How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Mother wasn't supposed to be out of her home without a man, or without a note from her husband.
"Nooria, write Mother a note."
"Don't bother, Nooria. I will not walk around my own city with a note pinned to my burqa as if I were a kindergarten child. I have a university degree!" (3.25-3.27)
Mother just wants to get out of the house to shop for a few hours. Is that too much to ask? Under the Taliban rule, the answer is yes. Women are under men's control in Kabul, and this is humiliating to Mother who is a well-educated woman. Education for Mother gives her stature in the community; it earns her respect. Nooria winds up forging a note from Father for Mother to carry with her just in case, though—a trick an illiterate family wouldn't be able to pull off.
Quote #5
It would help if she could read, but the only books they had were Father's secret books. She didn't dare take them out of their hiding place. What if the Taliban burst in on them again? They'd take the books, and maybe punish the whole family for having them. (4.45)
The Taliban really hates books, so much so that Parvana is scared to death to even take a peek at her Father's books while inside her apartment. They are his prized possessions and he would be heartbroken without them, so she doesn't dare risk losing them, even though they offer some comfort to her.
Quote #6
"Are you keeping up with your studies?" Mrs. Weera asked.
"My father's parents don't believe in girls being educated, and since we're living in their house, my mother says we have to do what they say."
"Do they mind you dressing like a boy and going out to work?" (6.32-6.34)
You got to love Mrs. Weera's dry humor. Shauzia's family is relying on her for food, and this involves her risking her life on a daily basis as she pretends she is a boy… But crack a book? Heck no. No girl in their family's going to do a think like that. While we think Parvana is the most unfortunate little girl alive, her family life looks like sunshine and roses compared to Shauzia's—at least Parvana's family encourages her to think for herself and expand her mind.