Displacement as a Traumatic Discourse: A Critique of Critical Discourse Analysis of Mohsin Hamid’s Dystopian novel Exit West

Abstract

This discussed qualitative-cum-descriptive endeavor is critically carried out from the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) in the novel Exit West (2017), which deals with the discourse of forced displacement of the main characters; Nadia and Saeed, who work as the epitome of the refugees in an unknown Dystopian world. This fictitious world of Mohsin Hamid turns out to have an immense semblance with the contemporary world of uncertainty in the wake of proxy wars ultimately resulting in PSTD, shell shocks, and war neurosis. This research delves deep into the text to explore the atrocious and violent displacement of innocent souls of the affected countries. This pathetic scenario of traumatic displacement is narrated by showcasing the ominous presence of xenophobia and nativism in the host countries, due to the sudden influx of refugees. In this research, the researcher has applied Fairclough’s interpretative framework of CDA to put forth a detailed critique of traumatic encounters in the celebrated work of Hamid. Power relations are weaved in such a way in the novel that the text covertly inkles towards the postcolonial background of the novelist, and the mutual religious affiliations of both characters and author as well. The study finds that the main characters confront profound social, psychological and emotional challenges, which are the direct result of emigration and refugee crisis in a war ridden world of the novel.