Previous
Jamila
Changez is Jamila's husband. Though he came highly recommended by one of Anwar's cousins in Bombay, Changez defies all expectations. While Anwar wanted a strapping young man capable of working in his grocery store and providing him grandchildren, Changez is fat, has only one working arm, doesn't care to work, and Jamila refuses to have sex with him. Despite all of this, Changez is generally cheerful. He spends his days reading and walking around London with Karim. He and Karim soon become good friends, as Karim finds Changez easy to bully. Karim marvels at watching Changez fall in love with Jamila. Changez respects her wishes to not consummate their marriage and sleeps separately from her for the duration of the novel. He admires her openly and desperately wants to have children with her, and becomes extremely frustrated when it becomes apparent that that won't happen. To deal with his frustration, Changez hires a Japanese sex worker, Shinko. He initially tries to keep this a secret, but Shinko and Jamila eventually become friends, much to Changez's embarrassment. As the novel progresses, Karim watches Changez and Jamila's marriage slowly become more respectful. Changez's unwavering love for Jamila means he's perfectly happy to follow her into a communal living situation. When Jamila has a baby with Simon, one of the men in the house, Changez cares for the baby as though she's his own.
Changez Quotes in The Buddha of Suburbia
The The Buddha of Suburbia quotes below are all either spoken by Changez or refer to Changez. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1, Chapter 7
Quotes
"That bastard, what does he think I am, his servant? I'm not a shopkeeper. Business isn't my best side, yaar, not my best. I'm the intellectual type, not one of those uneducated immigrant types who come here to slave all day and night and look dirty."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2, Chapter 12
Quotes
As I sat there I began to recognize that this was one of the first times in my life I'd been aware of having a moral dilemma. Before, I'd done exactly what I wanted; desire was my guide and I was inhibited by nothing but fear. But now, at the beginning of my twenties, something was growing in me. Just as my body had changed at puberty, now I was developing a sense of guilt, a sense not only of how I appeared to others, but of how I appeared to myself...
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Buddha of Suburbia LitChart as a printable PDF.
Changez Quotes in The Buddha of Suburbia
The The Buddha of Suburbia quotes below are all either spoken by Changez or refer to Changez. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1, Chapter 7
Quotes
"That bastard, what does he think I am, his servant? I'm not a shopkeeper. Business isn't my best side, yaar, not my best. I'm the intellectual type, not one of those uneducated immigrant types who come here to slave all day and night and look dirty."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2, Chapter 12
Quotes
As I sat there I began to recognize that this was one of the first times in my life I'd been aware of having a moral dilemma. Before, I'd done exactly what I wanted; desire was my guide and I was inhibited by nothing but fear. But now, at the beginning of my twenties, something was growing in me. Just as my body had changed at puberty, now I was developing a sense of guilt, a sense not only of how I appeared to others, but of how I appeared to myself...
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
