Summary
In Chapter 3, Changez describes beginning work at Underwood Samson. The firm says that it works strictly on the basis of meritocracy and will rank all of the new recruits. Working diligently, Changez reaches the position of number one and confirms Jim's confidence in him; he also befriends Wainwright, one of the few other colored people in the firm. Jim offers Changez a spot on a project with a recording business in the Philippines.
During this time Changez feels highly confident that his own abilities and productive drive will continue to earn him not only the respect of his peers and superiors, but also belonging in a society that values hardworking persons like him. Moreover, he finds New York City, with its combination of multiculturalism (as represented by the Pakistani deli that Changez frequents) and manic work drive (as represented by Underwood Samson) as a kind of second home where he can at once surpass what he had in Pakistan without becoming too disconnected from it.
In Chapter 4, Changez says he spends some time with Erica before leaving for Manila. He visits her at her parents' Upper East Side apartment and has dinner with her family. An insensitive comment on Pakistan by Erica's father upsets Changez. Erica, displaying her sensitivity towards Changez's feelings, is able to see that he is hurt, even though Changez at first denies that when she asks him; in effect, she enjoys his politeness without letting it blind her to the emotional difficulties that go on within him.
Afterwards he and Erica go to a party, where he notices that she seems distant even though surrounded by friends. Later, the two share an afternoon in Central Park, where Erica has not been since her boyfriend Chris died. Just as Erica is able to see emotional depths in Changez that others overlook, Changez seems to be the only one to see the listlessness and pain behind Erica's veneer of sociability.
In Chapter 5, Changez says he reaches Manila and works on valuating the record-music business. Changez dutifully constructs his valuation models along with the rest of the team and feels natural in the work he is doing. Jim is highly impressed by his work but warns him not to burn out.
The night before they are scheduled to leave, Changez sees on TV the fall of the Twin Towers, which makes him feel oddly satisfied. In his conversation with the American man, he quickly justifies his sentiments, pointing out that Americans usually feel joy at television broadcasts of the American military bombing other countries, which happens far more often than anyone attacking the U.S.
After some delay, Changez and his coworkers return to the U.S. Changez, however, is forced to strip down to his underwear and is verbally harassed by border officials for his dark skin. When he finally gets out of the airport, he finds that his coworkers left without waiting for him.
Analysis
As in much of the rest of the story, Changez's relative success or failure in his relationship with Erica seems to run parallel to his success or failure at Underwood Samson, along with his attitude towards the United States in general. After hitting it off with Erica on the post-graduation summer vacation that marked both a successful career at Princeton and the clinching of a prestigious job, Changez in these few chapters becomes more and more intimate with Erica, who shares such personal details with him as her past with Chris, which she does not seem to have shared with anyone else; at the same time, Changez does very well in the eyes of Jim.
In both cases, Changez's humility, rugged determination, and sensitivity seem to work with the American ways of loving and making money, thereby rewarding him with a high degree of self-confidence and pride in himself. This identification between the Pakistani boy and American culture is not at all to be taken for granted; after all, Changez does not speak much about his exposure to the U.S. before he came to Princeton, and there is nothing about him that should immediately guarantee his affinity with the U.S.
However, the wider political climate begins to impinge upon this picture of success and happiness. One of the earliest signs is Erica's father's insensitive remarks to Changez about Pakistan. As Changez reflects, "There was nothing overtly objectionable in what he had said; indeed, his was a summary with some knowledge, much like the short news items on the front page of the Wall Street Journal… But his tone—with, if you will forgive me, its typically American undercurrent of condescension—struck a negative chord with me" (55).
Changez puts the matter very politely even to the American he is speaking with, but it becomes clearer and clearer that besides this impulse to please others and not be disagreeable even in trying situations, Changez has his own very deeply held moral beliefs which he is not willing to compromise on, even if he will not impose them on others either.
The ending of Chapter 5, when Changez is discriminated against and mistreated in the airport when coming back after 9/11, foreshadows the later near-violent encounters he will have with Americans. In those later cases, he will struggle with everyday citizens as opposed to government officials in the rest of the book in the aftermath of 9/11.
