i actually like, really like the way parvana and shauzia are characterized so easily through the way they interact with the storyworld. parvana, at first, tries to make sulayman go on his adventure alone; he’s cold and scared and desperate. it isn’t until when shauzia interjects with the old horse that it lightens up a bit, but then immediately goes back to this feeling of isolation when parvana decides to make sulayman get thrown into the well.

one of my most favorite traits (if not the favorite) of parvana is her selfishness. yes, selfishness. it’s so easy to look at her and just chalk her up as: caring, kind, observant, selfless. but humans are not so simple to define, and neither is parvana alizai! her selflessness is selfish! she spends her whole life intertwining her worth and ego with how helpful she is (see: one more mountain). and whenever she gets any chance to slow down, to take a break, to set boundaries for herself, she doesn’t. she keeps on going and going cause that’s all she knows how to do. her character bio literally states that, “she wants to learn, but on her terms and only what interests her in the moment,” and also, “she is here to touch, to break and to rebuild.” there’s a part of parvana that has always prioritized her own feelings before everyone else’s! when she’s upset at her family, she just leaves. (see: the scene in the movie where soraya and fattema argue against parvana going to the prison). when she doesn’t feel needed, she immediately makes it about herself, rather than trying to conceptualize why is it that she is not needed. (see: the scene in parvana’s journey in which asif is cleaning leila’s wounds, and outright tells her that she doesn’t need to help them, because she doesn’t!). when she needs something, she automatically believes it will be given to her (see: the goodbye scene, where parvana asks shauzia for money immediately after dropping one of the most last-minute emotionally damaging information! and then looks surprised when shauzia is, in fact, upset about it!)