82 pages • 2 hours read
N. H. SenzaiShooting Kabul
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Mariam’s Barbie Doll, Gulmina
Mariam’s Barbie Doll symbolizes Mariam’s personality and her connection to both Afghan and American culture. Gulmina is first mentioned when Mariam asks Noor if she can help sew Gulmina a new dress. Mariam inherited the doll from Noor, and it serves as a connection between the two sisters. The doll is an important object in Mariam’s life: “the envy of all her friends. […] And now, even though the doll’s features had faded and she was missing a left hand, Gulmina accompanied Mariam everywhere” (80). Mariam loves the color pink, and she asks her sister to make the doll’s dress pink or lavender. When Noor does sew Gulmina a dress, it is a hot pink burka like the one Mariam wears. We usually think about Barbie as quintessentially American, but the image of the doll in a burka demonstrates Mariam’s cultural fluidity. The dress also foreshadows the outfit Mariam is wearing when she is discovered: At the end of the novel, Fadi recognizes Mariam in the photograph because she is wearing a bright pink burka.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
This fictitious book is the only one Fadi saves and brings with him when the family leaves Afghanistan. Fadi identifies with the novel’s protagonist, Claudia, who saves her brother and escapes a museum. He admires her quick thinking and determination, and he sees a parallel between his life and the book because his family is about to escape from Kabul. Fadi has just begun reading the book, so as his story unfolds, the book’s events unfold, relating to Fadi’s life and his desire to rescue Mariam. When Fadi finishes the book, he cannot give it away: “Claudia felt like a friend” (621). The book becomes a talisman that gives him hope for finding Mariam because of the success of Claudia’s mission.
Later in the novel, Fadi starts to see the differences between his and Claudia’s situations. Claudia and her brother find money in the museum’s fountain, which aids in their escape. When Fadi reflects on his family’s financial struggles, he begins to realize that the plot of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Krankweiler is unrealistic. He learns that life does not unfold like a fictional plot when he fails to carry out his plan of hiding in his father’s trunk to catch a plane to Peshawar. In the end, he realizes that Mrs. Frankweiler helped Claudia solved her mystery; Claudia did not do it alone. This reality helps Fadi understand that he will need help to getting Mariam back.
The Honey Tin
Like Gulmina and the book, Fadi’s honey tin holds sentimental value, even though the objects inside are worthless. The tin reminds Fadi of Mariam because it contains Gulmina’s broken hand and because he helped Mariam find the box, which she had buried like a treasure. Even more than the camera or the book, the tin is a “permanent fixture” in his backpack. While Fadi does not realize it, he saved something that was even more important to Mariam than her Barbie: their memories. He is too focused on what he failed to do to recognize the importance of what he has done. Significantly, it is the sight of Mariam’s tin on the ground after Ike and Felix bully him that makes him angry enough to fight back, rather than his smashed camera. The tin is one of the gifts Fadi prepares for Mariam upon her return, and one she may cherish it more than the new Barbies or fancy chocolates she receives.
Traditional Afghan Food
The Nurzais’ life is full of struggle when they arrive in the United States. Mariam’s loss, their displacement, and the long, anxiety-filled journey out of Kabul leave them in a state of constant stress, even when they do not show it. One bright spot that brings the family together is the homecooked meals that Khala Nilufer and the other women prepare. Not long after Fadi and his family arrive, they move in with Amin and his family. To welcome their guests, the women prepare “endless platters of food” (539). No matter what difficulties the family faces, traditional Afghan food and traditions always bring them together. In a foreign country, their culture becomes doubly important. They eat around a traditional dastarkhan and give praise to Allah. These practices help the family maintain hope and draw Fadi closer to the rest of his family, even when he feels overpowering guilt.
