A Story in Search of a Voice: A Postcolonial Feminist Reading of Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Abstract

The Reluctant Fundamentalist often falls under the umbrella of post-9/11 narrative fiction. It has largely been given extensive analytic treatment by postcolonial scholars, particularly in relation to identity, nationalism, and the global impact of the 9/11 terror attacks. However, it has rarely been analyzed through the lens of postcolonial feminism. This is a notable omission, as a critical reading of the text shows some examples that intertwine gender dynamics with cultural identity, postcolonialism, and power issues. Furthermore, the novel touches on cultural differences between the West and the East, and these contrasts inevitably affect gender dynamics. At its core, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a male-centered narrative in which women are not fully realized individuals: they are peripheral, erased, and othered. Apart from Erica, women, especially the Pakistani Muslim ones, are totally absent, nameless, and are not seen as fully realized agents. Even Erica is depicted as passive, vulnerable, lacking agency, and psychologically disordered.