Does My Head Look Big In This?

This novel centers on Amal’s decision to wear the hijab. How does her hijab become a symbol that different characters in the story interpret differently? What does their interpretation of this symbol demonstrate about these characters?

• What does the hijab mean to Amal? What does this demonstrate about her as a person?
• What does Amal’s hijab seem to mean to strangers? What does this demonstrate about Australian society?
• What does Amal’s hijab mean to her principal? What does this demonstrate about Ms. Walsh as a person?
• What does Amal’s hijab mean to students at her school? How do her friends’ reactions differ from those of people like Tia? What reaction do people at Adam’s party have? What do these differing reactions tell you about these different people?

Teaching Suggestion: If your students are not yet familiar with the idea of symbolism, this prompt is a natural opportunity to talk about the definition of the term and the way that symbolism has multiple layers and can have different meanings to different audiences. This prompt lends itself well to a jigsaw-style small-group discussion. You might ask each student to become an expert on one of the four bulleted sub-questions, either by writing a brief essay-style response or by simply jotting down a list of ideas and evidence.