How many pages are in the exit west study guide?
This Study Guide consists of approximately 52 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Exit West. Exit West: A Novel Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book.
Where does exit west take place in the novel?
Exit West begins in an unnamed Middle Eastern city that is on the verge of war. It is already “swollen with refugees” (1). This is where Nadia and Saeed, the two main characters in the novel, meet one night in a business class.
Is there a book called exit west by Mohsin Hamid?
This detailed literature summary also contains Quotes and a Free Quiz on Exit West: A Novel by Mohsin Hamid. The following version of this book was used to create this guide: Hamid, Mohsin. Exit West: A Novel. New York: Riverhead Books, 2017.
What is the theme of exit west by Hamid?
Exit West. It is Hamid's fourth novel. The main themes of the novel are emigration and refugee problems. The novel is about a young couple, Saeed and Nadia, who live in an unnamed city undergoing civil war and finally have to flee, using a system of fictitious doors, which lead to different locations around the globe.
How many pages is Exit West?
229Exit WestFirst edition (UK)AuthorMohsin HamidPublisherHamish Hamilton (UK) Riverhead Books (US)Publication dateMarch 2017Pages2296 more rows
How does Exit West End?
The novel ends with Saeed and Nadia each happy in their new lives, which signals the peace that can be found in change and letting go of old places.
What happens in Chapter 7 of Exit West?
Summary: Chapter 7. Saeed and Nadia emerge in an elaborate bedroom in a beautiful mansion. As they look out the window, they realize that they're on a city block filled with white houses and cherry trees. The house appears deserted.
What does the Fox symbolize in Exit West?
An old woman says that the fox represents their love. The declaration makes Saeed and Nadia uncomfortable because they haven't felt romantic recently. They begin to explore London separately, which improves their relationship.
What do the doors mean in Exit West?
The Doors. The magic doors that allow passage to new places represent a breaking down of borders and the freedom, hope, and fear that comes with that. For those fleeing impoverished and war-torn countries, the doors represent the hope of a new life.
What city is Exit West set?
The story takes place in four different locations: an unnamed city during a civil war; Mykonos, Greece; London, England; then, finally, Marin, California, where Nadia and Saeed eventually feel most at home.
Why does Saeed like Nadia?
Over the course of the novel, Saeed grows apart from Nadia because while she reminds him of what he left behind in his country, she rejects any connection to that country herself. At the beginning of the novel, Saeed admires Nadia's independence.
Where do Saeed and Nadia meet the girl who helps them find the door out of Mykonos?
Saeed and Nadia venture into the little town on Mykonos to see a doctor for Nadia's now-infected cut. Nadia befriends a teenager who dresses her wound, and the girl helps them find a doorway off the island.
What is the point of view used in the opening chapter of the story exit west?
point of view The unnamed narrator speaks in the third person omnisciently, describing the innermost thoughts, feelings, and motivations of every character.
What do phones symbolize in exit west?
However, the doors—and phones—do not just disconnect people; they often bring people together as well. Just as the constant possession of cell phones allows Nadia and Saeed's relationship to initially blossom, the doors mirror this by bringing people together who, in another world, would never have met face to face.
What to do if a fox approaches you?
If in their curiosity they approach you, clap and shout to scare them away. You want to teach them that humans are a danger and to avoid us. For pets, keep them on a leash to avoid any encounters. Keeping pets under our control while outdoors is always our advice to avoid conflicts with wildlife.
What does it mean if you keep seeing foxes?
In fact, a fox's spiritual presence is known as the best guide to someone's destined path. Per World Birds, seeing a fox also means that you have a situation that needs to be solved. The outlet adds that the fox spirit is known to guide you to a solution.
How did Nadia change in exit west?
Nadia has never shied away from sex, but the freedom to meet new people from different cultures allows her to expand her understanding of herself. Nadia grows apart from Saeed because outside the context of their country, his slightly conservative nature reminds her too much of what she enthusiastically left behind.
When we migrate we murder from our lives those we leave behind page number?
p. 9810. “...and so by making the promise he demanded she make she was in a sense killing him, but that is the way of things, for when we migrate, we murder from our lives those we leave behind” (p. 98).
One day
Saeed and Nadia attend the same evening class despite increasing threat of war.
Some days later
The government enacts citywide security measures, and Nadia and Saeed have difficulty meeting.
Days later
Saeed's mother is killed by a stray bullet, and Nadia moves in with Saeed and his father.
Some months later
Saeed and Nadia meet with an agent to secure passage through a black door.
Days after
Saeed and Nadia pass through the black door, arriving in Mykonos in Greece.
Weeks later
The girl from Mykonos gets Nadia and Saeed access to a black door that takes them to London.
A few weeks later
The London government shuts off electricity to the migrant neighborhood where Saeed and Nadia are living.
Summary
Read our full plot summary and analysis of Exit West, scene by scene break-downs, and more.
Characters
See a complete list of the characters in Exit West and in-depth analyses of Saeed, Nadia, and Saeed’s father.
Literary Devices
Here's where you'll find analysis of the literary devices in Exit West, from the major themes to motifs, symbols, and more.
Quotes
Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of the book by reading these key quotes.
Quick Quizzes
Test your knowledge of Exit West with quizzes about every section, major characters, themes, symbols, and more.
Essays
Get ready to ace your Exit West paper with our suggested essay topics, helpful essays about historical and literary context, a sample A+ student essay, and more.
Further Study
Go further in your study of Exit West with background information, movie adaptations, and links to the best resources around the web.
Why did Hamid write "Exit West"?
Part of Hamid’s genius in writing Exit West lies in his decision to avoid naming Nadia and Saeed’s home country, thereby universalizing their experience as refugees while referencing the global refugee crisis as a whole. Because there are so many conflicts currently driving people from their homes all over the world, it would be impossible to pinpoint the specific historical occurrences that pertain to Exit West. However, it’s worth mentioning the vast number of refugees who have been forced to flee Syria in recent years due to the Syrian Civil War, as this was the most prevalent humanitarian catastrophe unfolding when Exit West was published in 2017 and beyond. The Syrian Civil War began in 2011 as an offshoot of The Arab Spring, a multi-nation period of protest and unrest originating in Tunisia in 2010. Since then, there has been a complex armed conflict in Syria between a group led by the country’s war-criminal president, Bashar al-Assad, and multiple nongovernmental—and in some cases radicalized—forces trying to overthrow him. Since then, the rebel groups seeking to overthrow al-Assad have started fighting with one another, and the entire conflict has produced a large-scale refugee crisis, sending Syrians into foreign countries that refuse to welcome them.
Where was Mohsin Hamid born?
After the age of nine, Hamid returned to Pakistan with his family and attended Aitchison College, a highly prestigious boarding school founded in the late 19th century.
What is the genre of the novel Migrant?
Literary Period: Contemporary. Genre: Migrant Literature, Contemporary Fiction. Setting: The novel begins in an unnamed country, but its protagonists are quickly forced to migrate to Mykonos, London, and finally Marin, California.
Who are the antagonists in Exit West?
Antagonist: The most immediate antagonists in Exit West are the radical militants that take over Nadia and Saeed’s home country, forcing them to flee. However, the hatred and xenophobia that leads people to divide others into groups based on nationality or race is the overarching antagonistic force that rears its head countless times throughout the novel.
Who did Hamid study under?
Early Mentors. In his formative years as a young writer in college, Hamid studied under the renowned authors Toni Morrison and Joyce Carol Oates.
What is the story of Mohsin and Saeed?
Mohsin tells the story of two young people from an unknown Muslim state, Nadia and Saeed, who fell in love and decide to flee from the country plagued by war. In Exit West, the refugee crisis takes Apocalyptic proportions due to the use of a fantasy device.
What is the name of the young people who meet in Exit West?
Exit West. In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city.
What is the book exit west about?
In Exit West, author Mohsin Hamid pursues a highly idealistic but worthy goal, namely, to give us a story that regards our planet's geography, its borders, and resources in a different way. Exit West is a wonder of a novel.
Why is Exit West a love story?
Because Exit West is a love story between two people, but also a love story with the world. It’s a book filled with the idea of love taking many forms, and Nadia finding a girl as her happy ending, people finding people of different races and genders: it subverts our expectations for what’s coming.
Where does the novel Nadia and Saeed take place?
The novel begins with Nadia and Saeed, a couple living in an unnamed Middle-Eastern city. This setting and story is what we come to expect from Hamid, who also wrote the flawed but admirable The Reluctant Fundamentalist. The city is crumbling around Nadia and Saeed, blackouts
How do the warring factions begin exerting their power over the country?
When the warring factions begin exerting their power over the country, enforcing curfews, restricting electricity, cutting phone signals and internet coverage, each worries about the other's safety, and their feelings for each other grow, if not quite into love for both, at least something stronger than friendship.
How many questions are there about exit west?
See all 25 questions about Exit West…
What happens to Saeed and Nadia?
Saeed and Nadia continue to grow apart, but with a gathering sense of peace and resignation. Eventually Nadia moves out of their shared hut and into a spare room in the food cooperative where she has found a job. Saeed remains behind in their hut.
What is the name of the book where Saeed and Nadia meet?
It is already “swollen with refugees” (1). This is where Nadia and Saeed, the two main characters in the novel, meet one night in a business class. Saeed is struck by Nadia, who wears a full-length veil, and asks her if she would like to get a coffee at the school cafeteria.
Why does Nadia wear a veil?
She lives alone, is estranged from her traditional family, and tells Saeed—when they finally do meet for coffee—that she wears a full-length veil in order to keep men from bothering her.
Where do Saeed and Nadia live?
This door leads to Marin, California. There, Saeed and Nadia live in a shantytown, their headquarters modest but outfitted with a solar panel and a bottle for collecting rainwater. In Marin, refugees such as Saeed and Nadia are in the majority; it is the natives who are outnumbered.
Where did Nadia and Saeed go?
It delivers Nadia and Saeed to a refugee camp in Mykonos, Greece. The camp is crowded and violent around the edges, but also has its own rules and codes, which Nadia and Saeed learn how to navigate. They barter for goods and set up a dwelling at the edge of the camp.
What are corpses in the street?
Corpses in the street are an increasingly common sight, and we are told that peripheral characters in the novel (such as a man who sells Nadia magic mushrooms and a former boyfriend of Nadia’s) will meet various violent destinies within the near future.
Does Saeed love Nadia?
Saeed has proposed to Nadia and has also told her that he does not believe in sex before marriage; while Nadia believes that she loves both Saeed and his father, she balks at getting married.
