The extremes of human existence are occurring all over the world all of the time. Although one might not be experiencing extreme situations in their own lives, they can be sure that somewhere, someone is enduring almost unimaginable situations including floods, famine, and war. This can especially be applied to the dangerous journey of migrants. During these modern times, there is a massive amount of migrants all over the world trying to escape their situation and having to go through terrible things in order to live. The book Exit West by Mohsin Hamid tells the story of two migrants escaping their war-torn country and seeking refuge all over the world in order to start a new life. During their journey, they experience the extremes both externally with the world around them and internally with their constant and conflicting feelings. Although not all experiences are the same, it is certain that extreme situations experienced by migrants bring about extreme feelings indicating a deeper emotion developed through the uniquely difficult times.  

Nadia and Saeed are constantly going through extreme situations during their continuous migration which allows them to test their relationship and see themselves in different ways. Each time Nadia and Saeed move they reflect on their new situation and the new way their view themselves based on these changes, Hamid illustrates this point when he states: “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.” (Hamid, 186) When couples go through difficult times, it presents an opportunity for the couple to take a look at themselves and see one another in a different light. Moving as a migrant can be an extreme situation that makes each person adapt and change based on where they are. Saeed and Nadia must relearn to love one another after each “move” because their new “shade” depends on their new area. Due to the fact that they are experiencing new, and extreme situations all the time, they do not get the luxury of viewing one another in a ‘single immutable color’ but their personalities are always reflecting the situation around them. They must love one another in all shades and in each new situation that they find themselves in regardless of the color it brings to the surface. This fact pushes Nadia and Saeed’s relationship to the extreme with the always-changing environments. 

Although the strain of migrating can force loved ones apart, it can also force people to spend almost too much time together, couples such as Saeed and Nadia can allow this constant closeness to reach a level of resentment. As they continued their journey Saeed and Nadia were forced to spend almost every waking moment together, relying on one another for everything. This constant close proximity led to uncomfortable feelings described by Hamid when he states: “Mention of their love had made Saeed and Nadia a bit uncomfortable, for they had not been very romantic of late, each still perceiving the grating of their presence on the other, and they put this down to being too long in too close proximity, a state of unnatural nearness in which any relationship would suffer.” (Hamid 139-140) Hamid draws attention to the fact that the extreme experiences of many migrants create an “unnatural nearness” and in this case, this close proximity actually pushed the couple apart. The very presence of one another was “grating” as they were forced, against their will, to spend so much time together in order to survive in their extreme conditions. Like many other migrants, they relied on one another for survival, but as a result the ‘romantic’ feelings were pushed aside. During these extreme times, a romantic relationship can suffer, as the time spent together is no longer a choice, but is simply a necessity.  If they had been in a more natural environment, they might not have had these extreme reactions as they could have spaced out their time together as they needed. 

The war in Ukraine has not only brought war and violence but has also led to a humanitarian crisis with so many refugees fleeing the county. Just like Saeed and Nadia, the refugees oftentimes must leave everything behind in order to survive and escape with just their lives. These intense and terrifying situations can lead to extreme feelings that can make a person feel as if they are at their lowest point. A female refugee described this exact feeling in an article written by Sarah Ingram entitled “Women from Ukraine share the reality of fleeing their homes and leaving everything behind”, stating: ‘I grew up in Kyiv but lived in Irpine to the west of the city when the war broke out. I loved it there and I loved my flat. It was my sanctuary. When the conflict began it was a shock because I had to just leave everything: my family, my home, my life… Driving away from everything I loved was the worst moment in my life.” (Ingram 2) Similar to Saeed and Nadia, this female refugee had to leave her entire world behind. This action brought about the intense feeling of knowing that this was the worst moment of her life. Her flat back in Kyiv was her ‘sanctuary’, a place where she felt safe and this was all taken away in an instant. Like Saeed and Nadia, she was forced to leave everything behind including family and loved ones. Similarly to Nadia and Saeed leaving their safe, comfortable environment, the feeling of uncertainty and despair was felt in a way that most people could never imagine.

For many refugees, an extreme situation does always have to consist of violence or war. More recently, a new refugee crisis has presented itself due to the climate crisis. Recently Pakistan has been experiencing severe flooding due to torrential downpours. Experts believe that this extreme weather is likely caused by global warming that brings about severe weather patterns. Many refugees who fled to Pakistan to escape the war in Afghanistan are once again forced to leave everything behind, but this time it is because of the weather. Once such a story was recounted by a refugee in an article by Afridi Qaiser entitled “Pakistan’s disastrous floods uproot refugees and citizens”, when she described her experience seeing the dangerous and fast rising waters, “We were so scared. We never saw such a scary night. We were wondering how we would cross these waters, but my father calmed us down. ‘Don’t get frightened,’ he said. Then we started moving to the higher ground. We left everything behind. Our rooms were totally damaged,” recalls Saleem. (Afridi 3) This feeling of extreme fear, hopelessness and comradery were all brought on by this extreme situation. Despite the fear that they felt, their father was about to provide a calming presence telling them to not “get frightened.” Just like Nadia and Saeed, these refugees experience always changing emotions that are essential to their survival. Within a very short period of time, the intensity of the moment brought a feeling of fear, panic and finally calm. Although there was damage done, each of these feelings allowed this family to escape the extreme situation and survive the floods. 

As mentioned before, there are no two experiences that are the same when it comes to the experiences of migrants. One cannot minimize the extremes that these people must go through to survive. Throughout Exit West, Nadia and Saeed must deal with their internal conflicts and feelings brought on by their extreme situations. Although these characters might be fictional, similar experiences and feelings are being endured constantly by migrants all over the world. The feelings that are brought about during these extreme, sometimes life or death situations can be intense and life altering. The highest of highs and lowest of lows are difficult for people to understand and even though the physical effects may heal, the emotional scars can last forever.

Work cited

Qaiser, Afridi. “Pakistan’s disastrous floods uproot refugees and citizens.” UNHCR, September 2, 2022.

UNHCR - Pakistan's disastrous floods uproot refugees and citizens

German, Lopez. “A Summer of Climate Disasters.” The New York Times, September 7, 2022.

nytimes.com/2022/09/07/briefing/climate-change-heat-waves-us-europe.html

Erika, Solomon and Monika, Pronczuk. “A New Refugee Crisis Stirs Uncomfortable Issues for Europe.” Nov 8, 2022.

nytimes.com/2022/11/03/world/europe/refugee-crisis.html

Sarah, Ingram. “Women from Ukraine share the reality of fleeing their homes and leaving everything behind.” Nov 7, 2022

Women from Ukraine share the reality of fleeing their homes and leaving everything behind (msn.com)