Mustafa Ali

Literary Analysis

In the book Born under a Million Shadows, by Andrea Busfield we are

introduced to a differentiation of stereotypes about the Middle East and the eastern
culture in general. The author mainly wants to point out that eastern and western
cultures in Afghanistan collide not only through war but through cultural
intermingling. Having a viewpoint of an 11-year-old Fawad (main character) whose
mom started working for a group of American foreigners, Fawad gets to see the
western culture and also the goodness of his country. Using a young kid to show
that the Middle East is not bad is one way the author relates the story to real life.
The author claims that Americans think that the east is an uncivilized sandbox but
that is wrong because the eastern world is as civilized as the western world. She
also states that the Middle East has stereotypes towards the westerners as well.
Through the use of first person narration, descriptive dialogue, figurative language,
imagery, setting, tone and word choice, the author tries to disseminate the
stereotypes held by the Eastern and Western cultures and tries to say that we are
all equal.
Starting off, Andrea Busfield uses a rather straight forward introduction to
introduce the main character Fawad to the story. My name is Fawad, and my
mother tells me I was born under the shadows of the Taliban (Busfield p.3). The
author proceeds this introduction writing Because she said no more, I imagined her
stepping out of the sunshine and into the dark, crouching in a corner to protect the
stomach that was hiding me, while a man with a stick watched over us, ready to
beat me into the world. (Busfield p.3). This introduction presents the reader with
the main character and also gives them a hint about his country and the Taliban, the
bad ones that are ruining the country of Afghanistan. From here until the end of the
book, the author captivates the readers attention through the eyes of Fawad and
his journey.
Andrea Busfield narrates this book through the eyes of an eleven years old
boy living in Afghanistan, a land controlled by the Taliban. Fawads father and
brother have been killed, his sister has been abducted and is gone forever while his
mother Mariya is forced to rely on family charity. Thing start to kick off in the book
when Fawads mother, Mariya becomes the live-in housekeeper of three westerners
Georgie, a worker in National Geographic, James, the journalist and the lesbian
engineer May. The authors use of first person lets the reader view the story in a
detailed and different way. With Fawads mother working for the foreigners, Fawad is
now living with her in the foreigners big house. Fawad is a curious kid, when he
moves in, he starts to spy on the foreigners and explore the things they do. Now
and again my mother would catch me spying on the foreigners and shake her head,

but although her eyes looked puzzled they seemed fairly unconcerned (Busfield
p.19). once my mother had gone to sleep, I would sneak out of my room and
shimmy up the wall of the secret passageway. From there I could see the door to
Mays bedroom, on which was hung a long woolen jacket... (Busfield p.25). These
quotes not only represent the first person technique the author uses, but also gives
the reader a hint to how Fawad, the afghan viewed these new westerners. The
author uses first person to show how this young Afghan kid acts curious and strange
towards people who are not from his country. This is one way the author tries to
show off the stereotypes held by Afghans towards westerners; Afghans see
westerners as being some strange aliens from another planet while in reality they
are normal people just like them.
Another way the author tries to show and disseminate the stereotypes held
by afghans and westerners is by her descriptive dialogue. Throughout the book,
Fawad gets to know the foreigners he is living with very well and they take him as
being one of their friends and they give him a glance at the western culture through
What we dont do, however, is drink alcohol from the moment we get up until
the moment we fall into bed or, in Jamess case, on the stairs. And after
attending my first celebration of Jesuss birthday I now understand why
everybody needs two days off work to recover. As a Muslim I respect the
foreigners Jesus and I like the fact that they celebrate his birthday even if they
have got their facts muddled. However, it was hard to believe that for such a big
day in their calendar I never once heard my friends mention Jesuss name.
Although James shouted Christ when he slipped on the stairs. (Busfield p.103104).
Christmas.
This quote represents Fawad being a bit perturbed by the foreigners Christmas and
how it is different from his cultures celebrations. The authors immersive use of
descriptive dialogue shows the difference between the western and eastern culture.
Fawad is exposed to a lot of aspects of the western culture: alcohol, Christmas, sex
pistols, etc Fawad compares these things to his own beliefs and most of the time
think that what the westerns are doing is wrong. Although he gets mad about some
of these things, Fawad learns to understand their ways and lifestyle and respects it.
Through this process, Fawad learns a lot about the western world, he learns that
having their facts muddled, they are practicing a religion they do not recognize
much like the Afghans after the Taliban invaded their country.
Moreover, another way Andrea Busfield tries to get her point out to the
readers is by her use of figurative language. The author tries to present the idea
that Afghanistan is a peaceful land and its people are wonderful and not evil.
Towards the middle of the book, Fawad talks about his country to Georgie who is

going to marry Haji Khan (A war fighter who kicked the Taliban out of Afghanistan)
and he tells her something that had a very deep meaning to it.
This quote has a very deep meaning to it, when Fawad said this to Georgie, she felt
sympathy for his country and hated the fact that westerns see this wonderful as
being a sandbox filled with terrorists. The author was trying to show a connection
The foreigners can keep their talk of beautiful scenery and traditional goodness
because all of us would swap it in a heartbeat for just one moments peace and
its high time the sorrow that came to plant itself in on our soil just packed up
and went away to terrorize someone else. (Busfield p.99).

between an Afghan and a westerner and also wanted to point out that the
stereotypes about Afghanistan held by the westerns are very wrong and she is
trying to disseminate it using this figurative style throughout the book. The author
wants the reader to know that both sides want piece and stereotypes are one of the
obstacles that is holding that peace back.
Moving on, Andrea Busfield tries to capture the attention of readers and show
them how Afghanistan is a peaceful land that was raided by a group of bad people.
Busfield tries to express that Afghanistan is just like any other country seeking for
peace yet peace has been crushed by the Taliban. She channels this idea to the
readers by
"My mother told me that when the Taliban originally came marching from the
her use of
south to lay claim to Kabul, they were welcomed like saviors. The capital had
imagery
become a city of rubble after the Russians left because the victorious
told by
mujahedeen had turned on one another, fighting like dogs over a piece of meat-Fawad
and Kabul was that piece of meat. In the chaos and confusion of civil war, crime
throughout
was everywhere; shops were made to pay special taxes, homes were taken,
this book.
people were murdered, and their daughters were raped. But when the Taliban
came, it all stopped. Order was brought, and the people were grateful. However,
The author
as Spandi's father said, you cannot know a man's real intentions in only one
really
night, and over the years the Taliban showed their true colors. They stopped
captures
women from working, they wouldn't let girls go to school, they roamed the
the
streets beating people with sticks, they jailed men with short beards, they
readers
banned kite flying and music, they chopped off hands, they crushed people
attention
under walls, and they shot people in the football stadium. They had freed
by her use
of imagery, she immerses the reader in the streets of Afghanistan that is now
occupied by the Taliban and shows them how the Taliban ruined what was once a
beautiful and peaceful land. This connects back to the authors point by showing the
readers that stereotypes are wrong and the media just shows this part of
Afghanistan when in reality you have to live there to see what it is like, to see how

these people are fighting for their countrys peace yet that little hope they have is
being crushed by these horrible group so-called The Taliban.
Furthermore, the author sets this book in Afghanistan, a land whose people
have not given up on their freedom, a land of hope. The author uses setting to show
this land of hope and Fawads birthplace. He uses the idea of these westerns coming
in to it to show that it is not as bad as the media shows it is and that some people
come there
to learn the
Autumn is my favorite season in Kabul. After the burning heat of summer, the
culture and
air relaxes, allowing a cool wind to travel through the city, carrying the smell of
tour
wood fires and smoking kebabs on its back. The night comes early, swallowing
around its
up the day before its barely begun, and a million gas burners and single
beautiful
lightbulbs shine from stores built out of old shipping containers that snake
places.
through the city, making it glow like a massive wedding party (Busfield p.45)
This quote represents the way the author described Kabul (The city in Afghanistan
where Fawad lives). the author talks about autumn in Kabul and describes it with
such tone that it shows to be so beautiful and that it is normal and not as the media
stereotypes it to be. The author is trying to disseminate the stereotypes given out
by the media about this country to the world. She does not want people to be afraid
of it but rather she wants them to see that it is a country of beauty and hope and
that it needs a hand of help.
Additionally, Andrea Busfield uses a friendly tone throughout this book to get
readers to understand that Afghanistan is a normal country and that it is beautiful.
She tells this story in a way that readers can feel the characters and laugh or cry
with them. The author uses a sense of humor throughout the book, readers will find
themselves laughing on cultural jokes. In Afghanistans culture, most people wash
their clothes by hand so when Fawad found out that there was machines that could
do that he was surprised. Women in the middle east are taught home tasks like
cooking at an early age, when Fawad found out that Georgie cannot even cook, he
assumed
that she
Does she sew?
will not
No
have a
husband.
Can she cook?
This quote
No
represents
the
Does she have a husband?
humorous
No
way the
author tries
Im not surprised. (Busfield p.26).
to show
cultural

stereotypes. Fawad and his mother laugh at Georgie for using machines to wash her
clothes. This just shows how the author tries to use these stereotypes within the
book but in the end she disseminates them by saying that everyone is equal no
matter of their background.
Lastly, the author uses a creative word choice to clash the cultures of the
east and west. The meaning of this is that within this book, she uses a lot of Afghan
words yet still make sure that the reader understands what those word mean by her
use of the English language.

Seventy days after the end of Ramazan, a couple of weeks after the foreigners
New Year, and the day after the pilgrims return from hajj, coloring the roads in
cars decorated with glittering tinsel and flowers, Afghanistan celebrated Eid-e
Qorban. This is one of our favorite festivals, and Muslims celebrate it in memory
of Ibrahims willingness to sacrifice his son for Allah. For three days our country
of tears and wars becomes a place of fun, beauty, and full bellies, with everyone
dressing in their finest clothes and those who can afford it slaughtering their
best sheep, cows, or goats as a symbol of Ibrahims sacrifice. As it is written in
the Koran, a large portion of the meat is given to the poor while the rest is
served up for the family meal, to which friends and other relatives are invited.
(Busfield p.148)
This quote shows the author using Afghan words and cultural holidays mixed with
her use of English to represent Afghanistans culture. The quote goes on and
Georgie gives up smoking on that day, while James buys a sheep to slaughter.
These actions show how the author clashed these two cultures and what they have
learned from each other. Despite their differences, they are celebrating, they are
laughing and most importantly they are one.
According to Packabook.com, Fawad is exposed to a whole lot of perplexing
aspects of western culture alcohol, Christmas, Wikipedia and the Sex Pistols just
to name a few and tries to rationalize how these fit into his own beliefs and
upbringing. And while his reactions are so often those of a child, it doesnt take long
to realize that Fawad is a little wiser than the rest of us when it comes to
understanding what really matters in the world. This passage from the article of
Packabook.com shows how he was exposed to the western culture and how it
affected him. Stereotypes are nothing but lies, Afghanistan is a land of hope and it
is beautiful just like any other country. The author wants people to know that
everyone is equal no matter the birthplace or identity. She also wants them to see
that stereotypes are nothing but lies conveyed by the media to scare people away
when in reality although Afghanistan has been through a lot, it is trying to rebuild
itself and has the will and hope of its people supporting it.

According to an interview of Andrea Busfield, she said "...I wanted to capture

the beauty found there-- the fun, the laughter, the love. Therefore, I opted for a
romantic plot and decided it should be narrated by a hero who was still young
enough to see the good in life-- and bounce back from tragedy." This quote by
Andrea Busfield shows how she laid out the book when she wrote it. Andrea Busfield
talks about having a hero who was still young enough to see the good in life and
that has a meaning behind it. Busfield chose a young boy as a hero because she
wanted to write in the point of view of an eleven-year-old who still has much to
learn. As a young boy, Fawad is the perfect character because he still has much to
learn about the stereotypes that the Easterners and Westerners have towards each
other. He is still young and sees both sides as being peaceful and similar in some
ways. Busfield is wise for making such a decision because if she did not want Fawad
to take sides but actually talk about both sides and tries to show that both sides are
equal at the end of the day. She captured everything in one and made this
wonderful book.
In conclusion, the author mainly wants to point out that eastern and western
cultures in Afghanistan collide not only through war but through cultural
intermingling. Through the use of first person narration, descriptive dialogue,
figurative language, imagery, setting, tone and word choice, the author is trying to
disseminate the stereotypes held by the Eastern and Western cultures and trying to
say that we are all equal. Through the authors points and claims, the readers can
surely see how two different cultures can intermingle and learn from each other.
They can also understand that stereotypes are false and just hoax created by the
media.

"Born under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield." Book Journey. N.p., 15 July
2010. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
"Finding the Joy in Afghanistan Andrea Busfield's 'Born Under a Million Shadows' Packabook." Packabook RSS. N.p., 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
Busfield, Andrea. Born under a Million Shadows: A Novel. New York: Henry Holt,
2010. Print.