DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE AS POSTMODERN FORM IN MOHSIN HAMID’S THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST

Abstract

This paper explores The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid through the lens of dramatic monologue as a postmodern narrative form. Drawing on both classical literary traditions and post-9/11 global anxieties, the novel reconfigures the dramatic monologue into a politically charged, psychologically layered, and narratively ambiguous device. Hamid’s use of a single, uninterrupted voice Changez’s monologue directed at an unnamed American listener in a Lahore café—mirrors and subverts the conventions of traditional dramatic monologue by destabilizing narrative authority, erasing the interlocutor’s voice, and immersing the reader into a space of uncertainty and ideological tension. The study argues that this monologic form, characteristic of postmodern experimentation, serves multiple functions: it challenges the reliability of the narrator, problematizes truth and representation, and implicates the reader in the interpretive act. Furthermore, it becomes a strategic tool for addressing postcolonial identity, cultural alienation, and global power dynamics. Through close stylistic and structural analysis, the paper highlights how Hamid’s postmodern adaptation of the dramatic monologue not only amplifies the psychological depth of the protagonist but also critiques Western-centric narratives of terrorism, nationalism, and the immigrant experience. The research ultimately positions The Reluctant Fundamentalist as a seminal work that merges formal innovation with political urgency in contemporary global literature.