The Buddha of Suburbia

“My name is Karim Amir, and I am an Englishman born and bred, almost. I am often considered to be a funny kind of Englishman, a new breed as it were, having emerged from two old histories. But I don’t care – Englishman I am though not proud of it, from the South London suburbs and going somewhere.” 

Karim is English, having been born in England to an English mother, but he is also Indian, because his father is Indian. This first sentence of the novel indicates Karim’s ambivalent identities, and Kureishi returns to the theme of Karim’s identity throughout the novel.

Karim is constantly forced to question both his English and Indian identities. For example, he doesn’t speak Urdu, and he’s never been to India, so he does not relate to his Indian cultural heritage. He also rejects his father’s Eastern philosophy, which is based partly on the Indian traditions of yoga and meditation. He encounters many forms of racism, including violence and constant name-calling at school, which tells him he is not English. He inhabits a world that is both part of and apart from English mainstream culture. Karim’s voice guides the reader through the entire novel, and as a result, the reader experiences Karim’s journey and his attempts to construct an independent identity firsthand.

“Dad taught me to flirt with everyone I met, girls and boys alike, and I came to see charm, rather than courtesy or honesty, or even decency, as the primary social grace. And I even came to like people who were callous or vicious provided they were interesting.” 

Karim describes his father’s charm and one of his earliest lessons in life. His father’s teachings, whether intentional or not, have formed Karim’s character. In addition, his father’s charm, how he expresses it, and the trouble it gets him into in life, powerfully affect Karim’s life.