How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I need this girl to help me walk," her father would tell any Talib who asked, pointing to his leg. He had lost the lower part of his leg when the high school he was teaching in was bombed. His insides had been hurt somehow, too. He was often tired. (1.6)
Father has had a hard life. His mind still seems sharp, but his body has been through the ringer, and he's old and fragile. What makes him want to keep fighting? Wouldn't it be easier if he just stayed at home and let someone else do the work for him?
Quote #2
Her anger melted when she saw her mother pick up the parcel of Hossain's clothes and put it away on the top shelf of the cupboard. Her mother always looked sad when she touched Hossain's clothes. (2.39)
Parvana's brother was killed by a land mine and Hossain's clothes remind Mother of her pain and loss. Her suffering over the loss of her son reminds us that the Taliban isn't the sole destroyer of Afghanistan—this country's been a warzone for twenty years.
Quote #3
"Afghanistan needs more illiterate thugs like you," Father said. One of the soldiers hit him in the face. Blood from his noise dripped onto his white shalwar kameez.
Mother sprang at the soldiers, pound them with her fists. She grabbed Father's arm and tried to pull him out of their grasp.
One of the soldiers raised his rifle and whacked her on the head. She collapsed on the floor. The soldier hit her head a few more times. Maryam and Ali screamed with every blow to their mother's back. (2.75-2.78)
The Taliban have no mercy—they barge right into Parvana's apartment, kidnap Father, and beat Mother up on the process. While the little ones may not fully understand what is happening, they understand their mother's pain and this scares them to death.