The Breadwinner: Resilience Of Parvana

The Breadwinner, and Parvana’s journey written by Deborah Ellis, describes the life of a girl living in Afghanistan where there was war. Her` name is Parvana. She was living in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Parvana lives through a very brutal environment that we will never experience. Parvana’s journey tells us how women’s rights like freedom and gender equality are not respected. It helps us to understand the situation of many other women in Afghanistan by taking us deep inside Parvana’s life. She shows her audience how brave, caring and adventurous she is throughout her journey.

Parvana is a very brave girl. When Parvana’s father, the only man in their family, was snatched from their home by the Taliban soldiers, Parvana knew they couldn’t survive. Considering men are the primary source for the families in Afghanistan and are responsible for buying food, water and working in a job. The Taliban does not allow women to be in the streets without a man. For instance, Parvana unwillingly decided to cut off her hair and wear boy’s clothes in order to let her family survive. She didn’t want to and preferred her original appearance more, but she knew that she was the only hope for the whole family. This shows Parvana’s bravery into supporting her family’s needs.

Parvana is caring because, during her journey to find her mother, she found a baby, without a family or a caregiver. Parvana felt the pain and decides to bring the baby along her journey. She tried her best to provide all the needs to the baby, such as giving food and water, or a bath. She later encountered two children without parents, and with a missing leg. She took them too along her journey. Parvana was willing to take care of 3 people and fulfilling their needs while putting her’s aside shows how caring Parvana is to others.

Parvana is adventurous because she was willing to take risks and challenges to find her mother. Ever since her mother left for Mazar, and the following of Parvana’s father’s death, Parvana felt that something wasn’t right and that she needed to find her mother. Despite knowing the dreadful war outside, Parvana went on a journey to find her. She encountered many obstacles but didn’t give up. She was constantly running out of food and water, had to hide from the soldiers many times but in the end, she was reunited with her mother. Parvana’s journey into finding her mother, and the obstacles she faced shows that she is confident and heroic.

In conclusion, Parvana’s character shows her audience how brave, caring and adventurous she is in a variety of ways. Her struggles in life give a lesson to her readers to take challenges in difficult times and always work to be better in life. The challenges you faced in life should not hinder your progress, instead, take them as an opportunity to fix the problems that you and your society has encountered. It teaches us that life isn’t easy and family and friends are the most important people in your life. It is definitely a book that I would recommend for everyone and teens to read and learn from.