Reshmina and the Pashtunwali Code: Chapter 6 Summary
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Chapter 6 opens with Reshmina confronting her brother Pasoon after learning that he and others in the village knew about a planned Taliban attack on the Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers stationed nearby. Reshmina is horrified that Pasoon would stay silent, arguing that the ANA are fellow Afghans and that failing to warn them will only bring American retaliation on the village. Pasoon dismisses her concerns, saying the Afghan soldiers made their choice by working for the Americans. Reshmina threatens to warn the ANA herself, but before she can act, gunfire and explosions erupt, signaling the attack has begun.
Pasoon grabs Reshmina and pulls her back into their home, where the family gathers in the front room. Baba is absent, and Pasoon does not come inside. Anaa leads the women and children to the back room for safety. As fighting rages outside, Reshmina and her sister Marzia huddle together, while Anaa sings to baby Zahir, who is already accustomed to the sounds of war. Reshmina prays for the safety of Baba, Pasoon, and Mariam, the translator she admires.
Even amid the chaos, Reshmina’s mind drifts to her dream of becoming a translator in Kabul, working for the Americans like Mariam does. She believes this path could support her family and spare her from an arranged marriage. She retrieves her blue English notebook from between the sleeping mats and begins studying, determined not to waste a moment.
Her mother, Mor, enters with a broom and confiscates the notebook, ordering Reshmina to focus on housework and to learn how to be a good wife. Mor tells both girls to keep their heads down, insisting that is how a woman survives. Reshmina throws the broom down in frustration. Her grandmother Anaa gently intervenes, asking Reshmina to forgive her mother.
Anaa then shares a painful family history. She describes a peaceful, prosperous Afghanistan from her own youth in Kabul—a time before the Soviet invasion, the Taliban, or the Americans, when women could attend school, work, and even wear miniskirts. She recalls a sister who became a school principal and a woman poet. But that golden era ended forty years ago with the Soviet invasion, and Afghanistan has known war ever since.
Anaa reveals the tragedies that shaped Mor’s life: Mor’s father was killed by a missile while praying; her older brother was killed by the Taliban for no reason; her husband (Reshmina’s father) lost part of his leg to an old Soviet mine; two of her children died before age five; and her eldest daughter, Hila, was killed by an American bomb. Anaa explains that Mor has never known a better Afghanistan and cannot trust in hope, so she tries to protect Reshmina from the pain of dreaming.
Reshmina feels sudden sympathy for her mother, realizing Mor never had someone like Anaa or her teacher to show her a better future. When Mor returns and tells Reshmina to finish gathering firewood, Reshmina meekly agrees. Internally, she resolves to be nicer to her mother but refuses to give up her dreams.
After the battle ends, Reshmina tucks her English notebook under her tunic and heads out to collect firewood. As she walks, she reads English sentences aloud about a girl named Palwasha using a computer and driving a car. She hears a groan and discovers an American soldier lying on the ground, his face charred and his uniform bloodied. He is blind, his eyes sweeping past her without seeing her. Reshmina realizes he will die if no one helps him, either from his wounds or at the hands of the Taliban.
She considers leaving him, recalling that the Americans killed her sister Hila. Pashtunwali, the Pashtun code, permits revenge (badal) against those who have wronged you, and Reshmina feels she could wait years to take vengeance. She starts to slip away, but her notebook falls, making a sound. The soldier hears her and calls out in English, asking for help. Reshmina knows that under Pashtunwali, once someone asks for help or protection, no Pashtun can refuse—this is nanawatai, the tradition of granting refuge. She feels bound to assist him, even though she could still choose revenge. The chapter ends with the soldier begging again, and Reshmina sagging in reluctant acceptance of her duty.
Key Events
- Reshmina learns Pasoon knew about the Taliban attack and argues with him about warning the ANA.
- Gunfire and explosions force the family to take shelter; Pasoon and Baba are outside.
- Mor confiscates Reshmina’s English notebook and orders her to do housework.
- Anaa recounts Afghanistan’s peaceful past and the tragedies that have hardened Mor.
- Reshmina resolves to be kinder to her mother while keeping her own dreams alive.
- After the battle, Reshmina goes to gather firewood and reads English lessons aloud.
- She discovers a blind, wounded American soldier and initially considers leaving him.
- The soldier asks for help, and Reshmina feels compelled by nanawatai to assist him.
Character Development
Reshmina grows significantly in this chapter. She begins with righteous anger toward Pasoon and the villagers for their silence, showing her strong moral compass and her identification with the ANA as fellow Afghans. Her immediate instinct to warn them, despite the danger, reveals her courage and her belief in doing what is right.
Her frustration with her mother’s insistence on traditional roles shows her ambition and desire for independence. But Anaa’s revelation of Mor’s traumatic past transforms Reshmina’s perspective. She moves from resentment to empathy, understanding that her mother’s harshness is a protective mechanism born from a lifetime of loss. This emotional maturity is a key development—Reshmina learns to see her mother as a product of war rather than simply an obstacle.
At the same time, Reshmina refuses to surrender her dreams. She quietly reaffirms her commitment to education and a future as a translator, even while outwardly complying with her mother’s orders. This internal resolve shows her resilience and her ability to hold onto hope in a world that offers little of it.
The most significant development comes at the end of the chapter. Reshmina’s encounter with the American soldier forces her to confront the conflict between revenge (badal) and compassion (nanawatai). She initially wants to let him die, but when he directly asks for help, she feels bound by her cultural code to assist. This moment reveals her deep internalization of Pashtunwali, as well as her struggle to reconcile her personal grief with her duty to a stranger. Her decision—though reluctant—demonstrates that her moral identity is shaped by tradition as much as by her own desires.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Pashtunwali and Moral Conflict: The chapter explicitly introduces Pashtunwali, the Pashtun code of conduct, and its two opposing principles: badal (revenge) and nanawatai (refuge). Reshmina’s dilemma embodies this tension. She has a legitimate grievance against Americans, but the code also demands she help anyone who asks for protection. This conflict drives the chapter’s climax and sets up the central moral question of her storyline.
Generational Trauma and Hope: Anaa’s story illustrates how decades of war have shaped each generation. Mor, born into conflict, has never known peace and therefore fears hope itself. Reshmina, born into the same war, still dares to dream. The contrast between Mor’s despair and Reshmina’s ambition highlights how trauma can either crush or fuel resilience. Anaa serves as a bridge, remembering a better Afghanistan and passing that memory to her granddaughter.
Women’s Education vs. Traditional Roles: Mor’s confiscation of Reshmina’s notebook symbolizes the societal pressure on women to conform to domestic roles. Reshmina’s secret study of English represents her quiet rebellion and her belief that education is her path to freedom. The chapter presents education as a lifeline, not just for personal gain but for the ability to support her family and avoid an arranged marriage.
War’s Impact on Civilians: The chapter shows war as an ever-present backdrop, from the gunfire that rattles dishes to the baby who is already used to explosions. The civilian experience is one of constant fear, loss, and adaptation. The battle is not a distant event but intrudes directly into the family’s home, and its consequences—like the wounded soldier—literally appear in Reshmina’s path.
Dreams as Survival: Reshmina’s internal monologue—“without a dream, without ambition, what point was there to living?”—underscores the theme that hope is essential for survival in a war-torn world. Her English notebook is a tangible symbol of that hope, hidden and protected even when confiscated.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 6 is pivotal for Reshmina’s storyline and for the novel’s exploration of moral complexity. It establishes the cultural framework of Pashtunwali that will govern her actions for the rest of the narrative. The introduction of badal and nanawatai creates a powerful internal conflict that humanizes Reshmina and challenges readers to consider how justice and compassion can coexist.
The chapter also deepens our understanding of the Afghan civilian experience. Through Anaa’s history, Gratz shows that the war is not a simple binary of good versus evil; it is a cycle of violence that has destroyed generations. Reshmina’s empathy for her mother adds emotional depth and prevents the story from becoming a simple tale of a girl overcoming oppression.
Finally, the chapter sets up a major turning point: Reshmina’s decision to help the American soldier. This choice will likely have far-reaching consequences, both for her personal safety and for her relationship with her family and community. It also forces readers to question what they would do in her position, making the novel’s themes resonate on a personal level.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does Anaa’s account of Afghanistan’s past and Mor’s personal losses change Reshmina’s view of her mother?
Anaa reveals that Mor has endured a lifetime of trauma: her father killed by a missile, her brother murdered by the Taliban, her husband maimed by a mine, two children dying young, and her eldest daughter killed by an American bomb. Mor has never known a peaceful Afghanistan, so she cannot trust in hope or dreams. Reshmina realizes her mother’s insistence on traditional roles is not cruelty but a desperate attempt to protect her from the pain of disappointment. This understanding shifts Reshmina from anger to sympathy, though she still refuses to abandon her own aspirations.
2. What is the conflict between badal and nanawatai in this chapter, and how does it affect Reshmina’s decision about the American soldier?
Badal is the Pashtun principle of revenge, which Reshmina feels is justified because Americans killed her sister Hila. Nanawatai is the principle of granting refuge or help to anyone who asks, regardless of who they are. When the blind soldier hears Reshmina and explicitly asks for help, she can no longer ignore him without violating nanawatai. Even though she could still choose revenge by leaving him, doing so would mean denying aid to someone who has requested it. This conflict forces Reshmina to weigh her personal grievance against her cultural duty, and she ultimately feels bound to assist him.
3. How does Reshmina’s English notebook function as a symbol in this chapter?
The notebook represents Reshmina’s dreams of education, independence, and a future as a translator. It is hidden between sleeping mats, suggesting it is a secret act of rebellion. When Mor confiscates it, the notebook becomes a symbol of the societal forces that try to suppress women’s ambitions. Reshmina tucks it under her tunic when she goes to gather firewood, showing her determination to keep her dreams alive despite opposition. The notebook also leads to the discovery of the soldier—its fall alerts him to her presence—making it a catalyst for the chapter’s central moral dilemma.