Najmah’s Characteristics The intellect and willpower of a human goes beyond the limits of nature as they have the ability to change their understanding of who they are when faced in the loss of their known world. This is displayed with the main character Najmah from the well-known book Under the Persimmon Tree as she took comfort in her family, allowing them to protect her from her consistent anxiety. Najmah becomes responsible when her father and brother were taken away from her, allowing her to take control of her fears and use them to protect her dismayed mother and unborn baby brother. Tragically, her world changes when the land she grew up in was destroyed by American bombs, killing her innocent mother and brother. This caused
…show more content…
Rather than take action, Najmah depends on her household to comfort her. The day starts like any other day as Najmah is being greeted by derision by her older, mischievous brother, Nur. His teasing lowers Najmah’s mood as he takes comfort in manipulating her fears. As Najmah stated, “ Nur was only teasing. But I really am convinced a large animal with long, pointed teeth is waiting to pounce on me” (6). In spite of her willpower, Najmah is frightful that her worst fears of leopards would come true. Her gullibility impacts her, as she believes in her brother’s words even though she knows it is dubious to have a leopard in Afghanistan, especially in the mountain region. Not to mention, Najmah’s preposterous fears intrudes on her daily chores that are essential to the family’s welfare. She alarmingly stated, “ my heart hammers, and I want to run back to the house, but I know Mada-jan will be angry” (6). This shows Najmah expressing some negligence to her parents as she does not seem to appreciate them for the life they gave to her. Without a doubt, her parents comfort Najmah by taking away some of the pain left behind from her fears and use them to help ease the anxiety she has. As Najmah stated, “ usually Mada-jan fetches the wood, leaving me to make naan inside our mud-brick house, because she knows I'm afraid” (6). This …show more content…
Without a doubt, we see a glimmer of hope in Najmah when we see her thinking about a plan to escape and how determined she is, even though it will be difficult to find her brother and father in Peshawar. As Najmah stated, " And so I lie awake the rest of the night thinking about my plan, staring at the stars, and praying for guidance" (131). Including the characteristic of determination, Najmah is also more deliberate as she took careful consideration about her escape plan where she knows that it will be senseless and could result in her death due to the lack of food supply. She is finally opening herself back to society, as she is letting go of her traumatized state that has obstructed her from doing essential tasks, necessary for her survival. As Najmah finally found Nur, learning about the death of baba-jan, she finally goes up to the task of respecting her father’s last wish. As she bravely stated, “ Uncle or someone else surely will take our land if we do not go back” (256). Despite Najmah knowing the consequences of traveling by foot over a long distance, she bravely stated her thoughts to everyone as she felt the need to remember her father’s dignity in respect. Sadly, Najmah and Nur will likely be prone to many effects of their decision, such as meeting bandits, lack of food supply, landmines, and
Rather than take action, Najmah depends on her household to comfort her. The day starts like any other day as Najmah is being greeted by derision by her older, mischievous brother, Nur. His teasing lowers Najmah’s mood as he takes comfort in manipulating her fears. As Najmah stated, “ Nur was only teasing. But I really am convinced a large animal with long, pointed teeth is waiting to pounce on me” (6). In spite of her willpower, Najmah is frightful that her worst fears of leopards would come true. Her gullibility impacts her, as she believes in her brother’s words even though she knows it is dubious to have a leopard in Afghanistan, especially in the mountain region. Not to mention, Najmah’s preposterous fears intrudes on her daily chores that are essential to the family’s welfare. She alarmingly stated, “ my heart hammers, and I want to run back to the house, but I know Mada-jan will be angry” (6). This shows Najmah expressing some negligence to her parents as she does not seem to appreciate them for the life they gave to her. Without a doubt, her parents comfort Najmah by taking away some of the pain left behind from her fears and use them to help ease the anxiety she has. As Najmah stated, “ usually Mada-jan fetches the wood, leaving me to make naan inside our mud-brick house, because she knows I'm afraid” (6). This …show more content…
Without a doubt, we see a glimmer of hope in Najmah when we see her thinking about a plan to escape and how determined she is, even though it will be difficult to find her brother and father in Peshawar. As Najmah stated, " And so I lie awake the rest of the night thinking about my plan, staring at the stars, and praying for guidance" (131). Including the characteristic of determination, Najmah is also more deliberate as she took careful consideration about her escape plan where she knows that it will be senseless and could result in her death due to the lack of food supply. She is finally opening herself back to society, as she is letting go of her traumatized state that has obstructed her from doing essential tasks, necessary for her survival. As Najmah finally found Nur, learning about the death of baba-jan, she finally goes up to the task of respecting her father’s last wish. As she bravely stated, “ Uncle or someone else surely will take our land if we do not go back” (256). Despite Najmah knowing the consequences of traveling by foot over a long distance, she bravely stated her thoughts to everyone as she felt the need to remember her father’s dignity in respect. Sadly, Najmah and Nur will likely be prone to many effects of their decision, such as meeting bandits, lack of food supply, landmines, and