Critical Response 1 Baraa Zaky
The author of "Exit West," Mohsin Hamid, uses ambiguous or mysterious style as a
forceful and recurrent literary device to express the theme of displacement and migration.
Additionally, Hamid's use of ambiguity serves as a purposeful challenge to conventional
storytelling standards in the manner of postmodernity, going beyond communicating feelings of
dislocation and unease to the audience. Through his use of open-ended language which leaves
the interpretation of many components of the text open to question, Hamid is able to break the
convention of modern writing. Modern text has a linear chronology and seems to progress
logically through space and time while Hamid’s text has magic doors or portals that allow
characters to dislocate themselves in a similar manner to how refugees are dislocated.
Hamid employs ambiguity throughout his novel through resistance to offering vivid
portrayals of horrific events in the context of the war and violence that unfolds throughout the
story. Traditional "pre-modern" tales frequently rely on explicit and in-depth descriptions of the
events they depict in order to evoke an empathic reaction from readers and highlight the extent of
human cruelty. Hamid, though, chooses a different path. He chooses restraint, leaving important
details of these events purposefully ambiguous rather than engulfing viewers in vivid
descriptions of violence. This gives readers the freedom to interpret these circumstances through
their own imagination and try to complete the picture from their own point of view. This often
leads to readers creating a depiction of violence that portrays violent events from their own lives,
leading to the unsolved violent events in the novel having an even more pronounced effect on
readers. For instance, when Saeed and Nadia's upstairs neighbor falls victim to a murder, Hamid
presents the incident in a bland, ambiguous matter. Stating that "the husband was held down
while his throat was cut, the wife and daughter were hauled out and away" (53). This minimalist
description provides the basic facts of the incident, but refrains from delving into the emotions or
graphic details. By adopting this approach, Hamid compels readers to actively engage their
imagination, inviting them to fill in the unsettling details. This omission serves to make the
violence even more pronounced by encouraging readers to thoroughly think the event through
and attempt to visualize the event, highlighting the power of understatement or ambiguity in
evoking a profound emotional response.
Hamid's tendency for understatement is not limited to isolated acts of violence; it extends
to the treatment of character deaths within the narrative. When Saeed's mother tragically passes
away, Hamid initially seems to mention it almost passively, implementing her death amongst an
extended sentence focused on a different narrative thread. “A stray heavy-caliber round passing
through the windshield of her family's car and taking with it a quarter of Saeed's mother's head,
not while she was driving, for she had not driven in months, but while she was checking inside
for an earring she thought she had misplaced”. (40) This quote was placed amongst a long,
complex sentence which focused on how Nadia felt regarding moving with Saeed. The reader is
first confused by this seemingly careless handling of such a significant incident, which forces
them to reflect and realize the great gravity of what just occurred. In a devastated by war city
where fatalities are tragically common and sometimes overlooked, this style paradoxically
embraces the regularity of terrible occurrences while pretending to ignore the event itself.
Rather than explaining the occurrence in detail, Hamid's strategy urges readers to utilize
their sense of emotion to identify what the characters must be thinking. When Saeed's father
witnesses an awful episode in which a group is seen playing with a severed head, it serves as
another illustration of Hamid's style of leaving out specific details and leaving things up to the
audience. Instead of going into great detail about each person's expression, Hamid urges the
reader to use their own creativity to deduce malice displayed by these people. This strategy
compels readers to investigate these individuals' motivations in greater detail and assess how
troubling their acts are. The situation grows increasingly terrifying as readers speculate about the
characters' intentions and facial expressions; this ambiguity enriches the story's grasp of what it's
like to live in a country that has been devastated by war. Hamid's informal writing style is
essential for firmly setting the story in reality, giving it a true presence, and allowing it to have
an impact on certain events. When details are purposely omitted, "Exit West" transcends the
constraints of a straightforward narrative and becomes a portrayal of real-life occurrences. Using
this technique, readers may draw comparisons between the novel and the unexpected twists of
the modern world.
In conclusion, "Exit West" by Mohsin Hamid is a significant exercise in narrative
innovation thanks to its purposeful use of open-endedness. It simultaneously challenges
established narrative norms and conveys the complex realities of migration and dislocation.
Hamid encourages readers to think critically, empathize with the characters, and consider the
wider ramifications of the story by omitting detailed details of violence and major events.
References:

Hamid, M. (2017). Exit West. Penguin Random House.

(ChatGPT, personal communication, September 30, 2023)