Parvana's Journey

Ellis highlights the familial relationships that grow among Parvana, Asif, Leila, and Hassan as they stay at the camp together. The children don’t have anyone else, only each other. They are surrounded by families and claim one another as brothers and sisters several times throughout these final chapters. The difficulties they faced together have brought them close. Perhaps the most poignant example of their family-like bond occurs when Leila runs into the minefield and is injured by a mine explosion. Asif says, “She’s our sister!” (157), and Parvana runs into the field after her without thinking; her love for Leila truly mirrors that of a sister. After carrying Leila’s body back to the camp, someone in the gathering crowd again identifies Leila as the sister of Parvana and Asif. Through these many mentions of the children as siblings, both from themselves and others, Ellis shows the need the children have for family, as well as the way hardship creates familial closeness among people whether they are blood relatives. All of the children experience separation from their biological family members because of the war, so they band together and create their own family.

Ellis uses vivid descriptions to characterize the internal refugee camp setting and provide a realistic picture of what it would be like to stay there. She shows that, although the camp is probably safer than traveling on the road, it comes with its own set of hardships for the children. The camp is overcrowded, smelly, and lacking privacy. Parvana waits in endless lines for bread and water, but sometimes the daily supply runs out before she reaches the front. Furthermore, the camp sits right next to a minefield. Ironically, a camp intended to be a place of safety neighbors a field of explosives. Many of the people in the camp are desperate from hunger, injury, and grief.

For example, one man in the camp walks through the crowd trying to sell his baby to feed his other children. Parvana wails in shock and horror from her surroundings. A kind woman passing by comforts her with a hug, and this simple gesture bolsters Parvana’s spirit. This situation highlights the desperation of people at the camp, as well as the way the environment takes a toll on Parvana. Yet in the midst of these awful conditions, a kind word from a stranger helps Parvana carry on. Ellis’s description of the internal refugee camp exposes young readers to more realities of war: the many people displaced from their homes, the deplorable conditions of camps like these, the constant hunger and thirst people face, and the emotional toll of war.

Ellis brings events full circle as the novel begins and ends with a funeral. Parvana buried her father at the novel’s opening, and she now buries Leila as the novel ends. Parvana was disguised as a boy and among strangers when she buried her father and was shouldering her grief alone. In contrast, Parvana now has her family beside her, including Asif and Hassan. She has people she loves around her with whom she can share her sorrow. Furthermore, she now dresses as a girl. Although this places her in more danger, she is more connected to her identity. Rather than hiding who she is, she can be herself amongst her family as she grapples with Leila’s death.

Ellis shows that, even though circumstances improved for Parvana since the novel’s beginning, her journey is still not over. Many dangers persist, such as the coming winter, the war that continues, and the lack of food at the camp. However, in her final letter to Shauzia, Parvana expresses thankfulness to have her family, and hope that she will one day meet her friend at the Eiffel Tower. Ellis concludes the novel with a sobering reminder that Parvana will never really have a happy ending because of the irrevocable damage she and her family suffered. She has hope for a better life in the future, but she will never be able to undo the physical and emotional losses she has experienced.