All My Rage

The novel’s main characters represent a variegated mix of first- and second-generation Pakistani immigrants in the United States who demonstrate differing opinions about what it means to be Pakistani American. US demographers and social scientists use the term “first-generation” to refer to the first foreign-born family members to gain citizenship or permanent residency in the country, while “second-generation” refers to the US-born children of foreign-born individuals. Adding some confusion to this terminology is that "second-generation immigrant" means the same as “first-generation American.”

Noor and her uncle are first-generation immigrants because neither was born in the United States. Even though both are first-generation, Noor’s response to American and Pakistani cultures is quite different from her uncle’s, as he despises everything related to Pakistan while Noor longs to connect to her cultural roots. Salahudin and his parents, however, represent a more traditional immigrant family. Misbah and Toufiq are first-generation immigrants who came to the US for a fresh start when tragedy hit their family in Pakistan. Salahudin is a second-generation immigrant, or a first-generation American, who seems to have a healthy view and experience of both Pakistani and American culture.

According to the Pew Research Center, first-generation Muslim immigrants are more likely to express positive opinions about their place in America than second-generation Muslim immigrants. Furthermore, second-generation Muslim immigrants are more likely to perceive discrimination than first-generation Muslim immigrants (Muslims in America: Immigrants and those born in U.S. see life differently in many ways). Noor and Salahudin certainly face their fair share of discrimination at their school, from the police, and in the community in general. Since the novel primarily shows the points of view of Noor and Sal, it is difficult to compare their perceptions of discrimination with those of the older generation.

Some of the discriminatory comments Noor and Salahudin endure stem from the shift that occurred in the US after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. While it is widely known that the extremist group Al-Qaeda was responsible for these attacks, the general sentiment towards Muslims and those of Middle Eastern descent changed to suspicion after the 9/11 attacks. Multiple characters in the novel, such as Jamie Jensen and the police officer booking Noor associate Muslims and/or the Middle East with terrorists, showing that people may still assume that, even more than 20 years after 9/11, Muslims have connections to terrorism.

Tahir’s novel provides a personal look into various immigrant experiences in America. Although Sal’s family and Noor’s family came from the same home country of Pakistan, their individual experiences and sentiments toward Pakistani culture and American culture vary, showing that while some generalizations can be made about the immigrant experience, everyone has a different story to tell.