Hanif Kureishi's well-known short story “My Son the Fanatic” (1997) explores themes of friendship, religion, fanaticism, and identity. In a detailed discussion, this essay will discuss the significant relationship between the father, Parvez, and his friend, Bettina, who works as a prostitute. The discussion will begin with a contextualization of the passage found on page 97 and followed by an analysis of the use of spaces and places to reflect each of Parvez's different identities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayParvez, is a man from Lahore, Pakistan and the father of his son Ali. It is implied that Parvez's wife lives with them, but she remains unnamed throughout the story and is barely mentioned. This creates the feeling that Parvez and his wife are not close and later allows the reader to realize how important Bettina is to Parvez, as she is the only woman he is close to in his life. Parvez emigrated to London from his home country to seek a better life for himself and his family, leaving behind his old life, Islamic culture and religion. He works as a taxi driver and during his time as a taxi driver he befriends a woman, Bettina, who he takes to work in the evenings. After she began to notice small changes in her son's behavior that were unusual for him, she began to worry whether Ali was taking drugs or getting into other kinds of trouble. Going out with his colleagues he asked them what their opinions were on the matter, but in vain he was unable to identify the cause of his son's new behavior. The excerpt then begins with Bettina sitting in her car, which is “to her relief” as she can confide in Bettina about her son, which she has done numerous times in the past, and asks her advice about the situation. The passage then goes on to explain how Parvez met Bettina and how their friendship has blossomed to this moment where they are sitting in his car talking about his son (Kureishi 97). Parvez initially met Bettina one evening when he picked her up to meet a client. Many taxi drivers bring prostitutes to work in exchange for sexual favors. They became friends after he saved her from one of his clients who turned violent and thereafter "came to care for each other" (Kureishi 97). It is not possible to conclude whether Parvez's relationship with Bettina ever went beyond a friendship like that of other taxi drivers who gave rides to prostitutes in exchange for sexual favors, or whether they had a friendship in which they truly cared for each other 'other and supported each other. other. This support is the main aspect of their relationship. Parvez receives support and advice from Bettina that he does not receive from his wife. The story mentions “he could talk to her about things that he could never discuss with his wife” (Kureishi 97). The fact that his wife plays a minimal role in the story shows how important Bettina is in Parvez's life. Bettina takes on the role of his wife as the person he relies on, who he turns to for comfort and advice and perhaps even for his sexual needs. When Parvez is worried about his son, Bettina is the woman he turns to for advice. There is no mention of Parvez ever talking about his son to his wife, who is Ali's mother and should be the first person Parvez goes to. They also “saw each other almost every night” (Kureishi 97), meaning that Parvez constantly confided in Bettina, also demonstrating how important her role is in his life. She wasn't just a friend he talked to occasionally, Bettina had a constant involvement in his life. Parvez has many different identities which are reflected in the use of places or.