Throughout the book Exit West, Saeed and Nadia continuously use these “magical doors” that can transport them anywhere in the world. Now, do these doors exist simply to transport the characters without having to explain their journey? Or, are they a more meaningful recurring motif that symbolizes something greater than just fast traveling? I believe the second. Before the characters actually started using the magic doors they were nothing more than a rumor throughout their city. I thought this represented the false hope that people tend to cling to in times of distress and uncertainty, but when I found out the impossible doors where actually real and important to the story, I was a little surprised.

The actual function of the doors, being able to transport people instantly, could represent how quickly it feels someones life can change if they are immigrating somewhere. In Saeed and Nadia’s case, there was never any down time or real preparation before they ended up in a completely different part of the word, they just walked though a door and appeared somewhere else. The sudden and significant change of moving to somewhere foreign is reflected in these doors. Also, the glorification of these doors is representative of immigrants glorification of the country they are moving to, whether that be because it has better opportunities or is safer. The doors are a very direct symbol to the hopes and feeling surrounding immigration.