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Exit West

The paper critically analyzes two characters (Saeed and Nadia) in the Exist West, who fell in love but parted later parted ways. If I was either Saeed or Nadia, of course, there were probable measures of doing things and could have led to the relationship working out more harmoniously. Their story begins with the two young adults, Saeed and Nadia, living in a city full of refugees, and the city is on the brink of war. Saeed proposed to Nadia to go for a coffee, and the two started to date (Schaap, Pg. 41). By then, the two rarely saw each other as strict societal rules barred men and women to publicly accompany each other, not to mention the hiking tension between the government and military personnel. Nadia lives on her own and is seldomly visit by Saeed, who stays with his parents, but they text frequently.

Then, the government came up with the idea of cutting off all cellar and Wi-Fi networks as a measure of counter-terrorism. It meant that Saeed and Nadia were now off from each other. With little or no success, Saeed made a move of looking Nadia in all the places and eventually ended up in her apartment waiting for her to return all day long. Saeed persuaded Nadia to accommodate him and his parents, but the girl was reluctant. Following the death of Saeed’s mother, she relents and decides to move in with Saeed and Saeed’s father. In my opinion, the two young adults did not seek guidance when they started dating, and everything they were doing was based on obsession as opposed to love. If I was Nadia or Saeed, I could have approached my parents and seek their guidance on how to spot a genuine love or the fundamentals of the relationship. Before starting the relationship journey, one should take time to learn about their partners as opposed to love at first sight.

Eventually, the army took control of the city, enforcing ruthless rules and surveillance. Occasionally, they intimated the public by holding public executions to those who go contrary to their religious norms and those belonging to denominations of religion. Saeed and Nadia were in dire need to escape out of the city and luckily met a person who agreed to offer them a security passage through a magical door ((Schaap, Pg. 43). On the day before their departure, Saeed’s father refused to accompany them and pleads to Nadia to take care of Saeed until he is safe and settled. The following day, Nadia and Saeed carried their luggage and went to the rendezvous point where they met the mysterious man. They ended up at Mykonos island, a grown large refugee camp.

Developed nations learned about those exits routes and reinforced the security to counter the number of refugees moving in their countries. A few months later, Nadia and one local girl became friends and promised to assist them in escaping Mykonos (Aziz, Pg. 1). The local girl kept her promise and helped Saeed and Nadia to leave via a newly discovered door. In this regard, Saeed made a big mistake to leave his father by his own an accompanies Nadia, a girl who he barely knew only for a few months. Perhaps, their last thoughts were to think about their families as infatuation seemed to take a course on that matter. If I were Saeed, following the death of my mother due to stray gunfire, I would not risk leaving my dad all by himself. On such, I would take time and figure out what is best for the people who care about me and me. Saeed seemed like a person who had completely lost it, and often unaware of the consequences of hasty decisions. Both Nadia and Saeed were the masterminds of their escape and risked their lives on a larger scale while trying to escape. Of course, if I were them, I could not dare to endanger my life, not to mention trusting some mysterious strangers on the way.

Saeed and Nadia ended up in an empty mansion based in London and stayed in one of the rooms. Other immigrants relocated to nearby houses. As time lapsed, Saeed and Nadia started to detach emotionally and often irritated with each other based on the stress of their ordeal. In London, some citizens are hostile towards the immigrants, while others show hospitality to refugees by giving them food and medicine in their houses. As London continues to register more refugees, the national origin division seems to take a course among the refugees. Nadia would opt to stay together with Saeed, but Saeed would favor moving out and live with people from his country. Ultimately, the refugees are evicted by the British government from the houses they have occupied. Saeed and Nadia could later move to Marina, California, where they set a shanty home. Nadia began to work at a co-op while Saeed ended up in a religious congregation of Black-majority where he finds solace.

Despite both settlings for new lives, there were new dynamics in them. Nadia learned that she is bisexual, while Saeed started to develop compassion towards the preacher’s daughter at his congregation. Nadia and Saeed were now more friends than lovers’ despite their lovely company. They prefer to maintain a good relationship even though they were aware that at one point, they would have to part ways. One day, Nadia decided to leave for a room at the co-op and started dating another person (Donatelli, Pg. 1). Of course, separation comes with heart pain, but eventually, Saeed and Nadia fell out of touch. The fact they were young adults, the issue of the relationship was somewhat a hard dance to both of them. Neither Nadia nor Saeed was willing to address and save their relationship. In this case, based on the fact that we have been through a lot, as a man, I would approach my partner and tell her the issues I am not comfortable with, and as Nadia, I would tell Saeed exactly how I feel about the relationship and look for the way forward.

After fifty years, the two met again in a café. Saeed mentioned of Chilean desert stars and promised to go with Nadia someday. They separate without knowing if fate will ever bring them together. Their love seems somewhat was real but lacked motivation. Both parties should encourage each other despite the challenges they face in life. I would certainly not have given up on the love I worked so hard to get. There was a lot I could have done to save my relationship. To me, it not common to wake up and feel detached from my partner. Indeed, there must be a course that perhaps should be addressed for the best interests of the relationship.

In conclusion, Saeed is a protagonist who ought to reconcile his family love and his new life out of the city he was raised. The story starts with Saeed being loving and supportive of his family. Leaving the country and his father, who he has much compassion, means closing the door to love and a sense of belonging. Nadia is a free-spirited and rebellious person and embraces migrations as a step of her new life. Nadia faced criticism from her family due to her inquisitive nature as they fail to understand her (Schaap, Pg. 41). Nadia comes head-on on an experience that operates in the pedigree of constant riots and censure due to her marital status following moving away from home. To keep herself safe, Nadia adapted a harsh and cold exterior, symbolized by her black robe. On that regard, they both started a relationship without being fully aware of was to come. Of course, Saeed was a loving and caring person, but that changed towards Nadia, which was not fair. As a partner, you should mind about hurting the feelings of your partner based on your actions toward them.

Works Cited

Aziz, Anum. “Exit West.” Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies 6 (2018).

Donatelli, Alex Jay. “Past, Present, and Future: the State of Nations in Exit West.”

Schaap, Howard. “Exit West (Book Review).” Pro Rege 47.1 (2018): 41-43.