As its initials suggest, Underwood Samson, the valuation firm Changez works for, symbolizes the U.S. in all of its power, optimism, and under the surface racism. At first, Underwood Samson seems like a perfect meritocracy, feeding its employees a version of the American Dream: if they work hard, they'll be rewarded. Underwood Samson employees travel around the world, performing seemingly useful services for its clients. But as Changez grows critical of America's foreign policy, he begins to see the flaws in the "help" Underwood Samson provides for its clients — in order to restructure a company, it has to fire employees, some of whom will never hold a job again. Changez also realizes that Underwood Samson's meritocracy has limits; when he grows out his beard, he sees his colleagues’ formerly hidden racism very clearly. In the end, he feels the same way about America and Underwood Samson: they have good people, but their imperialism and secret prejudices do more harm than good.
Underwood Samson Quotes in The Reluctant Fundamentalist
The The Reluctant Fundamentalist quotes below all refer to the symbol of Underwood Samson. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
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“… I get where you’re coming from Changez. You’re hungry, and that’s a good thing in my book.”
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Chapter 9
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I know only that I did not wish to blend in with the army of clean-shaven youngsters who were my coworkers, and that inside me, or multiple reasons, I was deeply angry.
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Chapter 10
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I too had previously derived comfort from my firm’s exhortations to focus intensely on work, but now I saw that in this constant striving to realize a financial future, no thought was given to the critical personal and political issues that affect one’s emotional present. In other words, my blinders were coming off, and I was dazzled and rendered immobile by the sudden broadening of my arc of vision.
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Underwood Samson Symbol Timeline in The Reluctant Fundamentalist
The timeline below shows where the symbol Underwood Samson appears in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...and American companies. For Changez, who studies finance, the company he wants to join is Underwood Samson & Company, a small but prestigious valuation firm that estimates the profitability of businesses around...
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Changez is nervous for his job interview with Underwood Samson . His interviewer, Jim, is well-built – not unlike the Stranger, Changez notes – and,...
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...in a product that reassembles them in another part of the world. Jim adds that Underwood Samson excels at seeing through “hyped-up” products like the one he’s described to Changez.
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...a job offer from Jim, since his approach to solving the problem was correct, and Underwood Samson will be able to train him to assess companies more accurately. As Changez shakes Jim’s...
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Chapter 5
When Changez meets other members of Underwood Samson , he initially pretends to be shocked and upset about the attacks. But soon, he...
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The Underwood Samson team is unable to fly back to the United States because so many flights are...
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...to a handcuffed man. When the guards have finished interrogating him, Changez finds that the Underwood Samson team has not waited for him; he travels back to Manhattan alone.
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Chapter 6
...Changez to parties and fundraisers, where he feels that his poise, education, and employment at Underwood Samson impress others. Changez observes to the Stranger that he was entering the elite classes in...
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Chapter 7
At Underwood Samson , Jim, still very impressed with Changez, assigns him a new project at a cable...
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...that Changez works for “the man,” but then acknowledges the problem. Wainwright tells him that Underwood Samson would make the same business decisions whether Changez worked there or not, and encourages him...
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Chapter 8
Irritated with the nostalgia of Erica and America, Changez turns to Underwood Samson , which is never nostalgic, since it looks to the future. Because he is desperate...
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...denies this, because he doesn’t want to make Jim think that he’s not loyal to Underwood Samson . Jim tells him that he knows what it’s like to be an outsider, and...
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Changez soon starts to worry that he could lose his job at Underwood Samson because he’s Pakistani. Wainwright tells him about businesses that discriminate against Muslim employees, and warns...
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Chapter 9
Back at Underwood Samson , Changez notices that his colleagues are uneasy around him, since he has not shaved...
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Chapter 10
...her love for Chris. In Chile, he meets Juan-Batista, the president of the publishing agency Underwood Samson is valuing. Changez likes Juan-Batista immediately, and compares him to a grandfather. Juan-Batista, who technically...
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Jim returns to America, leaving Changez to work in Chile with another Underwood Samson vice president. Yet while Changez should be working for Underwood Samson, he instead watches news...
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Chapter 11
...about facing Jim, and wonders about his self-imposed loyalty to Erica. When he goes to Underwood Samson for the last time, he feels confused but determined.
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Security guards escort Changez through Underwood Samson ’s offices, ignoring the beautiful view of New York. He has a brief, tense meeting...
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Chapter 12
Changez gets a job lecturing at a university. His training at Princeton and Underwood Samson makes him an excellent, popular teacher. He begins to lead protests against the United States,...
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