Immigration, Assimilation, and Radicalization
Hanif Kureishi’s “My Son the Fanatic” explores the tensions between a Punjabi immigrant father, Parvez, and his second-generation, British-born son, Ali. Parvez has spent his adult life assimilating into English culture and society after immigrating from Pakistan, and dreams that his son will complete this transformation. He is therefore appalled when Ali abandons his studies to become an accountant and instead devotes himself to a radicalized version of Islam and espouses hatred of…
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Immigration, Fathers, and Sons
“My Son the Fanatic” explores the ways in which the father-son relationship is further complicated by the internal and external pressures of immigration and the desire to assimilate. Parvez is a first-generation immigrant whose opportunities have been limited. He works tirelessly in a blue-collar profession as a taxi driver in order to provide for his son, Ali, and guarantee that Ali experiences upward mobility. Many fathers’ dreams are wrapped up in the success of…
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The West and Islam
In “My Son the Fanatic” the modern conflict between Islam and the West is embodied in the strained relationship between Parvez and his son Ali. Parvez delights in what he views as the flexibility and freedom offered by the Western culture of England. He drinks whiskey, eats pork, maintains an emotional affair with a prostitute, and scoffs at what he and his friends perceive as the hypocrisies of Islamic mullahs telling everyone else how…
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The Role of Women
In “My Son the Fanatic” women play a secondary and supporting role to the men at the center of the story. In Parvez’s circle of taxi drivers, wives are something to be avoided. Parvez’s wife shows up briefly in the story, and only in moments when he is ordering her around. As Parvez becomes increasingly concerned about his son, Ali’s, new and erratic behavior, he seeks advice not from his wife…
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