Themes+-+My+Son+the+Fanatic

//Writing Assignment:// //Identify the main themes of the story. Then select two themes and briefly explain how each is depicted in the story. Support your ideas with at least one quote from the text for each of the themes you select. Be sure to include page numbers for each quote.//

My Son the Fanatic is a story mainly about identity, integration, growing up, religion, respect, and fanaticism.


 * Respect:** Parvez loves his son and wants just to be respected by him, like Parvez respects all the peolpe around him. He is very tolerant and open minded, so he respects Ali´s religious attitude. But he wants Ali to notice how much he loves him and to honor how much he has done for him. But Ali hates Parvez for being integrated in western society and not following the rules of Islam. (194 l. 31-32 " You are too implicated in Western civilization")


 * Integration:** Parvez is indeed fully integrated in British society (p. 194 l. 26-27 "This is England. We have to fit in."). He loves the fact that "they let you do almost anything here" (p. 196 l. 5) and wants his son to become a successful member of society too. Ali, in the search for his cultural identity, however, begins to hate Western civilization and becomes a fanatic follower of Islam. He feels discriminated against by Western people and wants to destroy their culture together with his new Islamic friends (p. 195 l. 9-20).

Written by Gabriel