Borders

Borders and immigration seem to be a reoccurring issue for the United States recently, so I chose to write about how borders affect Exit West and compare it to the United States of America. There are borders everywhere in Exit West, and some of them are being guarded. For example, the magical portals that teleport you are being guarded, and it makes sense that they are. That is a ton of power to have if you could access them whenever you wanted. Imagine being in the middle of a Civil War, and being able to teleport away for free. It is better that government officials have control over that because if they did not, someone else would, and that could be a disaster. I also noticed how some borders or teleporters are more valuable. For instance, some teleporters are guarded and harder to get to than others. This relates with the United States and other countries. Most immigrants and refugees want to come to the United States, so it is guarded more heavily just like in Exit West. Another form of border is doors and windows in Exit West. For example, when a refugee is breaking into the Australian women’s home he has to enter through the door. This makes for a great struggle. He falls onto the ground and starts crawling on the floor choking himself, but when he goes to leave through the window, another border, it is easy. I believe this means it is a struggle to get into some borders, and you may have to risk death to get in. Once you are in, it’s very easy to get out and about, which is referenced by the window.

The heavy protection of the borders is usually looked down upon, and in the case of Exit West, the militants are seen as antagonists. However, this is not entirely true: the militants are simply protecting the country they have built. from war-ridden refugees. The militants rightfully own the power to protect their borders from teleporting refugees. This is the only viable option for the novel, since the author does not want to make the book so long, he is not going to add in an investigation period for every refugee who walks through that portal, so the simpler solution is guarding them with weapons. The militants should not be viewed as villains because this is the only option for the novel. They have to protect their country, and if they don’t, it could become infested by war-ridden refugees, and not many countries perceive that as a positive thing. Today, discrimination also plays a role in why the borders are so heavily protected, and this is just simply not true. The fact that refugees are being forced to stay within their country is not discrimination. The rejection of refugees is due simply to the war going on and not the color of their skin. It also has to do with safety: the surrounding countries they are entering know that a war is going on, but do not know if the refugees are carrying weapons. It makes perfect since in this case to guard your country from possible illegal gun carriers who just fled from war.

Instead of fleeing to safety, another option for the refugees is to fight out the war to help the country. A huge supportive example of this would be the American Civil War. People did not flee away from the combat to start a new life. They were given guns and help fight for the side they represented. This is what the refugees should do if they want a chance. An example in Exit West where borders play a role is when refugees start heading over to England. The English government reacts by banishing the refugees from their prospering country, which is not a terrible idea. A prospering country does not want refugees flooding in from a war. They are trying to grow their economy even further. It would also be unsafe to let refugees seek asylum in empty homes. You must keep in mind that there are also large numbers of refugees entering in through this portal, and that the English government is unaware of what weapons they might own. Another thing to keep in mind is that they are entering via teleportation. The refugees are using portals to enter into England. This alone would be enough for a country to increase its security against anyone entering.

The borders applied in Exit West are applied for the same reasons as the borders of the United States. To protect its people from any possible threat. That is not to say that you may not enter the country at all. Of course, there is a legal way to enter any country if you are an immigrant or refugee. The United States is not as extreme as Exit West due to the fact that refugees cannot teleport into the United States. On the other hand, the subject of quantity still affects both the United States and Exit West, since there has been a large amount of refugees and immigrants seeking asylum in the United States right now. It is unfortunate that the legal process takes as long as it does, but that does not call for illegally crossing the border. Obviously, the government must act upon this because these immigrants are threatening everyone in the United States if nothing is done.

Overall, borders portrayed in Exit West are a bit extreme if being compared to the United States, but the ideas of safety are there. The government must protect its country if an influx of immigrants and refugees arrive, especially if it is illegally. There could definitely be a better system of letting immigrants migrate into the United States, and our government should definitely take a look at that considering all of the action that has taken place recently.