Brief biography of mohsin hamid was born in Pakistan, but he spent much of his
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| that he actually does have to face certain adversities within the migrant population, a deeply unfortunate fact, considering that the entire community has plenty of enemies already and thus should refrain from treating one another poorly. Saeed discovers that a neighboring mansion is full of people from his country, so he begins visiting the house on a regular basis, finding comfort in hearing familiar languages and accents and the familiar smell of the cooking One afternoon he prays with a group of older men in the courtyard of this mansion and feels that prayer is different here, somehow It makes him feel like he’s part of something, not just spiritual, but something human, part of this group Fora painful moment, he thinks of his father, but a bearded man next to him distracts him by putting his arm around him and saying, “Brother would you like some tea As such, Saeed feels “accepted by this house and asks the bearded man if he and Nadia can come live with them. The bearded man says yes, though they’ll have to stay in separate rooms. Because Saeed feels so isolated and even endangered in the house of Nigerians, it’s rather unsurprising that he’s so excited to find this group of fellow countrymen. Not only are these people familiar to him, but their religious practices align with his own growing interest in prayer, which seems to connect him to his past life. As such, these people become important figures in his new London life, helping him regain what he feels he has lost in the process of escaping his country. That night, Saeed tells Nadia what the bearded man said, framing it as good news Nadia, though, is perplexed. Why would we want to move she asks. To be among our own kind,” says Saeed. When Nadia asks why these men are their own “kind,” Saeed points out that they’re all from the same country. “From the country we used to be from Nadia says, reminding Saeed that they left that place That doesn’t mean we have no connection Saeed protests. “They’re not like me Nadia asserts, and proceeds to convince Saeed that it would be foolish to give up their own bedroom to go live in communal spaces with their countrymen. Later, Saeed realizes it’s odd that he would want to give up their bedroom fora pair of separated spaces, with a barrier between them, as when they lived in his parent’s home.” In this moment, Nadia suggests that having the same nationality doesn’t necessarily make two people alike. In fact, it doesn’t even tie them to one another. Of course, it makes sense that she would believe this, since she herself never seemed to connect very much to her and Saeed’s home culture. Instead, she feels at home with people from other countries, as long as they’re willing to accept newcomers. For her, then, unity is about the present, not the past. For Saeed, on the other hand, unity is about shared memories, cultural practices, and common backgrounds. Get hundreds more LitCharts at www.litcharts.com ©2018 LitCharts LLC www.LitCharts.com Page 44 Still awaiting the nativist attack, the council discusses whether or not refugees should fightback when the confrontation takes place. The group decides to handle the situation nonviolently, but Nadia remains unsure if this is the best idea, suspicious about surrendering completely. Saeed feels similarly, though he listens to the bearded man deliver a much different message to his countrymen. Indeed, the bearded man advocates a banding together of migrants along religious principles, cutting across divisions of race or language or nation, for what do those divisions matter now in a world full of doors He upholds that religious men have a duty to protect the people who seek “passage” through the doors, no matter what. This message resonates with Saeed, but it also vaguely reminds him of the kinds of things the militants in his country used to say, and this makes him feel like he’s rotting from within.” Download 0.56 Mb. Share with your friends:
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