'My son the Fanatic': analyse af Hanif Kureishis novelle

Analytical essay: My son the Fanatic written by Hanif Kureishi

Multiculturalism is today a large topic, which is discussed in many different aspects of equality. Language, dialects, values and music are some of the things connected to multiculturalism and have had a large impact on how the different countries are formed today. A novel that describes being an immigrant in another country and adapting to the majority culture is "My son the Fanatic" by Hanif Kureishi published in 1994. The short story is about a father and son and how they together and individually tackle living in a new country. This analytical essay examines include an analysis of the short story's main characters, narrator, setting, themes and message.

Parvez is married and has a son named Ali. Parvez works on a daily basis as 'Punjabi', a taxi driver who drives a lot at night, which he has done for 20 years. This he also does to escape his wife at home: "They slept during the day, avoiding their wives" (P. 101, L. 35-36). Parvez is described as being a concerned father to his son Ali. This is seen, for example, when he begins to be concerned and curious about whether Ali is taking drugs (P. 101, L. 63-65). In addition, he is also very self-critical and blames himself for Ali's 'bad' upbringing. This is seen countless times in the text, for example: "And he was afraid, too, that they would blame him for the wrong turning his boy had taken" (P. 101, L. 40-41). Although Parvez is described as a worried father who wants his son the best upbringing, he also makes a number of mistakes himself. Parvez has a tendency to alcoholism both at work and at home (P. 99, L. 29-30). In addition to this, Parvez does a lot of things that go against his own culture and religion. Parvez eats pork, talks to prostitutes and drinks alcohol (P. 103, L. 206-207). Parvez feels and lives like a free man in England, and tends to forget his own traditions in his culture. Parvez can be defined as a static character as he does not change through the short story.