The Breadwinner

Mrs. Weera and Nooria tell Parvana the next morning that she will disguise herself as a boy to enable her to move around the market. Parvana’s mother explains that she will wear her deceased older brother’s clothes. Parvana realizes that the family has no other choice, so she reluctantly agrees. Her mother cuts Parvana’s hair off. Parvana looks at herself with interest, noting that her eyes and ears look bigger with shorter hair. She decides that she likes the feel of her short hair, and she enjoys the pockets in Hossain’s clothing. They are more practical than women’s clothes. Her family is shocked at her appearance: Maryam looks as if she doesn’t recognize her, but her mother whispers, “Hossain” (69).

Parvana is nervous about entering the marketplace but grows confident when she sees that her disguise convinces people: Shop owners serve her. When she returns home, her mother is lying facing the wall again. Nooria prepares dinner. She suggests that Parvana should stay in the boy’s clothing at home also, in case someone comes in. Parvana notices that Nooria looks tired and offers to help with supper, but Nooria tells her she would only get in the way.