Breadwinner Report

By: Me aka Tris

The book The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis is about a girl named Parvana, who had to dress as a boy after her father was arrested by the Taliban. She had to dress as a boy to work because females can not work in Afghanistan and her father was the only one who could work but he was taken. She has two sisters, a baby brother, and a mother. This book is mainly about the treatment of females in Afghanistan. Females in Afghanistan are caged up like animals in their houses. Well, actually females are treated worse than animals in Afghanistan. They can be beaten by their husbands. They were forced to wear burqas. They can be killed for adultery or for dishonoring their families. They are raped too. So it is safe to say that females aren’t treated well under the Taliban’s rule. But does the book portray Afghanistan accurately? Well, I’m here to see if it has or hasn’t. More specifically, the portrayals of the treatment of females, of the Taliban, and of the dangers in Afghanistan. I believe that the book portrayed these topics very accurately, because of my own knowledge and the research I had to do.

First is the treatment of females. The modesty of females was portrayed in the book as females not being allowed to show any skin to a male who was not a family member. The book says that any house with a female in it has to have the windows painted black, to not be seen by any man. Burqas did not show the face and had to meet certain regulations. The book portrays female modesty very accurately. It even left out some parts, like clothes can’t be brightly colored because it is seductive. Females couldn’t paint their nails and the ones that did had their fingers chopped off. They couldn’t wear makeup either. Next is female education which is portrayed as obsolete in the book. Females couldn’t go to school and sometimes they could until puberty. This was portrayed very accurately. The Taliban did ban female education and turned girl’s schools into religious seminaries. Last but not least the relationship between males and females which is portrayed as not good or nonexistent if the male is not a family member. They are segregated in the book. But women also need to have a male family member to go outside. So women have to be dependent on a male but they are segregated. They also have arranged marriages. This was portrayed very well and very accurately in the book. Women can not see male doctors, can’t deal with male shopkeepers and more. They had to use different buses than men. Females are married off to men they don’t know, normally under the age of sixteen. I believe that the book portrayed the treatment of women very accurately.

Next is the book’s portrayal of the Taliban. Firstly, the book portrays the Taliban’s punishments as cruel and unusual. Like beatings and having your hands or arms cut off for theft. Lot’s of punishments are done publicly. Also, that the Taliban’s prisons are not good. The book portrayed the punishments very well though it did not truly capture the cruelty of the Taliban. Like the Taliban stoning people to death, chopping off fingers of women, cutting off the ears and nose of a girl, floggings and just plain torture. Secondly, the book talks about how the Taliban made men grow beards and told people what they could or couldn’t wear. This is very accurate. The Taliban only allows men and women to wear “Islamic” clothes. Thirdly, the book states that music was banned and anything that can be construed as music was banned too. This is correct, the Taliban banned music and tv. I’d say that the book portrayed the Taliban very well as cruel, evil, psychopathic, and just plain bastards.

Last but not least are  the dangers of Afghanistan. The book talks a lot about landmines and how Afghanistan is covered in them and saying stuff like there are more landmines than flowers. While I can’t say if the second claim is true, I can say that Afghanistan before 2002 was covered in landmines. Next, the book talks a lot about the Taliban and how it is dangerous if you get on its bad side. Also, how people are terrified of them. If you read the second category you would know that the Taliban is nothing to mess around with and is very dangerous and that the book is very accurate. Third, the book says that the Taliban takes people for seemingly no reason. This is very accurate but the Taliban normally has a “reason”. Like laughing. Multiple teen boys were gunned down for laughing. Yes, laughing. I’d say that the book did a good job in displaying the dangers of Afghanistan.

In conclusion, I’d say for the most part the book did a good job on displaying the treatment of females in Afghanistan, the Taliban, and the dangers of Afghanistan. I believe that historical fiction is good as long as it doesn’t twist a narrative or spread misinformation. I believe that historical fiction can be a very good method of teaching history when done correctly. 

I had to do this for a class and decided to post it here.

My proof

Works Cited

Abdul, Abdul. "List of Taliban's atrocities and crimes in Afghanistan." lubpak, 26 Jan. 2010, lubpak.net/archives/5150#comments. Accessed 18 May 2021.

Amnesty School Speakers Network. "WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN." Amnesty School Speakers Network, 2014, www.amnesty.org.uk/files/women_in_afghanistan_fact_sheet.pdf?Z2Mi5cekQWTielIkXBvIzqDKWz3MMPh3=. Accessed 18 May 2021.

Rawa. "Some of the restrictions imposed by Taliban on women in Afghanistan." Rawa, www.rawa.org/rules.htm. Accessed 18 May 2021.

Travel.State.Gov. "Afghanistan Travel Advisory." Travel.State.Gov, U.S Government, 2020, travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/afghanistan-advisory.html#:~:text=Travel%20to%20all%20areas%20of,(IEDs)%2C%20suicide%20vests%2C. Accessed 18 May 2021.

U.S Department of State. "Landmines in Afghanistan." U.S Department of State, 20 Jan. 2009, 2001-2009.state.gov/coalition/cr/fs/12852.htm. Accessed 18 May 2021.