Resilience and Identity in Deborah Ellis’s “The Breadwinner”: The Fluidity of Gender Under Oppression
Before diving into this essay, you may want to read Deborah Ellis's The Breadwinner or watch the movie adaptation (available on Netflix) to fully appreciate the analysis. Engaging with the source material firsthand will enhance your experience as you explore the complexities of identity and resilience under oppression. The story is available at the following link: https://newtonschools.sch.qa/wp-content/uploads/The-Breadwinner-by-Ellis-Deborah-z-lib.org_.epub_.pdf
The Taliban seized Kabul in 1996 and announced the beginning of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which lasted six years. The Taliban regime was established through conservative religious and political factions, imposed violently on citizens, resulting in the brutal oppression of women, imprisonment of innocents, public executions, house searches, and mass murders. Despite strict surveillance, millions of Afghans managed to flee the country, with a significant number of these being children.
The psychological damage inflicted on Afghan children who experienced the horrors of the Taliban regime has been increasingly discussed in media, art, and political spheres. Writers like Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner), Nadia Hashimi (The Pearl Broke Its Shell) and Atiq Rahimi (Earth and Ashes) have portrayed the weight of the military dictatorship in Afghanistan through the perspectives of young characters. One such work is Deborah Ellis’s The Breadwinner. Ellis, a Canadian human rights activist, dedicates her work “To the children of war”. The novel depicts the life of eleven-year-old Parvana, who desperately tries to survive and provide for her family in Kabul in 2001. A particularly stricking theme in the novel is Parvana’s use of the survival strategy called bacha posh - a practice in which Afghan girls dress like boys to freely leave their homes. This theme reflects the duality of human nature, and Ellis’s novel, though targeted at a young audience, conveys a powerful anti-war message.
In The Breadwinner, Parvana’s character undergoes a significant transformation as she shifts between her female and male identities, creating an ambiguity that is central to the novel’s exploration of survival under opressive regimes. This essay analyzes Parvana’s character before and after she embraces bacha posh, divided into two sections: ‘Parvana: the Resilient Daughter’ and ‘Kaseem: the Surviving Son’. The analysis explores Parvana’s role as a female in Afghan society and emphasizes that Kaseem is not just a mere imitiation of male traits but a significant part of Parvana’s personality.
Bacha posh (from Persian – “dressed up as a boy”) is a tradition still practiced in Afghanistan, though its prevalence is not officially recorded. It is a survival strategy commonly used by children of war. According to the literary scholar Amel Abbady, bacha posh is a forbidden practice in Muslim culture, as it is seen as alienating from God’s creation. The Qur’an and the first hadith state that men must not cross-dress as women, and women are not allowed to represent themselves as men. However, Abbady argues that since Muslims believe actions must be judged by their motives, the act of bacha posh can be accepted because of its survival essence. The female-to-male cross-dressers’ motives are regarded as expressions of social dissatisfaction with the oppression imposed on them. Abbady suggests that bacha posh is often used when a girl needs to receive education, provide for her family, or avoid abuse under severe misogynistic law. This acceptaance of bacha posh, however, does not align with the Taliban’s views portrayed in the novel, though Parvana’s and others’ families approve of this act despite the cultural and religious principles mentioned by Abbady.
Parvana: The Resilient Daughter
The first time the audience meets Parvana, she is described as
trying to “make herself look smaller”, wanting to “be invisible”, and having “even got used to holding her tongue and hiding her face.”
These passages present Parvana as a traumatized young child who avoids trouble, dealing with anger and sadness evoked by helplessness. For instance, she prefers not to think about the poverty caused by the bombs, as these thoughts are overwhelming and confusing. The impact of war and the discriminatory regime has left psychological damage on her, and throughout the novel, she tries to suppress or neglect memories and emotions due to the extreme and circumstances surrounding her. Her father advises her to keep her distance from neighbors because the Taliban encourage spying and to “Never rely on the railing”, a metaphor for the disintegration of Afghanistan’s sense of community. The lack of communication with others confuses Parvana – she understands the need to prioritize safety, but also feels isolated.
However, after her father’s arrest, Parvana adapts impressivly quickly. Four days after her previous resentment toward fetching water, she does so without regard for her bleeding feet, driven by the need to help her family. She speaks freely to Mrs. Weera, a colleague of her mother from the former Afghan Women’s Union, ignoring her father’s advice to keep her distance. Parvana finds courage in the image of the brave young Malali, an Afghan heroine who helped lead troops to victory during the war with the British army. Parvana sees Malali as a role model, comparing herself to the war hero as a coping mechanism in fearsome situations. These events depict Parvana before her transformation into Kaseem, before her embrace of bacha posh. She is portrayed as an impressively resilient person, willing to adapt to relentless conditions despite being cast out of society.
Judith Butler reflects on society’s tendency on categorizing people into a group of Others, stating that communities stigmatize and outcast individuals. According to Butler, this process involves “the ejection and transvaluation of something originally part of identity into a defiling otherness”.
She argues that discrimination of minorities stems from the act of “expulsion” followed by “repulsion”.
In the case of Afghan women under the Taliban regime, the authorities’ misogynistic approach excludes women from society. However, those subjected of this expulsion may voluntarily exclude themselves by accepting their status as Others. Butler argues that this process changes the identity of the Other, significantlly altering it from its initial form and the politically imposed identity.
Ellis represents Afghan women as part of Butler’s Others throughout the novel. Despite their “otherness”, the women in The Breadwinner have accepted their expulsion from society, but continue to fight against the identity differentiation that threatens them. Both of Parvana’s parents are portrayed as part of Butler’s Others. Parvana’s father, who has lost a leg, can be seen as an outcast due to his disability, while her mother, Fatana, is categorized as an Others simply because she is a woman. Despite their exclusion from society, Parvana’s parents support liberal ideas, believe in gender equality, and avoid following Taliban’s extreme rules. Parvana’s father is an open-minded person, teaching his children tolerance and empathy, and even defies his persecutors during his arrest. Before her husband’s arrest, Fatana excludes herself from the community, refusing to go out, and finding no purpose in writing or returning to her old job. However, after her husband is taken away, she composes herself, organizes a secret school for women, and begins publishing an illegal magazine. Mrs. Weera, another character, consistently defies Taliban’s rules, helping Parvana’s family and working on secret projects with Fatana. The resilience and willpower of these characters serve as a driving force for Parvana’s survival, motivating her to continue being the breadwinner for her family.
Kaseem: The Surviving Son
Parvana does not find comfort in the company of her older sister, Nooria, and is jealous of her “beautiful hair, long and thick”. Parvana dreams of growing her hair as long as Nooria’s and the two constantly fight. Parvana also feels unfairness when her parents decide to sell her last shalwar kameez. These details reflect Parvana’s rather natural adherence to female values. However, when she agrees to embrace bacha posh and cuts her hair, she accepts and likes her new look. This reaction can be interpreted as Parvana’s realization that under the Taliban regime long hair imposes restrictions, while short hair provides freedom. This scene connects with the beginning of the novel when she envies the “tea boys” at the market, expressing desire to run as freely as they do. As Kaseem, Parvana fulfills this wish, suggesting that Kaseem has always been part of her, waiting to be evoked.
According to Butler, feminist theorists often view practices such as drag and cross-dressing as “degrading to women”. However, she argues that there is complexity within the connection between an initial form and its imitation, suggesting that
gender parody “does not assume that there is an original which such parodic identities imitate”.
In Parvana’s case, her biological sex and the lack of a male family member place her in a group of repressed people who are outcasts in society. Butler’s theory suggests that cross-dressing as a gender parody represents
“a transfiguration of an Other who is always already a “figure” and can be summarized as “a fantasy of a fantasy”.
Kaseem, therefore, is not a mere imitation of a boy, but a part of Parvana that has been oprressed and is now emerging as a survival strategy. Over time, Kaseem develops into a distinct aspect of Parvana’s identity, so much that Parvana and Kaseem become one person. She does not model Kaseem after anyone else, but instead develops her male personality, guided by her intuition.
Abbady argues that bacha posh can be seen as a “mere illusion” because of the performer’s biological sex. However, Ellis shows the impact of this illusion on Parvana’s mother. When Parvana first dresses as her deceased brother, Hossain, her mother quietly grieves:
“What’s wrong with Mother now?” “(…) She got upset after seeing you in Hossain’s clothes. Can you blame her?”.
The detail illustrates the powerful emotional effect of bacha posh, despite its “artificial” nature. The illusion of bacha posh while not physically transforming Pavana into a boy, deeply influences her identity and the perceptions of those around her. It represents more than just a change in appearance; it is a psychological shift that affects Parvana’s behavior, self-perception, and her relationship with her family.
Kaseem becomes an essential part of Parvana’s survival, allowing her to navigate the male-dominated society under the Taliban. This dual identity gives Parvana the freedom to move in public spaces and perform tasks that would otherwise be impossible for her as a girl. The physical disguise of bacha posh empowers Parvana, but also blurs the lines between male and female identities, showing that gender roles are socially constructed and can be fluid in extreme circumstances. Ellis illustrates this fluidity through Parvana’s ease in slipping into her role as Kaseem, which suggests the attributes of masculinity and femininity are not inherent but can be adopted and shed based on necessity.
Butler’s theory of gender performativity supports this idea by arguing that
gender is not a stable identity but an ongoing performance shaped by societal expectations and constraints.
Parvana’s adoption of Kaseem is a form of gender performativity, where she acts out the role of a boy to meet the needs of ther family and survive in a hostile environment. This performance is not just a disguise but a transformative experience that alters Parvana’s understanding of herself and her place in the world.
Ellis uses Parvana’s transformation into Kaseem to challenge the rigid gender norms imposed by the Taliban, highlighting the resilience and adaptability required to survive under oppressive regimes. As Kaseem, Parvana claims space in society that seeks to erase her, taking on responsibilities unthinkable for her as a girl, such as interacting with strangers, earning money, and even digging up bones to sell. This dual identity becomes more than just survival tactic; it’s a vital part of Parvana’s identity, though it also brings internal conflict as she navigates balance between her female identity and her male persona. The fluidity of her gender identity ultimately becomes of strength, enabling her to adapt to the dangerous world around her.
The novel concludes with Parvana and her father being reunited, deciding to flee Kabul. However, she does not leave Kaseem and her father embraces her as the loving paternal figure she has longed for all this time:
“Now you are both my daughter and my son, (…)”
In The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis not only tells a story of survival but also explores the complexities of identity in a repressive society. Parvana’s transformation into Kaseem illustrates the fluidity of gender and the power of adaptability in the face of oppression. By embracing bacha posh, Parvana resists the Taliban’s attempts to silence and control women, asserting her agency and chellenging the rigid gender norms imposed by the regime. The novel ultimately suggests that identity is not fixed but can be shaped and reshaped by the circumstances and the choices one makes, even in the most difficult situations.
Works Cited
Primary source
Ellis, Deborah. The Breadwinner. Oxford UP, 2014.
Secondary sources
Abbady, Amel. “Afghanistan’s Bacha Posh’: Gender-Crossing in Nadia Hashimi’s
The Pearl That Broke Its Shell.” Muslim Women Speaking Persistently, special issue of Women Studies, vol. 51, no. 2, 2022, pp. 242-53, doi: 10.1080/00497878.2021.2023531.
“Bacha Posh.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June, 2022,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacha_posh. Acessed 14 July 2022.
Butler, Judith. “Gender Trouble.” The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. edited by
Vincent B. Leitch, W. W. Norton & Company, 2018, pp. 2374-88.
Illustration by Daby Faidhi
