Brief biography of mohsin hamid was born in Pakistan, but he spent much of his
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| Related Characters Saeed, Nadia Related Themes: Page Number 173 Explanation and Analysis Once again, Nadia and Saeed find themselves unable to connect when it comes to prayer and cultural practices. Although Nadia only wants to engage with her boyfriend in order to support him through the grief of discovering his father has died, Saeed finds himself incapable of fully welcoming her into the communal prayer. This is perhaps because he knows Nadia isn’t religious, and knows she won’t be engaged in supplication as she sits by his side. In turn, he most likely feels as if her presence is inauthentic. Of course, this viewpoint overlooks the relational significance of Nadia’s gesture—for her, prayer is besides the point she wants to demonstrate to Saeed that she’s therefor him, willing to support him even though she herself doesn’t ascribe to his specific spiritual beliefs. Unfortunately, Saeed turns away from her, leaving her feeling both “unwelcome” and “unengaged”—two things a person in a healthy romantic relationship doesn’t usually experience. The use of the word “unengaged” carries a further significance as well. Since Nadia’s conversation with Saeed’s father before they left, there has been an assumption that Nadia and Saeed will eventually get married. In other words, the two have shared an implied engagement. In this moment, Nadia seems to explicitly feel for the first time that there is not really such an engagement, and that there relationship is not necessarily one that will last. Every time a couple moves they begin, if their attention is still drawn to one another, to see each other differently, for personalities are not a single immutable color, like white or blue, but rather illuminated screens, and the shades we reflect depend much on what is around us. So it was with Saeed and Nadia, who found themselves changed in each other’s eyes in this new place. Related Characters Saeed, Nadia Related Themes: Download 0.56 Mb. Share with your friends:
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