The Breadwinner

by

Deborah Ellis

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Breadwinner makes teaching easy.

Mrs. Weera Character Analysis

Mrs. Weera, an older woman, is a friend of Parvana’s family. A former gym teacher, Mrs. Weera is tall and athletic, and she insists that she’s not afraid of the Taliban because she could outrun the soldiers—and outfight them if necessary. In her youth she was a runner and earned medals for her speed, though she lost most of them in Kabul’s many bombings over the last decade. When Parvana runs into her in the market, Mrs. Weera and her toddler granddaughter are the last Weeras left. Mrs. Weera doesn’t let the Taliban’s oppressive rule make her sad or despondent, so she throws herself into getting Mother back up and feeling strong again. She’s a welcome presence in Parvana’s home, as she’s another adult who can relieve Nooria of some of her duties and inspires Mother to work on a magazine with her. Mrs. Weera is part of a secret women’s group and takes pride in being able to resist the Taliban in these underground, quiet ways. She’s also very respectful of Parvana and her budding maturity, making it clear that she wants Parvana to forge her own path, but that she’ll always be around if Parvana needs or wants support. Despite this seeming support for young girls’ independence, Mrs. Weera does take offense when she learns that Shauzia wants to run away from her family. As far as Mrs. Weera is concerned, people have a responsibility to care for their families, even when it’s hard or means making sacrifices. At the end of the novel, Mrs. Weera is prepared to take Homa with her to a refugee camp in Pakistan, where she plans to start a school and work on more resistance efforts with her women’s group.

Mrs. Weera Quotes in The Breadwinner

The The Breadwinner quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Weera or refer to Mrs. Weera. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Afghanistan, History, and Pride Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

“Mrs. Weera!” Nooria exclaimed. Relief washed over her face. Here was someone who could take charge, who could take some of the responsibility off of her shoulders.

Related Characters: Nooria (speaker), Parvana, Mrs. Weera, Mother
Page Number: 56-57
Explanation and Analysis:

She kept hauling water. Her arms were sore, and the blisters on her feet started to bleed again, but she didn’t think about that. She fetched water because her family needed it, because her father would have expected her to. Now that Mrs. Weera was there and her mother was up, things were going to get easier, and she would do her part.

Related Characters: Parvana, Father, Mrs. Weera, Mother
Page Number: 58
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

“You’re not cutting my hair!” Parvana’s hands flew up to her head.

“How else will you look like a boy?” Mother asked.

“Cut Nooria’s hair! She’s the oldest! It’s her responsibility to look after me, not my responsibility to look after her!”

“No one would believe me to be a boy,” Nooria said calmly, looking down at her body.

Related Characters: Parvana (speaker), Nooria (speaker), Mother (speaker), Mrs. Weera
Related Symbols: Hair
Page Number: 62
Explanation and Analysis:

“It has to be your decision,” Mrs. Weera said. “We can force you to cut off your hair, but you’re still the one who has to go outside and act the part. We know this is a big thing we’re asking, but I think you can do it. How about it?”

Parvana realized Mrs. Weera was right. They could hold her down and cut off her hair, but for anything more, they needed her cooperation. In the end, it really was her decision.

Somehow, knowing that made it easier to agree.

Related Characters: Mrs. Weera (speaker), Parvana, Nooria, Mother
Related Symbols: Hair
Page Number: 63
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

“I need a break,” she told her mother. “I don’t want to see anything ugly for a little while.”

Mother and Mrs. Weera had heard about the events at the stadium from other women’s group mothers. Some had husbands or brothers who had been there. “This goes on every Friday,” Mother said. “What century are we living in?”

Related Characters: Parvana (speaker), Mother (speaker), Mrs. Weera, Shauzia
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

“Shauzia has family here. Do you mean to say she would just leave her family? Desert the team just because the game is rough?”

Parvana said no more. In a way, Mrs. Weera was right. That was what Shauzia was doing. But Shauzia was also right. Didn’t she have a right to seek out a better life? Parvana couldn’t decide who was more right.

Related Characters: Mrs. Weera (speaker), Parvana, Shauzia
Page Number: 141
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Breadwinner PDF

Mrs. Weera Quotes in The Breadwinner

The The Breadwinner quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Weera or refer to Mrs. Weera. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Afghanistan, History, and Pride Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

“Mrs. Weera!” Nooria exclaimed. Relief washed over her face. Here was someone who could take charge, who could take some of the responsibility off of her shoulders.

Related Characters: Nooria (speaker), Parvana, Mrs. Weera, Mother
Page Number: 56-57
Explanation and Analysis:

She kept hauling water. Her arms were sore, and the blisters on her feet started to bleed again, but she didn’t think about that. She fetched water because her family needed it, because her father would have expected her to. Now that Mrs. Weera was there and her mother was up, things were going to get easier, and she would do her part.

Related Characters: Parvana, Father, Mrs. Weera, Mother
Page Number: 58
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

“You’re not cutting my hair!” Parvana’s hands flew up to her head.

“How else will you look like a boy?” Mother asked.

“Cut Nooria’s hair! She’s the oldest! It’s her responsibility to look after me, not my responsibility to look after her!”

“No one would believe me to be a boy,” Nooria said calmly, looking down at her body.

Related Characters: Parvana (speaker), Nooria (speaker), Mother (speaker), Mrs. Weera
Related Symbols: Hair
Page Number: 62
Explanation and Analysis:

“It has to be your decision,” Mrs. Weera said. “We can force you to cut off your hair, but you’re still the one who has to go outside and act the part. We know this is a big thing we’re asking, but I think you can do it. How about it?”

Parvana realized Mrs. Weera was right. They could hold her down and cut off her hair, but for anything more, they needed her cooperation. In the end, it really was her decision.

Somehow, knowing that made it easier to agree.

Related Characters: Mrs. Weera (speaker), Parvana, Nooria, Mother
Related Symbols: Hair
Page Number: 63
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

“I need a break,” she told her mother. “I don’t want to see anything ugly for a little while.”

Mother and Mrs. Weera had heard about the events at the stadium from other women’s group mothers. Some had husbands or brothers who had been there. “This goes on every Friday,” Mother said. “What century are we living in?”

Related Characters: Parvana (speaker), Mother (speaker), Mrs. Weera, Shauzia
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

“Shauzia has family here. Do you mean to say she would just leave her family? Desert the team just because the game is rough?”

Parvana said no more. In a way, Mrs. Weera was right. That was what Shauzia was doing. But Shauzia was also right. Didn’t she have a right to seek out a better life? Parvana couldn’t decide who was more right.

Related Characters: Mrs. Weera (speaker), Parvana, Shauzia
Page Number: 141
Explanation and Analysis: