Mother Timeline and Summary

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• Mother hasn't been outside in eighteen months, since women in Afghanistan can't leave the house without a man. As an educated woman, this is just humiliating.
• She used to be a writer for a radio station, but then the Taliban made her quit her job; and though Father wonders why she doesn't continue to write, she figures the Taliban won't publish her work so why bother.
• Parvana notices since Mother can no long write her "temper grew shorter every day" (2.31), and also that Mother is sad a lot, especially since her son died from a land mine.
• Mother busies herself cleaning the house, and takes pride in her home, saying, "They Taliban have said we must stay inside, but that doesn't mean we have to live in filth" (2.20).
• When the Taliban barge into their apartment to kidnap Father, Mother fights back by "pounding them with her fists" (2.76); after they leave, she cleans up, and the next day she and Parvana go to prison to demand his release.
• Mother storms the prison saying that Father has "committed no crime, and I want him released!" (3.47), but the soldiers respond by beating her.
• Since Mother hadn't walked outside in almost two years, her feet are raw and her face is "stained with tears and sweat" (4.12).
• When they get home, she lays on the toshak, buries her face in her pillow, and cries… and she stays like that for days.
• When Parvana brings home Mrs. Weera from the marketplace, it's just what Mother needs; Mrs. Weera washes her up makes her feel human again.
• That's when they come up with a great idea: they should turn Parvana into a boy so she can make money and buy food.
• Mother thinks it's a great idea and starts by cutting off Parvana's hair; then she pulls out Hossain's shalwar kameez and gives it to Parvana to wear.
• Unfortunately, as soon as Mrs. Weera leaves, Mother gets depressed again. She can barely look at Parvana dressed as Kaseem because it reminds her of Hossain.
• To solve this problem, Mrs. Weera and her granddaughter move in.
• They decide to start a small school (Mother will teach reading and writing) and Mother can also work on her magazine.
• One day Mother gives Parvana her shalwar kameez to sell. It's Parvana's favorite outfit, but she does what Mother says—it's not like she'll ever need it anyway.
• Mother makes lunch for Parvana every day, and she worries when Parvana misses lunch.
• When Mother finds out that the reason Parvana's been missing lunch is because she's been digging up bones at the graveyard to sell, she is disgusted and says, "So this is what we've become in Afghanistan" (11.12).
• Great news: Mother has been in contact with some ladies in the women's group in Pakistan, and she's found Nooria a husband.
• So now she wants to take the kids and travel to Pakistan with Nooria to prepare for the wedding.
• Parvana does something she has never done before—she says no to Mother—and Nooria agrees; Mother wonders why her daughters are disobeying her, stating, "I'm glad your father isn't here to hear you talk to me with such disrespect" (11.25).
• After three days of watching Parvana mope, Mother gives in—she doesn't want to explain to everyone why Parvana looks like a boy anyway.
• With the kids in tow, Mother leaves for Mazar.
• Later, we find out that the Taliban have taken over Mazar and its people have fled to refugee camps.