The Breadwinner: Chapter 15 Summary & Analysis

Father is barely recognizable, but he’s still Father. Parvana clings to him tightly. Mrs. Weera helps Father lie down and the two men who helped Father say that they found Father outside the prison, unable to go anywhere. They brought him in a cart. As the men have tea with Mrs. Weera, Parvana clings to Father and weeps, but she gets up and thanks the men before they leave. Over the next several days, Mrs. Weera nurses Father. He coughs and is very tired. Parvana feeds him warm broth, and eventually he grows strong enough to sit up, speak, and notice that Parvana is now a son. Parvana carries a lot of water too, since Father’s body is covered in injuries and the dressings need constant washing. Homa keeps Mrs. Weera’s granddaughter occupied so Father can rest.

Parvana is elated to have Father back. Homa has had some education, so one day, Parvana returns home to find Father and Homa speaking English to each other. Father jokingly asks Parvana if she brought another educated woman home. Everyone laughs when Parvana says she just brought home onions. This is the first time in a long time that people in Parvana’s home have laughed. Now that Father is home, Parvana is hopeful that the rest of her family will return, too. She begins to chase after customers like the other boys and earns enough to purchase medicine for Father. She tells Shauzia one day that she feels like she’s working for her family now.

Shauzia says in reply that she’s working to get away from Afghanistan. She recently heard her grandfather say that he’s looking for a husband for her, and since Shauzia is so young, her bride price will be substantial. She says that her mother can’t stand up for her, since her mother has nowhere else to go. Shauzia doesn’t know what else she can do. Marriage will end her life, while getting out will give her a chance. Parvana doesn’t know how to comfort Shauzia.

A few days later, a woman from the women’s group visits Mrs. Weera with news that many people have fled Mazar and are living in refugee camps. Father says he’ll never be truly well enough to go, but they should go look for Mother and the others anyway. They’ll go as soon as he comes up with a way to travel. Father asks Parvana to carry a message to the men who helped him get home from prison. Parvana asks why the Taliban let Father go, but Father says he doesn’t know—he doesn’t even know why he was arrested in the first place.

Mrs. Weera, meanwhile, makes plans to go to Pakistan with Homa. She has a cousin in a refugee camp, and they’ll meet up with other women’s group members. If there’s no school, they’ll start one. Parvana suggests that Mrs. Weera take Shauzia, but Mrs. Weera is incredulous that Shauzia is going to abandon her family. Parvana half agrees with Mrs. Weera, but she also thinks that Shauzia has a right to look for a better life. She can’t decide who’s right.

Several days before she and Father leave, Parvana feels something hit her head. It’s a tiny camel made of beads. Parvana is relieved that the Window Woman is alive and well enough to toss a gift down, and she tries to come up with a way to say goodbye. After lunch, she digs up wildflowers. She decides to plant them where she usually lays out her blanket; that way, the Window Woman will know she’s not coming back. Parvana struggles to dig in the hard soil and several men watch and tease her. One old man helps Parvana plant the flowers and notes that Afghanistan has seen so much ugliness that Afghans have forgotten to enjoy beautiful things. He assures Parvana that though the plant looks scraggly now, it’ll soon grow strong and healthy. When Parvana is certain that no one is watching, she waves at the window.

Two days later, Parvana and Father are ready to leave. Father tells Parvana that whether she chooses to travel as a boy or a girl, she’s still his “little Malali.” Mrs. Weera shows Parvana Mother’s magazine and asks Parvana to tell Mother that copies are headed all over the world. Parvana hugs Mrs. Weera and Homa and hops into the truck. Shauzia appears with apricots for Parvana. She announces that she met nomads who will take her to Pakistan. Panicked, Parvana asks when they’ll see each other again. Shauzia says that in 20 years, they’ll meet in Paris on the first day of spring. They hug and then the truck pulls out. Parvana wonders where she’ll be in 20 years and what Afghanistan will look like then. The future stretches out before Parvana and Parvana feels ready to meet it. She watches Mount Parvana sparkling in the sun.