Wainwright Character Analysis in The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Changez’s friend at Underwood Samson and the only other non-white trainee, Wainwright is laid-back and popular with his peers. He and Changez quickly become friends, but because he is more comfortable with America and American culture after 9/11, he and Changez grow apart. Nevertheless, Wainwright is the only one of Changez’s peers who shakes his hand when Changez is fired.

Wainwright Character Timeline in The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The timeline below shows where the character Wainwright appears in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...fired. Changez notices that the other trainees sit up very straight, except for one named Wainwright, who slouches and makes jokes. Changez and Wainwright soon bond over their love of also... (full context)

For the next few months, Changez, Wainwright, and the other trainees take complicated classes designed to give them a year’s worth of... (full context)

...in many ways. Two of the six new trainees are women, and two, Changez and Wainwright, are non-white. Still, all six are graduates of top-tier American universities, tall, and physically fit.... (full context)

Later that night, Changez and Wainwright, having gotten drunk with the other trainees on Underwood Samson’s dollar, share a cab back... (full context)

Wainwright and Changez are hungry, so they go to the Punjab deli where Changez received a... (full context)

In the following weeks of training, Changez begins sizing up his new colleagues. Wainwright is laid back, funny, popular, and a clear contender for first place in the all-important... (full context)

...well at Underwood Samson. When it’s time for the company’s yearly summer party, Changez and Wainwright ride in a limousine with Jim, who is hosting the party at his house in... (full context)

Jim’s party is extremely luxurious. While Wainwright enjoys himself, Changez steps outside and watches the waves crash on the beach. He thinks... (full context)

...on, which involves a music business in the Philippines. Changez, happy with his performance, meets Wainwright, who is happy to have finished second in his class, and had already assumed Changez... (full context)

Patriotism & Post-9/11 United States Theme Icon

...city, but is convinced that the rumors are merely exaggerations. He tells his family and Wainwright that he isn’t worried, since Pakistan has pledged allegiance to the United States. He notes... (full context)

...middle-aged and older, and can’t afford to be fired. When he points this out to Wainwright, Wainwright jokes that Changez works for “the man,” but then acknowledges the problem. Wainwright tells... (full context)

...starts to worry that he could lose his job at Underwood Samson because he’s Pakistani. Wainwright tells him about businesses that discriminate against Muslim employees, and warns him that Underwood Samson... (full context)

...him, since he has not shaved his beard, wanting to stand out from his colleagues. Wainwright warns him that he should keep his cultural difference outside the office, and that Underwood... (full context)

...As Changez is marched out of the building, his old colleagues look at him uneasily. Wainwright shakes his hand and says goodbye. (full context)