In Chapter 5, Changez is in a hotel in Manila, packing his suitcase and watching television, when he sees the towers of the World Trade Center collapse. “And then I smiled,” he confesses. Explore this scene as the turning point of the novel — in terms of plot, character, scope, and tone.
“And then I smiled,” he confesses. Changez flies first-class to Manila in the Philippines On his final evening in the Philippines, Changez turns on the television and sees what he thinks at first is a film, but is actually the collapse of the Twin Towers. Changez’s initial reaction is to smile. Changez’s feelings of satisfaction at the destruction of the towers demonstrates that he still considers himself an outsider in the United States, he didn’t realize how much resentment he felt toward the powerful United States for its affect on the world and on Changez himself until this moment.