to pay for his son’s education. He has always wanted to make
his son an accountant to help him lead a decent life in England. A painful experience at
the hands of his religious teachers during his youth has sworn Parvez off organized
religion. According to him, “Life is for living”, and an occasional drink does not do any
harm, quite contrary to the beliefs of his own son. Parvez also believes that one should
improve upon all the opportunities that life affords. To that end, he is disappointed and
grieved that Ali has failed to take full advantage of all the options available to him by
way of his education.

Ali is a sincere and idealistic young man who has been seduced by radical voices. He
has found solace in the religion of Islam and has turned into a conclusive and
mysterious man. Which can be seen when his father asks him why he doesn’t play his
guitar anymore and he replies by saying, “There are more important things to be done”.
He does not approve of his father’s relaxed way of living and is highly vocal about it
which is what leads his father to the brim of his temper in the final scene of the story.

Bettina, who is a prostitute, acts as a pillar of support to Parvez through the course of
the story, helping him with the trouble he was having with his religious son. She comes
across as a very strong woman, who is not ashamed of her profession and believes that
she too, like any other woman, deserves to be respected. Which is seen when she
retaliates to Ali’s crude remarks by saying “What kind of woman am I that deserves to
be spoken like that?”

Thus, it is very clear that all three characters in Hanif Kureishi’s story are very different
in the sense that they all have distinct characterstics, opinions and beliefs about life and
the overall way of living.

SETTING

The story, “My Son the Fanatic” by Hanif Kureishi is set in modern day England. The
most diverse Pakistani population in England is in London, where there are Punjabis,
Mirpuris, Pathans, and Sindhis. More than 90% of Pakistanis in England are Muslims;
they are mostly Sunni. The protagonist, Parvez is a Punjabi taxi driver who lives with
his wife and son, Ali in England. He saves most of his meagre income for his aspiration
to see his son as a well settled accountant. The story begins in Parvez’s house where he
notices a protruding change in Ali’s behaviour but is unable to comprehend reasons for
the same. Most of the story is layed out in Ali’s room as that is where Parvez finds
himself when his son is not at home. His desperation for seeking answers to his son’s
newly developed eccentricity leads him to look for possible clues among Ali’s
belongings (or what’s left of them). The author keeps oscillating the setting between
Parvez’s house and his cab. Parvez has conversations with his friends and Bettina, a
prostitute and a close friend who he drives home on several days. The cab is also where
Parvez, Ali, and Bettina engage in a conflict-ridden conversation regarding Islam,
religion, and life philosophies. Parvez and his cab-driver colleagues relax and socialize
when they are not working or are waiting for customers in the office or in a coffee shop.
In this setting, the men lead almost a boy’s life, playing cards and practical jokes,
exchanging lewd stories, eating together and discussing politics and their problems.

The story covers a span of few weeks where Parvez attempts to figure out the whys and
wherefores of Ali’s sudden disinterest in studies and detachment to all his prized
possessions.
The direction of the story remains linear until paragraph 34 where there is a visit to the
previous day when Parvez is recounting certain events to Bettina, the story then goes
back to it’s linear style in paragraph 58. It remains linear until the end of the story.

STYLE

The narrator here is not a character in the story. The narration takes the perspective of
the protagonist Pervez, describing to us his thoughts and feelings, his fears, and his
reactions so we don’t know how the other characters feel or what they think, we only
know what Pervez perceives of them and how he reacts to them. The characterization
of Pervez is bordering on parody, for example, in the memory of his eating bacon for
breakfast.

The story begins ‘in medias res’, which means into middle of things in Latin. The story
abruptly begins and ends with no prior information given. The number of characters are
also limited here. Beautifully written by Kureishi, the story has an open ending, that
throws ambiguity at the audience and makes them interpret conclusions for this father-
son relationship. The simplistic story, captures the culture clash between two
generations and allows the readers to interpret the understanding in his/her sense.

THEMES

-The major theme of this story is “generation gap” often experienced among children
and their parents. Ali is found repeatedly emphasizing that the western culture has taken
the best of them and they have left behind their own identity, their true self. Kureishi
also remotely takes us back to their lifestyle in Pakistan and gives us a glimpse of how
the followers of Islam are strict and devoted towards their religion. They cannot
communicate because neither can understand the other. In the end, violence results.

Westernization is another theme as the father being a Pakistani immigrant who once
lived under the practices of his religion is now largely influenced by the freedom which
westerners enjoy. He has been living well and embraces the customs and opportunities
offered in England. Parvez wants his son Ali to become an accountant, instead his son
has taken up Islamic fundamentalism.