Wednesday, June 15, 2016

What are the different views in the story? Like the father's and son's view. I can see a few but I just need help.

Besides the father's and son's points of view, the author also provides us with other points of view.
For example, the text tells us what Parvez's taxi driver colleagues think about Ali's behavior. When Parvez unburdens himself to them, they triumphantly reveal their conclusions about Ali. From the story, we learn that Parvez views his colleagues as his friends. These friends contend that Ali is abusing drugs, and they advise Parvez to take action before Ali engages in criminal behavior. The taxi drivers arrive at their conclusions through conjecture. They have no proof to back up their claims.
The author also provides us another viewpoint in the story: that of Bettina, a prostitute. Bettina and Parvez have been friends for three years. Initially, Bettina comes to the same conclusions as the taxi drivers. She draws Parvez pictures of drug paraphernalia so that Parvez will know what to look for in Ali's bedroom. However, Parvez finds nothing of the sort during his searches. Bettina also advises Parvez to ascertain whether Ali's eyes are bloodshot (from drug use). However, Parvez reports that Ali's eyes remain healthy and clear-looking.
In the end, Parvez discovers why Ali has been acting so strangely: the latter has become a religious fundamentalist. Upon hearing the difficulties Parvez is experiencing in his relationship with Ali, Bettina provides some good advice. She tells Parvez not to give up on Ali and reminds him that young people are sometimes lured into cults and fanatical groups against their best judgment. Bettina begs Parvez to "stick" by Ali until "he came through."
Later, Bettina appears to change her view about her advice. She confronts Ali for his treatment of his father. During their interaction, we learn Ali's view of people who do not conform to his idea of purity. Essentially, Ali speaks contemptuously to Bettina, betraying his bias. For her part, Bettina is hurt and decides to get out of the taxi.
So, we are given several viewpoints in the story. However, the major viewpoints are that of Ali and Parvez, the main characters.


The story, as the title suggests, is told from the father's point of view, but the son's point of view comes through as well. The father, a Pakistani immigrant, is pleased to be living in England. He is happy to have escaped the poverty and repression of Pakistan to live in a modern western nation. He is glad to have abandoned Islam and lives a secular life. He drinks, eats porks, and is friends with a prostitute, all forbidden by Islam. He is happy to have a comfortable material life and wants his son to have an even better life, so he has helped him go to college.
The son, who has never experienced life in Pakistan, rejects modern materialist culture for fundamentalist Islam. He wants to be pure and live for ideals, and he believes life in England has corrupted his father. He drops out of college and gets rid of the things his father has bought him, such as a computer. He believes that Pakistanis are treated as second-class citizens in England and looks with contempt at his father's behavior.
The story suggests the truth may be somewhere between the two poles represented by father and son.

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