Parvana has been habituated to deal with the Taliban in her struggles. When she becomes a letter reader and a seller, she deals with her customers
who are Taliban people. She is not afraid to yell to Taliban soldiers in her attempt to save her father. She deals with them when she escorts her family to
take a walk outside. These efforts have encouraged her to gain full of confidence in her next struggle. Her efforts and struggles can give significant
meaning to the female children in Taliban society and they should be confident and brave to fight against the
Taliban’s rules which place women as the second layer of society.
2. Improving a Sense of Pride on Herself
Parvana’s struggles against gender inequality in Taliban society do not only give boost her self-esteem or confidence but they also improve her pride.
Pride is a great feeling of happiness because something that has been done achieves a great result. It is more than a feeling of confidence. Confidence is
belief that she or he is able to do something while a pride means an action of acknowledging her or his capability in accomplishing certain goal.
Parvana’s struggles can motivate female children in Taliban society that they should acknowledge their capability in accomplishing something that
they have done. Parvana’s improved feeling of pride can be portrayed by this datum:
Parvana knew she had to fetch the water because there was nobody else in the family who could do it. Sometimes this made her resentful. Sometimes
it made her proud. One thing she knew —it didn’t matter how she felt.
Good mood or bad, the water had to be fetched, and she had to fetch it. Ellis, 2000: 20-21
The data above shows that Parvana’s struggle in fetching the water for her family has improved Parvana’s pride. She is proud of herself because she is
the only one in the family who can fetch the water. She is proud of herself because she can do something beneficial for her family. She acknowledges
her capability to help her family to get water which is highly needed for their daily activities. She no longer feels inferior upon herself. Even though she is
forced by the condition to do that, it still makes her proud of herself. Parvana’s pride of herself keeps improving along with the more struggles
she does. It is shown by this datum: Parvana left the shop with rice and tea, feeling very proud of herself.
“I can do this” she whispered. Onions were cheap at the vegetable stand. She bought a few.
“Look what I got” Parvana exclaimed, as she burst through the door of her home. “I did it I did the shopping, and nobody bothered me.”Ellis,
2000: 71
It shows how Parvana feels so proud of herself because she has managed to buy rice and tea. She struggles to buy foods for her family. She goes out of
her house and she should deal with the Taliban soldiers’ threat outside. Finally, she succeeds in doing these. She is so excited to show her family what she has
bought. She also shows off that no one annoys her in the market. Therefore, she is extremely proud of her own effort.
Parvana’s struggles in becoming the breadwinner for her family have also improved her pride on herself. In a very young age, she has earned money
independently. Moreover, the money is used to fulfill her family’s needs.
Something caught her eye, a flicker of movement. She thought it came from the blacked-out window, but how could it? Parvana decided she was
imagining things. She folded up the blanket and tucked it under her arm. She felt the money she’d earned, tucked safely in her pocket.
Feeling very proud of herself, she ran all the way home. Ellis, 2000: 82
The datum above shows how proud Parvana is after she earns money. At the beginning, Parvana works in the market and does two things. First, she
works as a letter reader. Second, she works as a seller. These are her new experiences to go outside in order to work alone. Moreover, firstly she is doubt
whether she can do these jobs. She believes that her disguise will not work Ellis, 2000: 82. However, her disguise as a boy completely succeeds. No one
notices her as a girl and finally she can earn money for her family. Because of her struggle, Parvana’s pride is improved.
At first, Parvana does not fully acknowledge her capability. She says that sometimes she is proud of herself that she can fetch water for her family’s daily
needs. Along with the struggles that she does, she gains more experiences. Finally, she can fully feel proud of her capability in struggling for her family. It
means that her pride is improved along the experiences she gets. It conveys the message to female children in Taliban society that their capability is worthy
and they should be proud of the result of what they have done.
3. Arousing a Feeling of Satisfaction of Her Efforts
