Abbasi 1 Aneesa Abbasi Ms. Walsh END2D1-06 Tuesday, May 7, 2024 A Story of Hatred through the Influence of Power In a world where rulers are dictators, Layla Amin discovers that insurgence is her greatest weapon. The novel Internment by Samira Ahmed, discusses opportunism, exploitation, and apathy through their use of conflict. Additionally, the author proves, having power over the innocent creates a platform to spread propaganda and hatred. This is demonstrated through Layla and the American government’s conflict, the Director’s nature, and the symbolism of the mountains. Layla’s conflict with the American government is an example of human vs. society and external issues. Layla strongly disagrees with the ideology of the American government, and often expresses it to be …show more content…
Layla reveals, “The government—the Exclusion Authority—built all of this, this whole camp, under the cover of darkness. I wonder what else they’ve built. What else can they do to us when America isn’t looking?” (Ahmed 79-80). This passage highlights the secrecy and plausible deniability the government relied on when they built Mobius. Plausible deniability is a convenient way of abusing one’s control and power. The government is able to claim ignorance in the actions of camp Mobius; therefore, shielding them from any of the repercussions of abuse. Moreover, the government used their power to bypass humanitarian laws, in order to operate Mobius. Secondly, the Director’s manipulative and violent nature underlines the power struggle between Mobius’ authority and the internees. The author effectively utilises the narrative element of character to highlight the injustices towards Muslim Americans, specifically the detainees, and the abuse of power in the camp. The Director constantly relies on silencing the internees; he hopes that their association with fear will stifle