'Parvana' Theme: Friendship by Hayden Radford

Faced with difficult challenges throughout the novel, at times Parvana cannot just rely on her hope and courage but instead must turn to a friend. Even when Parvana is knocked down and out of hope, she still has her friends. These friends come to her in many ways, whether it's Shauzia teaming up with Parvana so they can both keep their families afloat, or Mrs.Weera practically becoming a second mother to Parvana, her friends are always there for her. Without her friends Parvana would've given up very early in the story, even when you seemingly have nothing, you still have your friends, this is true not just for Parvana but for all the people of Afghanistan.

This picture shows children that have created a make-shift 'merry go-round' out of an old clothes line.
 Despite the horrible things that are going on around them they still are all friends and find time to enjoy life.

'Parvana' Theme: Hope/Courage by Hayden Radford

Throughout the entirety of the novel the only thing that has kept Parvana going is hope and courage. Even when seemingly everything Parvana once had was taken away from her she still had hope, and this hope gave her the courage to rise to the occasion and be the head of her family. On page 168 of the novel, Parvana wonders about what the future holds for her, eventually concluding "Whatever it was, she felt ready for it. She even found herself looking forward to it" (Pg. 154). This shows how the tiniest spark of hope that Parvana had inside her at the beginning of the story had slowly built up and with it her confidence and courage grew. This courage played an enormous role throughout the novel and it shows just how much she had grow in such short amount of time.

This image shows a woman and a whiteboard with her hope for the future of Afghanistan.
This was a project named 'Messages of Hope' by AfghanAid, it was a project where people from all around the world
 gave their hope for Afghanistan and donated money. This shows how the people of Afghanistan
 aren't alone in their struggle against an oppressive regime.

'Parvana' Theme: Risk Taking by Hayden Radford

As the novel progresses, Parvana begins to grow as a person, she becomes much more daring, not necessarily all by choice. Throughout the novel Parvana has to take certain risks which she has no say in the matter, others however she makes on her own accord and that could have dire consequences. An example of scenarios where Parvana has no say in the matter is on page 112 when  "[Her only choice] was to step into the darkness [...] and hope she didn't explode". It's rough on anyone risking their life just to go to the toilet and it's scenarios like this one that create a more genuine feel for just how difficult life can be for the people of Afghanistan.

This map shows a detailed study into just how much of Afghanistan was stricken with landmines during the Soviet invasion.
These landmines now make life for the people of Afghanistan even more difficult,
  often either killing or removing limbs from people particularly children who don't know of the hidden danger.

'Parvana' Theme: Fear by Hayden Radford

One of the most obvious themes presented in the novel is fear. In such a rough and unkind world there are lots of things that Parvana fears, like the Taliban Militia who have struck fear into the hearts of nearly all Afghan citizens through very barbaric means. In page 121 of the novel Parvana and her new found friend, Shauzia, stumble into a stadium for what they thought was a soccer game. This actually turned out to be a brutal show of force from the Taliban, with limbs being removed and several people being executed. When exiting the stadium, "Parvana caught a glimpse of a young Talib man, holding up a rope strung with four severed hands, like beads on a necklace" (Pg.124) . This embedded a fear deep within Parvana that showed the Taliban are unrelenting and not to be messed with. It is acts like this that keep many Afghans living in fear of the Taliban and what they do to those who resist.

This is a Taliban execution. To display their power they enforce harsh
punishments for very small crimes. By doing this all people in Afghanistan know the cost
 of rebelling against them, forcing most people to suffer in silence.

'Parvana' Theme: Gender Inequality by Hayden Radford

The presence of gender inequality in the novel is undeniable, with Parvana forced to spend much of her time dressed as a boy. New laws introduced by the Taliban have forced all women to remain indoors unless accompanied by a man, and with Parvana's father in jail, her family remains trapped indoors. This is until they disguise Parvana as a boy so she can go into the market and earn money, she does this by reading letters for those who weren't fortunate enough to go to school. Parvana, however, disagreed with this until her mother told her "We have no choice. Someone has to be able to go outside."(Pg.67).  Parvana was soon to find out that she was not the only girl doing this, as on the streets she hadencountered a girl who she went to school with, Shauzia, who was disguised as a tea delivery boy. They then began to work together to increase their chance of surviving in a dog eat dog world where all odds are stacked against them.

A woman being under arrest for being outdoors without being accompanied by a man.
These harsh laws enforced by the Taliban are extremely unfair on all  the women of Afghanistan
 and have caused many women to protest against the Sharia laws.

'Parvana' Text Synopsis by Hayden Radford

Picture your home town torn apart by war, your father taken to prison and being able to eat is a fight for survival. Deborah Ellis' novel 'Parvana' takes the reader on such a journey. Parvana, the protagonist in the novel, is a young girl living in the Afghan city of Kabul, which is currently occupied by the Taliban Militia, a ruthless band of Islamic extremists. When Parvana's father is arrested and taken to prison, life begins to spiral out of control, with women not allowed to be outdoors with out a man to care for them, Parvana is forced to disguise herself as a boy and attempt to earn a living so her family can eat. The book demonstrates many themes throughout Parvana's struggle, which include gender inequality, fear and many more. This blog will delve into each of these themes and give an insightful view at their presence in the novel, and detail just how exceedingly difficult life can be in the heart of Afghanistan.

American soldiers patrolling the streets of Kabul.America had not deployed any
ground troops in Afghanistan until 2001 post 9/11 with
'Operation Enduring Freedom'.
Because of this we must infer that the novel is set before 2001.