Themes In Under The Persimmon Tree By Suzanne Staples

Imagine living your normal life, life is good and everything is going the way you want it to go. Then, suddenly all your rights are taken away. What you own is taken from you and you are thrown around like you are nothing but garbage. This is what it was like to live in Pakistan and Afghanistan when the Taliban came to power. In reality, they were very controlling and cruel and this was portrayed very accurately in the novel Under the Persimmon Tree, by Suzanne Fisher Staples. Najmah and her family, as well as Nusrat, are treated unfairly and are largely affected by the Taliban in the story. People in the real world who lived in Pakistan and Afghanistan during the Taliban’s reign were also treated like Najmah and Nusrat were. In fact, the …show more content…
They also change who Najmah becomes. Many of her choices and what her character becomes are affected by the Taliban throughout the book. Najmah and her family fear the Taliban and try to take action to make sure the Taliban are stopped. Najmah is very glad that “the mujahideen control the northern part of Afghanistan, and they leave us alone. We give them wheat and vegetables because Baba-jan says they need help to keep the Pashtun talib out of Kunduz" (Staples 10). Her family is doing all that they can to make sure the Taliban are defeated. The Taliban attack Najmah’s village and begin to steal from the people who live in the village. They raid through Najmah’s house and strike fear into her and her family. The Taliban are looking for resources in the houses they rummage through. They scream at Baba-jan '"your guns!' The leader repeats and hammers Baba-jan’s shoulder with the heel of his hand, knocking him off balance again” (18). The Taliban injure Baba-jan and take him and Nur from Najmah which makes her very upset. The Taliban assault Baba-jan and “Baba-jan ducks and turns, and the blow hits his shoulder” (18). This attack makes Baba-jan more vulnerable and easier for the Taliban to abduct. The Taliban become such a large threat that the USA decides they have to start bombing them to stop them from gaining power. They start to drop bombs, “After the deafening thumps and roaring of the explosions, suddenly I hear nothing” (67). Najmah’s little brother and mother are killed by the bombs that were dropped to kill the Taliban. If the Taliban hadn’t been such a threat the bombs never would have been dropped and her family never would have died. If the Taliban weren't a group that caused terror, Najmah wouldn’t have been affected in these