Brief biography of mohsin hamid was born in Pakistan, but he spent much of his
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| each one wanting to make sure the other will be able to survive without him or her. What’s more, they are cognizant of the fact that together they have built their own world Of course, this is the case for any couple who has been together fora long period of time, but Saeed and Nadia’s connection has no doubt led to more “shared experiences” than the average coupling because of their many journeys together as refugees. As Saeed and Nadia grow apart, Hamid describes an old woman living in Palo Alto in the same house she grew up in. This house has witnessed her two marriages and the formative years of her children’s lives. She had known the names of almost everyone on her street Hamid writes, and most had been there along time, they were old California, from families that were California families, but over the years they had changed more and more rapidly, and now she knew none of them When she steps into the yard, she feels as if she herself has migrated, thinking that everyone migrates, even if we stay in the same houses our whole lives After all, Hamid suggests, “we are all migrants through time.” This vignette gives Hamid the opportunity to set forth the important idea that we are all migrants through time This notion is worth keeping in mind when considering Exit West because it gives readers a firsthand understanding of the connection that runs throughout the book. While not everybody can claim to have traveled the world—crossing borders and divisions and facing the fears that come along with migration—everybody can claim to be a “migrant through time In this way, Hamid brings a sense of unity and connection not only to the characters in his novel, but to his readers, too. CHAPTER While smoking a joint one night, Nadia nonchalantly suggests that she move out. Saeed doesn’t say anything as he watches her hold in a cloud of smoke. When she awakes the next morning, she finds him looking at her. He touches her face tenderly and says he should be the one to leave, though as he says this he feels strange, realizing that his gentle caress of Nadia’s face is false—a mere pantomime of affection. Still, he knows this might be the last time he’s able to touch her like this. Likewise, Nadia feels both comforted and discomforted by his hand as she tells him that she should be the one to leave if anybody is going to do so, though she knows that the matter is “one of if, not of when, and that when will be soon.” Finally, Nadia and Saeed face the fact that their relationship is no longer full of love and that their connection has become nothing but a formality. Of course, the connection is still important, since they’ll forever be meaningful to one another, having gone through everything they experienced together. However, this doesn’t mean they should keep playacting and pretending to be in love, which is why Saeed’s gesture feels so false and empty they both know it only contains a friendly kind of love, not a romantic one. Fortunately, Saeed and Nadia both agree that it’s better to part ways now, before their union turns ugly. As Nadia leaves the shanty, they don’t embrace or kiss but rather face one another fora long, longtime, any gesture seeming inadequate.” Then, with inevitable finality, Nadia turns and walks into the misty drizzle which plays across her face and makes her feel “alive” as she leaves Saeed standing in the shanty’s doorway. The fact that Nadia feels alive as she walks away from Saeed is yet another indication that their decision to part ways is the right choice. In keeping with Hamid’s assertion earlier in the novel that Nadia gets excited by the prospect of change, in this moment she feels invigorated by the new horizons opening up before Download 0.56 Mb. Share with your friends:
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