A Terrorist’s Psychological Disturbance John Updike’s Terrorist delves into the psychological depth of its protagonist Ahmad and studies the factors that disturb it. Updike confirms that “Ahmad is an ideal, … model kid,” “upright boy, full of faith and seriousness” who “we 're all trying to raise,…,[but] he is trying to kill [all those around him]” (Interview “Holy Terror” 2006). Trying to understand why Ahmad wants to blow up New Prospect, Updike analyzes Ahmad’s psyche and clarifies for the readers the psychological elements that contribute to creating a terrorist such as the parental negligence, the lack of identity and belongingness, the hatred and anger that inhabit Ahmad’s heart, and the manipulation of his fundamental teacher Rashid and his colleague and friend Charlie—the son of the storeowner for whom Ahmad works. These strands work with the social elements and incite Ahmad to find quick and irrational solutions for his inner conflict. Blessington points out that “Ahmad Molloy is obviously a hyphenated person—his Muslim father has long disappeared, and his Irish mother has little time for him (123). Shainin adds that Ahmad has “a yearning for his absent father. Alienated from his peers and neglected by his pseudo bohemian mother” (“The Plot” 2006). It is for these reasons that Ahmad becomes a terrorist. Rex Hudson, an American sociologist, professes that “individuals who become terrorists often are unemployed, socially alienated individuals who have dropped out of