Small Part, Big Influence

Pablo Neruda—although only mentioned briefly—plays a pivotal role in Changez’s life. It is the moment that Changez explores Neruda’s house, while on a business trip in Chile, that he realizes what his priorites truly are. Pablo Neruda was a famous Chilean poet, and later an active politician in his country. Although Neruda doesn’t seem influential at first, looking at The Reluctant Fundamentalist in terms of comparing Changez and Neruda provides an extremely comprehensive and in depth analysis of the novel, along with a better understanding of the reasoning behind Changez’s ultimate decision to leave his American life and identity behind.

Neruda was born in the early twentieth century in his native country of Chile. He is best known for his love poetry, but he was also very involved in Chilean politics. As an adult, Neruda was sent as a consulate to many countries. Just like Changez, he traveled the world. After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Neruda returned home to Chile in order to become involved with the Republican movement. Later in his career, he was even exiled for his Communist beliefs and for protesting against the repressive policies of the then president, González Videla. After realizing his anti-capitalism beliefs, Neruda returned home and fought for what he believed in in his own country. It is for this reason that Hamid selected Neruda as such a crucial character in the book. Even though his life in Chile may not have been as luxurious as it was abroad, Neruda went home to his roots and his “compact and beautiful” (Hamid 147) house to express his beliefs. Changez was  able to relate to Neruda over their common opposition to capitalism. Internalizing Neruda’s home and life caused him to realize that he had nothing left to offer to America and that he was betraying Pakistan by remaining in “enemy” territory (America).

Neruda is well known for his poems about love and nature, but many also reflect his outspoken personality on many social and economic issues. After reading his poem, “The Dictators,” I have a much greater understanding of Neruda’s revolutionary spirit and how Changez was able to connect with them. The poem reveals Neruda's dislike for the constant overthrow and installment of dictators in Chile. Neruda describes the feelings of the people with the line, "Hatred has grown scale on scale." Clearly, he is making a case against the "delicate dictators," and is expressing a need to eliminate the inconsistent government and the creation of more "graves full of rattled bones."  Neruda describes the environment in which the dictators create as, “a mixture of blood and body, a penetrating petal that brings nausea,” which clearly relays his hatred. Unlike Neruda, Changez does not feel hatred towards his own country. Instead, he is able to relate to Neruda's feelings in terms of America and her capitalistic principles. This poem helps strengthen the connection that Changez made with Neruda when in his house through revealing their common dislike for a certain government. 

Pablo Neruda returned home to Chile in order to spark a revolution regarding issues that he believed were right and important. Changez also returned home to Pakistan in order to find himself. While doing this, he discovers his scorn for America and everything she stands for. This causes him to become an active participant in protests—similar to something Neruda might have done. It is not my place to judge whether Neruda and Changez did the right thing for themselves and their countries—that is not the purpose of this paper. Rather, what should be taken away is the immense importance of Neruda’s life in Changez’s decisions. Knowledge of Neruda and his similarities to Changez makes it simpler to decode how Changez was feeling and why he made the decision to return home and join the revolution occurring. 

Sources: 

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-dictators/  

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1971/neruda-bio.html