Exit West

The novel ends with Nadia wondering aloud what might have happened if she had chosen to say “yes” to Saeed. However, these characters have little choice in the outcome of their lives. Indeed, the third-person omniscient narrator of Exit West tells the reader the fate of some of the novel’s characters—which characters are fated to die under what circumstances, for instance.

Considering this, do these characters have the agency to act of their own free will? Compare different moments throughout the novel to your speculations and evaluate the role of free will in Exit West. You might want to reflect on these questions as you formulate your response:

• What role does free will play in the lives of these characters?
• How do you think Nadia’s decision could have changed their story and their experience? Or would their lives have essentially been the same constant act of survival, with only minor differences in their living conditions?

Teaching Suggestion: In considering the whole text for this analysis, students might benefit from first reflecting on each section of chapters in turn; with a 3-part graphic organizer (1 part per chapter section), students might brainstorm moments or scenes in which the potential for a free will choice seemingly exists, then determine for each if characters have any real availability to act on choice or not.