Make a video on connecting the themes of Exit West by Hamid and Othello
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Welcome to our exploration of literary connections. Today we examine two powerful works: Mohsin Hamid's contemporary novel Exit West, about migration and magical doors, and Shakespeare's timeless tragedy Othello. Though separated by centuries, both works explore profound themes of identity, love under pressure, and what it means to be an outsider. Let's discover how these stories speak to each other across time.
Our first shared theme is identity and the experience of being an 'other.' In Othello, we see a Moor navigating Venetian society - a military hero respected for his skills yet always marked as different by his race. Similarly, in Exit West, Saeed and Nadia are migrants forced from their homeland, struggling to find belonging in foreign cultures. Both works examine how external perceptions of difference affect one's sense of self and place in the world.
The second major theme is love under pressure. Both works center on relationships tested by extreme circumstances. Othello and Desdemona's interracial love is destroyed by Iago's manipulation and Othello's jealousy. Meanwhile, Saeed and Nadia's relationship, which begins in their war-torn homeland, gradually deteriorates under the pressures of displacement and survival. In both cases, external forces - whether psychological manipulation or global crisis - strain the bonds of love to their breaking point.
A crucial difference between these works lies in the source of conflict. Othello focuses on internal psychological forces - jealousy, insecurity, and manipulation that exploit character flaws. Iago's evil works because it taps into Othello's existing vulnerabilities. In contrast, Exit West emphasizes external global forces - war, displacement, and migration that characters must navigate. While Othello examines how internal human nature can lead to destruction, Exit West explores how external circumstances shape and challenge individuals.
Finally, these works offer contrasting outcomes and perspectives. Othello follows the classical tragic arc - ending in death and destruction as a cautionary tale about human flaws and the dangers of jealousy. Exit West, however, presents a more contemporary view of resilience - while Saeed and Nadia face tremendous hardships, they ultimately adapt, grow, and survive. Both works illuminate the same fundamental human experiences of identity, love, and otherness, but through different lenses - one of tragic warning, the other of enduring hope. Together, they remind us that literature across centuries continues to explore what it means to be human.