Interpellation and Resistance in Animal Farm and The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Abstract

By analyzing the Ideological State Apparatuses employed in Orwell's Animal Farm and Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist: education, religion, and economy, this study investigates how dominant ideologies are imposed upon individuals and how they respond. This qualitative study explores construction of ideology and mechanisms of resistance in both novels through Althusser's Ideological State Apparatus (ISA). This article is delimited to Animal Farm and The Reluctant Fundamentalist and focuses on Interpellation and ISA. Although both narratives depict the manipulation of ideology by those in power, a stern difference emerges in the response of the protagonists. In Animal Farm, the animals, despite recognizing their exploitation by the pigs, fail to articulate a coherent counter-ideology. Conversely, in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Changez challenges the dominant ideology, ultimately formulating a counter-narrative.Through this comparative analysis, the study sheds light on the complex dynamics of interpellation and resistance in totalitarian regimes.These texts can be further examined from the perspectives of ecofeminism, the crisis of identity, and psychological trauma.