The word janissary is not one I have put to use in my vocabulary throughout my life.  I had heard of janissaries in my history classes but never really put much effort into learning about them.  The themes of janissaries and doubling are prominent in The Reluctant Fundamentalist.  According to history, janissaries were Christian boys who were captured by the Ottomans and trained to be soldiers in a Muslim army.  At the time, this was one of the greatest armies in the world.  The kids were captured at a young age so they had no memories of where they came from or their families.  This was ideal because the boys then had no regrets about anything sothey basically erased their own civilizations. 

            In the story, Changez is telling the American man about when Underwood Samson sent him to work in Valparaiso, Chile.  Changez was going through some mental and emotional hardships at this time, so he wasn’t performing his job duties to their fullest.  Juan-Bautista, his boss while in Chile, was disappointed in his overall performance so he decided to talk to him and see what the problem is.  He invited Changez to a dinner of sea bass cooked in salt.  At dinner, Juan-Bautista brought up the subject of the janissaries and Changez said he had never heard of them.  Juan-Bautista begins telling him what they are and making a comparisonbetween them and Changez. 

            The comparison he makes is short and to the point.  Juan-Bautista asked Changez how old he was when he came to the United States and he replied with 18.  The janissaries were much younger than this when they were captured, so the comparison kind of died there.  I don’t think this comparison is necessarily valid.  From the background given in the book, the janissaries were soldiers fighting for something that they didn’t even really understand.  In no way do I think Changez is similar to a captured soldier.  Yes there are things he is fighting for, for example his sanity at this point in thebook, but I think a better comparison could have been made. 

            As for the theme of doubling, I think Changez is having a bit of an identity crisis.  He doesn’t know if he wants to return to his family in their time of need even though they told him not to, or to stay in New York and keep his job.  He is also very preoccupied with the mental state of Erica, wanting to be with her and knowing he can’t.  This alone would put a damper on anyone’s happiness.  Another way Changez could potentially be living a double life is by not telling his family about Erica at all.  In my opinion, Erica is a very important aspect to Changez’ life, especially because their current relationship affects his happiness tosuch extremes.  His mother should at least know of Erica because this would give her at least an idea of why Changez’ attitude had changed upon his return to Pakistan.

            Changez’ story related to my understanding of doubling because of the fact that he is so unsure of what he wants in his life.  He knows that he wants to live in New York, keep his job, and potentially be with Erica, but he also wants to go home and be with his family.  For these reasons, he seems to be portraying two different sides of himself in the story.  In light of things, the end of the book leads me to believe that he has found happiness in his life back in Pakistan surrounded by people who love and care about him.

Post A Comment