The Breadwinner Warfare Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

For most of Parvana's life, the city had been in ruins, and it was hard for her to imagine it another way. It hurt her to hear stories of old Kabul before the bombing. She didn't want to think about everything the bombs had taken away, including her father's health and their beautiful home. It made her angry, and since she could do nothing with her anger, it mad her sad. (1.46)

War brings out so many emotions, and it's hard for a little kid to process them all. Maybe it's better that Parvana has only known a country at war, since at least this way she can't be haunted by good times from the past. That's one emotion she's been spared.

Quote #5

Mrs. Weera had lost a lot of things, too, in bombing raids. "What the bombs didn't get, the bandits did. Makes it easier to move, though, doesn't it?" (8.16)

Parvana helps Mrs. Weera get her things so she and her granddaughter can move in with them, and it's not a hard job because Mrs. Weera doesn't have that much—war has destroyed it all. Sure it makes moving easier, like Mrs. Weera jokes, but it also makes living kind of sad.

Quote #6

"Watch out for land mines," Shauzia said. Then she grinned. Parvana grinned back. Shauzia was probably joking, but she kept her eyes open anyway.

"Kabul has more land mines than flowers," her father used to say. "Land mines are as common as rocks and can blow you up without warning. Remember your brother."

Parvana remembered the time someone from the United Nations had come to her class with a chart showing the different kinds of land mines. She tried to remember what they looked like. All she could remember was that some were disguised as toys—special mines to blow up children. (10.40-10.43)

Who does that? Who would kill children? This shows that the Taliban are purely evil. The girls try to pretend it's not as terrifying as it actually is but they know the truth—Parvana is down a brother because of the land mines, and with one false move she could be next.