Amal Unbound

In these initial chapters, we meet the first-person narrator, twelve-year-old Amal, and are introduced to Pakistani culture—both its traditions and its injustices—which governs Amal’s daily life. Saeed also establishes the novel’s evolving themes of gender and class inequality, courage, and the importance of education.

Contemporary Pakistani culture is patriarchal, especially in more rural areas like Amal’s small village. The father is the authority in the family, and the society is typically governed by men. Women do not have equal access to resources such as education, jobs, or property. There are distinct gender roles in the culture: women routinely care for the home and family, while men provide for the family by earning their living outside the home. Family takes priority over everything. This traditional structure is evident in Amal’s family. As eldest daughter, Amal dutifully follows her Abu’s instructions to stay home from school and take care of the household after the birth of her baby sister. Even Amal’s teacher, Miss Sadia, agrees that “family comes first” (2). However, Amal chafes at these restrictions.

Amal has both dreams and ambition: She wants to be a teacher and plans to attend college. Amal is curious about life and is willing to break rules she feels are unjust—like meeting secretly with Omar, and entering her mother’s birthing room, both of which are considered taboo. When Amma, apparently suffering from postpartum depression, does not return to her role as homemaker after having the baby, Amal gains a greater understanding of the conventional constraints that bind her. Up until now, her actions have been largely unhindered. Amal’s comments at the end of Chapter 1 foreshadow how much Amal has taken “life for granted” (4).

Amal recognizes the disparity between genders, which highlights the theme of gender inequity. The boys’ school, for instance, has a larger library and more resources than the girls’ school. The boys’ boarding school—for those who can afford it—offers even more opportunities. After Lubna’s birth, Amal gains greater understanding of the lesser status of girls in her culture. She is troubled by the unfairness that she and her sisters are less valuable to their family than boys. Abu, operating from patrilineal tradition, believes that education is not as important for Amal as it would be for a boy. He believes she has already learned enough, since her societal role will ultimately be that of wife and mother, which means taking care of the home. Amal disagrees. Her desire to learn and achieve a professional goal embodies Saeed’s theme of the importance of education and the freedom it grants.

Class discrimination also emerges as one of the novel’s developing themes. Amal’s village is held in thrall by the wealthy Khan family. A “powerful landlord,” Khan Sahib is a bogeyman figure to young children and feared by adults. Their dependence upon him for loans puts them in his power, subjecting them to “punishment” from his son and retaliation if they try to stand up to him. The women’s discussion about the hopelessness of defying the Khan family indicates their lower social class and lack of privilege. It also foreshadows their powerlessness in events to come.

Books, and especially poetry, become early symbols of education in these chapters. Poetry is particularly important in Pakistani history and culture. Miss Sadia mentions several famed poets. Ghalib, born in 1797, was an Urdu and Persian poet whose ghazals—poems made up of linked couplets with a refrain—were set to music and sung. Sir Muhammad Iqbal was a poet who also helped found the country of Pakistan. Rumi was an influential 13th century Persian poet whose works have been translated into many languages. Hafez, or “Hafiz,” the poet whose book Amal borrows from Omar, is one of the most popular Persian poets. His works influenced the writings of Emerson ("Nature," "Self Reliance"), Thoreau (Walden, "Civil Disobedience"), and Goethe (The Sorrows of Young Werther, Faust). Miss Sadia urges Amal to write poetry because everyone’s life has value and is worth celebrating. Self-growth, courage, freedom, and equality become important concepts as the novel progresses.

Saeed also introduces elements of Pakistani culture that are intrinsic parts of Amal’s life, but which may be unfamiliar to some readers. Women, for instance, wear a chador, or large cloth that is wrapped around their head and body. Amal also mentions wearing her kamiz, a long, knee-length shirt, over her shalwar, or loose-fitting pants. Amal’s mother’s friends are called by a combination of their first name and “Auntie,” like Fozia Auntie, or Mariam Auntie. Adding Auntie to the given name of an elder is a sign of respect for the older generation and indicates that they are as close as family. Amal’s Muslim religion is suggested in references to daily calls to prayers. Saeed’s inclusion of cultural detail helps establish the setting and creates the basis for readers’ cross-cultural comparison.