Characters
Who is the main character of the novel?
Parvana
What happens to Parvana’s father at the beginning of the story?
He is arrested
In what country does the story take place?
Afghanistan
What is a toshak?
A narrow mattress used in many Afghan homes instead of chairs or beds.
Who controls Afghanistan at the start of the movie?
The Taliban
Who is Parvana’s older sister who stays inside most of the time?
Nooria
What job does Parvana do for people in the market?
She reads and writes letters
Toward the end of the book, what news does Parvana hear about Nooria when she comes home after work?
That she is getting married
What is a shalwar kameez?
Long, loose shirt and trousers, worn by both men and women. Men's are all one color, with pockets in the side and on the chest. Women's are different colors and patterns, sometimes elaborately embroidered or beaded.
Why does Parvana’s family struggle after her father is arrested?
They have no adult male relative
Who was Hossain and what happened to him?
Hossain was the first-born and would have been the oldest brother in the family. He was killed by a land mine when he was 14 years old.
What does Parvana do to help her family?
She cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy
When the girls (Parvana and her friend) finally earned enough money to buy trays to sell stuff, they followed the crowd into a stadium. What terrible things did they see and learn?
They witnessed the chopping off of seven hands of people the Taliban thought were thieves. One young boy puts four hands on a string (like fish on a string) and waves it around. The girls had no idea this kind of thing was going on.
What do Parvana and Mrs. Weera use to move Mrs. Weera’s things?
They use a Karachi
Who is Nurullah?
Parvana's father
Who is the girl Parvana meets in the market who is also pretending to be a boy?
Shauzia
What new job does Parvana decide to try? Why
Parvana decides to dig up bones because it paid more than her other jobs.
What is the name Parvana is supposed to go by when she is a boy? In other words, what is her boy name?
Kaseem
Describe what a burqa is:
A long, tent-like garment, which the Taliban have decreed women must wear whenever they go outside. It covers them completely and even has a narrow mesh screen over the eyes.
What does the “toy” in the story symbolize?
A land mine
Who is the girl Parvana meets in the the abandoned building and brings home? And what happened to her?
Homa
The Taliban had captured Mazar-e-Sharif and had killed her family and hundreds of other people. She hid and ran away.
How does Parvana say good-bye to the Window Woman?
Parvana plants flowers.
Why were the girls possibly in danger just having to go to the bathroom when they were digging up bones? (2 reasons)
- because if they go in a less sheltered area, they could be seen and discovered as girls pretending to be boys
- because if they go in a private/hidden area from others they run the risk of possibly having a land mine go off.
What are the two main languages spoken in Afghanistan?
Dari and Pashtu
How does Parvana show courage at the end of the movie?
She stays to rescue her father