How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I decide what we're going to sell, not you. There's no longer any use for it, unless you're planning to go parties you haven't bothered to tell me about."
Parvana knew there was no point arguing. Ever since she had been forced out of her job, Mother's temper grew shorter every day. (2.31)
Parvana really isn't too keen on selling her shalwar kameez, but she knows she's lost the battle with Mother—her tone and sarcasm show how miserable she is since she lost her job and has been confined to the apartment. She was once a successful writer who was raising children to be educated and independent, and now that has changed—here she's grabbing for the little bit of control she can.
Quote #2
Nooria covered herself completely with her chador and scrunched herself into a small ball. Young women were sometimes stolen by soldiers. They were snatched from their homes, and their families never saw them again. (2.70)
Nooria fears the Taliban in a different way than Parvana—the soldiers do really bad things to young women that they capture, and Nooria really doesn't want to become a victim. While Parvana is still a child, Nooria is a woman, and this puts her in much more danger. Maybe Parvana is lucky to be able to hide her femininity.
Quote #3
When the Taliban first came and ordered all men to grow beards, Parvana had a hard time getting used to her father's face. He had never worn a beard before. Father had a hard time getting used to it, too. It itched a lot at first. (2.47)
Is it just us or are you getting the feeling too that the Taliban really don't like any part of the body showing? First it is the burqas and now the beards…
Quote #4
Women were not allowed to go into the shops. Men were supposed to do all the shopping, but if women did it, they had to stand outside and call in for what they needed. Parvana had seen shopkeepers beaten for serving women inside their shops. (5.2)
By making it extremely difficult for women to buy food—a.k.a. a basic human need—the Taliban keeps them dependent on men… unless, of course, they dress their young daughters up as boys. Ha.
Quote #5
Parvana wasn't sure if she would be considered a woman. On the one hand, if she behaved like one and stood outside the shop and called in her order, she could get in trouble for not wearing a burqa. On the other hand, if she went into a shop, she could get in trouble for not acting like a woman! (5.3)
Parvana's a girl, but not yet a woman… and though she lives in Kabul, not even she is certain what this means when it comes to the Taliban's laws. These dudes and their laws are kind of hard to keep up with.
Quote #6
There were going to turn her into a boy.
"As boy, you'll be able to buy what we need, and no one will stop you," Mother said.
"It's a perfect solution," Mrs. Weera said. (6.1-6.3)
As the saying goes, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. So since only boys are allowed to walk around Kabul freely, Parvana will become Kaseem in order to make money and buy food for her family.
Quote #7
Parvana took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Up until then, she had seen Talibs only as men who beat women and arrested her father. Could they have feelings of sorrow, like other human beings? (7.38)
Major stereotypes are at work here. The Talib men think all women are dirt and treat them as such, while the women think all Talib men are women beaters. That's one of the reasons why this whole letter-reading gig is important to Parvana—she learns that not all Taliban soldiers are evil.
Quote #8
All of this was written in a letter that arrived while Parvana was out at work. The women in the groom's family belonged to the same women's group as Mother. The letter had passed from one member of the group to another until it finally reached Mother. Parvana had read the letter, but she still had a lot of questions. (13.5)
The women in Afghanistan and Pakistan find ways to work together and get things done. So while we've been thinking that Mother has done nothing but take care of life inside the apartment for eighteen months, all the while she has been putting out feelers among her women peeps to find a way to freedom for her oldest daughter.
Quote #9
"Now you are both my daughter and my son," Father said when he was well enough to notice her new appearance. He rubbed his hand over her cropped hair and smiled. (15.8)
Let's face it: Father has always treated Parvana more like a boy than a girl—at least by current Afghan standards—so her new look fits her perfectly. Father has never kept her sheltered or treated her as weak, and she is educated and strong, so while he is jokes about her new look, he is serious at the same time. Parvana has always been just as strong as any boy in Afghanistan—now, she just looks the part.
Quote #10
Two days later they were ready to leave. They were going to travel by truck, just as the rest of the family had done.
"Am I traveling as your son or your daughter?" Parvana asked Father.
"You decide," he said. "Either way, you will be my little Malali." (16.61-16.63)
Father doesn't care if Parvana is a girl or a boy or a fish. He is so proud of her courage, and for him, that quality is gender neutral. He wants Parvana to be whoever she needs to be to feel safe.