The Breadwinner

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.

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.