Parvana in The Breadwinner

Hola, reader! Today I’d like to talk about a book I read in my English class called The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. It is about an eleven year old girl named Parvana living in Kabul, Afghanistan under Taliban rule. It talks about the struggles she faces before and after her father’s arrest (which is in the beginning of the book). I found this book to be entertaining since it is in the perspective of Parvana and also educational for the reader because they learn more about the living conditions of Afghanistan in this period of time. But enough about that, let’s get on to the main reason you’re here!

Towards the end of the book, Parvana goes into a crumbled, ruined building to find shelter from the rain outside. Later on in the chapter, she hears a girl crying nearby. Immediately, she rushes to her side and tries to calm her. Then she openly tells the stranger at the time her secret of dressing up as a boy. This confuses me because she doesn’t know who the person really is, why she is there, and her views on the secret Parvana told. Also, she is not supposed to tell that to anybody (except her family who know already), let alone a stranger! Why would she do that? I guess she was trying to make the girl feel better but she didn’t think that through apparently. This was not a smart choice of Parvana’s in my opinion because a Taliban solider or citizen could have been walking nearby coincidentally and heard the conversation being held.  Parvana wouldn’t even know that happened considering it was pitch black outside during the conversation (if the person didn’t approach her).

Thanks for reading!