(AGG) Just imagine how the essence of who you are would change if you had to keep yourself safe in a war zone! (BS-1) Najmah is a young girl who is forced to adapt as she was faces a similar situation; when she loses her family, she becomes a different person than who she was before. (BS-2) When Najmah is frail and vulnerable, Akhtar and Khalida assist her as she transforms emotionally as well as physically. (BS-3) Lastly, Najmah’s persona grows once again into a person she was not before after she meets Nusrat. (TS) Throughout the book, Under the Persimmon Tree, the events she has to endure have had a strong impact on shaping who she finally becomes.
(MIP-1) When Najmah loses her family, her personality very much develops and changes. …show more content…
This shows that she had been juvenile and naïve. “But I do not ask him inside...he won't get our land without a struggle from me” (59). Her uncle is an adult male, and Najmah is only a child, setting her up to fail if she tried to fight him. But since her family's safety is important to her, she is willing to do anything to save them, even standing up to her uncle. (SIP-B) Once Najmah loses Mada-Jan and Habib to the American bombing, she goes from having to take a parental role to protect her mother and baby brother, i.e., very mature, to extremely defenseless and becoming stuck in a state of pure shock. (STEWE-1) After Mada-Jan and Habib dies, Najmah doesn’t care if she dies; everything she had once lived for is gone. “I do not run or try to hide. I don't care if the Taliban find and kill me” (83). Najmah is in a state of denial and has an extremely hard time accepting that they actually died. She loses her motivation to continue on with her life, which leaves her lacking emotion, and the shock eliminates her ability to take care of herself. Najmah had been doing really well, working for her family and showing that she could be relied upon, and taking care …show more content…
(SIP-A) At first, Najmah is still in shock after she witnesses the deaths of her mom and brother, which cause her to transition physically, along with the influences of Akhtar and Khalida. (STEWE-1) The burial of her hair demonstrates her transformation from Najmah to Shaheed, and this is major “physical” character development. “The hole where Akhtar has buried my hair also holds my mother and baby brother,” (85). Najmah feels as though a major part of her is also being buried in that hole, along with her hair. She would not have thought by herself to pretend to be a boy in order to protect herself and her identity, so it truly was Khalida and Akhtar to thank. (STEWE-2) Najmah’s psyche is also altered, but this time not through the influence of Akhtar and Khalida. “They speak to me and try to make me feel welcome. But I feel as if my tongue has been locked inside my mouth since the moment I saw my mother airing the quilts just before the bombs fell” (88). She changes because she is now in a state of shock which she can’t manage to shake. At this point, she is not choosing to be silent. She is mentally/physically unable to, no matter how much she would like to. (SIP-B) In addition, Najmah is emotionally deadened when she is in her state of shock after the bombings, but finds a new motivation to live when she is taken in by Khalida and Akhtar. (STEWE-1) Najmah
(MIP-1) When Najmah loses her family, her personality very much develops and changes. …show more content…
This shows that she had been juvenile and naïve. “But I do not ask him inside...he won't get our land without a struggle from me” (59). Her uncle is an adult male, and Najmah is only a child, setting her up to fail if she tried to fight him. But since her family's safety is important to her, she is willing to do anything to save them, even standing up to her uncle. (SIP-B) Once Najmah loses Mada-Jan and Habib to the American bombing, she goes from having to take a parental role to protect her mother and baby brother, i.e., very mature, to extremely defenseless and becoming stuck in a state of pure shock. (STEWE-1) After Mada-Jan and Habib dies, Najmah doesn’t care if she dies; everything she had once lived for is gone. “I do not run or try to hide. I don't care if the Taliban find and kill me” (83). Najmah is in a state of denial and has an extremely hard time accepting that they actually died. She loses her motivation to continue on with her life, which leaves her lacking emotion, and the shock eliminates her ability to take care of herself. Najmah had been doing really well, working for her family and showing that she could be relied upon, and taking care …show more content…
(SIP-A) At first, Najmah is still in shock after she witnesses the deaths of her mom and brother, which cause her to transition physically, along with the influences of Akhtar and Khalida. (STEWE-1) The burial of her hair demonstrates her transformation from Najmah to Shaheed, and this is major “physical” character development. “The hole where Akhtar has buried my hair also holds my mother and baby brother,” (85). Najmah feels as though a major part of her is also being buried in that hole, along with her hair. She would not have thought by herself to pretend to be a boy in order to protect herself and her identity, so it truly was Khalida and Akhtar to thank. (STEWE-2) Najmah’s psyche is also altered, but this time not through the influence of Akhtar and Khalida. “They speak to me and try to make me feel welcome. But I feel as if my tongue has been locked inside my mouth since the moment I saw my mother airing the quilts just before the bombs fell” (88). She changes because she is now in a state of shock which she can’t manage to shake. At this point, she is not choosing to be silent. She is mentally/physically unable to, no matter how much she would like to. (SIP-B) In addition, Najmah is emotionally deadened when she is in her state of shock after the bombings, but finds a new motivation to live when she is taken in by Khalida and Akhtar. (STEWE-1) Najmah