View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.

uk brought to you by CORE

provided by Lumbung Pustaka UNY (UNY Repository)

PARVANA’S STRUGGLES AGAINST GENDER INEQUALITY IN

TALIBAN SOCIETY IN DEBORAH ELLIS’ THE BREADWINNER:
A FEMINIST CHILDREN’S LITERATURE STUDY

A THESIS

Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Attainment of

Sarjana Sastra Degree in English Language and Literature

By:

Endah Ratnasari

(11211141012)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE STUDY PROGRAM

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS

YOGYAKARTA STATE UNIVERSITY

2015
ii
iii
iv
 MOTTOS

“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt
that you can set upon the freedom of my mind”
(Virginia Woolf)

“I walk slowly but I never walk backward”

(Abraham Lincoln)

“Children are not things to be moulded, but are people to be unfolded”-

(Jess Liar)

“Perempuan itu tidak bisa dieja kecantikannya; ia adalah kalimat utuh

yang tak cukup untuk sekedar dilisankan”
(Sapardi Djoko Damono)

“Rely on no one but you yourself”

(Anonymous)

“Intelligence and confidence are the beauties that I have”

(Anonymous)

v
 DEDICATIONS

I dedicate this thesis to:

Bapak Supardi and Ibuk Kasilah;

my sister, Diah Parbawati and my little brother Hasbian Muhammad;

all females who struggle and live for gender equality;

those who concern on the development of children’s literature.

vi
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Praise to Allah SWT, The Almighty who has given me the blessing, mercy,

grace, and strength, so I could finish this thesis. In addition, invocation and peace

are devoted to the Prophet, Muhammad SAW. I could not complete this thesis

based solely on my efforts. Therefore, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude

to:

1. Dr. Widyastuti Purbani, M. A., as my first supervisor and Nandy Intan Kurnia,

S.S., M.Hum., as my second supervisor for investing their precious time,

sincere guidance, big patience and great motivation in helping me during the

writing of this thesis;

2. Titik Sudartinah, M. A, my academic supervisor, for her support, suggestion

and advice during my study process in this university;

3. all of the lecturers in the English Language and Literature Study Program

whom I owe gratefulness for improving my knowledge and my perspective

through their teaching;

4. my beloved mother, Bapak Supardi and Ibuk Kasilah, for their uncountable

love, patience, prayer, tears, and hardworking in raising me up and educating

me;

5. my never ending quarrelling partner yet best sister, Diah Prabawati and my

very naughty cute little brother Hasbian Muhammad;

6. Dwi Sri Wahyu Amalika, Putri Elisa Rizqia for the timeless helps and

encouragement given to me;

7. my best companions, Fitma, Etik, Mira and Eva for a decade friendship;

vii
viii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE............................................................................................................... i

APPROVAL SHEET ....................................................................................... ii

RATIFICATION SHEET ................................................................................ iii

PERNYATAAN ................................................................................................. iv

MOTTOS ......................................................................................................... v

DEDICATIONS............................................................................................... vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................. ix

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES................................................................ xii

ABSTRACT..................................................................................................... xiii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 1

A. Research Background........................................................................... 1
B. Research Focus..................................................................................... 8
C. Research Objectives ............................................................................ 10
D. Research Significances......................................................................... 10

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................... 12

A. Feminism ................................................................................................ 12
1. Equality and Inequality in Gender ..................................................... 15
a. Gender and Sex .......................................................................... 15
b. Gender Equality .......................................................................... 16
c. Gender Inequality ........................................................................ 18

ix
 d. Level of Inequality ........................................................................ 19
2. Struggle against Gender Inequality.................................................... 22
3. Feminist Literary Criticism................................................................ 26
B. Children’s Literature............................................................................... 28
1. Children in Children’s Literature........................................................ 30
2. Children’s Empowerment................................................................... 35
C. Taliban Group ........................................................................................ 40
1. The Taliban’s Perception on Women ................................................. 42
D. Previous Research Findings ................................................................... 44
E. Framework of Thinking.......................................................................... 47

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD .......................................................... 48

A. Research Design ..................................................................................... 48
B. Data and Sources of the Data.................................................................. 49
C. Research Instruments.............................................................................. 50
D. Data Collection Technique ..................................................................... 51
E. Data Analysis Technique........................................................................ 52
F. Data Trustworthiness .............................................................................. 53
G. Analytical Construct ............................................................................... 54

CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS .......................................... 56

A. Harms that Gender Inequality Put on Female Children in
Taliban Society ..................................................................................... 57
1. Fear and Lack of Confidence............................................................. 57
2. Desperation and Unwillingness to Struggle ....................................... 61
3. Dependency ........................................................................................ 65
B. Parvana’s Struggles against Gender Inequality in Taliban Society........ 68
1. Disguising as a Boy to Become a Breadwinner and Fulfill other
Needs of the Family ........................................................................... 69
2. Optimizing Her Attempts to Save Her Family ................................... 79
3. Encouraging Her Family..................................................................... 83

x
 4. Helping Other Women to Survive ...................................................... 89
C. Significant Meanings of Parvana’s Struggles in Taliban Society .......... 92
1. Boosting Her Self-Esteem .................................................................. 93
2. Improving a Sense of Pride on Herself............................................... 95
3. Arousing a Feeling of Satisfaction of Her Efforts .............................. 97
D. Discussions ............................................................................................. 100

CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS....................................................................... 105

REFERENCES................................................................................................. 107

APPENDIX I.................................................................................................... 110

APPENDIX II .................................................................................................. 113

SURAT PERNYATAAN TRIANGULASI I ........................................................ 151

SURAT PERNYATAAN TRIANGULASI II....................................................... 152

xi
 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure1 : Framework of Thinking................................................................. 47

Table 1 : The example of the Data List ........................................................ 51

Table 2 : Analytical Construct...................................................................... 54

xii
 PARVANA’S STRUGGLES AGAINST GENDER INEQUALITY IN
TALIBAN SOCIETY IN DEBORAH ELLIS’ THE BREADWINNER:
A FEMINIST CHILDREN’S LITERATURE STUDY

By:
Endah Ratnasari
11211141012

ABSTRACT

This research is aimed (1) to identify the harms that gender inequality put
on female children in Taliban society in Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner, (2) to
explain the struggles of the main character of female child, Parvana, against
gender inequality in Taliban society in the novel, and (3) to find out the significant
meanings of Parvana’s struggles in Taliban society in the novel. Therefore, this
research applied the theories of feminism and children’s empowerment in relation
to children’s literature.
To analyze the data, this research used qualitative descriptive content
analysis. The data of the research were the words, phrases, clauses and sentences
related to (1) the harms that gender inequality put on female children in Taliban
society, (2) the struggles of the main character of female child, Parvana, against
gender inequality in Taliban society, and (3) the significant meanings of Parvana’s
struggles in Taliban society which are embedded in Deborah Ellis’ The
Breadwinner. The primary instrument in this research was the researcher herself
while the secondary instruments were any media and devices which contributed to
the data collection and the data analysis. To ensure the data trustworthiness,
triangulation was applied in this research.
The results of this research show that there are three harms that gender
inequality does to female children in Taliban society: fear and lack of confidence,
desperation and unwillingness to struggle, and dependency. Parvana as the main
female child character in the story does some struggles against gender inequality
in Taliban society, namely disguising as a boy to become a breadwinner and fulfill
other needs of the family, optimizing her attempts to save her family, encouraging
her family, and helping other women to survive. The study also reveals that there
are three significant meanings of Parvana’s struggles in Taliban society: boosting
her self-esteem, improving a sense of pride on herself, and arousing a feeling of
satisfaction of her efforts.
Keywords: Parvana, struggle, gender inequality, harm, female children, Taliban
society

xiii
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of The Study

It has been undoubtedly believed that human beings creation is originated

from the existence of Adam and Eve in the earth. There will be no human

being if the two of them do not co-exist. In other words, human beings live in

the earth only if there is the presence of male who is represented by Adam and

female who is represented by Eve. Even though the other version says that Eve

was created from Adam’s ribs, it does not diminish the important role that

women have in the foremost process: human creation. It is not merely to say

that when people extend their generation, it should involve male and female. It

means more, that is, to affirm that human creation is important. Hence, women

are equally important to men.

Equality is fundamental right that everyone should have regardless their

sex. It is considered as fundamental right because it is the basic right that

should be possessed in order to exercise the other rights properly. If this

fundamental right is not attained, it will disturb people to run their life. When

women and men are equal, they will get the same chance to work in any

position, to get education and to take decision based on their own consent.

Therefore, the right to be equally treated and to be equal before the law

regardless their gender identity is guaranteed in the constitution. The Universal

Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 is a charter that has been agreed by all

nations to protect human rights including the right to get equality. This charter

1
 2

mentions that women and men should get equal right in order to achieve ‘better

standard of life’ (The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948). This

charter emphasizes that women are also valuable, so the rights to run their life

are protected by the law.

Unfortunately, there is a time when human beings do not understand the

idea that both man and woman are all important. In the past, women were

discriminated in every sector of life: sexuality, family, economy, education,

politics, etc. In ancient time in China, Greece, and Rome, women were only

regarded as an object of reproduction. It becomes worse because what they

expected to extend their kinship as the heirs were only males (Nye in Meade

and Hanks, 1999: 13). In family life, most women were seen to be a

housekeeper. They were not allowed to work and explore their skill. What had

been their concerns were staying at home and taking care of their children,

husband and house. In nineteenth century when industrialization emerged,

women also got the discriminative treatment in the field of economy. They

could not exercise the jobs that men could get. Women could barely get high

position, such as manager or supervisor. Mostly, they only worked as labor in

production companies.

Miller (in Meade and Hanks, 1999: 130), states that before eighteen

century European education field could not offer equal chance for women to

pursue their education. Even if women could do that, it was only those who

came from noble or elite family. In politics, women still faced limited access to

enroll themselves in political activities. For example women were forbidden to

vote regardless their social status. Again, the ones who could vote were only
 3

men (Kent in Meade and Hanks, 1999: 94). These were only few cases of

discrimination that women suffer in the past. Women still faced difficult time

to exercise their right in other sectors of life.

This kind of condition has been common for societies in almost all

countries. This society is called patriarchal society. According to Weedon (in

Gamble, 2006: 3), patriarchal society is a society where there is a big

domination of men over women. Patriarchal society always believes that the

position of women is inferior compared to men. Therefore, women are not

granted the equal right to men.

There has been a movement which gradually tries to erase the issues of

gender inequality. This movement is called feminist movement. Feminist

movement reacts based on the idea of feminism, that is, the belief that there

should be no gap between men and women (Freedman in Meade and Hanks,

1999: 186). Feminists believe that the position and the right of men and women

are equal. As a result of this movement, women gradually get their equal

chances and equal right such as the rights to vote and get education. Some

patriarchal countries have been trying to revise their perspective over women

and accept women’s position to be equal to men’s. For instance, both women

and men can pursue education in any level. Women also can enjoy their official

and leading positions in workplace. The data of ILO (2015) show that 30 per

cent of women in the world manage the business in any work area. Besides, 19

per cent of women sit for official and important position in the world.

Yet, some other countries still struggle against gender inequality because it

still exists until now. According to World Bank (in ILO, 2015), more than 700
 4

million women in the world experience sexual and physical abuse every year.

In workplaces, women’s labor participation is 27 per cent lower than men’s

(ILO, 2015). There are some possible reasons why these unequal treatments to

women still exist. First, people are still not aware that women are equally

worth to men. Second, some people now might find the difficulties in adjusting

the values which have been bounded within their society from long time ago.

One of these values is religious value. It can be the strongest value that

shapes the society perspective about the issue of gender because religion is

related to the belief of people. People who have strong religious values will

stick to the religious rules as their basis of life. They will not simply change

their belief for the reason to uphold religious values. It includes the idea that

men are superior and more important than women. Therefore, fundamentalists

from any religion always try to defend the idea of inequality between men and

women. They believe that there must be different roles between men and

women. Furthermore, they think that the equality between men and women is

something impossible.

One of the countries which still fights for gender inequality is Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is a country that for years has been controlled by Taliban group,

one of the strongest fundamentalist religious believers that still uphold the

domination of men over women and regard men as superior parts in the

society. This group aims to establish a pure Islamic state in Afghanistan. Yet,

the ways they act are radical and violent. The intervention of United State of

America in this country finally stopped the Taliban’s cruel regime. There has

been an improved constitution in 2004 and 2009 that were made by Afghan
 5

government in order to avoid gender inequality. The fact shows that there are

still many mistreatments to women.

It is not only women or female adults who get the discriminative

treatments, but so do female children. It is even harder for children because in

their young age, they have to cope with the big problems such as having lack of

opportunity to go out from their houses, limitation to go for study, and

restriction to get a job. The natures of children that are innocent, simple,

unstable and lacking in experiences make the problems of gender inequality

even more complicated. Childhood is the time when most children can play

around. The moment when they play, it is the moment when they can interact

with other people, share an enjoyment and learn something as well. These

activities make a sense of playfulness in children’s feeling. According to

Youell (2008), playfulness is more than an activity of playing. It is a thought

condition that a child cannot learn or teacher cannot teach. It means that the

idea of playfulness deals with children’s psychological condition which only

can be gained by them. Therefore, playfulness is important for children

because it can give them an emotional evocation including a pleasure.

One of the female children who faces gender inequality in Afghanistan is

Sahar Gul. In 2011, Sahar Gul was forced by her parents to get married when

she was still 13 years old. She was being tortured and locked ina small dirty

place without window by her in law. She could not move since her in law tied

her feet and her hands. She was beaten everyday and she was not given

sufficient appropriate food. As a result, Sahar Gul faced difficulty to move her

body and she was even unconscious about the things that happened around her
 6

(Bowley,2012). Sahar Gul’s case is a reminder that the discrimination indeed

still happens and it, in fact, puts female children as the victims. Marriage force,

physical torture and movement restriction are forms of the mistreatments that

women and female children should not face.

Considering gender inequality that female children face, children’s

literature takes a role in providing an insight about the issue. Children’s

literature is the literature which are specially made and devoted for children.

Some people believe that children should not be given the reading book that

embodies difficult issues. However, children actually need the insight to

explore their world. Children’s literature can provide insight in a pleasant way.

Children’s literature is a means to study and to seek for enjoyment. According

to Lukens (1999: 9), literature is more than a product of someone’s writing. It

can be a source of pleasure. Besides, it becomes comprehensive tool to

understand phenomena of life including gender inequality. Therefore, the

existence of children’s literature essentially gives the understanding as well as

entertainment for children about some particular issues of life.

One of children’s literatures which explores the issues of gender inequality

is the first series of Deborah Ellis entitled The Breadwinner. This is an

International bestseller book which has gained several awards like Middle East

Book Award and the Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award for its

originality to talk about gender issues. Deborah Ellis herself is an activist and

feminist writer who really concerns about women’s life. She once became the

volunteer in Afghanistan and Pakistan, so she was inspired to write about the

women’s life there.

 7

The book tells about the struggle of Parvana, the child main character,

against the gender inequality in her country, Afghanistan. In the story,

Afghanistan is ruled by Taliban group. Parvana has to struggle against the strict

rules that were made by Taliban group including the limitation for women to

go out without men, to get education, to work and so on. It is portrayed how

Parvana disguises herself as a boy to work for her family’s survival because

her father is put into jail by the Taliban group. Parvana also tries to free her

father and has to face the bad treatment from the Taliban people. In education,

Parvana still struggles to study and proves that she is able to be equal to men

(Ellis, 2000).

Being free from discriminative treatments and inferiority prejudice is one

of fundamental rights that every person must have including woman and

female child. Therefore, the researcher believes upon some reasons why a

study about gender inequality is still prominent to discuss. Firstly, there are still

the problems of gender inequality faced by women generally and female

children specifically. Sahar Gul’s case to get worst treatment is the example.

Secondly, seeing the nature of children female children’s struggles to cope with

the problems of gender inequality are more complicated and harder. Thirdly,

gender inequality is so harmful for women and female children because it can

lead to the suffering that they will face in exercising their daily life.

Based on the assumption above, the researcher believes that the discussion

about gender inequality in children literature is important to study deeper in

order to create an insight for the readers that gender equality for female

children is worth fighting for. This discussion can actually lead adults to
 8

introduce gender equality values since the early age of children in order to

shape children’s awareness that female and male should be equally treated.

Therefore, Parvana’s struggle, effort and bravery as female child in dealing

with the rules of extremist Taliban group are the interesting points to analyze in

this research. Revelation of Parvana’s struggles can signify that generally

women are not dependent toward men. They can stand alone and become

valuable for other people. Parvana’s struggles also affirm that female children

particularly are not incapable in creating such a change toward the problems

that they face.

B. Research Focus

Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner is a children’s literature which tries to

explore how Parvana lives in a conflicted country ruled by the Taliban.

Parvana actually faces varied problems in this story. Firstly, Parvana suffers

from the problem of war between the Taliban group and Afghan people.

Parvana and her family have to experience the poverty and lack of capital

resources. Secondly, Parvana also experiences biased perspective about

Western idea from the Taliban. The Taliban sees that Western knowledge is a

form of betrayal to their belief, so the Taliban never let anyone who has the

Western thinking live freely. Lastly, while children in her age are able to play

happily with their friends, Parvana has to work hard to make her family

survive. Therefore, in friendship, as a child, she has to feel lonely because she

rarely makes a friend in the conflicted area.

 9

However, the biggest problem that Parvana has to face is gender

inequality. The text explores more how a female child, Parvana, lives in a

Taliban society and how she struggles against gender inequality. The text can

show how difficult life Parvana and other female children have in a male-

dominated society, the Taliban. The text also tells how Parvana does some

struggles in patriarchal society led by Taliban group. Therefore, the researcher

assumes that Parvana has certain quality that supports feminist values.

The researcher will use Sarah Gambel’s and Rosemarie Putnam Tong’s

feminism idea to explain that Parvana’s struggles are in line with feminism.

Besides, the idea of struggles can signify the individual’s empowerment.

Therefore, this research uses John Lord and Peggy Hutchinson’s theory: The

Process of Empowerment. To support the understanding about children’s

literature theory, Rebecca J. Luken’s A Critical Handbook of Children’s

Literature, Peter Hunt’s Understanding Children’s Literature, and Perry

Nodelman’s The Hidden Adult are used in this research.

Parvana does some efforts to cope with gender inequality in her country.

Yet, the analysis will lie more on the idea that Parvana is still a child. Based on

this explanation, the researcher decides to focus on Parvana’s struggles as a

female child against gender inequality in a strict Taliban society.

In accordance to the background and the focus of the research, the

formulation of research questions will be:

1. What harms does gender inequality put on the female children in Taliban

society in Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner?

 10

2. What struggles does the main female child character, Parvana, do against

gender inequality in Taliban society in Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner?

3. What are the significant meanings of Parvana’s struggles in Taliban society

in Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner?

C. Research Objectives

The objectives of this research are:

1. to identify the harms that gender inequality put on female children in Taliban

society in Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner;

2. to explain the struggles of the main character of female child, Parvana,

against gender inequality in Taliban society in Deborah Ellis’ The

Breadwinner; and

3. to find out the significant meanings of Parvana’s struggles in Taliban society

in Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner.

D. Research Significances

This research is expected to give more contribution to the following

groups of people:

1. to the society

This research is expected to give more information and knowledge about

the study of female children who face the problems of gender inequality;

what kinds of harms they get and the struggles that the main figure of

female children does against it. The finding of this research is also
 11

expected to increase the awareness of people that female children have the

same capability to male children or male adults.

2. to the students of English Language and Literature Study Program

This research hopefully can enhance the understanding about the feminist

criticism in children’s literature. This research also can give understanding

that the study about children’s literature is worthy to conduct.

3. to other researchers

The discussion and the finding of this research can be the comparative

means for the other researcher in order to get the references for their study,

especially about feminist children’s literature study.

 CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

A. Feminism

For many years women have lived in the way that they are subordinated

and discriminated. Their existence was not that much appreciated compared to

men. Women lost the equal chance to prosecute their basic rights such as the

right to vote, the right to get education, and the right to speak out in front of

public. Their movements are limited by the social construction that says men

are more powerful and notable rather than women. The situation remained

static since there was no effort to cope with this problem. However, women

started to have a hope to gain equality in their life when the movement whose

attempt was to fight for women’s equal right was embarked. The movement is

called feminism. According to Gambel (1998: 3), feminism refers to the efforts

that aim to fight for the patriarchy system. Weedon (in Gambel,2006: 3), states

that

The term ‘patriarchal’ refers to power relations in which women’s interests

are subordinated to the interests of men. These power relations take on
many forms, from the sexual division of labour and the social organisation
of procreation to the internalised norms of femininity by which we live.
Patriarchal power rests on social meaning given to biological sexual
difference.

It implies that patriarchal system is an unideal relation between men and

women because women’s interest is overpowered by men’s interest. Therefore,

women are supposed to be weak, inferior, and dependent. Patriarchal system

12
 13

also discriminates women from many sectors including economic, social, and

sexual life. Furthermore, patriarchal system even sets different role based on

biological sexual identity.

Feminism is a form of reaction to this system. It rejects the idea of women

interest subordination. Feminists created a barricade, did a massive

demonstration and created political parties. They did not only conduct the

movement in public sphere, but they also went deeper into the private sphere

like schools, kitchens, hospitals, and even worshiping places.

The other definition of feminism comes from Freedman (in Meade and

Hanks, 1999: 186). She defines feminism as

...a belief that women and men are inherently of equal worth. Because
most societies privilege men as a group, social movements are necessary to
achieve equality between women and men, with the understanding that
gender always intersects with other hierarchies.

The statement above explains that feminism is about the belief that women

are basically equal to men. Since gender gap exists because of the hierarchy

which places men as the most powerful group in the society, the gap between

men and women should be fought for by the action of every layer of the

society.

However, the definition of feminism always changes over the time. As

many discussions and debates regarding the term, definition and application of

feminism, Charles Fourier, an early nineteenth-century French socialist used

the term ‘feminist’ for the first time to refer to ‘new woman’ that could

challenge the capitalist idea. ‘New woman’ was an expectation for women to

create a breakthrough and change the world (Meade and Hanks, 1999: 187).
 14

Capitalist idea was the center of people’s life at that time. Women were seen as

the incapable entity to create a change. Furthermore, Fourier believed that

women had the ability to create a better community which could cooperate

each other without thinking about the profit and benefit.

In the nineteenth century, feminism was the movement to fight for

women’s basic rights, such as the right to vote and the right to have a property.

Women were restricted to use their rights. Feminism was the ideal movement

to fight for gaining the women’s rights. The right to vote and the right to have a

property were important because gaining these rights meant that women were

capable to maximize their voice in political agenda and manage the property

they had. Therefore, in 1920s, feminism was seen as the movement for women

to have equal chances in economy, social and sexual life. In 1960, feminism

broadened its movement to the political idea to embrace the equality for all

women regardless the skin color difference, social status, and sexual

orientation (Meade and Hanks, 1999: 187). In this era, feminism advocated all

members of women. The movement acknowledged and assisted women in a

numerous conditions and background. Feminism had created a progress that all

women in any race, any religion, any class and any sexual orientation deserved

equality.

Even if the definition of feminism has changed overtime, all definitions

bring the same idea which is a belief that leads to a movement to fight for

gender equality. Feminism exists to advocate the need and equal access for

women and to make sure that discrimination against women will never happen
 15

again. The advocate does not only stop in the public sphere such as giving

women the right to vote, the right to speak in front of public, and the right to

own the property but it goes deeper to the domestic life such as giving fair

treatment in term of marriage and divorce.

1. Equality and Inequality in Gender

a. Gender and Sex

People live with gender role every day. People are habituated by it from

any places: houses, schools, religious institutions, job places and so on.

Moreover, gender role exists from people’s everyday behavior and talks. As a

result, people see that gender role is something common in life and there is

nothing problematic with the idea of gender role.

However, people often get mistaken about the difference between sex and

gender. They often assume gender as sex. Actually sex and gender have

different meaning. According to Maccoby, Bem and Eagy (in Archer and

Lloyd, 2002: 17), sex is the binary classification of male and female while

gender is the quality or characteristic of being feminine and masculine rather

than female and male. Furthermore, sex is related to the biological

characteristic which men and women posses while gender is cultural quality

because of having one particular sex (Maggio in Archer and Lloyd, 2002: 17).

In other words, sex is identified as biological traits which differentiate women

and men. It cannot be changed because people have possessed it since they are

born. On the other hand, because gender is cultural, it means that gender is

created by the society’s construction. The facts which state that the obligation
 16

of women is cooking and men’s is working are constructed by society. It is

called as gender role.

This idea is supported by West and Zimmerman (in Penelope and Sally,

2003: 1) who state that “Gender is not something we are born with, and not

something we have, but something we do.”West and Zimmerman emphasize

that gender is how people behave and act in the social life. It is not related to

what people are born with but how people put certain action in the social life.

The example is when a girl chooses to wear pink skirt because she sees her

mother always wears pink clothes. What the girl does is not because she is born

to be a creature that should uses pink skirt but it is because her mind is

constructed by her habitual surrounding, her mother. Wearing pink skirt for girl

is a form of action or behavior. Therefore it is gendered.

Furthermore, Penelope and Sally (2003: 2) explain that sex is distinguished

by different ‘reproductive potential’. It means to say that sex is when women

biologically can get period while men cannot or when women can do breast

feeding while men cannot. However, gender is social result of having one

particular sex. For example, because women have breasts, they are often

assumed to do the children rearing, while men are not. Gender is form of

exaggeration of sex difference that results to behavior segregation between

men and women.

b. Gender Equality

The term gender equality and gender equity are frequently used to refer to

the same meaning. However, gender equity and gender equality actually have
 17

a different meaning. According to United Nation (2001), gender equity is

gender role which is based on tradition, culture or even religion. Gender

equity still creates imbalance proportion of treatment to women. Therefore,

gender equality is more preferable to use by some institutions which fight for

women equal right including United Nation.

Furthermore, United Nation (2001) distinguish gender equity and gender

equality by explaining that gender equality refers to the separation between

individual’s sex and his or her rights, responsibility, access and chances. In the

other hand, gender equality is the quality when both men and women have the

same opportunity to do same action regardless their sex. Gender equality frees

women from the roles constructed by the society. It allows women and men to

share and interchange their role because of the same capability that men and

women possess. In the previous time, women used to cook and take care of the

children while men worked. Gender equality is a bridge for men to cook and

take care of the children and for women to work. It rejects the traditional roles

between men and women. It believes that as long as women are capable they

can do men’s job and vice versa.

However, equality does not mean that women should be exactly the same to

men. The focus of gender equality is to make sure that interest between men

and women is weighted the same. Gender equality ensures that women and

men have the same participation, enrolment, and influence to make any

decision because women’s thoughts are as valuable as men’s. Therefore,

gender equality gives an avenue for women to be represented in any agenda

 18

including women’s agenda in public sphere. It also includes women’s

enrolment in political party and economic businesses.

c. Gender Inequality

The issue of gender inequality has been the main concern of feminism

movement. The movement does not only try to diminish the gender inequality

but it also makes sure that women do not experience gender inequality

anymore. Firestone (in Gamble, 1998: 202) mentions that the origin of gender

inequality is from “the division of society into two distinct biological classes

for procreative reproduction.” This statement shows that gender inequality

originates from the social perception to differ men and women which is based

on their sex to gain reproductive function. This theory focuses more on the fact

that women are only seen as a means of reproduction while men are the most

powerful entity in the reproduction. Moreover, women usually deal with

domestic job like doing housework while men always go outside to be a

breadwinner. Hence, gender inequality exists since the condition never allowed

women to interchange the roles with men.

Gender inequality exists because there is a hierarchy that places men

higher than women in social, economic, and political area. Gender inequality is

not only caused by different access between men and women, norms embedded

in the society also shape the gender inequality (UNDP, 2013). Gender

inequality is always closely related to social life. Through social life, people

are interacted each other. They make conversation, they do activities together

and at the end, they create way of life every day. From this habituation, social
 19

norms are created. The norms determine individual’s behavior that leads to the

role of men and women in the society.

Since the role has been habituated in the society, society perceives it as

something common and natural. However, women experience less opportunity

and access to maximize their interest compared to men. In traditional

Indonesian society, cooking is the job of women but it is not men’s job. In

Saudi Arabia, the ones who are allowed to drive are men while women are

prohibited to do so. Hence, there is imbalance treatment that women get

compared to men that is called as gender inequality.

d. Level of Gender Inequality

Gender inequality is so harmful to women’s and female children’s life.

According to Oxford Dictionary (2005: 7th edition), harm is defined as the

damage or injury which is caused by a person or an event. In regard to

children’s life, harm is explained as “detrimental effect of a significant nature

on the child’s physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing” (Child

Protection Act: 1999, sec. 9). It implies that harm is not only the effect on

children physical damage but it is also the damage on their psychology and

emotional. Therefore, understanding the level of gender inequality is needed.

According to Amartya Sen (2001: 466), there are seven gender inequalities

which women and female children experience.

First, it is mortality inequality. Sen explains that mortality inequality is an

inequality form that endangers life of people. In some countries like North

Africa and South Asian nations gender bias upon health is still high. As a result
 20

of this bias, women and female children cannot access sufficient nutrition,

good quality of health care and healthy sexual relation in their life. In the worst

scenario, women and female children can die due to the lack of the health

access. In Pakistan, the tradition of dowry has limited the health access to

women and female children. Dowry is a tradition that women’s family should

pay some amounts of money or give the valuable goods that male demanded in

order to get married. When the dowry does not meet the demand of the men,

the women would be tortured and killed by her husband and his family. The

older the women, the higher dowry that man can demand. Therefore, many

females get married in young age. Yet, it still gives them unfortunate life due to

the poverty they face. They still get less food with good nutrition and poor

quality of healthcare (Nasrullah and Bhatii, 2012).

Second, it is natality inequality. According to Sen, natality inequality is

when parents prefer to have male children instead of female children. Parents

believe that having female children is a nightmare for them. Hence, their wish

and dream are always about having a boy. The case is even worse when there is

technology to abort the baby once they know that the fetus will be female. It is

commonly found in some countries like China and South Asia which regard

female children are burdening to their family. The tradition practice of dowry

is parents’ consideration to choose male instead of female children. Moreover,

they see that male children will be their investment to gain more capital

resource for their family.

 21

Third, it is basic-facility inequality. Sen claims women and female

children do not get equal opportunity to exercise basic facility. The basic

facility includes access to get educationand other access to participate in public

sphere. For example, in countries like Afghanistan, some Asian nations, some

African nations and Latin America, female children and women are prohibited

or restricted to go to school.

Fourth, it is special-opportunity inequality. Sen believes that special-

opportunity inequality is the inequality women and female children experience

beside the basic facility inequality. Special-opportunity inequality includes

access to get the higher education level and to achieve the professional

training. In Europe and North America, the practice of special-opportunity

inequality still exists.

Fifth, it is professional inequality. Professional inequality deals with the

limited access to work in companies or other job fields. Even if women can

work, they face difficulty in getting promotion. Such kind of case exists in

nation like Japan even though it has been progressive in basic facility equality.

Furthermore, the pay gap between men and women with the similar job are still

practiced even in the developing countries like United State of America.

Sixth, it is ownership inequality. Ownership inequality is unequal access

between men and women to own particular properties. The practice of

ownership inequality is still widely spread in some countries. Women are very

restricted to own the basic properties such as land and houses. In India, for

example, the inheritance will mostly go to male rather than female. There is no
 22

chance for women to own the property since their culture has condemn them to

do so.

The last is household inequality. Household inequality is the inequality

that exists in the family life. In almost society, it is common to perceive that

men work outside and women do the domestic jobs like children rearing and

housekeeping. However, it is actually not a matter if women also work and

men do domestic jobs. Sen says that it is called as ‘division of labor’. Because

it is very common in society, society perceives it as something normal.

However, it is actually still an inequality since it limits women to go beyond

domestic jobs that they are able too.

Gender inequality exists in every part of the society from the private until

the public sphere which is ironically conducted by the government. However, it

remains dilemmatic because to eliminate gender inequality society, it has to

lose their culture and their tradition. Therefore, until now gender inequality still

exists due to the fact the society does not want to lose the culture. The worst

part is that even culture allows the society to do gender inequality.

2. Struggle against Gender Inequality

The word “struggle” has become a common perceived term in feminism.

Struggle against gender inequality is an agenda which is generally accepted

and run by feminism (Gambel, 1998: viii). Struggle is an attempt that needs

some difficult efforts in achieving the goal. In related to gender inequality, the

biggest obstacle fought is male-dominated system in a society.

 23

Women’s struggle started in the 18th century when some writers voice their

aspiration on women’s freedom in their works. It was the time when the

beginning of feminism, liberal feminism, emerged. According to Tong (2009:

11), liberal feminism is the political view that places human rationality in the

highest position. Liberals believe that people’s rights must be more prominent

than the goodness. In other words, in liberals point of view people are allowed

to choose and do anything based on their willingness and other people cannot

intervene. For example people have full right to choose their own religion, to

speak up and to own property. No one can intervene them to take the decision,

including the state. In conclusion, everyone is given equal chance and equal

rights to act and posses something.

It was Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in

1792 which became the original work of women’s struggle to fight for gender

equality. In this work, married noble women did not have the access to take

their own decision. Wollstonecraft criticized the limitation that women got.

“.......she denied that women are, by nature, more pleasure seeking and pleasure

giving than men” (Tong, 2009: 14). From this statement, Wollstonecraft

believed that women were not only toys for men to get pleasure and women

were not making men as the toys to cause them happy. Furthermore, if women

kept being trapped in this inferiority, it would make men becoming more

superior and narcissistic. This work motivated all women to be more

independent, confident and brave to take decision based on their own concern.
 24

Other figures who contributed to inspire women to struggle against gender

inequality are John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor. Mill and Taylor were a

couple that was bounded not only emotionally but also intellectually. Tong

(2009: 16) explains that they believed that both men and women should get

equal chance to exercise their rights in politic, economy as well as education.

For Mill and Taylor, men were equally intellectual to men. Therefore, there

should be no intellectual gaps between men and women. Furthermore, they

believed that every person, regardless their sex, had to be given maximum

chance to pursue their desire. People’s desire was important because it can lead

to their happiness.

Tong (2009: 21) further says that to achieve the equality, Wollstonecraft,

Mill and Taylor believed that there should be systematically change in the

politic, economy, education and other sectors. To create this change, women’s

suffrage was needed. Therefore, in the nineteenth century, there was a real

action to create women’s suffrage. There was a movement to fight for women’s

right to vote in political agenda. In 1848, three hundred men and women

gathered in Seneca Falls, New York and created Declaration of Sentiments and

twelve resolutions. Declaration of Sentiments tried to cover the issue that Mill

and Taylor brought. The issues were alleviating marriage, divorce and property

problems. The twelve resolutions focused on the women’s right to speak out in

public sphere.

Women’s struggles in the early feminism focus more to the basic equality

that women should achieve in every sphere of life. In education, women

 25

struggled to be able to attend schools just like men. In economy, women

attempted to gain the opportunity to work and become productive to get

economy resources. In social life, women wanted to be given the same chances

to pursue any desire they have. In family, women demanded for the equality of

having property and fair treatment of marriage and divorce. In politics, women

strongly wanted to be given chances to speak out their opinion in front of

public. Until now, women still struggle to be heard that their existence are

entirely significant to create a change and development in life.

To understand women’s struggles against gender inequality, it is better to

scrutinize the forms of struggles which women can do. The first one is

pursuing education. Hook (2000: 19) explains that education is an important

factor for women to know how the biased perspective to women exists in male-

dominated society. By this knowledge, women will be able to criticize the

sexist thinking and do some actions to change the condition which is unfair for

women.

The second form of struggles is bounding a sisterhood. Sisterhood is a

relationship between women who have the same fate, experience, feeling and

goal. Hook (2000: 3) believes that women who have the same suffering can

share their understanding and support. Women’s power and idea are integrated

to challenge gender inequality. As a result, it can be a powerful platform in

gaining equality between men and women.

The third form of struggles is working. Inability to work has made women

inferior to men. It is due to the fact that women can only depend on men in
 26

term of financial resources. Hence, women become more powerless and

dependent. Working is one of the ways to achieve a fair acceptance between

men and women because by working, women can show their capability to men.

According to Hook (2000: 50), women who work can boost their self-esteem

and increase better acceptance on women in a society. It will give different

impact to women who stay inside of the house. They easily get stress because

they cannot do as many work as if they work. Moreover, they cannot interact

will a lot of people.

Those struggles are important to do in the patriarchal system which

hampers women’s freedom. It is not the time for women to be silent. Yet, it is a

time for women to take a real action and challenge the difficult situation in

order to change people perception to them. Hence, women’s struggles can be

the forms of women’s empowerment in order to be equal to men

3. Feminist Literary Criticism

Feminist literary criticism originally emerged when the women’s

movement was embarked in the 1960s. Plain and Sellers (2007: 2) states that

feminist literary criticism is an accumulated thought of women’s writing,

women’s writing about women and women’s and men’s writing about men

during the century. Thus, feminist literary criticism is a criticism to analyze any

works related to women’s thoughts and actions.

Cuddon (1999: 315) explains that feminist literary criticism is an effort to

examine women’s behaviors and ideas in any kind of literature: novel, poetry,
 27

and drama. It criticizes the males’ idea and interpretation in literature. It is a

means to evaluate males’ perspective toward women in patriarchal system.

Feminist literary criticism challenges the male-based values and gives women

more privilege to explore their idea.

Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own in 1929 was a prominent work for

the feminist literary critics. It told about women’s suffering from economic and

cultural problems which make them vulnerable. In her work, she criticized that

there were not many women who wrote because they were not given free space

to write. The other work which gives big contribution to the better perception

of women’s writing is Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex in 1949. She

placed herself as the representation of women who criticized the women’s

importance in the society. She also evaluated the role and identification of

women in the cultural system. She analyzed women portrayal in some literary

works such as D.H Lawrence’s and Stendhal’s (Cuddon, 1999: 316).

Both of the works actually have the same purpose in questioning women’s

position and value in literature. Feminist literary criticism is a criticism that

neutralizes biased perception on women found in the literature. Since literature

plays important role to shape the social mind-set, the criticism can become a

clarification about the women’s real nature and capability seen from the

women’s perspective. Therefore, it can be a bridge for women to achieve

gender inequality.
 28

B. Children’s Literature

Literature is a means to evoke emotional through the meaning it conveys.

Literature can not only be enjoyed by adults, yet children can enjoy it too.

Therefore, children’s literature emerges as the avenue for children to develop

their reading and analyzing capability independently.

Children’s literature can refer to any forms of literature which are specially

created for children. It cannot be denied that children actually need literature

which is specifically purposed for them. However, children’s literature

sometimes is still undermined. The marginalization of children book exists in

the writing and publication (Hunt, 2002: 1). Not to mention, a lot of parents

who thinks that children’s literature is not too prominent for their children.

Therefore, it impacts to the enrolment of children to read children’s literature.

Children’s Literature is not only undermined and marginalized. It is also

regarded as less intellectual product. West (in Hunt, 2002: 6) states:

Throughout the history of children’s literature, the people who have tried
to censor children’s books, for all their ideological differences, share a
rather romantic view about the power of books. They believe, or at least
profess to believe, that books are such a major influence in the formation
of children’s values and attitudes that adults need to monitor nearly every
word that children read.

It shows that people are still close-minded toward children’s literature. It is

true that book can influence the way of thinking of children but it does not

mean that children are less intellectual to filter the idea and the meaning

conveyed in the book. The censorship sends a narrative that children are unable

to filter the meaning and they will simply take for granted anything written in

the book without thinking and analyzing. Some people reject this opinion.
 29

They claim that they find it the same with literature for adults. Children’s

literature can give pleasure, broaden the understanding, and evoke the readers’

emotion.

Children’s literature is something which is complex. Even for some adults,

it is hardly talking or discussing about particular thing to the children. Yet,

children’s literature is able to give the children better understanding. Children’s

literature can depict human’s real life. That is how children can learn.

Children’s literature may share the philosophical function to give a

pleasant avenue for children, yet it also gives practical use. It can gain literary

knowledge, it can embrace the imagination world for children, it can give the

insight about society attitude, and the last but not least it can be a media to deal

with the problems existed in life (Hunt, 2002: 11).

Similar to literature for adults, children’s literature embodies various

elements. Children literature has its literary elements. People may find it is

interesting to study about the literary elements. Children’s literature also

embodies a series of events through a story. Whether the story is imaginative or

real, the story still has the reflection of life. In life, people have to interact each

other and they face various problems in life starting from racism to gender

inequality. Children’s literature can be a bridge for children to experience those

problems indirectly and they experience how to cope with such problems.

It has the emphasis that the children’s literature has large range of uses for

the readers in generals and children in particular. The function of children’s

literature may differ from one individual to the other. It can happen due to the
 30

idea that people interpret something different to each other. Therefore, two

people may feel different function when they read a similar book.

Like adults, children also seek for pleasure and understanding from

literature. Lukens (1999: 9) states, “Children, too, seek pleasure from a story,

but the sources of their pleasure are more limited. Since their experiences are

more limited, children may not understand the same complexity of ideas.” The

quotation above intends to say that children undergo shorter process of life

compared to adults. Therefore, they get less experience than adults. Unlike

adults, they are not that capable to understand the complicated thoughts

embodied in the story. However, they still can gain pleasure and understanding.

Hence, to deliver both pleasure and understanding, children’s literature has a

way to cope with it. Children’s literature is usually written in simpler words,

dictions and structures. Besides, the author of children’s literature often put

imaginative condition or personification over the death things in order to make

the children understand the story better.

1. Children in Children’s Literature

Children’s literature cannot be separated from two significant terms:

children and literature. Analyzing children’s nature is important to gain better

understanding about them. Everyone must face the phase of childhood. That is

the time when young individuals grow to be the older ones. Children

experience and do a lot of things in the childhood including interacting with

their friends and learn through the actions they do.

 31

Children are individuals who undergo the phase after they are born and

before they become adults. Children are different entity than adults. However,

it does not diminish the fact that children also have the ability to think and

understand particular issue just like adults do. Lukens (1999: 9) states,

“Children are not little adults. They are different from adults in experience, but

not in species, or to put differently, in degree but not in kind.” It intends to say

that both adults and children are all human that need to know about the

information, issues and phenomena of life. The difference between them is that

children have limited experiences compared to the adults. Therefore, it is

logical that the way of children’s thinking is still limited since they do not have

many experiences like adults. It is due to the idea that experience can shape

and determine the way of people’s thinking.

It is in line with Piaget who explains about constructivism theory. Piaget

(in Cook, 2005: 5-6) says that people including children will construct their

thinking and understanding through what they have known and understood in

order to interpret their new experience and environment. When children

interact with their environment, they will have complex way of thinking. When

children are more mature, they will experience more complex thought.

The example of this idea is when the little girl advances her idea about the

similarity and difference between two things. Later on, the girl will implement

this idea when she tries to differ or equalize one food to another food. When

children are more mature, they will gain more exposure and interaction with
 32

more people and more environments. Therefore, their way of thinking or

constructive structure will be more complex.

The exposure, interaction and environment which are experienced by one

child and another child must be different. Therefore, one child may interpret

something differently compared to another child. Furthermore Piaget (in Cook,

2005: 5-6) believes that children with limited exposure of environment

interaction will get difficulty to develop their cognitive structure. It means that

children who have limited access to interact with other people will hardly

achieve the understanding and organization of thinking. At the end of the day,

children will barely gain maximum quality of development.

There are three important processes that children should undergo in order

to develop their cognitive well. First is organization, it is how children become

so considerate about something in order to be ‘integrated entity’. The example

of organization is when children share the toys for their friend. Here, they

organize their organization that their friend does not have toys. Moreover, their

friend really wants to play. The children organize their thought that they have

the toys but unfortunately their friends do not have. They will consider how

their friend can also play with them. Therefore, they lend the toys to their

friend.

The second important process is adaptation. It is the state when children

try to adapt with the new environment by changing their cognitive

development. When children meet the new environment, they will face
 33

different condition with their origin environment. The process of adaptation is

beneficial to understand better the new environment.

The process of adaptation embodies the other process which is

assimilation. Assimilation is a process of conveying the new information into

the way of thinking that is already habituated. The example is when there is a

little kid who understands that the creature which has four legs, has fur, and

barks are dog. She will match her understanding with the animal that has the

same characteristics. Therefore, she knew that the other animal which has the

same qualities is dog.

However, children experience common mistake when they try to

assimilate something with the new thing that they just find. When there is a

correction process in children’s misunderstanding, children will make their

way of thinking up in order to gain the new and correct understanding. This

process is called accommodation (Piaget in Cook, 2005: 5-7). The example is

when the father’s kid says that the animal the kid identifies as dog is not a dog

but it’s a buffalo. The animal has four legs and fur but it does not bark. The kid

will modify her way of thinking to understand the characteristic of dog and

buffalo. At the end of the day, the kid will be able to differentiate between dog

and buffalo.

The last process of cognitive development is reflective abstraction. Piaget

(in Cook, 2005: 5-8) believes that it is a process of reflecting on something

after the children know something in the environment. The example is when

there is a girl who has six balls. She arranges the ball in a line, a circle and
 34

other forms. Finally, she realizes that the number of her balls remains the same

even if she has several different arrangements. The process of reflective

abstraction is important because children can think and understand the object

they have and find. Moreover, through reflective abstraction, children will

understand the meaning of what they do. The girl knows that the number of the

balls does not affect the arrangement that she makes. Therefore, the girl

undergoes the process of learning of the number of the things and the

arrangement.

Piaget (in Cook, 2005: 5-9) further believes that the three important

process of cognitive development is very important under three reasons.

Children who have the nature of curious will explore the new environment that

is not appropriate with their previous way of thinking. First, without the access

of exploring and challenging new environment, children will not be able to

assimilate something to another thing. Second, children will not be able to

create a self correction as a form of adjustment and accommodation. Self

correction is important because children can actually be independent to think,

understand and take decision without adults.

The process of children’s thinking shows that even if children’s way of

thinking sometimes is incorrect, the children will be eventually able to create a

correction by themselves. Children can make up their thought due to new

information and insight that they gain. It also explain how children are not less

intellectual entity compared to adult because along with their new experiences,

children will be able to understand better and fit with their environment.
 35

2. Children’s Empowerment

Children’s empowerment has been the emerging issue in the children’s

literature. It is common to understand that even children’s literature is regarded

as the less prior literature, thus children may feel the same condition as the

literature they belong to. Therefore, children’s empowerment is important to be

analyzed in order to create a better acceptance of children.

Moscovitch and Drover (in Lord and Hutchison, 1993) believe the

empowerment deals with power and powerlessness. They define power as the

domination owned by small number of society in term of economy and politics,

while the majority of society does not possessed the domination. The other

definition comes from Cornell Empowerment Group (in Lord and Hutchison,

1993) that states that power is capacity of some persons and organizations to

produce intended, foreseen and unforeseen effects on others.

The two definitions above bring the difference concept. Moscovitch and

Drover focus on how small number of society can spread the domination to the

bigger number of society in economy and politics field, while Cornell

Empowerment Group brings the definition into the broaden scope which is the

influence of people or organization to others without mentioning the number of

people who influence or get influence and the field the power are in. However,

both of them give the same perspective about power, that is, the domination of

one people or one group to give any influence over others in order to get higher

bargaining position. People who have higher bargaining position will make
 36

them as the superior ones compared to the others. Therefore, they will have

more capability and access to run other people’s life.

Powerlessness also has varied different meaning. Some scholars define

and explain powerlessness in the different perspectives:

1. Powerlessness is defined as the state when someone thinks that their action

will get less impact to the whole life (Keiffer in Lord and Hutchison, 1993).

In this opinion, powerlessness can be defined as the people’s characteristic

for having less confidence in themselves. They have lack of self-esteem to

see themselves as the ones who are capable.

2. Lerner (in Lord and Hutchison, 1993) believes that surplus powerlessness

is a state of desperation that there will be no change to their life. This

desperation results to the ‘unwillingness to struggle’ to create influence to

others. Therefore, they are reluctant to make any efforts for their betterment

of life.

3. Rapapport (in Lord and Hutchison, 1993) explains powerlessness from the

idea of empowerment. He believes that empowerment comes from the

inability of people to gain control upon themselves. In other words, people

are incapable to create self determination in creating a decision or an action

in their life.

In short, powerlessness is a lack of self-esteem and capability to

determine their own action to give impact to themselves and other people’s

life. Unlike power, powerlessness is a state that someone has less bargaining

position from the others. As a result, powerlessness can affect to the inferiority
 37

of someone or a group from the others. This inferiority makes them to have

less capability to gain much control to the others even to themselves.

Lord and Hutchinson (1993) states that there are four powerlessness that

people, including women and children experience. The forms of powerlessness

are social isolation, unresponsive service and systems, poverty and abuse. All

of these create a barrier for women and children to gain the maximum access in

their life including social interaction, public facilities, welfare and health.

Powerlessness can create dependency to other people because people do not

have ability to trust themselves that they are able to do something. Lord and

Hutchinson (1993) states that dependency can impact to individual’s lack of

confidence and inability to create a decision due to the limited experiences and

options. Dependency harms people to run their life. People who are dependent

always see that they are less able than the others. They rely on other people

because they place their ability much higher rather than theirs. As result of this,

they become less confident that decrease their self-esteem. They think that their

decision is less important because they consider that other people are more able

than them. Therefore, they tend to follow other people’s decision. That is why

they will have limited choices and access to do a decision making.

In relation to children’s empowerment, children are viewed to be

powerless entities because of their inferiority. This view exists due to the

opinion that children have less capability and knowledge than adults.

Nodelman (2008: 167) says, “Children need to be innocent less than adults

need to believe that children are innocent—that childhood is a matter of not

 38

being human in the ways that adults are human.” The statement shows that

adults’ perspective over children is children cannot be regarded as human.

Adults see that children’s life and adults’ life are different. Therefore the

children’s qualities cannot be equalized to the adults. It is when adults become

superior and regard children are inferior. As a result of this state, adults

frequently over regulate and dictate children to what the adults want rather to

give a determination for the children. Therefore, children apparently have no

choice to determine their decision but following what adults or, in this case,

parents want. This state creates a gap between adults or parents with the

children and shapes the power for adults as well as powerlessness for children.

Some scholars define empowerment in varied explanations. Whitmore (in

Lord and Hutchison, 1993) explains the idea of empowerment as:

an interactive process through which people experience personal and

social change, enabling them to take action to achieve influence over the
organizations and institutions which affect their lives and the
communities in which they live.

It means that the empowerment is a process of interaction between the

experience people have and the dynamic of social phenomenon which make

the people able to act and influence others and in order for them to be impacted

by this process. In this definition, Whitmore emphasizes that empowerment is

about how people have the capability to determine their action to gain

influence over others to change their life in a particular group of people.

Furthermore, she highlights four important aspects to be able to understand the

idea of empowerment better. First, every person has to know well about his or
 39

her need regardless people’s opinion. Everyone should have the capability to

determine the need and to take an action to achieve the need. Second, every

person owns his or her power and capability and they can establish it from the

very first beginning. Therefore, there is no such a thing like the power is

inherited or given because everyone has the opportunity to create and develop

their capability and power. Third, empowerment is an effort in life. As long as

people are able to make an effort, they must achieve the empowerment. Fourth,

there is no invalid and useless capability and experience. Everyone possesses

certain capability to cope with the problem, empowerment give them space to

maximize their capability.

Wallerste in (in Lord and Hutchison, 1993) explains that empowerment is

a process that involves the active enrollment of individual to achieve the goal

in creating better quality of life. In this opinion, the focus of empowerment is

how individual can be participative in the process of achieving the goal.

Empowerment is also defined as ‘psychological sense of personal control’ to

gain influence in social and political life (Rapapport in Lord and Hutchison,

1993). In other words, empowerment is a state when individual has confidence

or self-esteem upon their capability to create influence for their group.

The explanations of empowerment above are also in line with the idea

children’s capability to change and learn. In children’s literature, children are

able to be empowered. Nodelman (2008: 68) states:

Texts written for children should view childhood as both eternally static
and a place or change, children as both wonderfully incapable of learning
and inevitably and always in the process of learning from adults who
already know...
 40

It implies that in children’s literature, children’s limited experiences can

be the barrier for them to take some actions. However, it does not mean that

children are incapable to change and learn. Childhood is a perfect time to learn.

Thus, from learning, children can determine their own action and it is how

children can change. Furthermore, the experiences of children can be improved

along the process of learning. Therefore, children can actually create their own

empowerment.

At the end, empowerment can result to some changes in people’s life.

Lord and Hutchison (1993) believe that empowerment can create a ‘feeling

toward themselves’. People including women and children can increase their

self-esteem and feel that they are valuable. They are proud to be themselves

because they get opportunity to be counted and get the high confidence to

pursue their goal.

C. Taliban Group

When people have held certain beliefs that they think the beliefs are

right, they will try to maintain the beliefs under any circumstances. Similar to

those people, Taliban group which exists in Afghanistan holds a very strong

belief under the name of one particular religion. The group is extremist

fundamentalist group that attempts to maintain the religious values of Islam.

However, the way they attempt to implement the Islamic values are in the other

direction. Therefore, they justify themselves to fight, do violent attack and

discriminate women in their life.

 41

According to Baqai (2011), extremist refers to individual or group of

people who employ the violent in order to force the implementation of values

or belief they hold to other people. Extremists believe that the violence they do

is for the sake of greater good, that is, the values maintenance. Extremists do

not regard that violent action harms other people and endanger other people’s

life. While fundamentalist is defined as individual or group of people who

‘going to the essentials or the basics’ (Baqai, 2011). Fundamentalists aim to go

back to the basic values that certain religion embodies. They want to purify the

people recent values based on the fundamental values of religion. Dawkins (in

Baqai, 2011) mention the term ‘stubborn’ to explain the fundamentalist. It is

due to the idea that a fundamentalist has a very strict and strong belief that is

uneasy to change.

It is also in line with the explanation of Taliban philosophy, Rashid (in

Johnson and Mason, 2006) says, “The Taliban represented none but themselves

and they recognized no Islam except their own... Before the Taliban, Islamic

extremist never flourished in Afghanistan.” Taliban is the extremist that holds

the Islamic values holiest values and the most faithful religion for people. Even

if there are varied Islamic values, Taliban will always regard their Islam as the

most correct one. They claim that they represent Islamic people as a whole but

the fact is they exercise the Islamic values based on their way and their own

interpretation of Qur’an, Islamic holy book.

Johnson and Mason (2006) explain further that Taliban represent

Deobandi Islam, conservative Islamic teachings that imitate the whole life of
 42

Prophet Muhammad. Deobandi Islam relies on the idea that Islamic followers

must have the greatest loyalty to their religion, Islam. Deobandis also deny the

social class that differentiates one person to another person based on their

social status. They place the country as the second priority and they focus more

to protect their religion. They are willing to fight over other countries to protect

Muslims. Therefore, they regard Western countries as enemies because they

hold non-Islam as the religion.

Deobandis also justify the limitation and restriction access over women.

They employ the punishment of throwing the stone and amputating people

whenever they believed that they are guilty. They do not regard Shia as Islam.

Therefore, they happened to kill massive number of Haraza people. Haraza is

an ethnic in Afghanistan whose the majority of people hold Shia muslim.

Deobandism has been the basis of Taliban movement. They are not only

Islamic group that tries to share Islamic values but they become the monster

who hold gun and get mistaken to interpret Quran in their hands.

1. The Taliban’s Perception on Women

Among the values that Taliban embraces, Taliban places a value that is

fundamentally harmful to women. In Taliban view, women’s movements and

self determination should be restricted. Living in Taliban society, women get

big barrier to free them.

The Taliban gives a strict regulation regarding how women act in public

as well as in private sphere. Women are prohibited to go to school and work.

 43

Women are demanded to stay at home and forbade going outside home. If they

really have to go outside, women in Taliban society should be accompanied

their mahram, their male relatives. They also have to wear burqa whenever

they go outside. Burqa is the absolute requirement for women to be present in

the public area. It is a kind of clothes that completely cover women’s body

from their head to toe with only two spaces of open parts the eyes and the nose.

The discrimination even goes further to the obligation for Afghan people to

cover their window with paint if there are women inside the house (Physician

for Human Right, 1998: 30).

The restriction to women’s actions and woman’s self determination is

somehow irrational. Taliban do not have enough understanding and clear

reasons why women should be forced not to do the things that actually do not

give harm. The prohibition of working and attending the school is the

exaggeration of wrong interpretation of Islamic values.

Furthermore, women are also victimized in the healthcare area. Women

hardly get access to healthcare. Women are obliged to be examined only by

female nurses or medical experts (Physician for Human Right, 1998: 31). The

discrimination on healthcare is so harmful to women. They suffer more than

man because there is lack of medical access and treatment that women can get.

They get poor quality of health that potentially affects their productivity of life.

In the very worst case, it even can impact to the massive death of women there.

Bombing and war conducted of Taliban group severely bring bad impact

to the Afghan people. They lose their house, money, and property. They are
 44

turned into poorer people with no fortune. Men go to the war and women are

prohibited to work (Physician for Human Right, 1998: 31). It can eventually

worsen the condition of the family. As a result of this, they lose more resources

to survive.

D. Previous Research Findings

Feminist Children’s Literature is not new field of study. There have been

some attempts to study whether feminist quality is present in children’s

literature or not. The first study is Krunoslav Mikulan’s article entitled “Harry

Potter through the Focus of Feminist Literary Theory: Examples of

(Un)Founded Criticism.” The second one is a article by Seda Pekşen entitled

“Children’s Literature as a Tool for Gender Appropriation.”

Krunoslav Mikulan’s “Harry Potter through the Focus of Feminist

Literary Theory: Examples of (Un)Founded Criticism” analyzes the series of

Harry Potter through four perspective. The first one is sexist novel. The

second one is feminist novel. The third one is boy’s novel and the last one is

novels in which girls can find their ideals. The critic who believes in sexist

novel argues the main female character, Herminone Granger, is weak, fearful

and dependent because she often relies on Harry to help her. On the other

hand, the critic who sees the novel as feminist one believes that Hermione

owns the female leading character when she rescues other hero characters. She

also possesses feminine quality which is caring to her friends. Some critics

who believe that the novel is boy’s novel explain that Harry is typically male
 45

who likes sports and heroes. The critics who believe in novels in which girls

can find their ideals state that women are emotionally and psychologically

more stable compared to men.

While Seda Pekşen’s article entitled “Children’s Literature as a Tool for

Gender Appropriation” explains that the exposure of gender issue in children’s

literature will influence the way the children perceive the gender role in the

real life. Peksen brings the example of fairy tales, such as Cinderella and Snow

White to reveal the inferiority of women. In Cinderella, he says that the

standard of goodness is when Cinderella is obedient and passive. Therefore,

she has to wait for the prince to save her. In Snow White, women’s inferiority is

shown when she meets the dwarfs and she has to do all the housework. She

also has to wait the prince’s kissing to wake her up. The qualities of Cinderella

and Snow White show their inferior position compared to men.

Both of the works have the same issue which is discussed: gender

inequality in children’s literature. However, the authors of the works analyze

the issue in the different way. Krunoslav Mikulan deals with the comparison

between one critic and other critics who has different belief of Hermione

female traits. Some agree that Hermione is a dependent woman while the

others argue that Hermione possesses strong and independent quality. On the

other hand, Seda Peksen explains that fairy tales like Snow White and

Cinderella show the women’s inferiority and vulnerability that can stereotype

children about gender role in the future.

 46

The researcher believes that there are some issues which have not been

analyzed by these studies. The issues are about the harms that female children

get when they live in the place with the strong domination of men, the

struggles to cope with the problems and the significances of female children’s

action to minimize the women’s inferiority. The approach which is used is only

feminist criticism without necessarily link to the theory of children’s literature.

Therefore, in this thesis entitled Parvana’s Struggles against Gender Inequality

in Taliban Society in Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner: Feminist Children’s

Literature Study, the researcher will focus more on the harms of gender

inequality for female children, the way the female child struggles against it and

the significant meanings of their struggle in their society, Taliban. To analyze

these issues, the researcher employs the combination of feminist literary

criticism and children’s literature which embody children and children’s

empowerment theory.
E. Framework of Thinking

Feminism Children's Literature

- Equality and Inequality in Gender Deborah Ellis' The - Children in Children's Literature
- Struggle against Gender Inequality Breadwiner - Children's Empowerment
- Feminist Literaty Criticism

Gender Inequality in Taliban

Children’s Powerlessness
Society

Objective 1: Objective 2: Objective 3:

Harms that Gender Inequality Parvana's Struggles against Significant meanings of Parvana’s
Put on Female Children in Gender Inequality in Taliban Struggles against Gender Inequality in
Taliban Society Society Taliban Society

Figure 1: Framework of Thinking

47
 CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHOD

A. Research Design
Every research has its own purposes which want to be accomplished. In

order to achieve the purposes of the research, the research design is importantly

needed. This research used qualitative research design. It is because the data of

this research are in the form of words, phrases, clauses and sentences

embedded in Ellis’ The Breadwinner. Therefore, quantitative research design is

impossible to apply because the data are not qualified in the numeric standard.

Unlike quantitative research which relies on statistic relationship between

one variable and another variable, qualitative research focuses more on the

research participants’ (researcher’s and the other’s) interpretation of particular

phenomenon. Vanderstop and Johnston (2009: 167) state that qualitative

research has a purpose of descriptive. Since people’s interpretation is the main

element of qualitative research, its products are in the form of description. The

description is explained based on the participants’ knowledge, background and

experience. Therefore, everyone might have different interpretation over one

phenomenon discussed. Description can be a means to understand the

interpretation of the research participants in a deeper way.

Gender inequality is a phenomenon which is still experienced by women

generally and female children particularly. Ellis’s The Breadwinner gives the

real portrayal of female children who struggle in order to cope with the harms

gender inequality does. Interpreting the phenomenon of gender inequality can

deepen the understanding over the issue.

48
 49

In order to analyze the data, content analysis was used in this research.

Neuman (2007: 20) defines content analysis as the technique of analyzing the

content in ‘written or symbolic material’. In other words, content analysis is a

method to analyze the data which are in the form of text. According to

Kondracki & Wellman (in Hsieh and Shannon, 2005), text data can be in form

of verbal, printed, or electronic material and the data might be obtained from

narrative responses, open-ended survey questions, interviews, focus groups,

observations, or print media such as articles, books, or manuals. Since the data

in this research were in the form of text, content analysis was the most

appropriate method to collect and analyze the data regarding female children’s

struggles against gender inequality in Taliban society.

B. Data and Sources of the Data

The data source in this research was Ellis’ The Breadwinner published in

2000. The data used were the words, phrases, clauses and sentences related to

the harms that gender inequality put on female children in Taliban society,

Parvana’s struggles against gender inequality in Taliban society and the

significant meanings of Parvana’s struggles in Taliban society which are

embedded in Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner. These significant expressions

could signify the issue of gender inequality experienced by female children

character, Parvana. To achieve the purposes of the research, the interpretation

of the text was done based on these data. Therefore, the data were essentially

needed to analyze the harms that gender inequality put on female children, the

struggles Parvana does and the significant meanings of her struggles.

 50

C. Research Instrument

There were two research instruments used in this research. The first

instrument was the primary or the main instrument. In qualitative research, the

primary instrument is the researcher herself. Human is the most appropriate

instrument in qualitative research. Lincoln and Guba (in Vanderstop and

Johnston, 2009: 189) states that “human instruments are shaped by experience

and can respond and adapt to the research encounter”. Human possess the

experience and knowledge in every area of life. As a result, they are more

flexible to analyze the phenomenon offered in the research.

The second instrument was the secondary instrument. The secondary

instruments in this research were any media and devices which contribute to

the data collection and data analysis. The media and devices included

worksheet, pen, highlighter and computer. The worksheet was needed to note

significant expressions related to the topic. Besides, it was useful to create a

table in order to classify the data. The classification of the data was provided in

the table below:

Table 1: The Example of the Data List

No Page Data Meaning Category

1. 149 “When they got to Parvana is scared

Parvana’s street, she that Taliban saw her
started to run, and she and her companion.
pulled the woman The Taliban will
along with her. She punish her. Fear and Lack
was so scared by this Therefore, she runs of Confidence
point, she thought if to reach her house.
she didn’t get home
right away, she
would collapse.”
11. 29 “How can we be Nooria is desperate
brave?” Nooria that she cannot
 51

asked. “We can’t change anything. Desperation

even go outside. Therefore, she and
How can we lead hesitates to do an Unwillingness
men into battle? I’ve action. to Struggle
seen enough war. I
don’t want to see
any more.”

D. Data Collection Technique

There were two steps in collecting the data in this research. The first step

was the process of reading and rereading the data sources in order to get

understanding in the deep manner. Firstly, the process was done through

reading the text of Ellis’s The Breadwinner line by line and repeating to read it.

Secondly, to support the understanding regarding children who face gender

inequality, reading per line and rereading were also conducted in the secondary

data. The process of reading line by line and rereading the text enabled the

researcher to comprehend the text based on the objectives of the research.

The second step was collecting, classifying and categorizing the data.

Firstly, the data were highlighted and noted. The noting process was done by

rewriting the main idea of the words, phrases, clauses and sentences related to

Parvana’s struggles against gender inequality in Taliban Society and the page

where it belongs to. Secondly, the data were classified based on the objectives

of the research. Therefore, there were three data classifications in this research:

1) harms that gender inequality put on female children in Taliban society, 2)

how Parvana struggles against gender inequality in Taliban society, and 3)

significant meanings of Parvana’s struggles to female children in Taliban

society. The data classification was done in order to ease the data analysis.

Lastly, categorization of some expressions which have the similar meaning was
 52

conducted. For example, categorizing some expressions into subcategory of

fear and lack of confidence.

E. Data Analysis Technique

The method to analyze the data in this research is content analysis. Content

analysis deals with the text analysis upon one particular phenomenon.

Therefore, the people’s interpretation is essential to analyze the phenomenon.

According to Hsieh and Shannon (2005), content analysis deals with

‘subjective interpretation’ of the text through the ‘systematic classification

processes’. The interpretation of the phenomenon is subjective due to the

different background and exposure that every person gets. In order to do

comprehensive interpretation when analyzing the data, the data in this research

were firstly classified systematically.

After the data were classified based on the objectives, the data then were

interpreted in order to gain the new insight of the objectives. The data which

were in the forms of words, phrases, clauses and sentences related to Parvana’s

struggles against gender inequality in Taliban society seen from Deborah Ellis’

The Breadwinner were interpreted based on the objectives of this research.

Several steps were conducted in order to analyze the data:

1. reading Ellis’ The Breadwinner line by line and rereading it in order to gain

comprehensive understanding;

2. highlighting and noting the words, phrases, clauses and sentences related to

Parvana’s struggles against gender inequality in Taliban society in Deborah

Ellis’ The Breadwinner;

 53

3. classifying significant expression of words, phrases, clauses and sentences

based on the objectives of this research;

4. categorizing the significant expression of words, phrases, clauses and

sentences which has the similar meaning;

5. interpreting and analyzing the data; and

6. implementing the trustworthiness of the data by doing triangulation.

F. Data Trustworthiness

In the research, data trustworthiness is important in order to make sure that

the data are credible and reliable. To gain the trustworthiness of the data,

triangulation was used in this research. According to Lather (in Lincoln and

Denzin, 2003: 141), triangulation is a technique of obtaining trustworthiness

through various data sources, methods and theoretical schemes. Triangulation

is needed to ensure that the research is original and unique compared to the

other researches. By employing triangulation, the data are reliable and credible

for other people.

To achieve the reliability and credibility of the data, the triangulation was

done in this research. To do the checking and rechecking of the data, the

triangulation was done by two students majoring English Language and

Literature study program. Moreover, they were considered to be capable to do

the triangulation since they take the concentration of literature which was in

line with the grand science of this research. Besides, in order to reach the most

minimum mistakes in this research, the data, the method and the theoretical

schemes were regularly consulted to the researcher’s advisors. They were the
 54

ones who helped to check and examine whether the research could be reliable

and credible. Therefore, the data reliability and credibility could be achieved.

G. Analytical Construct

Table 2: The Analytical Construct

Category Definition Subcategory

Detrimental effects caused Fear and lack of

Harms that
by gender inequality to confidence
gender
female children Desperation and
inequality put on
(Child Protection Act: unwillingness to struggle
female children
1999, sec. 9) Dependency

Disguising as a boy to

become a breadwinner and

fulfill other needs of the

Struggles against Any efforts made to family

gender survive in the place where Optimizing the attempts to

inequality gender inequality exists save the family

Encouraging the family

Helping other women to

survive
 55

Boosting self-esteem
Significant
The implication of the Improving a sense of pride
meanings of the
struggles
struggles Arousing a feeling of

satisfaction
 CHAPTER IV
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

This chapter discusses three important points regarding Parvana’s

struggles against gender inequality in Taliban society seen from Deborah

Ellis’s The Breadwinner based on the objectives of this research. The first

point is the harms that gender inequality put on female children in Taliban

society. The discussion of this point deals with three kinds of harms: fear and

lack of confidence, desperation and unwillingness to struggle, and dependency.

The second point provides the discussion about the struggles of main female

child character, Parvana, against gender inequality in Taliban society as the

reaction of harms that she and her friends get. Parvana’s struggles are

represented by four actions that she does: disguising as a boy to become a

breadwinner and fulfill other needs of the family, optimizing her attempts to

save her family, encouraging her family and helping other women to survive.

The last point is the significant meaning of Parvana’s struggles against gender

inequality for female children in Taliban society. The significant meanings are

boosting her self-esteem, improving a sense of pride on herself and arousing a

feeling of satisfaction of her efforts.

56
 57

A. Harms that Gender Inequality Put on Female Children in Taliban

Society
1. Fear and Lack of Confidence
Living under the control of Taliban group is not easy for everyone,

particularly for female children. Taliban group places themselves as superior

actors in the society. As a result, female children in the society which is ruled

and controlled by Taliban group experience inferior feelings in the form of fear

and lack of confidence. Female children in Taliban society show several

actions that indicate a feeling of fear and lack of confidence. The first is

speaking slower and disclosing their presence.

I can read that letter as well as Father can,” Parvana whispered into the
folds of her chador. “Well, almost.”
She didn’t dare say those words out loud. The man sitting beside her father
would not want to hear her voice. Nor would anyone else in the Kabul
market. Parvana was there only to help her father walk to the market and
back home again after work. She sat well back on the blanket, her head
and most of her face covered by her chador”.
She wasn’t really supposed to be outside at all. The Taliban had ordered all
the girls and women in Afghanistan to stay inside their homes. They even
forbade girls to go to school. Parvana had had to leave her sixth grade
class, and her sister Nooria was not allowed to go to her high school. Their
mother had been kicked out of her job as a writer for a Kabul radio station.
For more than a year now, they had all been stuck inside one room, along
with five-year-old Maryam and two-year-old Ali. (Ellis, 2000: 7)

The datum above shows two things. First, it shows the gender inequality

that female children face. Female children are not supposed to pursue their

education. Furthermore, they are obliged to only stay at home and do anything

inside the home. Second, it shows the feeling of fear that Parvana has. The

restriction made by the Taliban group causes a fear on Parvana. She feels afraid

to say something louder because she worries that the Taliban people hear her.
 58

Therefore, she only whispers to express her thought. In addition, Parvana really

tries to hide her face with her chador. She does not want the Taliban people

know her face. She is also afraid if the Taliban people know there is a girl who

goes outside alone, she will be punished by them.

A feeling of fear also indicates that Parvana has a lack of confidence to act

in the Taliban society. Her behaviors are limited by the Taliban’s rules. She is

not confident to speak louder and disclose her presence. She does not trust

herself to show up in front of the Taliban people. As a result, Parvana hopes for

her invisibility.

“I have no son at home, except for an infant,” he would explain. Parvana

would slump down further on the blanket and try to make herself look
smaller. She was afraid to look up at the soldiers. She had seen what they
did, especially to women, the way they would whip and beat someone they
thought should be punished.
Sitting in the marketplace day after day, she had seen a lot. When the
Taliban were around, what she wanted most of all was to be invisible.
(Ellis, 2000: 8-9)

Parvana does not have confidence at all to see the Taliban soldiers. She

does not want make them aware about her presence. The Taliban’s

mistreatment to women does not only generate a lack of confidence on

Parvana, but it also causes a fear on her. Parvana is afraid to be whipped and

beaten once the Taliban soldiers know she is a girl. Parvana does not want to

get these mistreatment, so she hopes that they never see her.

The second action which illustrates a fear and lack of confidence is crying.

Crying is a spontaneous reaction of dropping the tears caused by uncontrollable

mental condition. People can cry because of several reasons. First, it is because

they are too sad or too happy. Second, it is because they are too afraid of
 59

something terrible happening to them. Since, they cannot do anything to

control a feeling of fear, they can only cry. In the story, Parvana and other

female children also cry to express their fear. It is represented by this datum:

“Oh, that’s right, my face is covered. I keep forgetting. Now, why are you
running, and why are you crushing that perfectly good bread?”
Parvana started to cry. “The Taliban...one of the soldiers...he was chasing
me.” (Ellis, 2000: 56-57)

The datum above shows that Parvana cries because she worries that the

Taliban soldiers will get after her. She is very afraid if she is captured by them.

Therefore, she runs quickly because that is the only thing she can do to get

away from them. Yet running quickly does not relieve her feeling of fear. She

expresses her great fear through crying.

The third behavior that signifies a fear and lack of confidence is objecting

other people’s suggestion. Parvana is asked by Nooria and her mother to

disguise herself as a boy. Yet, she does not agree about this idea.

Parvana had forgotten. Suddenly she was scared. Everyone would see her
face! They would know she wasn’t a boy!
She turned around to plead with her mother. “Don’t make me do this!”
“You see?” Nooria said in her nastiest voice. “I told you she was too
scared.”
“It’s easy to call someone else scared when you’re safe inside your home
all the time!” Parvana shot back. She spun around and went
outside, slamming the door behind her. (Ellis, 2000: 70)

Parvana is afraid that the Taliban soldiers know her true identity as a girl.

She is too frightened to think about that possibility. She is not confident to go

outside without her chador that covers her face. Hence, Parvana opposes her

mother’s and Nooria’s suggestion to disguise as a boy. She does not have a

belief that the plan will work and the Taliban soldiers will trust her as a boy.
 60

She begs her mother not to ask her disguise as a boy. The feeling of fear is

strengthened because she rarely goes outside and always stays at home when

she does not fetch the water and help her father to walk.

Parvana has some reasons for trying to hide her identify as a girl. She is a

child who gets little exposure to get in touch with the outside world. She even

knows the crappy punishment she will get if she is captured by the Taliban

soldiers. Therefore, it is common for her to be so scared to go outside alone

without something which can be used to hide her face.

The fourth action which contributes to a feeling of fear and lack of

confidence is having inability to act properly. When she disguises as a boy and

she works as a letter reader in the first day, she is too nervous and afraid. She

cannot act quietly.

She was looking the other way when someone stopped. She felt the
shadow before she saw it, as the man moved between her and the sun.
Turning her head, she saw the dark turban that was the uniform of the
Taliban. A rifle was slung across his chest as casually as her father’s
shoulder bag had been slung across hers.
Parvana began to tremble.
“You are a letter reader?” he asked in Pashtu.
Parvana tried to answer, but she couldn’t find her voice. Instead, she
nodded.(Ellis, 2000: 76-77)

When Parvana sees one of the Taliban soldiers who brings a weapon stops

at her spot as a letter reader, she begins to worry and act nervously. Parvana

does not offer her service to the man. Instead, her body is shaken because she

is too frightened to see the presence of Taliban soldier. Furthermore, Parvana

cannot say anything to answer the man’s question. She nods her head instead of
 61

answering, meaning that it is yes. She is unable to control her thought and

action to act as what it should be.

Parvana shows several actions and behaviors that signify if she has a fear

and lack of confidence to face the restriction to women’s movement made by

the Taliban group. The rule that really hampers women’s movement is they

cannot go outside of their house freely. Therefore, whenever the Taliban

soldiers know there are women who are outside without acceptable reasons,

they will get severe physical punishment. Firstly, Parvana speaks slower and

disclose her presence because she is scared that they realize her existence.

Secondly, the feelings of fear and lack of confidence are represented by crying.

Thirdly, Parvana objects her mother’s suggestion to disguise as a boy because

she is too frightened that someone will know her true identity. Lastly, she

cannot act properly due to the frightening feeling when she meets Taliban

soldier who wants to get his letter read.

2. Desperation and Unwillingness to Struggle

Gender inequality does not only create a feeling of fear and lack of

confidence, but it also generates other harms on female children’s life. The

other harms of gender inequality to female children are desperation and

unwillingness to struggle. People who are desperate lose a hope that there will

be a better change in the future. Therefore, the desperation eventually creates

further impact that is unwillingness to struggle in order to survive. They stuck

 62

on a passive state not to do anything because they believe that any action they

do will not bring any result.

Female children in Taliban society face the difficult time in dealing with

gender inequality. They express their desperation and unwillingness to struggle

in various ways. Firstly, the feeling of desperation is represented by Nooria in

this datum: “How can we be brave?” Nooria asked. “We can’t even go outside.

How can we lead men into battle? I’ve seen enough war. I don’t want to see

any more” (Ellis, 2000: 29).

The restriction to women to go outside has made Nooria lose her bravery.

She keeps asking how she can have such a bravery to lead the war. Keeping

asking the question is a sign that she has a doubt that she can create a change. It

signifies the desperation that she feels. She gives up hoping that she can be

brave to lead the battle. She does not have a hope at all to make everything

better. Furthermore, Nooria’s expression also shows that she does not want to

make some efforts to go outside. She does not want to see a war again, so she

does nothing. It means that she does not struggle to create a better condition.

Secondly, unwillingness to struggle is shown by Parvana when she is

asked by Nooria to get some foods for her family.

“We’re out of food,” Nooria told Parvana.

“Don’t tell me. Tell Mother. She’s the grown up. She has to get us some.”
“I don’t want to bother her.”
“Then I’ll tell her.” Parvana went over to Mother’s toshak and gently
shook her.
“We’re out of food.” There was no response. “Mother, there’s no food
left.” Mother pulled away. Parvana started to shake her again. (Ellis, 2000:
51)
 63

Nooria signs Parvana that they no longer have food. It means that Nooria

wants Parvana to go out and get some foods for her family. The datum above

shows that Parvana rejects Nooria’s request because she thinks that she does

not have responsibility to get them some food since she is a child. She believes

that it is her mother’s job. She rejects it because getting the foods means that

she has to go out of her house. It means that she will face the danger outside of

being punished by the Taliban when she is caught up that she is a girl. Parvana

does not want this thing happen to her. Therefore, she does not want to go out.

She does not want to help her family even though her mother is not in a good

condition. She gives the entire burden to her mother who is helpless.

Thirdly, the desperation feeling is experienced also by Shauzia. Shauzia is

Parvana’s classmate whom she meets in the market. Similar to Parvana,

Shauzia also disguises herself as a boy. Shauzia’s desperation and

unwillingness to struggles are portrayed in this datum:

“You’ll leave your family? How will they eat?”

“I can’t help that!” Shauzia’s voice rose and caught, as she tried not to cry.
“I just have to get out of here. I know that makes me a bad person, but
what else can I do? I’ll die if I have to stay here!” (Ellis, 2000: 127)

The datum above implies the Shauzia’s desperation who wants to go from

Kabul. She thinks that she cannot do anything to change the condition. She

believes that staying in Kabul only gives harms. She has to disguise as boy to

live there and she gains threats wherever she goes. The Taliban soldiers will

catch her and simply kill her whenever they know Shauzia is not a real boy.

Shauzia is so hopeless to think about a better future she will have in Kabul. She

realizes that she is just powerless to make anything better. Therefore, she wants
 64

to escape from Kabul. It shows how Shauzia really cannot find the best

solution for the problem of gender inequality in the Taliban society. As a

result, Shauzia also does not have any willingness to try in order to cope with

the problems. She is so helpless. Hence, she lets anything happen to her

without any attempts to fight back.

Fourthly, Nooria shows another expression of desperation. Even after she

starts her secret school, she still does not feel better to live in the Taliban

society.

Nooria nodded. “Look at my life here, Parvana. I hate living under the
Taliban. I’m tired of looking after the little ones. My school classes
happen so seldom, they’re of almost no value. There’s no future for me
here. At least in Mazar I can go to school, walk the streets without having
to wear a burqa, and get a job when I’ve completed school. Maybe in
Mazar I can have some kind of life. Yes, I want to do this.” (Ellis, 2000:
136)

Nooria complains to Parvana for living under the rule of Taliban people.

She is tired of anything. It is tiresome to take care of her brother. She does not

enjoy her teaching activity. She thinks that there is no future for her in Kabul.

Similar to Shauzia, Nooria wants to escape from Kabul. She believes that in

Mazar, her life will be better. She can pursue her education and job. She can go

outside freely without burqa. These things are the regulations that the Taliban

made to women. These make Nooria surrender to live in Kabul. Nooria also

does not have attempts to do a real action to make a better condition of life.

Under the Taliban rule, women and female children should work even

harder to survive in Kabul. They cannot go outside and they cannot get

education or jobs. Furthermore, they should wear a burqa, a heavy piece of

 65

clothes which completely covers their body except for seeing and breathing.

Therefore, it makes them difficult to move and walk (Ellis, 2000: 20). These

rules make Parvana, Shauzia and Nooria desperate to see a better future for

them. These cause them to be reluctant and even completely passive to struggle

to create any changes.

3. Dependency

Dependency is a state when someone cannot do something with his or her

own capability. This person only can rely on other people to live their life. In

regard to the harms of gender inequality to female children in Taliban society,

the tight regulation Taliban people made to limit them in doing some activities

makes them to be dependent on men. Men are the ones who can go outside and

work. If women want to go outside of their houses, they should escorted by

men (Ellis, 2000: 89). Even when there are no men, they depend on someone

who disguise as a man or a boy. Taliban rules really place men in the higher

hierarchy compared to women. Therefore, women and girls’ dependency to

men is significantly big.

The first dependency of female children in Taliban society is represented

by this datum:

“Nooria never goes for water, nor does Mother. Maryam doesn’t, either.
She doesn’t have to do anything!”
Parvana knew she was mumbling nonsense, but she kept it up anyway.
Maryam was only five, and she couldn’t carry an empty bucket
downstairs, let alone a full bucket upstairs. Mother and Nooria had to wear
burqas whenever they went outside, and they couldn’t carry a pail of water
up those uneven broken stairs if they were wearing burqas. Plus, it was
dangerous for women to go outside without a man.” (Ellis, 2000: 20)
 66

It explains that female children in Parvana’s family are not able to fetch

the water. They should wear burqa, a piece of clothes which completely cover

their body, except at the eyes and the nose. They will hardly walk to get the

water up the high floor. Moreover, women and girls are forbidden to go

outside. The Taliban soldiers can catch and punish them whenever they notice

women and girls. As a result, the only one who can fetch the water is Parvana

since her father, the only man in her family, has lost one of his legs. She does

not seem to have a body like woman because she is still small. Therefore,

everyone including Nooria and Maryam rely on her to fetch the water. Parvana

understand this condition, so she always fetches the water even though she

complains. It is acceptable since Parvana is still too young to be burdened by

all family’s members.

Nooria shows another dependency on Parvana when their family have

food in their house. Nooria asks Parvana to get them food.

The room began to smell, too. “We have to save water,” Nooria said, so
washing and cleaning didn’t get done. Ali’s dirty diapers were piled in a
heap in the washroom. The little window didn’t open very far. No breeze
could get into the room to blow the stink away.
On the fourth day, the food ran out.
“We’re out of food,” Nooria told Parvana. (Ellis, 2000: 51)

The datum only shows that Nooria tells Parvana if they no longer have no

food in their house. Yet, it actually implies another meaning. Nooria does not

only let Parvana know about that, but she also intends to ask Parvana to go out

to look for the foods for their family. Nooria realizes that she is unable to go
 67

outside, so she expects her sister to get the foods for her and the rest of the

family. Nooria can only depend on Parvana in order to survive.

Nooria’s dependency is also represented by other behavior. It is shown by

the quotation below:

Nooria saw only Parvana at first. She took the nan from her. “Is this all
you bought? Where’s the rice? Where’s the tea? How are we supposed to
manage with just this?”
“Don’t be too hard on her. She was chased out of the market before she
could complete her shopping.” Mrs. Weera stepped into the room and took
off her burqa. (Ellis, 2000: 58)

It implies Nooria’s complaint to Parvana because she only manages to buy

some food which is insufficient to the family. Complaining is the only thing

that Nooria can do instead of taking the real actions. Complaining signifies

Nooria’s big dependency on Parvana. If Nooria is independent, she will try to

buy the foods by her own efforts. Furthermore, she will not get angry to

Parvana because she can cope with the problem by her own capability. Since

Nooria does nothing to solve the problem of food, she depends on Parvana’s

full efforts to solve it. Therefore, she easily gets mad when Parvana does not

get the expected foods.

The other dependency is shown by Parvana’s action of being the escort for

her family. Nooria, Maryam and Ali finally can go outside of their house

because they are escorted by Parvana who disguise as a boy.

Business had good days and bad days. Sometimes Parvana would sit for
hours without a customer. She made less money than her father had, but
the family was eating, even though most days they ate just nan and tea.
The children seemed livelier than they had in a long time. The daily sun
and fresh air were doing them a lot of good, although Nooria said they
were harder to look after now in the room. They had more energy and
 68

always wanted to go outside, which they couldn’t do when Parvana was

out at work. (Ellis, 2000: 91)

Parvana’s sisters and brother enjoy their time to go outside. They are so

happy to be able to enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air outside the room. These

activities are only can be done if Parvana becomes their escort. Parvana who

disguise herself as a boy is justifiable to be the escort of women and girls. It is

safe to have a boy to walk outside with them because the Taliban will not

punish them. Therefore, Nooria and Maryam are so dependent on Parvana who

disguises as boy to go outside. If there is no Parvana, they simply keep staying

inside the room.

B. Parvana’s Struggles against Gender Inequality in Taliban Society

Living under the rule of Taliban group which places men in higher

hierarchy than women is not a simple thing. The Taliban soldiers order all

women including female children to stay inside the room and punish them

whenever they disobey the rule. The only ones who can freely go outside are

men. Therefore, the responsibility of becoming a breadwinner and doing other

activities outside the house is given to only men instead of women. It is indeed

harmful to women and female children. When there are no men, women and

female children should survive by their own capability. Yet, the Taliban does

not give them a chance to even go outside.

Parvana’s struggles against gender inequality do not mean that she directly

fight for the equality for women. She does not do a campaign or protest. She

also does not voice her idea about equality in the parliament. Her struggles
 69

against gender inequality mean that she fights against the Taliban’s rules that

limit women to do anything which is supposed to be done by only men. Her

struggles imply that even a female child is able to do the jobs that supposed to

be done by men. Hence, Parvana’s struggles against gender inequality consist

of disguising as a boy to become a breadwinner and fulfill other needs of the

family, optimizing her attempts to save her family, encouraging her family, and

helping other women to survive.

1. Disguising as a Boy to Become a Breadwinner and Fulfill other Needs

of the Family

As a child who lives under the restriction of Taliban group, Parvana has

faced a lot of difficulties in her life. She even does not only experience the

difficulties directly, she also sees other women and other girls in her age

suffering from the Taliban’s strict rules to women. The Taliban’s prohibition to

women to go outside causes Parvana to take a real action to fight against the

rule. It is done in order to make her and her family survive in the Taliban.

Women’s dependency on men becomes the barrier of women and girls to do

anything they need, including attending the school and workplaces. Once the

man in a family is not present, the women should take some actions in order to

survive in the Taliban society.

Parvana is a little child who should struggle to make her family survive

because her family members consider her as the most capable one among them.

At the age of eleven, Parvana has to get the burden of becoming a breadwinner
 70

for her family. She does not only work to buy the family’s primary needs, but

she also struggles to fulfill the other needs of her family. The datum below

shows how Parvana becomes the breadwinner for her family. The first effort

she makes is working as a letter reader in the market.

Parvana took the envelope from him. The stamp was from Germany. She
read the outside. “This is addressed to Fatima Azima.”
“That was my wife,” the Talib said.
The letter was very old. Parvana took it out of the envelope and unfolded
it. The creases were embedded in the paper.
“Dear Niece,” Parvana read. “I am sorry I am not able to be with you at the
time of your wedding, but I hope this letter will get to you in time. It is
good to be in Germany, away from all the fighting. In my mind, though, I
never really leave Afghanistan. My thoughts are always turned to our
country, to the family and friends I will probably never see again.
“On this day of your marriage, I send you my very best wishes for your
future. Your father, my brother, is a good man, and he will have chosen a
good man to be your husband. You may find it hard at first, to be away
from your family, but you will have a new family. Soon you will begin to
feel you belong there. I hope you will be happy, that you will be blessed
with many children, and that you will live to see your son have sons.
“Once you leave Pakistan and return to Afghanistan with your new
husband, I will likely lose track of you. Please keep my letter with you,
and do not forget me, for I will not forget you.
“Your loving aunt, Sohila.”
Parvana stopped reading. The Talib was silent beside her. “Would you like
me to read it again?” (Ellis, 2000: 77-79)

Parvana shows her action in becoming the breadwinner for her family. She

goes to the market and work as a letter reader in disguise as a boy (Ellis, 2000:

65-66). Parvana has short hair and she wears boy’s clothes. She does not wear

a chador anymore. Parvana meets her first customer and she does her job which

is reading him his letter. She is so fluent to read the letter. She masters her

customer’s language well, so she does not have the difficulty to read him a

letter. Moreover, she happens to see her father when he reads a letter for his

customer. Parvana eventually can emulate the way her father reads a letter for
 71

his customer. Furthermore, Parvana manages her job well by offering her

customer to write a reply for the letter. She understands well the way to serve

her customer. She does a complete job to read the letter as well as to write a

reply of the letter.

As a child, Parvana struggles so hard to gain money for her family. When

their friends in her age are safe inside their house, she has to go outside with all

the threats that endanger her anytime the Taliban soldiers know her true

identity. It is not easy for Parvana to gather her bravery to work in the market.

She has to deal with her great fear when she meets her first customer (Ellis,

2000: 76-77). She feels threatened that the Taliban soldier will shoot her and

she does nothing to overcome the feeling of fear. After she is extremely scared

to him, finally she can be calmed. She begins to read the letter with no doubt.

In a very young and fragile age, she has to experience a tough time to work as a

letter reader. She has to fight with her great fear for the sake of her family. Her

struggle is a big contribution that needs to be counted by her family.

As a breadwinner in her family, Parvana does another thing to gain some

money. The second effort that Parvana makes is selling the shalwar kameez.

“How much do you want for that?” he asked, pointing at her beautiful
shalwar kameez.
Mother hadn’t told her what price to ask. Parvana tried to remember how
her mother used to bargain with vendors in the market when she was able
to do the shopping. She would argue the vendor down from whatever price
he named first. “They expect you to bargain,” she explained, “so they
begin with a price so high only a fool would pay it.”
Parvana thought quickly. She pictured her aunt in Mazar working hard to
do all the embroidery on the dress and around the cuffs of the trousers. She
thought of how pretty she’d felt when she wore it, and how much she
hated giving it up.
 72

She named a price. The customer shook his head and made a counter-offer,
a much lower price. Parvana pointed out the detailed designs of the
needlework, then named a price slightly lower than her first one. The
customer hesitated, but didn’t leave. After a few more prices back and
forth, they agreed on an amount.(Ellis, 2000: 80-81)

The datum above shows that even a female child can do two different

things as well to earn money. Firstly, Parvana has proved that she is able to

read the letter for his customer. Secondly, she manages to trade with her other

customer. She is asked by her mother to sell her pleasant shalwar kameez.

Even though she refuses to do that at first, finally she decides to bring it to the

market. She does not trade her it stupidly. She thinks about the strategy and she

manages fine with that strategy. She is able to give the price with the detail

strengths of the shalwar kameez to the customer. She attempts to convince her

customer that the price is worthy with the qualities of the cloth. Finally, she

succeeds to bargain with the customer and they find the amount which is fair

for both of them. At least, she is able to get the benefit of her trading.

What Parvana does as a seller is not an easy matter. Selling needs some

strategies to convince the customers about the products and bargain with them.

She has to convince the customer about the quality of the products. Beside,

Parvana manages to attract her customer to buy her shalwar kameez with good

speaking skill. She also proves that she has capability of bargaining with the

customer. Her customer may not want to pay for high price. Therefore, Parvana

does not do it easily.

Morover, selling something does not only deal with the strategy but it also

deals with the money. Therefore, it is usually done by adults. Yet, Parvana,
 73

who is still eleven years old, has done it well. She is able to convince her

customer about the quality of her shalwar kameez. She is able to reach the

amount of money which both of her and her customer agrees on. The most

important point is she is able to get benefit from selling the shalwar kameez. It

shows that even female child is able to think about the strategy and take the

benefit of selling.

The third effort that Parvana makes in becoming a breadwinner is digging

up bones. Parvana dig up the bones with her friend Shauzia. It is represented by

the datum below:

“We’re here to make money, right?” Shauzia said. Parvana nodded. “Then
let’s make money.” She grabbed hold of the bone that was sticking out of
the ground and pulled. It came out of the dirt as if it were a carrot being
pulled up from a garden. Shauzia tossed it on the blanket.
Not willing to let Shauzia get the better of her, Parvana took up her board
and started scraping away the soil. The bombs had done much of the work
for them. Many bones were barely covered by dirt and were easy to get at.
(Ellis, 2000: 106-107)

In order to earn more money, Parvana and her friend, Shauzia, who also

disguise as a boy, dig some bones in the cemetery. Bombing by the Taliban

which falls in the cemetery has helped them to get the bones. They do not need

to dig too deep. They will find the bones easily. They put the bones in the

blanket and they sell the bones to someone. By this way, they can earn more

money.

Digging up the bones also needs struggle. Parvana and Shauzia have to

work more with their physical strength. It is different from Parvana’s job to

read a letter or sell the goods in the market. Parvana will rather use her thought

to do those activities. Moreover, she should compete with many people that
 74

want to dig up the bones as well. She has to work harder to get those bones as

many as possible. Besides, the land mine is another threat that Parvana should

face. She should walk and move carefully to avoid the land mine because it can

explode anytime she steps on it. Therefore, her action can be counted as a

struggle since she has to deal with danger, obstacle and strong competitors.

Parvana uses the money she earns from digging up the bones to two kinds

of things. First, she gives the money to her mother to fulfill her family’s need

(Ellis, 2000: 112-113). Second, she saves the rest of the money she gets to buy

the trays for selling the goods. She has strong willingness to collect the money

to buy the trays.

“Tomorrow you’ll go back to reading letters. No more of this digging!”

Mother declared. “We don’t need money that badly!”
“No,” Parvana said to her mother.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I don’t want to quit yet. Shauzia and I want to buy trays, and things to sell
from the trays. I can follow the crowd that way, instead of waiting for the
crowd to come to me. I can make more money.”
“We are managing fine on what you earn reading letters.”
“No, Mother, we’re not,” Nooria said. (Ellis, 2000: 115-116)

The datum above shows that Parvana’s mother disagrees with her

daughter’s activity of digging up some bones. She does not want Parvana to

earn money by digging up the bones. Thus, she asks her daughter to stop. Yet,

Parvana objects her mother’s request. She keeps saying that she will not stop

digging up the bones to buy the tray and the things that she and Shauzia want

to sell. By this way, she can earn more money for her family.

Parvana’s objection to her mother signifies her strong willingness to

struggle in order to get more money. As a female child, it is good for her to
 75

think another way to make her life better. Reading a letter does not make

enough money to fulfill her family’s need. Besides, she cannot depend on the

profit of selling shalwar kameez because she does not sell it everyday.

Therefore, she really wants to buy trays and to sell some things with the trays.

All she does is for the benefit of her family, so their daily needs are well

fulfilled.

The last effort that Parvana makes in becoming a breadwinner for her

family is selling some goods from the trays she has bought with Shauzia.

Finally, she and Shauzia collect enough money to buy the tray. They begin to

sell some goods in the market to make more money.

At the end of two weeks, they had enough money to buy the trays, with
straps to go around their necks to carry them.
“We should sell things that don’t weigh much,” Shauzia said. They
decided on cigarettes, which they could buy in big cartons and sell by the
pack. They also sold chewing gum, by the pack and sometimes by the
stick. Boxes of matches filled up the empty spaces on the trays. (Ellis,
2000: 117)

The datum above shows that as female children, Parvana and Shauzia have

the ability to consider what kinds of goods that they are able to sell. With the

trays, they will be able to sell light goods. Therefore, they are right in choosing

the goods like cigarettes, gum and matches which do not have much weight.

With those light goods, they are able to move from one place to another place.

Furthermore, they are able to consider the spots which are lucrative to earn

more money. Besides the market, they also choose stadium as the place they

can sell the goods. They are able to consider that people who watch soccer will

enjoy the game with cigarettes and chewing gum (Ellis, 2000: 119). Therefore,
 76

a lot of people will buy their goods and they will get a lot of money. Once

again, it proves how Parvana really struggles to earn money for her family’s

needs.

Parvana does not only become a breadwinner who earns money for her

family, but she also becomes the one who fulfills her family’s needs. The first

action that Parvana does in fulfilling her family’s needs is buying the foods for

them.

Parvana looked at Mother, still lying on the toshak. She looked at Ali,
worn out from being hungry and needing his parents. She looked at
Maryam, whose cheeks were already beginning to look hollow, and who
hadn’t been in the sunshine in such a long time. Finally, she looked at her
big sister, Nooria.
Nooria looked terrified. If Parvana didn’t obey her, she would have to go
for food herself.
Now I’ve got her, Parvana thought. I can make her as miserable as she
makes me. But she was surprised to find that this thought gave her no
pleasure. Maybe she was too tired and too hungry. Instead of turning her
back, she took the money from her sister’s hand.
“What should I buy?” she asked. (Ellis, 2000: 52-53)

Parvana realizes that no one in her family is able to get the foods for them.

All of her families are hungry including her and she has to do something in

order to make her family survive. Since the Taliban soldiers take her father, she

is the one who can help her family to run the daily life. Her mother is too weak

to even wake up because she is beaten when she tries to save her father (Ellis,

2000: 41-42). Maryam and Ali are too small to struggle for getting the foods in

the market. Her big sister, Nooria, is unable to walk with the burqa. Parvana is

the only one who can go outside their house and buy the foods for them.

Hence, she sacrifices herself to finally do that.

 77

It is not an easy matter for a little girl like Parvana to go outside without a

man as her escort. Even though she has covered her face with chador, her

struggle to buy the foods is so tough. She is threatened by the Taliban soldier

who can chase her and punish her. Parvana has experienced it when she goes to

buy the foods. The Taliban soldier notices her as a girl and he beats her several

times. Although she has yelled to stop him, he ignores her. When there is a

chance to run away, she does it without any doubt. In great fear, she keeps

running away (Ellis, 2000: 55-56). It portrays how hard Parvana, as a female

child struggles to get the foods for her family survivability. She experiences the

Taliban soldier’s beating and sacrifices her own safety for the sake of her

family’s need.

After she disguises as a boy, she still has to struggle to get the foods for

her family.

When she came to the shop that sold tea, rice and other groceries, she
hesitated for a slight moment, then walked boldly through the door. I’m a
boy, she kept saying to herself. It gave her courage.
“What do you want?” the grocer asked.
“Some...some tea,” Parvana stammered out.
“How much? What kind?” The grocer was gruff, but it was ordinary bad-
mood gruff, not gruff out of anger that there was a girl in his shop.
Parvana pointed to the brand of tea they usually had at home. “Is that the
cheapest?”
“This one is the cheapest.” He showed her another one.
“I’ll take the cheapest one. I also need five pounds of rice.”
“Don’t tell me. You want the cheapest kind. Big spender.” (Ellis, 2000:
70-71)

After she disguises herself as a boy, her mother asks her to get some foods

in the market. She feels nervous the first time she goes out without the chador

covered her face. She keeps convincing herself that she is a boy and everything
 78

will go fine. Even though she trembles when she speaks to the seller, finally

she makes her demands of some tea. Yet, the seller does not notice her as a

girl. It gives her more courage. Hence, she starts to be brave in demanding the

cheapest price of the tea and the rice to buy. She should face the threat when

anytime the Taliban soldiers chase her. She wins over her fear to go outside

without a piece of chador which can cover her face. This is another struggle

Parvana does for the sake of her family’s needs and she manages to do it well.

The second action that Parvana makes in fulfilling her family’s needs is

fetching the water. Parvana and her family need the water to drink, clean the

room and wash the clothes. In order to get the water, Parvana should go

downstairs and go upstairs to bring the water into their room. It is represented

by the datum below:

“Ah, I see.” She caught sight of Parvana holding the empty bucket. “Are
you waiting for it to rain inside so your bucket will fill itself? Off you go!”
Parvana went.
She made seven trips. Mrs. Weera met her outside the apartment at the top
of the steps and took the first two full buckets from her, emptied them
inside and brought back the empty bucket. “We’re getting your mother
cleaned up, and she doesn’t need another pair of eyes on her.”
After that, Parvana carried the water inside to the water tank as usual. Mrs.
Weera had gotten Mother up and washed. Mother didn’t seem to notice
Parvana.
She kept hauling water. Her arms were sore, and the blisters on her feet
started to bleed again, but she didn’t think about that. She fetched water
because her family needed it, because her father would have expected her
to. Now that Mrs. Weera was there and her mother was up, things were
going to get easier, and she would do her part.
Out the door, down the steps, down the street to the tap, then back again,
stopping now and then to rest and change carrying arms.
(Ellis, 2000: 59-60)

Parvana does not only need to go downstairs, but she also has to go

outside in the street where there is a water tap. She brings two full buckets of
 79

water upstairs and Mrs. Weera empties the buckets. She comes back to the

water tap and she hauls the water to fill the buckets. She remains hauling the

water until her arms get ache and her feet bleed. She keeps fetching the water

and bringing the full buckets of water upstairs until the water is enough to use

by all of her family’s members. She does not care about her pain and her

tiresome. She realizes that her family needs the water, so she works so hard to

fulfil her family’s need of water.

Parvana shows her struggle again through fetching the water. As a female

child, she is able to think about the need of her family. She is able to prioritize

her family need over her pain. She fights with the threat of being outside as a

girl. After all, she manages to help her family in getting the water for their

daily needs.

2. Optimizing Her Attempts to Save Her Family

Taliban group has been the threat for all people. Besides creating

restriction to women to go outside and exercise their rights, Taliban people also

make other rules that harm the men who live under their control. All people

including women and men face the danger of being put in jail and punished

harshly once the Taliban knows that there is someone who does not obey their

rule. It includes the prohibition of having Western ideas. Parvana’s father has

gone for study in England. Taliban group regard his knowledge that is gained

there is a form of betrayal of their belief. Therefore, they kidnap him and put

him into jail (Ellis, 2000: 31).

 80

Parvana does some efforts to save her father from the Taliban. She and her

mother attempt to search for him and release him from the prison.

“I’m here for my father!” she called out. Her mother looked down at her
through the screen over her eyes. She reached down and took Parvana’s
hand. “I’m here for my husband!” she called again.
Over and over, Parvana and her mother kept yelling out. More and more
men came to stare at them their mission.
“Be quiet!” ordered one of the guards. “You should not be here! Go from
this place! Go back to your home!” One of the soldiers snatched the photo
of Parvana’s father and tore it into pieces. Another started hitting her
mother with a stick.
“Release my husband!” her mother kept saying.
Another soldier joined in the beating. He hit Parvana, too.
Although he did not hit her very hard, Parvana fell to the ground, her body
covering the pieces of her father’s photograph. In a flash, she tucked the
pieces out of sight, under her chador. (Ellis, 2000: 41-42)

After they walk so far from their house to the prison, they finally come to

the prison. Even though she is still small and young, Parvana gathers her

courage and bravery to yell to the Taliban soldiers to release her father. Yet,

the Taliban soldiers do not welcome them warmly. Instead, they order Parvana

and her mother to go home because women are not supposed to go outside. The

Taliban soldiers totally ignore their demand to release her father by tearing his

photo in front of them. Furthermore, Parvana and her mother are also beaten by

those soldiers.

It shows how Parvana really struggles to save her father. She has to walk

for miles to get to the prison. Her legs are painful and as a little girl, she feels

very frightened to meet the Taliban soldiers (Ellis, 2000: 40). She even has to

experience the pain because of the Taliban’s beating on her. She struggles to

save her father mentally and physically. Mentally, she fights against her feeling

of fear to meet the Taliban soldiers. Children who have weak mental condition
 81

will not have enough courage to go further to meet the soldiers. Yet, Parvana is

brave enough to finally meet them. Physically, she has to bear double pain

because of walking and being beaten by those soldiers. As a child, she is strong

enough to endure the pain in order to achieve her goal in rescuing her father.

Her attempt to save her father is not only by going to the prison but also by

insisting to wait for her father to come back even though it means that she has

to be alone in Kabul. It is represented by the datum below:

“We can’t leave Kabul!” Parvana exclaimed. “What about Father? What
will happen if he gets out of prison and we’re not here? He won’t know
where to look for us!”
“I’ll be here,” Mrs. Weera said. “I can tell your father where you are and
look after him until you get back.”
“I’m not sending Nooria off to Mazar all by herself,” Mother said. “And
since you are a child, you will come with us.”
“I’m not going,” Parvana insisted. She even stamped her feet.
“You will do as you’re told,” Mother said. “All this running around wild in
the streets has made you think you’re above yourself.”
“I’m not going to Mazar!” Parvana repeated, stamping her feet again.
(Ellis, 2000: 136-137)

Nooria will get married in Mazar. She cannot bear living in Kabul with a

lot of restriction and limitation to women. Hence, she decides to get married

with someone in Mazar to free herself from those problems (Ellis, 2000: 136).

Her mother does not allow her to go there by herself so she will accompany her

with all the members of the family. Yet, Parvana refuses to go with them. She

wants to wait for her father. She believes that her father is still alive. She insists

to keep staying in Kabul with all the existing consequences. Fortunately, Mrs.

Weera wants to live with her.

 82

Although Parvana does not do tangible action in saving her father, her

bravery to stay in Kabul without her family is a great attempt to make sure that

her father survives there. Parvana does not want to make her father feels worry

when he comes back to their house and finds no one. If it happens, he will

search for them in any place in Kabul and it will endanger him because

anytime the Taliban soldiers can chase him again. At least, when Parvana is in

the house, she is able to tell her father where their family is now and to let him

know that all of them are in a good condition. At least, her father is comforted

by seeing one of his family members is fine. Although Parvana is really aware

that living without a family is something hard for everyone including small

female child like herself, she still wants to stay in Kabul with all strict

regulations of the Taliban to women by her own capability. She realizes that

she has no one to share something except Mrs. Weera who is not really close to

her. As a little child, she has to fight against the feeling of missing her family.

Surely, it is not an easy matter for her but she tries to bear it in order to wait for

her father.

Parvana does not only optimize her attempts to save her father, she also

tries to save the rest of her family:

A lot of people have fled Mazar,” he said. “They are staying in refugee
camps outside the city”
“Is that where Mother is?”
“It’s possible. We won’t know unless we go to the camps and look.”
“How can we do that? Are you well enough to travel?”
“I will never be well enough,” Father said, “but we should go anyway.”
“When do we leave?” Parvana asked. (Ellis, 2000: 159)
 83

After her family leaves Kabul to Mazar, Parvana meets a woman whose

name is Homa. She comes from Mazar. She tells Parvana and Mrs. Weera that

Taliban group has attacked the city. Mazar is the city where her mother,

Nooria, Maryam and Ali are there (Ellis, 2000: 150-151). After her father

comes back to home, he tells Parvana that a lot of people have escaped from

Mazar to be the refugee in the camps nearby the city. Parvana really worries

about her family. She asks her father whether her mother and her family are in

the camps. Her father says that they will not know if they do not go directly to

the camps. Parvana then initiates to ask her father to go there in order to save

her family. Parvana is so enthusiastic, so she directly asks her father when they

will leave Kabul to Mazar to meet her family.

Parvana’s enthusiasm shows how strong her willingness to save her family

is. It also signifies her bravery to accept all the risk when she goes to Mazar. In

the journey, it is possible for them to meet with the Taliban soldiers who

restrict women to go out. She needs to be careful in her disguise as a boy

because once they knows she is a girl, she can be punished. Therefore, going to

Mazar does not only need physical struggle but also need mental struggles like

bravery and courage.

3. Encouraging Her Family

Parvana’s struggle in the society which is ruled by the Taliban does not

only stop in becoming the breadwinner for her family and optimizing her

attempts to save her family, she also tries to do several things to encourage her
 84

family. After her father is put into the jail by the Taliban soldiers, she lives

only with the rest of her family. All of her family members are women except

her infant brother, Ali. This condition forces them to keep staying inside the

room. As a result, they do not have many things to do. This condition makes

them feel bored and distressed. Parvana, who disguises herself as a boy, is the

only one who can go outside without any companion unlike the rest of her

family members. Even though she is still a small girl, she knows how to

encourage her family by doing several actions.

The first action that Parvana does in encouraging her family is bringing

out her sister, Maryam to the water tap. It seems to be a simple thing. Yet, it is

meaningful for Maryam who never goes outside.

“This is the tap,” she said to her sister, as soon as they arrived. Parvana
had walked a little ahead, to smooth a pathway free of stones. She turned
on the tap so that water gushed out. Maryam laughed. She stuck a hand in
the flow, then snatched it back as the cool water touched her skin. She
looked at Parvana, eyes wide open. Parvana helped her to do it again. This
time, she let the water flow over her.
“Don’t swallow any,” Parvana warned, then showed her how to splash her
face with water. Maryam copied her, getting more water on her clothes
than on her face, but at least she had a good time. (Ellis, 2000: 88)

The datum above portrays how Parvana tries to introduce the water tap to

her little sister, Maryam. She even gets away the stones in order to make her

sister walk without any obstacle. Now, Maryam knows what a water tap is and

how fresh the fetched water is. Parvana put the water over her body and her

face. Maryam then imitate her actions. Parvana even warns her not the swallow

the water. Maryam is extremely happy to join Parvana to the water tap. She is

so excited to feel the water on her skin directly.

 85

Maryam is only five years old. She has never been outside because of the

rule of the Taliban that forbids women and girl to go outside. She never enjoys

playing outside. She never fetches the water because she is too small to carry

buckets of water upstairs. Besides, going outside is too dangerous for a very

little girl like Maryam. Therefore, she always stays inside the room. The only

things she can do is playing with Ali in a very small room. It is clearly seen

that she cannot move as free as she wants. When Parvana brings her to the

water tap, she has so much happiness that makes her laughs all the time. It is

not a big thing Parvana could do but at least Parvana knows how to make her

little sister happy. As a female child, she is able to amuse her sister even

though she is in tough condition as well. It is one of the struggles that Parvana

does for her family.

The second action Parvana makes in encouraging her family is being the

escort for her family. Parvana really wants to make her family happy. She

initiates to offer herself as the escort for her family so they can go outside of

their room (Ellis, 2000: 89). Finally, her mother agrees to let Parvana becomes

the escort for her family. As a result, Nooria, Maryam and Ali can take a walk

with Parvana as their escort.

For Ali’s sake, Nooria went along with the idea. Every day after lunch,
Parvana, Nooria, Ali and Maryam went outside for an hour. Ali had been
only a few months old when the Taliban came. All he really knew was the
little room they had been shut up in for a year and a half. Nooria had not
been outside, either, in all that time.
They would walk around the neighborhood until their legs got tired, then
they would sit in the sunshine. When there was no one around, Parvana
would keep watch, and Nooria would flip up her burqa to let the sun pour
down on her face. (Ellis, 2000: 90)
 86

Every day after lunch, Parvana escorts her sisters and her brother to take a

walk in the neighbourhood. Nooria and Ali never get any chance to go outside

at all. They never have any opportunity to enjoy the fresh air outside their

room. Maryam once happens to go out when Parvana asks her to the water tap.

Yet, she still has lack of experience to take a walk in the street. When they

have been tired, they stop and they enjoy the sunshine. When they spend their

time walking in the neighbourhood, they can feel the sunshine touches their

skin. They can breathe the fresh air and they see the view outside of the room.

This activity makes them happy and relieved because they have a good time by

going outside.

Parvana shows her struggle by becoming the escort for her family. As the

escort, she is aware of the fact that she is the one who will bear the

consequences if something happens to her family when they are outside. It also

means that she has to protect them from all the threats that possibly come to

them. What Parvana does is to encourage her family and make them happy.

The third action Parvana does in encouraging her family is teaching her

sister a subject. It is represented by the datum below:

During her days at home, Parvana coached Maryam on her counting, tried
to learn mending from Nooria and listened to Mrs. Weera’s stories. They
weren’t as good as her father’s stories. Mostly they were descriptions of
field hockey games or other athletic events. Still, they were entertaining,
and Mrs. Weera was so enthusiastic about them that she made other people
enthusiastic, too. (Ellis, 2000: 123-124)

When Parvana is at home, she has another thing to do. That is teaching her

little sister, Maryam on counting. Besides teaching Maryam, she also learns so

many things that Nooria and Mrs. Weera teach. Nooria teaches her mending
 87

and Mrs. Weera tells her stories about sports. Parvana is well aware that

Maryam, her five years old sister, is unable to count. However, Parvana

understand that counting skill is needed in life. Counting the goods or counting

money will be the daily need of everyone. Therefore, counting skill is needed

even by Maryam.

Even though Parvana is still eleven years old, she manages well to teach

her sister counting. She has been habituated to count money she gets from

working and the goods that she sells. Hence, it is not a great deal to teach

Maryam counting. Again, Parvana shows her passion to encourage her family

member to have a better skill in life.

The fourth action that Parvana does to encourage her family is telling a

story she gets in the market to her family members. Parvana meets a lot of

customers in her market. Her customers will tell different stories to her, then

she will tell the stories back to her family.

Sometimes these men would stop and buy dried fruit or cigarettes from
her. Sometimes they had something for her to read or write. She would
always ask where they were from and what it was like there, so she could
have something new to tell her family when she went home. Sometimes
they told her about the weather. Sometimes they told of the beautiful
mountains or the fields of opium poppies blooming into flower, or the
orchards heavy with fruit. Sometimes they told her of the war, of battles
they had seen and people they had lost. Parvana remembered it all to tell
her family when she got home. (Ellis, 2000: 131-132)

When there are some customers who buy the goods Parvana sells or want

her to read them a letter, she will ask them about anything related to their

original place. Sometimes her customers will tell the story about the weather,

the flowers, the mountain and the war they have in their places. Parvana will
 88

remember their stories and retell the stories to her family. Her family members

do not have many activities that can be done inside of their room. Parvana may

ask them to go out for a while or coach her sister on counting but they still

have much spare time to spend. Therefore, she will tell her family anything

new she knows from her customers. In this way, her family members will

know something new about the places that they never go. It eventually can

entertain them and diminish their boredom.

The thing that Parvana does for her family is a simple thing. Yet, having

an idea to make her family happy by memorizing other people’s stories and

retelling them to her family is something meaningful. Besides working to earn

money to fulfill her family’s needs, she can think and arrange something to

please her family. It is another struggle that Parvana makes for her family in

Taliban society.

The fifth action that Parvana does in encouraging her family is buying a

present for her family. It is common for Parvana to buy the foods and other

things that are needed in the daily life but it is great to buy a present for her

family. She happens to buy her family some fresh fruits for her family

members when she has more money (Ellis, 2000: 131). It makes her family

happy because they rarely eat fresh fruits. In the below quotation, Parvana

intends to buy her big sister, Nooria, a present.

Parvana went to the market the next day to buy the family some food for
the journey. She wanted to buy Nooria a present, too. She wandered
through the market looking at things for sale. She finally decided on a pen
in a beaded case. Every time Nooria used it at university, and later when
she became a real school teacher, she would think of Parvana. (Ellis, 2000:
139)
 89

Parvana intends to buy Nooria a present when she goes to buy the foods.

She will have a journey with her father to look for her family in Mazar. When

she meets her big sister, she will give it to her. Parvana chooses a pen as her

present for Nooria. Nooria really wants to go to university. The pen can be

used to study in the university. The pen also can be used when she has become

a teacher in school. She imagines that Nooria will remember Parvana by seeing

the pen.

Parvana and Nooria do not really get along as sisters. Nooria is a grumpy

girl who always orders her sister to do something. When something is not

based on her intention, she will get mad. Although Nooria seems not to be

friendly, Parvana understands that it is because Nooria’s condition that makes

her incapable in doing anything so she only can instruct Parvana to do it. After

all, she is still her sister and Parvana loves her. Therefore, Parvana wants to

make her happy by giving a present to her. She wants to encourage her sister to

study in the university and struggle to be a teacher by giving her a pen.

4. Helping Other Women to Survive

Parvana’s struggles are not only important to her and her family but her

struggles are also meaningful to other people especially other women outside

other family. The Taliban’s restriction to women becomes their barrier to do

their activities freely. Women become so powerless and vulnerable when they

live under the Taliban rules. Therefore, it is something common if women are

extremely in need of help which comes from other people.

 90

Parvana is one of the female children who fulfill this need. With her

ability, she attempts to help some women to survive. Firstly, Parvana helps

Mrs. Weera.

Mrs. Weera had lost a lot of things, too, in bombing raids. “What the
bombs didn’t get, the bandits did. Makes it easier to move, though, doesn’t
it?”
Parvana loaded a few quilts and cooking things onto the karachi. Mrs.
Weera had everything packed and ready (Ellis, 2000: 85).

The war in Kabul between the Taliban and civilian has made Mrs. Weera

lost everything that she has. The condition becomes worse because the rest of

her belonging are stolen by the thieves. Mrs. Weera will live with Parvana and

her family. Therefore, Parvana helps her to pack her stuffs and move in her

place.

Actually, Mrs. Weera still has a place to live. Yet, her place is too small

and she cannot do anything in it. She moves to Parvana’s place to start her

secret business in writing with Parvana’s mother. Parvana’s help may not give

direct contribution to her business. At least, Parvana helps her to make her

effort in running the business smoothly. Moreover, she still has to deal with the

Taliban threat which can capture her anytime. Therefore, Parvana’s help to

Mrs. Weera is still worthy.

Secondly, Parvana helps Homa, a woman who escapes from Mazar. It is

represented by the datum below:

“Come with me,” Parvana said. “My mother is away, but Mrs. Weera is at
home. She can fix any problem.” She struck another match and held it up
to the woman’s face. It suddenly dawned on her that she could see the
woman’s face. It wasn’t covered up.
“Where is your burqa?” She looked around but couldn’t see one. “Are you
outside without a burqa?”
 91

The woman nodded.

“What are you doing outside without a burqa? You could get in a lot of
trouble for that.”
The woman just shook her head.
Parvana had an idea. “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll go home and borrow Mrs.
Weera’s burqa and bring it back to you. Then we’ll go back to my place
together. All right?” (Ellis, 2000: 145)

When Parvana meets the woman, she tries to offer some helps to her. She

offers her to come to her place. She believes that Mrs. Weera who is in her

home can help her. When Parvana know that the woman does not wear the

burqa, she initiates to create an idea to bring her safe to her place. She will go

home first to get Mrs. Weera’s burqa and she will come back to the place to

pick her up. Hence, they will go to Parvana’s home together.

As a female child, Parvana has a great idea to help the woman. She knows

that the woman really needs a help. She tries to initiates an action by offering

some ideas. Although she should work harder to help the woman, she does not

feel burdened. Sincerely, she intends to help the woman to be safe. The way

she can be safe is by bringing her to her place.

Parvana’s sincere action is proven further when she succeeds to bring

Homa in her place. Parvana really takes care of her.

“Parvana explained what had happened. “I think she’s in trouble,” she

said.
Mrs. Weera didn’t hesitate. She put her arm around the woman.
“We’ll get the details later. There’s warm water for you to wash in, and hot
food for supper. You don’t look much older than Parvana!”
Parvana took a good look at her companion. She hadn’t seen the woman in
the light before. She looked a little bit younger than Nooria.
“Fetch me some clean clothes,” Mrs. Weera told Parvana. Parvana took a
shalwar kameez of Mother’s out of the cupboard, and Mrs. Weera took the
young woman into the wash-room and closed the door.”
(Ellis, 2000: 149-150)
 92

Parvana manages to take the woman safely. Because of her effort, the

woman can wash herself and eat. Parvana takes care of her well. Parvana gets

her new clothes. She takes her mother’s shalwar kameez for her. Now, the

woman has been fresh and safe in her place.

Parvana knows that it is dangerous to let woman being outside in the place

which is ruled by the Taliban. Moreover, the woman does not wear burqa or

chador. It is more dangerous for her. Parvana has seen a lot of women being

punished, kidnapped or beaten. She does not want these things happen to the

other girl or women. Therefore, she expresses her sympathy by giving some

tangible helps to the woman including bringing her into her house and taking

care of her well. Since she should hide her from the Taliban soldiers, Parvana

struggles to save the woman with some big efforts. It is not an easy matter but

Parvana manages well to do it.

C. Significant Meanings of Parvana’s Struggles in Taliban Society

Parvana’s struggles against the rules of the Taliban which restrict women

to take an action based on their own consent can give significant meaning to all

female children in Taliban society. The significant meanings are the

implication of all struggles that Parvana has done against gender inequality in

the society which is ruled by the Taliban. These include boosting her self-

esteem, improving a sense of pride on herself and arousing a feeling of

satisfaction of her efforts.

 93

1. Boosting Her Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is a feeling of confidence to what decision or action which an

individual takes. In the story of Ellis’ The Breadwinner, Parvana has

experienced a lot of discriminations toward women and female children.

These unfair treatments toward women and female children are significantly

harmful to them because they lose a feeling of confidence. They do not trust

themselves that they are able in doing something like men. Parvana’s struggles

can signify that her self-esteem has been boosted.

“I’m Malali, leading the troops through enemy territory,” she murmured to

herself. That helped, too, although it was hard to feel like a battle heroine with

a cigarette tray hanging around her neck” (Ellis, 2000: 148). The datum above

implies that Parvana believes that she is Malali, the leading woman in the war.

Her belief can encourage herself more in becoming the breadwinner for her

family. She gets a great fear and lack of confidence when she goes to the

market to become a letter reader for the first time. She cannot speak up

because she is too afraid. She does not have confidence at all to speak up

(Ellis, 2000: 76-77). Compared to that time, Parvana now has gotten her self-

esteem or confidence boosted. Her experiences to work as a letter reader and a

bones digger make her not afraid to sell cigarettes anymore. She thinks that

she should be Malali who is brave and full of confidence. Hence, she is

motivated to have such a confidence like Malali.

Parvana shows that she has boosted her self-esteem by her expression

when she wants to save her family in Mazar. “We’ll find them,” Parvana said
 94

with complete confidence. “We’ll find them and bring them home” (Ellis,

2000: 160). It implies that Parvana has a strong feeling of confidence that she

and her father can meet her family in Mazar. She also feels so sure that they

will succeed in taking them back in their home safely. Parvana’s struggles to be

the breadwinner of her family and the one who optimizes her attempt to save as

well as encourage her family create a strong bond among her family.

Therefore, Parvana is highly confident that she is able to save her family and

bring them back to their home. By saying such a thing, it means that she is

ready to bear all of the consequences and risks that she will get in her attempt

to save her family.

Parvana’s readiness is proven by the statement that she is ready to face any

risks ahead when she tries to save her family. It is represented by the datum

below:

The future stretched unknown down the road in front of her. Her mother
was somewhere ahead with her sisters and her brother, but what else they
would find, Parvana had no idea. Whatever it was, she felt ready for it. She
even found herself looking forward to it.(Ellis, 2000: 166)

The statement above shows the condition when Parvana is on her way to

save her mother, sisters and brother in Mazar which is attacked by the Taliban

group. The datum portrays what Parvana will face in the future is unknown.

She will possibly meet something bad or good. She herself does not have an

idea what kind of condition she will face in the future. However, Parvana is

fully confident now. She is ready to deal with anyone and anything ahead.

She only has one goal, that is, to save her family.
 95

Parvana has been habituated to deal with the Taliban in her struggles.

When she becomes a letter reader and a seller, she deals with her customers

who are Taliban people. She is not afraid to yell to Taliban soldiers in her

attempt to save her father. She deals with them when she escorts her family to

take a walk outside. These efforts have encouraged her to gain full of

confidence in her next struggle. Her efforts and struggles can give significant

meaning to the female children in Taliban society and they should be

confident and brave to fight against the Taliban’s rules which place women as

the second layer of society.

2. Improving a Sense of Pride on Herself

Parvana’s struggles against gender inequality in Taliban society do not

only give boost her self-esteem or confidence but they also improve her pride.

Pride is a great feeling of happiness because something that has been done

achieves a great result. It is more than a feeling of confidence. Confidence is

belief that she or he is able to do something while a pride means an action of

acknowledging her or his capability in accomplishing certain goal.

Parvana’s struggles can motivate female children in Taliban society that

they should acknowledge their capability in accomplishing something that

they have done. Parvana’s improved feeling of pride can be portrayed by this

datum:

Parvana knew she had to fetch the water because there was nobody else in
the family who could do it. Sometimes this made her resentful. Sometimes
it made her proud. One thing she knew—it didn’t matter how she felt.
 96

Good mood or bad, the water had to be fetched, and she had to fetch it.
(Ellis, 2000: 20-21)

The data above shows that Parvana’s struggle in fetching the water for her

family has improved Parvana’s pride. She is proud of herself because she is

the only one in the family who can fetch the water. She is proud of herself

because she can do something beneficial for her family. She acknowledges

her capability to help her family to get water which is highly needed for their

daily activities. She no longer feels inferior upon herself. Even though she is

forced by the condition to do that, it still makes her proud of herself.

Parvana’s pride of herself keeps improving along with the more struggles

she does. It is shown by this datum:

Parvana left the shop with rice and tea, feeling very proud of herself.
“I can do this!” she whispered.
Onions were cheap at the vegetable stand. She bought a few.
“Look what I got!” Parvana exclaimed, as she burst through the door of
her home. “I did it! I did the shopping, and nobody bothered me.”(Ellis,
2000: 71)

It shows how Parvana feels so proud of herself because she has managed

to buy rice and tea. She struggles to buy foods for her family. She goes out of

her house and she should deal with the Taliban soldiers’ threat outside. Finally,

she succeeds in doing these. She is so excited to show her family what she has

bought. She also shows off that no one annoys her in the market. Therefore,

she is extremely proud of her own effort.

Parvana’s struggles in becoming the breadwinner for her family have also

improved her pride on herself. In a very young age, she has earned money

independently. Moreover, the money is used to fulfill her family’s needs.

 97

Something caught her eye, a flicker of movement. She thought it came

from the blacked-out window, but how could it? Parvana decided she was
imagining things. She folded up the blanket and tucked it under her arm.
She felt the money she’d earned, tucked safely in her pocket.
Feeling very proud of herself, she ran all the way home. (Ellis, 2000: 82)

The datum above shows how proud Parvana is after she earns money. At

the beginning, Parvana works in the market and does two things. First, she

works as a letter reader. Second, she works as a seller. These are her new

experiences to go outside in order to work alone. Moreover, firstly she is doubt

whether she can do these jobs. She believes that her disguise will not work

(Ellis, 2000: 82). However, her disguise as a boy completely succeeds. No one

notices her as a girl and finally she can earn money for her family. Because of

her struggle, Parvana’s pride is improved.

At first, Parvana does not fully acknowledge her capability. She says that

sometimes she is proud of herself that she can fetch water for her family’s daily

needs. Along with the struggles that she does, she gains more experiences.

Finally, she can fully feel proud of her capability in struggling for her family. It

means that her pride is improved along the experiences she gets. It conveys the

message to female children in Taliban society that their capability is worthy

and they should be proud of the result of what they have done.

3. Arousing a Feeling of Satisfaction of Her Efforts

Besides boosting Parvana’s self-esteem and improving Parvana’s pride on

herself, Parvana’s struggles can give another significant meaning, that is,

arousing a feeling of satisfaction of her efforts. Satisfaction is a feeling of

 98

happiness of something that has been done. It does not come to the extent of

acknowledging someone’s capability. Yet, it is only happiness feeling because

something has been achieved. Parvana’s satisfaction is represented by this

datum:

It was good to make a sale, to have more money to stuff away in the little
pocket in the side of her shirt. It felt so good that she almost felt no regret
as she watched the vibrant red cloth flutter in the breeze as it was carried
away into the crowded labyrinth of the market, never to be seen again.
(Ellis, 2000:81)

It shows that Parvana is satisfied to what she has done in the market. She

is happy because she is able to sell something. She is also happy to earn

money from her selling activity. Parvana has done big effort in selling the

shalwar kameez that her mother asks to sell. She manages to get the money

and she thinks that it is a good thing to sell something and have money from

it.

The feeling of satisfaction is also shown by another expression. It can be

seen from this datum: “Parvana loved being in the market. She loved

watching people move along the streets, loved hearing snatches of

conversation that reached her ears, loved reading the letters people brought

her” (Ellis, 2000: 91-92). It intends to say how Parvana loves her activities in

the market. She loves seeing people around the market. She loves hearing

their conversation and she loves becoming a letter reader. The feeling of love

signifies a happiness of someone. When someone loves doing something, it

means that she or he is happy to do the activity. Parvana loves her job as a
 99

letter reader in the market, so she is happy and in the same time, she is also

satisfied with the result of that job.

Besides becoming a breadwinner for her family, Parvana also struggles to

save her family. One of the family members she tries to save is her father. At

first, she fails to bring her father home since the Taliban soldiers keep forcing

her to go home. They even beat her to force her going home. Although she

knows the risks of staying alone in Kabul, she insists to wait for her father in

her home alone while her family goes to Mazar. She struggles by herself to

survive in Kabul with all the restriction of the Taliban group. Finally, she can

meet her father.

Parvana didn’t mind that he was unable to talk right away. She was
overjoyed just to have him home. She spent her days earning money, and
her evenings helping Mrs. Weera. When her father felt better, she would
read to him from his books. (Ellis, 2000: 156-157)

Her father cannot talk after he is back home. It may be because he is so

distressed to live in the jail. Even if so, Parvana is so happy to meet him. She is

encouraged more to earn more money for her father’s needs. She reads her

father some books to make him happy. Parvana is satisfied that her effort in

saving or waiting for him to come back home is not useless. She is happy to

find her father. Therefore, she does not mind to take care of him well.

Parvana has struggled a lot against the rule of Taliban group which make

women and female children inferior compared to men. She does every job that

is supposed to be done by men. Her struggles can give significant meaning to

female children who live in Taliban society that her struggles can arouse a

happiness and satisfaction on them. They should no longer be sad and

 100

miserable. Even though struggling is hard, it still can satisfy them and make

them happy.

D. Discussions

Most children’s literature portrays heroes as males, while females are

supposed to be the ones who are weak in the stories. Therefore, they need to be

protected by males as heroes. The examples of the children’s literature which

have strong male hero characters are Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Peter

Pan. In Sleeping Beauty, the sleeping princess can wake up only if she is

kissed by the prince. In Cinderella, Cinderella can get away from her evil

stepsister and stepmother only if she is saved by the prince. In Peter Pan,

Wendy, who acts as a mother in Neverland, can be free from Captain Hook

only if Peter Pan saves her. These examples show that women are so dependent

on men. Women are portrayed to be less capable and weak to even protect

themselves. The ones who are able to protect and save women are men.

It becomes common perception in the society that someone who is strong

and qualified to be the heroes are always men while women are always

portrayed as the victims that needs so much help from men. It is due to the idea

that such a perception is habituated even from childhood. Most children’s

literature put males as a central hero character. Children read the book directly

or children are told by their parents about the story. Besides, they also see

people around them doing the activities that add the perception of heroic

quality of men. For example when children see her father always does massive

physical jobs like lifting the heavy things while her mother only does light
 101

physical jobs like sewing or cooking. These factors can eventually shape

children’s perception that men are more qualified to be the heroes because they

are stronger and more capable of doing difficult things compared to women.

Ellis’ The Breadwinner is a children’s literature which tries to break this

perception. The story is about Parvana’s struggles against gender inequality in

Taliban society. Taliban group creates some rules that highly restrict women’s

and female children’s movements. Women are obliged to stay inside the house.

They are forbidden to go outside unless there is an urgent matter. Even though

they are allowed to go outside, they cannot go freely. There are several

mechanisms that they should follow. First, they should use burqa, a piece of

cloth that completely covers up their body except for seeing and breathing.

Second, they should be escorted by men who are their relatives. Besides, they

are forbidden to go to school and work (Ellis, 2000: 7). These rules are forms

of the Taliban’s lack of trust to women’s capability. Women are not allowed to

do anything while men can do all the activities outside of the house. The

Taliban does not consider women equally capable of doing the activities

outside the house like men.

Gender inequality that women and female children face is not only in the

form of the restriction in doing the activities above but it also includes other

strict regulation from the Taliban. Taliban group will not hesitate to punish or

beat women and female children whenever they disobey the rules (Ellis, 2000:

8-9). Besides, female children are commonly kidnapped and put into the jail

by the Taliban soldiers (Ellis, 2000: 30). Moreover, there is always a war there
 102

and there are always bombs which can fall anytime. All of these things are so

frightening for anyone especially female children. They should deal with a

great fear everyday living in Taliban society. It portrays how severe condition

that female children should experience there.

Parvana’s struggles to fight against the Taliban’s rules are the proof that

women and female children are worthy to be equal to men. She does some

actions like disguising as a boy to become a breadwinner and fulfill other needs

of the family, optimizing her attempts in saving her family, encouraging her

family and helping other women to survive. In Taliban society, these actions

are not common to be done by women or even female child like Parvana.

These actions are supposed to be done by men or male children because they

are the ones who can go outside freely without any restriction from Taliban

group. Yet, Parvana does these all things since there is no man in her home but

an infant who is unable yet to talk and walk properly. Since her father is

kidnapped by the Taliban soldiers, she replaces his role to protect her family.

Even though she is still eleven years old, she manages to do meaningful

activities for the sake of her family and other people around her.

Parvana’s struggles against gender inequality or the Taliban’s rules that

extremely restrict women’s movement show some qualities that female

children actually have. These qualities signify that equality can be achieved by

female children. The first quality is having capability in taking the decision and

the real action. From Parvana’s struggles, it can be seen that she is able to take

a decision as well as real action. She is able to decide what thing that she can
 103

do. She decides to disguise as a boy because she thinks that her family need her

and the only thing she can do to help them is disguising as a boy. Even though

her family gives her an option about the disguise, finally she chooses to do that

considering that it will be beneficial for their family (Ellis, 2000: 65-66). She is

also able to do a real action to earn money by becoming a letter reader, seller,

and bones digger. She takes real action to go to the jail to save her father. She

protects the other woman by bringing her home. These actions are the proofs

that Parvana is capable of taking the decision and the real actions.

The second quality is becoming an independent child. Parvana struggles

independently without any helps from other people. Everyday, she goes to the

market and does her activities alone. Even though she has a friend, Shauzia, in

the market, it does not mean that she is dependent on her. Both of them work

independently. Yet, they are together in working. She uses her own effort in

selling the cigarette, digging up the bones and reading the letters. She even

becomes the one whom everyone depends on. Her family cannot go outside, so

they get the food and other needs from Parvana. Her family can go outside only

if they are escorted by her. It shows that she is independent to do many

activities unlike her other family’s members.

The third quality is becoming brave and confident child. Parvana’s

happens to be a child who is afraid to even show her face in front of the

Taliban soldiers. Her struggles make her gain her bravery. She is confident and

brave enough to yell at the Taliban soldiers in order to save her. She even

confidently stay by herself in Kabul to wait for her father to come back to her
 104

home while the rest of her family go to Mazar. Furthermore, she is not afraid to

go to Mazar to save her family.

Having the capability to take the decision and the real action, and

becoming independent, brave and confident child are the evidences that female

child has equal qualities to men or male child. These findings signify that

children’s literature can go out from the stereotype about the domination of

male heroic figures which exist today. Children’s literature can give an insight

about the equality between male and female as well as literature for adults.

Parvana’s struggles can prove that female child in her young age are also

capable in doing the things that considered as men’s job. Even though her

experiences are incomparable than adults, she still has the capability to think

and consider the best decision for them and other people’s life. She is also able

to optimize her capability that gives the benefit for many people in a very

severe condition like in Taliban society. Certainly, these qualities are not only

possessed by female children who live in Taliban society but these are also

owned by those children who live in all kinds of society around the world.

Therefore, there should not be a gender inequality anymore between women

and men or even female children and male children.

 CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS

After analyzing Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner based on feminism and

children’s empowerment theories, the conclusions that can be drawn are

explained below.

1. The regulations of Taliban group which extremely limit women’s actions

are certainly harmful to women generally and female children especially.

There are three harms that gender inequality put on female children in

Taliban society. The first harm is fear and lack of confidence. The

Taliban’s hard punishment to the women and female children who disobey

the rule make them afraid and less confident in taking the decision and

some actions. The second harm is desperation and unwillingness to

struggle. Female children in Taliban society mostly are unable to see a

better future for them. There is no chance for female women to do an action

since the Taliban highly restrict their movements. Furthermore, the

restriction causes them to have unwillingness to struggle. The third harm is

dependency. In the Taliban society, female children and women are

extremely dependent on men. Gender inequality has put men in the higher

hierarchy rather than women and female children. Therefore, in order to

survive, the only thing they can do is depending on men to get them their

daily needs.

2. Parvana does some struggles to make her family and other people survive

in Taliban society. Firstly, she disguises as a boy to become a breadwinner

105
 106

and fulfill family’s other needs. Secondly, she optimizes her attempts to

save her family. Thirdly, she encourages her family. Lastly, she helps other

women to survive. Under the Taliban rule, these jobs are supposed to be

done by only men. Yet, Parvana is the one who is considered to be able to

replace her father’s responsibility. Therefore, in her disguise as a boy, she

does some struggles against gender inequality in Taliban society. She

struggles against the rules of the Taliban that limit women’s movements.

3. Parvana’s struggles also create several significant meanings that can be

noted. Firstly, her struggles can boost her self-esteem. Secondly, her

struggles can improve a sense of pride on herself. Thirdly, her struggles

also can arouse a feeling of satisfaction of her efforts.

In conclusion, Parvana’s struggles show that living in the restricted Taliban

society does not weaken female children. As female children in other society,

they are capable of taking the decision and the real actions to run their life. They

are also independent, brave and confident. These qualities prove that female

children are equally worthy and capable to male children and male adults even.
 REFERENCES

Printed Sources:

Archer, John, and Barbara B. Llyoid. 2002. Sex and Gender (Second Edition).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Baqai, Huma. 2011. “Extremism and Fundamentalism: Linkages to Terrorism

Pakistan’s Perspective”. International Journal of Humanities and Social
Science, 1:6, pp. 242-248.

Cook, Joan Littlefield and Greg Cook. 2005. Child Development Principles
and Perspective. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Cuddon, J. A.. 1999. The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary
Theory. London: Clays Ltd.

Eckert, Penelope and Sally McConnell-Ginet. 2003. Language and Gender

(Second Edition). Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University
Press.

Ellis, Deborah. 2000. The Breadwinner. Canada: Groundwood Books/ House

of Anansi Press.

Gamble, Sarah et all. 2006. The Routledge Companion to Feminism and

Postfeminism. New York: Routledge.

Gill, Plain And Susan Sellers. 2007. A History of Feminist Literary Criticism.
New York: Cambrigde University Press.

Hooks, Bell. 2009. Feminism Is for Everybody. Canada: South End Press.

Hornby, A S. 2000.Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English

(7th Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hsieh, Hsiu-Fangand Sarah E. Shannon. 2005. “Three Approaches to

Qualitative Content Analysis”. Qualitative Health Research, 15: 9, pp.
1277-1288.

Hunt, Peter et all. 1999. Understanding Children’s Literature. London:

Routledge.

Johnson, Thomas H. and M. Chris Mason. 2006. “Understanding Taliban And

Its Insurgancy. Foreign Policy Research Institute, pp. 71-89.

107
 108

Lincoln, YvonnaS. and Norman K. Denzin et all. 2003. Turning Points in

Qualitative Research. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press.

Lord, John and Peggy Hutchison. 1993. “The Process of

Empowerment:Implications for Theory and Practice”. Canadian Journal
of Community Mental Health, 12:1, pp 5-22.

Lukens, Rebecca J. 1999. A Critical Handbook of Children’s Literature (Sixth

Edition).New York: Longman.

Meade, Teresa A. and Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks et all. 2004. A Companion to

Gender History. Ofxord: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Nasrullah, Muazzam and Junaid A. Bhatti. 2012. “Gender Inequalities and

Poor Health Outcomes in Pakistan: A Need of Priority for the National
Health Research Agenda”. Journal of the College of Physicians and
Surgeons Pakistan, pp. 273-274.

Neuman, W. L. 2000. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative

Approaches. Toronto: Allyn and Bacon.

Nodelman, Perry. 2008. The Hidden Adult: Defining Children’s Literature.

Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Physician for Human Right. 1998. The Taliban’s War On Women: A Health
And Human Rights Crisis In Afghanistan. Boston: Physician for Human
Right.

Sen, Amartya. 2001. “The Many Faces of Gender Inequality.” The New
Republic. pp. 466-467.

Tong, Rosemary Putnam. 1998. Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive

Introduction (Second Edition). Colorado: Westview Press.

Vanderstoep, Scott W. and Deidre D. Johnston. 2009. Research Methods for

Everyday Life. San Fransisco: Jossey Bass Wiley.

Youell, Biddy. 2008. “The Importance of Play and Playfulness”. European

Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 10: 2, pp. 121–129.

Electronic Sources:

_____. “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. Retrieved on March,

27th 2015. Available:www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
 109

United Nation. “Humanity Divided: Confronting Inequality in Developing

Countries”. Retrieved on June, 22nd 2015. Available:
www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/.../HumanityDivided_Ch5_low.pdf

United Nation. “Important Concepts Underlying Gender Mainstreaming”.

Retrieved on June, 21th 2015. Available:
www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/pdf/factsheet2.pdf

______. “Child Protection Act 1999”. Retrieved on August, 6th 2015.

Availble: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_act/cpa1999177/

Graham, Bowley. “A Rare Case of Justice”. Retrieved on March, 3rd 2015.

Available:
https://309hersey.wikispaces.com/file/view/A+rare+case+of+justice.pdf

ILO. “Women and the Future of Work”. Retrieved on March, 10 2015.

Available:
www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/.../wcms_348087.pdf
APPENDICES
 APPENDIX 1

THE SUMMARY OF DEBORAH ELLIS’ THE BREADWINNER

Parvana, an eleven years old girl, lives in Kabul, Afghanistan which is

ruled by the Taliban group. She lives with her parents, two sisters and an infant

brother. Her elder sister, Nooria, is in high school while her younger one is

Maryam who is still five years old. Her infant brother is two years old named

Ali. Taliban group creates some regulations that severely limit the freedom of

women including female children. It restricts women’s actions to go outside,

pursue an education and get a job as well. All women and female children are

obliged to stay inside of the house. When they urgently need to go outside, they

must wear burqa, a piece of clothes which completely covers their body except

for breathing and seeing, or they should be escorted by male.

Parvana always helps her father who loses his feet because of bombing to

work in the market. She is allowed to only use a chador since her body does

not look alike a growing woman yet. Besides, she always fetches the water

outside of their home since no one of her family members is able to do that.

One day, the Taliban soldiers come to her place and take her father out of

their home. They blame her father for the foreign education he receives in

England. In order to save her father, she and her mother walk through the street

until they finally come to the prison where her father is put into jail. Their

effort is useless because the Taliban soldiers beat and banish them.

110
 111

Since the incident happens to her father, there is no man in Parvana’s

home except Ali. Parvana’s family needs to survive. Thus, her mother’s

relative, Mrs. Weera, and her mother suggest her to disguise as a boy. She

refuses to do that action at first. Yet, considering her family’s condition, she

finally agrees to do a disguise.

In her disguise as a boy, she becomes the breadwinner for her family. She

becomes a letter reader, a job which her father used to work as. She also sells

the goods that her mother gives to her to be sold. In the market, Parvana meets

her classmate who also disguise as a boy, Shauzia. She makes a good friend

with her. Shauzia also experiences a difficult time in her life. She needs to

fulfill the needs of her many family’s members. Therefore, Parvana and

Shauzia have a plan to earn more money by selling some goods on trays. In

order to buy the trays, they collect money from digging the bones.

Finally, they can buy the trays and sell cigarette, matches and chewing

gum. Sometimes, they are so tired in doing this thing. Sometimes, they feel

desperate because there is no better change in Kabul. Nooria decides to marry a

man in Mazar because she can no longer bear the harsh time she experience in

Kabul. Her mother urges Parvana, Maryam and Ali to come along with Nooria.

Yet, Parvana refuses to go. She insists to stay in Kabul to wait for her father to

come back. Even though her mother hesitantly leaves her alone, she is

comforted by Mrs. Weera who wants to accompany Parvana.

Parvana keeps working and struggling to live in Kabul. She is lonely

because she is separated from her family. Finally, what she has been waiting
 112

for so long comes back. Her father comes back after some people take him

home. His condition does not seem well. Hence, she patiently takes care of her

father.

When she is going to back home after working, she meets a girl, Homa,

who escapes from Mazar. She brings her home and takes care of her with Mrs.

Weera. Homa says that she leaves from Mazar because the Taliban group has

captured the city. After listening to Homa’s story, she begins to worry about

her family in Mazar. She plans to go to Mazar with her father since he has

regained his health. She also finds an idea for Homa to go outside of the

country with Shauzia and Mrs. Weera. At the end, Parvana and her father

proceed their way to go to Mazar and she feels so confident to face another

story ahead.
 APPENDIX II

A. Harms that Gender Inequality Put on Female Children in Taliban Society

No. Page Data Meaning Category

1. 7 “I can read that letter as well as Father can,” Parvana is afraid to say Fear and lack of
Parvana whispered into the folds of her something out loud confidence
chador. “Well, almost.” because Taliban forbids
She didn’t dare say those words out loud. girls to go out. Therefore,
The man sitting beside her father would not she tries to hide herself
want to hear her voice. Nor would anyone with her chador.
else in the Kabul market. Parvana was there
only to help her father walk to the market
and back home again after work. She sat
well back on the blanket, her head and
most of her face covered by her chador”.
She wasn’t really supposed to be outside at
all. The Taliban had ordered all the girls and
women in Afghanistan to stay inside their
homes. They even forbade girls to go to
school. Parvana had had to leave her sixth
grade class, and her sister Nooria was not
allowed to go to her high school. Their
mother had been kicked out of her job as a
writer for a Kabul radio station. For more

113
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
than a year now, they had all been stuck
inside one room, along with five-year-old
Maryam and two-year-old Ali.”
2. 8 “Parvana did get out for a few hours most Parvana hides herself
days to help her father walk. She was always with the blanket and she
glad to go outside, even though it meant does not dare to say
sitting for hours on a blanket spread over something freely because
the hard ground of the marketplace. At of her fear of Taliban.
least it was something to do. She had even
got used to holding her tongue and hiding
her face.”
3. 8-9 “I have no son at home, except for an Parvana does not want to
infant,” he would explain. Parvana would be seen by Taliban
slump down further on the blanket and soldiers at all. She is too
try to make herself look smaller. She was afraid of them since they
afraid to look up at the soldiers. She had treat women badly by
seen what they did, especially to women, the beating and whipping
way they would whip and beat someone them.
they thought should be punished.
Sitting in the marketplace day after day, she
had seen a lot. When the Taliban were
around, what she wanted most of all was
to be
invisible.”

114
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
4. 10 “The market was a very busy place. Men Again, Parvana is too
shopped for their families, and peddlers afraid to say something
hawked their goods and services. Some, like out loud. She does not
the tea shop, had their own stalls. With such want Taliban hear her.
a big urn and so many trays of cups, it had to Therefore, she is only
stay in one place. Tea boys ran back and whispering.
forth into the labyrinth of the marketplace,
carrying tea to customers who couldn’t leave
their own shops, then running back again
with the empty cups.
“I could do that,” Parvana whispered.
She’d like to be able to run around in the
market, to know its winding streets as well
as she knew the four walls of her home.”
5. 12 “When they first took over the capital city of Nooria cannot do
Kabul and forbade girls to go to school, anything but crying when
Parvana wasn’t terribly unhappy. She had a she isforbidden to go to
test coming up in arithmetic that she hadn’t school.
prepared for, and she was in trouble for
talking in class again. The teacher was going
to send a note to her mother, but the Taliban
took over first.
“What are you crying for?” she had asked
Nooria, who couldn’t stop sobbing.”

115
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
6. 39-40 “Parvana rushed after her. She had to run to Since all women have to
keep up with her mother’s long, quick steps, wear burqa when they
but she didn’t dare fall behind. There were are outside of their
a few other women in the street and they house, Parvana is afraid
all wore the regulation burqa, which of being lost from her
made them all look alike.If Parvana lost mother.
track of her mother, she was afraid she’d
never find her again.”
7. 40 “Pul-i-Charkhi Prison was a long walk from Parvana is scared to meet
Parvana’s home. By the time the huge the Taliban soldiers in
fortress came into view, her legs were sore, the prison when she tries
her feet ached and, worst of all, she was to save her father.
scared all over. Women are not allowed
The prison was dark and ugly, and it made to go outside including
Parvana feel even smaller.” going to the prison.
8. 56-57 “Oh, that’s right, my face is covered. I keep Parvana is afraid that
forgetting. Now, why are you running, and Taliban will chase her.
why are you crushing that perfectly good Eventually, it makes her
bread?” cry.
Parvana started to cry. “The
Taliban...one of the soldiers...he was
chasing me.”
9. 70 Parvana had forgotten. Suddenly she was Parvana is afraid that
scared. Everyone would see her face! They everyone including the
would know she wasn’t a boy! Taliban will notice that
She turned around to plead with her mother. she is a girl. It will

116
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
“Don’t make me do this!” It will give trouble to
“You see?” Nooria said in her nastiest voice. herself. Therefore, she
“I told you she was too scared.” begs her mother not to let
“It’s easy to call someone else scared when her disguise as a boy.
you’re safe inside your home all the time!”
Parvana shot back. She spun around and
went outside, slamming the door behind
her.”
10. 76 The first hour went by with no one stopping. Parvana hardly deals
Men would walk by, look down at her and with herself because of a
keep walking. She wished she had her great fear. She wants to
chador to hide behind. She was certain that hide herself even though
at any moment someone would stop, point at she has disguised as boy.
her and yell, “Girl!” The word would ring
out through the market like a curse, and
everyone would stop what they were doing.
Staying put that first hour was one of the
hardest things she had ever done.
76-77 “She was looking the other way when Parvana is extremely
someone stopped. She felt the shadow afraid when someone
before she saw it, as the man moved comes to her. She just
between her and the sun. Turning her head, trembles and nods
she saw the dark turban that was the uniform instead of saying a word.
of the Taliban. A rifle was slung across his
chest as casually as her father’s shoulder bag
had been slung across hers.

117
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
Parvana began to tremble.
“You are a letter reader?” he asked in
Pashtu.
Parvana tried to answer, but she couldn’t
find her voice.Instead, she nodded.”
11. 149 “When they got to Parvana’s street, she Parvana is scared that
started to run, and she pulled the woman Taliban saw her and her
along with her. She was so scared by this companion. Taliban
point, she thought if she didn’t get home eventually will punish
rightaway, she would collapse.” her. Therefore, she runs
to reach her house.
12. 29 “How can we be brave?” Nooria asked. Nooria is desperate that Desperation and
“We can’t even go outside.How can we she cannot change Unwillingness to Struggle
lead men into battle? I’ve seenenough anything. Therefore, she
war. I don’t want to see any more.” hesitates to do an action.
13. 30 “Nooria covered herself completely with Nooria does nothing as
her chador and scrunched herself into a the attempt to save her
small ball. Young women were sometimes father. Instead, she hides
stolen by soldiers. They were snatched from herself with her chador.
their homes, and their families never saw
them again.”
14. 31 “Parvana watched helplessly as two Parvana does nothing
soldiers dragged him down the steps, his when Taliban soldiers
beautiful shalwar kameez ripping on the bring her father.
rough cement. Then they turned a corner,
and she could see them no more.”

118
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
15. 33 “Mother got off the floor and had her hands When Taliban soldiers
full with Ali. Nooria was still curled up in have gone, Nooria still
a terrified ball. It was Maryam who came hides herself instead of
over to help Parvana.” helping Parvana.
16. 51 “We’re out of food,” Nooria told Parvana. Parvana does not want to
“Don’t tell me. Tell Mother. She’s the get the food for her
grownup. She has to get us some.” family. She thinks that it
“I don’t want to bother her.” is her mother’s job.
“Then I’ll tell her.” Parvana went over to
Mother’s toshak and gently shook her.
“We’re out of food.” There was no response.
“Mother, there’s no food left.” Mother
pulled away. Parvana started to shake her
again
17. 52 “We’re all depressed,” Parvana replied. Parvana does not want to
“We’re also hungry.” She wanted to shout, go out to get the food for
but didn’t want to frighten the little ones. her family.
She could glare, though, and she and Nooria
glared at each other for hours.
No one ate that day.
“We’re out of food,” Nooria said again to
Parvana the next day.
“I’m not going out there.”
“You have to go. There’s no one else who
can go.”
“My feet are still sore.”

119
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
18. 64-65 “It won’t work,” she said. “I won’t look Parvana does not want to
like a boy. I have long hair.” disguise as a boy. She
Nooria opened the cupboard door, took out does not want to cuther
the sewing kit and slowly opened it up. It hair.
looked to Parvana as if Nooria was having
too much fun as she lifted out the scissors
and snapped them open and shut a few times
“You’re not cutting my hair!” Parvana’s
hands flew up to her head.
“How else will you look like a boy?”
Mother asked.
“Cut Nooria’s hair! She’s the oldest! It’s her
responsibility to look after me, not my
responsibility to look after her!”
“No one would believe me to be a boy,”
Nooria said calmly, looking down at her
body. Nooria being calm just made Parvana
madder.
19. 77 “The Talib kept looking down at her. Then Parvana is too desperate.
he put his hand inside his vest. Keeping his She does not take any
eyes on Parvana, he drew something out of actions to fight the
his vest pocket. Taliban.
Parvana was about to squish her eyes
shut and wait to be shot when she saw
that the Talib had taken out a letter.”

120
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
20. 127 “You’ll leave your family? How will they Shauzia is desperate that
eat?” there is no problem
“I can’t help that!” Shauzia’s voice rose solving there. She wants
and caught, as she tried not to cry. “I just to run away from Kabul.
have to get out of here. I know that makes
me a bad person, but what else can I do?
I’ll die if I have to stay here!”
21. 128 “I don’t think I could ever sit in a Shauzia no longer has a
classroom again,” Shauzia said. “Not after hope to go to the school
all this.” She adjusted her tray of cigarettes.” again.
22. 130 “Parvana was tired. She wanted to sit in a Parvana is desperate
classroom and be bored by a geography because anything has not
lesson. She wanted to be with her friends changed. There are still a
and talk about homework and games and lot of problems in Kabul.
what to do on school holidays. She didn’t
want to know any more about death or blood
or pain.
The marketplace ceased to be interesting.
She no longer laughed when a man got into
an argument with a stubborn donkey. She
was no longer interested in the snippets of
conversation she heard from people strolling
by. Everywhere, there were people who
were hungry and sick. Women in burqas sat
on the pavement and begged, their babies
stretched across their laps.

121
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
And there was no end to it. This wasn’t a
summer vacation that would end and then
life would get back to normal. This was
normal, and Parvana was tired of it.”
23. 136 “Nooria nodded. “Look at my life here, Nooria is desperate about
Parvana. I hate living under the Taliban. her future in Kabul. She
I’m tired of looking after the little ones. will get married in Mazar
My school classes happen so seldom, to escape from all the
they’re of almost no value. There’s no problems in Kabul.
future for me here. At least in Mazar I
can go to school, walk the streets without
having to wear a burqa, and get a job
when I’ve completed school. Maybe in
Mazar I can have some kind of life. Yes, I
want to do this.”
24. 138 “Although she was glad to remain in Kabul, Parvana and Shauzia
Parvana found herself sulking that they think that there is no
weren’t taking her with them. “I’m result of their
notsatisfied with anything anymore,” she hardworking and efforts.
told Shauzia the next day. They believe that the bad
“Neither am I,” Shauzia said. “I used to conditions remain the
think that if only I could sell things from same.
a tray, I’d be happy, but I’m not happy at
all. I make more money this way than I
did as a tea boy, but it’s not enough to
make any real difference. We still go

122
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
hungry. My family still argues all the
time. Nothing is better.”
25. 158 “What can I do?” Shauzia asked, the Shauzia is desperate to
question coming out as a wail. “If I stay live in Kabul. She wants
here and get married, my life will be over. to run away from Kabul.
If I leave, maybe I’ll have a chance. There
must be some place in this world where I
can live. Am I wrong to think like this?”
She wiped the tears from her face. “What
else can I do?”
26. 19 “We need water,” Nooria said. Nooria does nothing but Dependency
“Can’t I sit down for awhile first?” Parvana asking Parvana to fetch
asked her mother. the water. It is because
“You will rest better when your work is she has to wear burqa
done. Now go. The water tank is almost when she went out.
empty.”
27. 20 “Nooria never goes for water, nor does They cannot fetch the
Mother. Maryam doesn’t, either. She water because Nooria
doesn’t have to do anything!” and Maryam have to
Parvana knew she was mumbling nonsense, wear burqa whenever
but she kept it up anyway. Maryam was only they went outside. Thus,
five, and she couldn’t carry an empty bucket they depend on Parvana’s
downstairs, let alone a full bucket upstairs. effort to do that.
Mother and Nooria had to wear burqas
whenever they went outside, and they
couldn’t carry a pail of water up those

123
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
uneven broken stairs if they were wearing
burqas. Plus, it was dangerous for women
to go outside without a man.”
28. 51 The room began to smell, too. “We have to Nooria demands Parvana
save water,” Nooria said, so washing and to get the food. Nooria
cleaning didn’t get done. Ali’s dirty diapers does not try by her own
were piled in a heap in the washroom. The efforts.
little window didn’t open very far. No
breeze could get into the room to blow the
stink away.
On the fourth day, the food ran out.
“We’re out of food,” Nooria told Parvana.
29. 58 “Nooria saw only Parvana at first. She tookWhen Parvana comes
the nan from her. “Is this all you bought? home before completing
Where’s the rice? Where’s the tea? How her shopping, Nooria
are we supposed to manage with just complains to her. As the
this?” one who depends on
“Don’t be too hard on her. She was chased Parvana, The only thing
out of the market before she could completeNooria can do is
her shopping.” Mrs. Weera stepped into the complaining to Parvana
room and took off her burqa.” instead of taking a real
action.
30. 61 “Unboiled water made you sick, but Parvana Nooria satires Parvana.
was so thirsty that she didn’t care. She Nooria does not want
wanted to drink, and raised the cup to her Parvana to get sick
lips. because it means she will

124
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
Nooria snatched it from her hands. “You lose the family’s
are the stupidest girl! All we need now is breadwinner.
for you to get sick! How could anyone so
stupid end up as my sister!”
31. 72 “Nooria took the groceries from Parvana and Nooria demands Parvana
handed her the water bucket. again to fetch the water.
“As long as you’ve got your sandals on,”
she said. “What’s wrong with Mother now?”
Ah, I see.”
“What’s wrong with Mother now?”
“Shhh! Not so loud! Do you want her to
hear you? She got upset after seeing you in
Hossain’s clothes. Can you blame her? Also,
Mrs. Weera went home, and that’s made her
sad. Now, please go and get water.”
32. 84 After tea and nan for lunch, Parvana headed To make sure that
out with Mrs. Weera to get her belongings. Taliban will not catch
Mrs. Weera wore the burqa, of course, but Parvana, she has to be
she had such a distinctive way of walking close to Mrs. Weera.
that Parvana was sure she could pick her out
of a whole marketplace of women wearing
burqas. She walked as though she were
rounding up children who were dawdling
after class. She walked swiftly, head up and
shoulders back. Just to be safe, though,
Parvana stayed close to her.

125
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
“The Taliban don’t usually bother women
out alone with small children,” Mrs. Weera
was saying, “although you can’t be certain
of that.
33. 89-90 “I don’t want you as my escort,” Nooria Maryam and Nooria
said, but Mother stopped her from saying should be escorted by
any more. Parvana if they go out.
“Nooria, Ali should go outside. Parvana is
able to manage fine with Maryam, but Ali
squirms so much. You will have to hold
onto him.”
34. 91 “Business had good days and bad days. Parvana’s sisters and
Sometimes Parvana would sit for hours brother depends on
without a customer. She made less money Parvana in order to be
than her father had, but the family was able to go outside.
eating, even though most days they ate just
nan and tea. The children seemed livelier
than they had in a long time. The daily sun
and fresh air were doing them a lot of good,
although Nooria said they were harder to
look after now in the room. They had more
energy and always wanted to go outside,
which they couldn’t do when Parvana
was out at work.”

126
B. Parvana’s struggles against gender inequality in Taliban society

No. Page Data Meaning Category

1. 52-53 Parvana looked at Mother, still lying on the Parvana puts sympathy Disguising as a boy to
toshak. She looked at Ali, worn out from on her family. She become a
being hungry and needing his parents. She eventually has a breadwinner and
looked at Maryam, whose cheeks were willingness to shop to fulfill other needs of
already beginning to look hollow, and who get the foods for her the family
hadn’t been in the sunshine in such a long family.
time. Finally, she looked at her big sister,
Nooria.
Nooria looked terrified. If Parvana didn’t obey
her, she would have to go for food herself.
Now I’ve got her, Parvana thought. I can
make her as miserable as she makes me. But
she was surprised to find that this thought
gave her no pleasure. Maybe she was too tired
and too hungry. Instead of turning her back,
she took the money from her sister’s hand.
“What should I buy?” she asked.”
2. 55-56 “Stop hitting me!” she yelled. When she shops for the
The Talib was so surprised, he held still for a foods, Taliban soldier
moment. Parvana saw him pause, and she notifies her.

127
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
started to run. She knocked over a pile of She is beaten by him.
turnips at the vegetable stand, and they went She also has to run
rolling all over the street. away from him.
Clutching the still-warm nan to her chest,
Parvana kept running, her sandals slapping
against the pavement. She didn’t care if
people were staring at her. All she wanted was
to get as far away from the soldier as she
could, as fast as her legs could carry her.”
3. 59-60 “Ah, I see.” She caught sight of Parvana Parvana has to haul the
holding the empty bucket. “Are you waiting water several times to
for it to rain inside so your bucket will fill get the water for her
itself? Off you go!” family.
Parvana went.
She made seven trips. Mrs. Weera met her
outside the apartment at the top of the steps
and took the first two full buckets from her,
emptied them inside and brought back the
empty bucket. “We’re getting your mother
cleaned up, and she doesn’t need another pair
of eyes on her.”
After that, Parvana carried the water inside
to the water tank as usual. Mrs. Weera had
gotten Mother up and washed. Mother didn’t
seem to notice Parvana.
She kept hauling water. Her arms were sore,

128
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
and the blisters on her feet started to bleed
again, but she didn’t think about that. She
fetched water because her family needed it,
because her father would have expected her
to. Now that Mrs. Weera was there and her
mother was up, things were going to get
easier, and she would do her part.
Out the door, down the steps, down the street
to the tap, then back again, stopping now and
then to rest and change carrying arms.”
4. 65-66 “It has to be your decision,” Mrs. Weera said. After some objection
“We can force you to cut off your hair, but Parvana makes, finally
you’re still the one who has to go outside and she agrees to get her
act the part. We know this is a big thing we’re hair cut in order to
asking, but I think you can do it.How about disguise as a boy.
it?” When she has
Parvana realized Mrs. Weera was right. They disguised as a boy, it
could holdher down and cut off her hair, but will be much easier for
for anything more, they needed her her to fulfill her
cooperation. Inthe end, it really was her family’s needs.
decision.Somehow, knowing that made it
easier to agree.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll do it.”
5. 70-71 When she came to the shop that sold tea, rice Parvana buys daily
and other groceries, she hesitated for a slight needs for her family
moment, then walked boldly through the door. such as tea and rice.

129
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
I’m a boy, she kept saying to herself. It gave
her courage.
“What do you want?” the grocer asked.
“Some...some tea,” Parvana stammered out.
“How much? What kind?” The grocer was
gruff, but it was ordinary bad-mood gruff, not
gruff out of anger that there was a girl in his
shop.
Parvana pointed to the brand of tea they
usually had at home. “Is that the cheapest?”
“This one is the cheapest.” He showed her
another one.
“I’ll take the cheapest one. I also need five
pounds of rice.”
“Don’t tell me. You want the cheapest kind.
Big spender.”
6. 72-73 “I had a lot of cleaning to do. Ali was almost Parvana fetches the
out of diapers. Would you rather wash diapers water again and she
than fetch the water?” even offers Nooria to
Parvana fetched the water. prepare the supper.
“Keep those clothes on,” Nooria said when
Parvana returned.
“I’ve been thinking about this. If you’re going
to be a boy outside, you should be a boy
inside, too. What if someone comes by?”
That made sense to Parvana. “What about

130
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
Mother? Won’t it upset her to see me in
Hossain’s clothes all the time?”
“She’ll have to get used to it.”
For the first time, Parvana noticed the tired
lines on Nooria’s face. She looked much older
than seventeen.
“I’ll help you with supper,” she offered
7. 74-75 “Her father’s shoulder bag was slung across Parvana goes to the
her chest. It bumped against her legs. Inside market to read and
were Father’s pens and writing paper, and a write a letter like her
few items she would try to sell, including her father used to do.
fancy shalwar kameez. Under her arm,
Parvana carried the blanket she would sit on.
8. 77-79 Parvana took the envelope from him. The Parvana is doing his
stamp was from Germany. She read the job to read the letter
outside. “This is addressed to Fatima Azima.” from her customer.
“That was my wife,” the Talib said.
he letter was very old. Parvana took it out of
the envelope and unfolded it. The creases
were embedded in the paper.
“Dear Niece,” Parvana read. “I am sorry I am
not able to be with you at the time of your
wedding, but I hope this letter will get to you
in time. It is good to be in Germany, away
from all the fighting. In my mind, though, I
never really leave Afghanistan. My thoughts

131
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
are always turned to our country, to the family
and friends I will probably never see again.
“On this day of your marriage, I send you my
very best wishes for your future. Your father,
my brother, is a good man, and he will have
chosen a good man to be your husband. You
may find it hard at first, to be away from your
family, but you will have a new family. Soon
you will begin to feel you belong there. I hope
you will be happy, that you will be blessed
with many children, and that you will live to
see your son have sons.
“Once you leave Pakistan and return to
Afghanistan with your new husband, I will
likely lose track of you. Please keep my letter
with you, and do not forget me, for I will not
forget you.
“Your loving aunt, Sohila.”
Parvana stopped reading. The Talib was silent
beside her. “Would you like me to read it
again?”
9. 80-81 “How much do you want for that?” he asked, Parvana bargains with
pointing at her beautiful shalwar kameez. her customer when she
Mother hadn’t told her what price to ask. sells the shalwar
Parvana tried to remember how her mother kameez.
used to bargain with vendors in the market

132
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
when she was able to do the shopping. She
would argue the vendor down from whatever
price he named first. “They expect you to
bargain,” she explained, “so they begin with a
price so high only a fool would pay it.”
Parvana thought quickly. She pictured her
aunt in Mazar working hard to do all the
embroidery on the dress and around the cuffs
of the trousers. She thought of how pretty
she’d felt when she wore it, and how much
she hated giving it up.
She named a price. The customer shook his
head and made a counter-offer, a much lower
price. Parvana pointed out the detailed designs
of the needlework, then named a price slightly
lower than her first one. The customer
hesitated, but didn’t leave. After a few more
prices back and forth, they agreed on an
amount.”
10. 89 “The days began to fall into a pattern. Parvana Parvana regularly
went out to the market early every morning, works in the market.
returned home for lunch, then went back to She dedicates her days
the market in the afternoon.” to work.
11. 106-107 “We’re here to make money, right?” Parvana and his friend,
Shauzia said. Parvana nodded. “Then let’s Shauzia dig some
make money.” She grabbed hold of the bone bones.

133
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
that was sticking out of the ground and They will sell the bones
pulled. It came out of the dirt as if it were a to get more money.
carrot being pulled up from a garden. Shauzia
tossed it on the blanket.
Not willing to let Shauzia get the better of her,
Parvana took up her board and started
scraping away the soil. The bombs had done
much of the work for them. Many bones were
barely covered by dirt and were easy to get
at.”
112-113 “Before going home, Parvana went to the Even after she digs the
water tap. Her clothes were dirty. She bones, she still fetches
washed them off as best she could while they the water for her
were still on her. She took the money out of family. She shares the
her pocket and divided it in two. Some she money she gets to her
put back in her pocket to give to her mother.
mother. The rest she hid in the bottom of her
shoulder bag, next to her father’s writing
paper.”
12. 115-116 “Tomorrow you’ll go back to reading letters. Parvana plans to buy
No more of this digging!” Mother declared. some trays to sell
“We don’t need money that badly!” something to earn more
“No,” Parvana said to her mother. money for her family.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I don’t want to quit yet. Shauzia and I
want to buy trays, and things to sell from

134
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
the trays. I can follow the crowd that way,
instead of waiting for the crowd to come to
me. I can make more money.”
“We are managing fine on what you earn
reading letters.”
“No, Mother, we’re not,” Nooria said.”
13. 117 “At the end of two weeks, they had enough When the money is
money to buy the trays, with straps to go enough, Parvana and
around their necks to carry them. Shuzia buy the trays
“We should sell things that don’t weigh and the things that they
much,” Shauzia said. They decided on want to sell.
cigarettes, which they could buy in big
cartonsand sell by the pack. They also sold
chewing gum, by the pack and sometimes
by the stick. Boxes of matches filled up the
empty spaces on the trays.”
14. 119 “Wonderful!” exclaimed Parvana. “People They sell cigarettes and
will want to smoke and chew gum while they chewing gum in
watch a soccer game. We’ll sell out. Let’s stadium.
go!”
They ran over to the stadium entrance as
fast as they could without bouncing their
cigarettes onto the ground. Several Taliban
soldiers were urging people inside, yelling at
them to hurry. They pushed and shoved
people through the stadium gates, swinging

135
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
their sticks to get the slow ones to move
faster.”
15. 124 “No one said anything to Parvana when the Even though none asks
bread ran out, but she got up and went to Parvana to get some
work that day anyway. Some things just had foods, she still does her
to be taken care of.” job as a breadwinner of
her family.
16. 129-130 “In the afternoon, she and Shauzia wandered Parvana and Shauzia
around the market looking for customers. have to compete with
Sometimes they went to the bus depot, but others boys to get the
they had a lot of competition there. Many customers.
boys were trying to sell things. They would
run right up to someone and stand in the
person’s way, saying, “Buy my gum! Buy my
fruit! Buy my cigarettes!” Parvana and
Shauzia were too shy for that. They preferred
to wait for customers to notice them.”
17. 156 “Parvana made many trips to the water Parvana fetches the
tap. Father had been beaten badly, and the water to wash her
poultice bandages Mrs. Weera put over his father’s poultice
wounds had to be changed and washed bandages.
frequently. Homa helped, too, mostly by
keeping Mrs. Weera’s granddaughter quiet so
Father could rest.”
18. 157 “Parvana was filled with hope. In the Parvana tries so hard to
market she chased after customers just like get the customers and

136
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
the real boys did. Mrs. Weera suggested she buys her father
some medicine for Father, and Parvana some medicine from
worked and worked until she had earned the money she earns.
the money to buy it. It seemed to help.”
19. 39 “Hurry up, Parvana,” her mother said. “Your Parvana accompanies Optimizing Her
father is waiting.” her mother to save her Attempts to Save Her
Parvana slipped her feet into her sandals and father from the prison. Family
wound her chador around her head. She
followed Mother out the door.
Helping Mother down the broken stairs
was a little like helping Father, as the
billowing burqa made it hard for her to see
where she was going.
Mother hesitated at the bottom of the stairs.
Parvana thought she might be having second
thoughts. After that moment, though, her
mother pulled herself up to her full height,
straightened her back and plunged into the
Kabul street.
Parvana rushed after her. She had to run to
keep up with her mother’s long, quick steps,
but she didn’t dare fall behind.”
20. 41-42 “I’m here for my father!” she called out. Parvana is brave to yell
Her mother looked down at her through the at Taliban soldiers in
screen over her eyes. She reached down and order to save her father.
took Parvana’s hand. “I’m here for my

137
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
husband!” she called again.
Over and over, Parvana and her mother
kept yelling out. More and more men came to
stare at them their mission.
“Be quiet!” ordered one of the guards. “You
should not be here! Go from this place! Go
back to your home!” One of the soldiers
snatched the photo of Parvana’s father and
tore it into pieces. Another started hitting her
mother with a stick.
“Release my husband!” her mother kept
saying.
Another soldier joined in the beating. He hit
Parvana, too.
Although he did not hit her very hard, Parvana
fell to the ground, her body covering the
pieces of her father’s photograph. In a flash,
she tucked the pieces out of sight, under her
chador.”
21. 136-137 “We can’t leave Kabul!” Parvana She refuses to go to
exclaimed. “What about Father? What will Mazar with her family
happen if he gets out of prison and we’re because she wants to
not here? He won’t know where to look for wait for her father.
us!”
“I’ll be here,” Mrs. Weera said. “I can tell
your father where you are and look after him

138
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
until you get back.”
“I’m not sending Nooria off to Mazar all by
herself,” Mother said. “And since you are a
child, you will come with us.”
“I’m not going,” Parvana insisted. She even
stamped her feet.
“You will do as you’re told,” Mother said.
“All this running around wild in the streets has
made you think you’re above yourself.”
“I’m not going to Mazar!” Parvana
repeated, stamping her feet again.”
22. 159 “A lot of people have fled Mazar,” he said. Parvana is confident to
“They are staying in refugee camps outside leave Kabul to save her
the city” family in Mazar.
“Is that where Mother is?”
“It’s possible. We won’t know unless we go to
the camps and look.”
“How can we do that? Are you well enough to
travel?”
“I will never be well enough,” Father said,
“but weshould go anyway.”
“When do we leave?” Parvana asked.”
23. 7 “Parvana was there only to help her father Parvana helpshis father Encouraging Her
walk to the market and back home again after to walk when his father Family
work.” works in the market.

139
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
24. 86 Parvana ignored her. “Mother, can I take Parvana asks her
Maryam to the tap with me?” younger sister,
“Yes, yes, yes!” Maryam jumped up and Maryam, to go fetching
down. “I want to go with Parvana!” the water. It aims to let
Mother hesitated. Maryam go outside and
“Let her go,” Mrs. Weera advised. “Parvana’s feel free of herself.
a boy now. Maryam will be safe.”
Mother relented, but first she spoke to
Maryam. “What do you call Parvana when
you’re outside?”
“Kaseem.”
“Good. And who is Kaseem?”
“My cousin.”
25. 88 “This is the tap,” she said to her sister, as Parvana lets Maryam to
soon as they arrived. Parvana had walked a know about the tap.
little ahead, to smooth a pathway free of Maryam is entertained
stones. She turned on the tap so that water by her activity of water
gushed out. Maryam laughed. She stuck a tapping.
hand in the flow, then snatched it back as the
cool water touched her skin. She looked at
Parvana, eyes wide open. Parvana helped her
to do it again. This time, she let the water flow
over her.
“Don’t swallow any,” Parvana warned, then
showed her how to splash her face with water.
Maryam copied her, getting more water on her

140
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
clothes than on her face, but at least she had a
good time.”
26. 89 One day, after she had been working for a Parvana is willing to be
week, Parvana had an idea. “Mother, I’m seen the escort for her
as a boy, right?” family, so they will be
“That’s the idea,” Mother said. able to go outside. It
“Then I could be your escort,” Parvana said. can please them
“I could be Nooria’s escort, too, and because they are
youcould both get outside sometimes.” always inside the room.
Parvana was excited about this. If Nooria
got some exercise, maybe she wouldn’t be so
grumpy. Of course, she wouldn’t get much
fresh air under the burqa, but at least it would
be a change.”
27. 90 “For Ali’s sake, Nooria went along with the Parvana asks her sisters
idea. Every day after lunch, Parvana, and her brother to go
Nooria, Ali and Maryam went outside for outside every day. It
an hour. Ali had been only a few months old even pleases Nooria to
when the Taliban came. All he really knew enjoy the sun on her
was the little room they had been shut up in face.
for a year and a half. Nooria had not been
outside, either, in all that time.
They would walk around the neighborhood
until their legs got tired, then they would sit in
the sunshine. When there was no one around,
Parvana would keep watch, and Nooria would

141
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
flip up her burqa to let the sun pour down on
her face.”
28. 123-124 “During her days at home, Parvana coached Even though education
Maryam on her counting, tried to learn for children are
mending from Nooria and listened to Mrs. forbidden under the
Weera’s stories. They weren’t as good as her Taliban rule, Parvana
father’s stories. Mostly they were descriptions still teach her sister and
of field hockey games or other athletic events. learn from Nooria.
Still, they were entertaining, and Mrs. Weera
was so enthusiastic about them that she made
other people enthusiastic, too.”
29. 131 “Summer brought fruit into Kabul from the Parvana gets the fruits
fertile valleys—those that had not been for her family in her
bombed into extinction. Parvana brought house.
treats home for her family on the days she
made a bit more money. They had peaches
one week, plums the next.”
30. 131-132 “Sometimes these men would stop and buy Parvana entertains her
dried fruit or cigarettes from her. Sometimes family by telling the
they had something for her to read or write. story she gets when she
She would always ask where they were from works in the market.
and what it was like there, so she could have
something new to tell her family when she
went home. Sometimes they told her about the
weather. Sometimes they told of the beautiful
mountains or the fields of opium poppies

142
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
blooming into flower, or the orchards heavy
with fruit. Sometimes they told her of the war,
of battles they had seen and people they had
lost. Parvana remembered it all to tell her
family when she got home.”
31. 132 “Through Mother’s and Mrs. Weera’s Parvana becomes
women’s group, a secret little school was Nooria’s escort when
started. Nooria was the teacher. The Taliban she has to teach the
would close down any school they discovered, kids outside of the
so Nooria and Mrs. Weera were very careful. room. She also takes
This school held only five girls, including care of Ali when
Maryam. They were all around her age. They Nooria goes outside.
were taught in two different groups, never at
the same time two days running. Sometimes
the students came to Nooria, sometimes
Nooria went to the students. Sometimes
Parvana was her escort. Sometimes she
carried a squirming Ali.”
32. 139 “Parvana went to the market the next day to Parvana buys Nooria a
buy the family some food for the journey. She present even though
wanted to buy Nooria a present, too. She she does not really get
wandered through the market looking at things along with her sister.
for sale. She finally decided on a pen in a
beaded case. Every time Nooria used it at
university, and later when she became a real
school teacher, she would think of Parvana.”

143
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
33. 156-157 “Parvana didn’t mind that he was unable to Parvana reads her
talk right away. She was overjoyed just to father’s book for him to
have him home. She spent her days earning make him pleased.
money, and her evenings helping Mrs. Weera.
When her father felt better, she would read
to him from his books.”
34. 84 “After tea and nan for lunch, Parvana headed Parvana goes outside to Herping Other
out with Mrs. Weera to get her belongings. help Mrs. Weera to get women to Survive
Mrs. Weera wore the burqa, of course, but she her belongings.
had such a distinctive way of walking that
Parvana was sure she could pick her out of a
whole marketplace of women wearing burqas.
She walked as though she were rounding up
children who were dawdling after class. She
walked swiftly, head up and shoulders back.
Just to be safe, though, Parvana stayed close
to her.”
35. 85 “Mrs. Weera had lost a lot of things, too, in Parvana helps Mrs.
bombing raids. “What the bombs didn’t get, Weera to put her
the bandits did. Makes it easier to move, belongings on the
though, doesn’t it?” karachi.
Parvana loaded a few quilts and cooking
things onto the karachi. Mrs. Weera had
everything packed and ready.”
36. 145 “Come with me,” Parvana said. “My mother is Parvana meets a
away, but Mrs. Weera is at home. She can fix woman by a chance.

144
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
any problem.” She struck another match and She helps her by
held it up to the woman’s face. It suddenly offering her to go to
dawned on her that she could see the woman’s Parvana’s house.
face. It wasn’t covered up.
“Where is your burqa?” She looked around
but couldn’t see one. “Are you outside without
a burqa?”
The woman nodded.
“What are you doing outside without a burqa?
You could get in a lot of trouble for that.”
The woman just shook her head.
Parvana had an idea. “Here’s what we’ll do.
I’ll go home and borrow Mrs. Weera’s
burqa and bring it back to you. Then we’ll
go back to my place together. All right?”
37. 146 Parvana didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t Parvana gives the
stay in the building all night, but this woman a food. She still
frightened woman clearly did not want to be thinks of a way to help
left alone. Groping in the dark for her tray, she the woman.
found two little bags of dried fruit and nuts.
“Here,” she said, handing one to the
woman. “We’ll think better if we eat.”
The woman downed the fruit and nuts in
almost one swallow. “You must be starving,”
Parvana said, passing her another bag.
Parvana chewed and thought and finally

145
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
decided what to do. “This is the best suggestion I
have,” she said. “If you have a better idea, let
me know. Otherwise, this is what we’ll do.
We’ll wait until it gets very, very dark. Then
we’ll head back to my place together. Do you
have a chador?”
38. 149-150 “Parvana explained what had happened. “I Parvana gives the
think she’s in trouble,” she said. woman a temporary
Mrs. Weera didn’t hesitate. She put her arm place to live and she
around the woman. takes care of her well.
“We’ll get the details later. There’s warm
water for you to wash in, and hot food for
supper. You don’t look much older than
Parvana!”
Parvana took a good look at her
companion. She hadn’t seen the woman in the
light before. She looked a little bit younger
than Nooria.
“Fetch me some clean clothes,” Mrs. Weera
told Parvana.Parvana took a shalwar
kameez of Mother’s out of the cupboard,
and Mrs. Weera took the young woman
into the wash-room and closed the door.”
39 150-151 “Fetch me some water, please, dear,” Mrs. Parvana fetches the
Weera asked beforeParvana went off to the water to wash the
market. “That poor girl’s clothes woman’s clothes.

146
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
needwashing.”
Finally, that night, after eating supper, the girl
was able to talk.
“My name is Homa,” she said. “I escaped
from Mazar-e-Sharif just after the Taliban
captured the city.”
“The Taliban has captured Mazar!” Parvana
exclaimed.
“That can’t be! My mother is there. My
brother and sisters arethere.”

C. Significant meanings of Parvana’s struggles to female children in Taliban society

No. Page Data Meaning Category

1. 70 “Out on the street, she kept waiting for people Disguising as a boy Boosting Her Self-
to point at her and call her a fake. No one did. makes Parvana gain Esteem
No one paid any attention to her at all. The more confidence to
more she was ignored, the more confident walk in the market.
she felt.”
2. 148 “I’m Malali, leading the troops through Parvana believes that
enemy territory,” she murmured to herself. she is Malali, the
That helped, too, although it was hard to feel leading woman in the

147
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
like a battle heroine with a cigarette tray war. It makes her more
hanging around her neck.” confident
3. 160 “We’ll find them,” Parvana said with Parvana feels so sure
complete confidence. “We’ll find them and that she and her father
bring them home.” will find their family.
4. 166 “The future stretched unknown down the road Parvana feels ready to
in front of her. Her mother was somewhere face any problem in the
ahead with her sisters and her brother, but future when she
what else they would find, Parvana had no attempts to save her
idea. Whatever it was, she felt ready for it. family.
She even found herself looking forward to
it.”
5. 20-21 Parvana knew she had to fetch the water Fetching the water and Improving a Sense of
because there was nobody else in the family being useful for her Pride on Herself
who could do it. Sometimes this made her family make Parvana
resentful. Sometimes it made her proud. proud sometimes.
One thing she knew—it didn’t matter how she
felt. Good mood or bad, the water had to be
fetched, and she had to fetch it.
6. 71 Parvana left the shop with rice and tea, She feels very proud of
feeling very proud of herself. herself because she is
“I can do this!” she whispered. able to shop by herself.
Onions were cheap at the vegetable stand. She
bought a few.
“Look what I got!” Parvana exclaimed, as
she burst through the door of her home. “I did

148
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
it! I did the shopping, and nobody bothered
me.”
7. 82 “Something caught her eye, a flicker of She feels very proud of
movement. She thought it came from the herself because she can
blacked-out window, but how could it? earn money for her
Parvana decided she was imagining things. family’s needs.
She folded up the blanket and tucked it under
her arm. She felt the money she’d earned,
tucked safely in her pocket.
Feeling very proud of herself, she ran all
the way home.”
8. 81 “It was good to make a sale, to have more Parvana is satisfiedwith Arousing a Feeling of
money to stuff away in the little pocket in the her effort of selling Satisfaction of Her
side of her shirt. It felt so good that she almost something for her Efforts
felt no regret as she watched the vibrant red family.
cloth flutter in the breeze as it was carried
away into the crowded labyrinth of the
market, never to be seen again.”
9. 91-92 “Parvana loved being in the market. She Parvana is satisfied and
loved watching people move along the streets, happy to work in the
loved hearing snatches of conversation that market.
reached her ears, loved reading the letters
people brought her.”
10. 117-118 “My tea boy days are over!” Shauzia said Pravana is happy
gleefully. because she no longer
“I’m just happy to be out of the graveyard,” needs to dig up bones

149
 No. Page Data Meaning Category
Parvana said. She was learning to walk and to gain money. Instead,
balance the tray at the same time. She didn’t she can buy the tray to sell
want all her lovely goods to fall into the dirt.” something.
11. 156-157 Parvana didn’t mind that he was unable to talk After waiting for her
right away. She was overjoyed just to have father for a long time,
him home. She spent her days earning money, Parvana is extremely
and her evenings helping Mrs. Weera. When excited to see her father
her father felt better, she would read to him in their home again.
from his books.”

150