40 pages • 1 hour read
Deborah EllisThe Breadwinner
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2000A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaSymbols & Motifs
Parvana’s Flowers
Parvana plants flowers at the place where she used to sit in the market. These are a farewell to her mysterious friend in the window above. They are also a symbol of hope. Kabul, according to Parvana’s parents, was once “a city of lights, progress, and excitement” (147). Parvana brings a trace of this past beauty to the gray and ugly market by planting the flowers. An old man is moved by this gesture and helps her, reassuring her that “they may look scraggly and dying now […] but the roots are good. When the time is right, these roots will support plants that are healthy and strong’” (163). Many Afghans, like Parvana’s father, remain hopeful that the country’s strengths are deep-rooted, and it will be restored to its former greatness. The flowers symbolize the hope of many that the country will, like the flowers, flourish once again.
Hossain’s Clothing
When Parvana cuts her hair and dons the clothing of her deceased older brother, she can travel around Kabul freely. When she is a young woman alone, she is beaten by a Talib with a stick. Hossain’s clothing symbolizes all the rights and freedoms that are afforded to men in Afghanistan and the comparative restriction of women’s rights. Seeing Parvana wearing it also seems to traumatize Parvana’s mother, who can barely look at her in his clothes and with a haircut that must be similar to his. The resemblance to the son she lost is too painful for her to take in when Parvana first begins dressing as a boy.
Parvana notices the practical and helpful pockets in Hossain’s clothing. She enjoys the feel of the sun and wind on her face when she first steps outside in this clothing. This illustrates that Hossain’s clothing is both comfortable and practical, the antithesis of a burqa, which limits women’s visibility and mobility. Presenting as a male is her only means of enjoying basic liberties.
Malali
Malali, a young girl who led the Afghan troops to victory against the British, is a symbol of the bravery and resilience of Afghan women. Parvana’s father asks her to “take care of the others, my Malali” (31). Malali’s example helps Parvana embody the characteristics of determination, courage, and resilience. Outside the prison, Parvana reflects that, “Malali wouldn’t be afraid, Parvana knew. Malali would form an army and lead it in a storming of the prison […] her knees wouldn’t be shaking as Parvana’s were” (41). Parvana thinks of this and then joins her mother in determinedly yelling for her father’s release.
Later, Parvana pretends that she is Malali when she must sneak Homa through the dark streets to safety. Remembering Malali and pretending to be her helps Parvana gather the strength to brave terrifying tasks.
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By Deborah Ellis
