How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Here in Kabul, women taught at the university, ran schools, held office in the government. No, Babi meant the tribal areas, especially the Pashtun regions in the south or in the east near the Pakistani border, where women were rarely seen on the streets and only then in burqa and accompanied by men. (2.18.105)
Afghanistan is defined by the tension between its cities and its rural areas. The cities are modern and educated, while the country is conservative and traditional. Both areas have their positive and negative qualities, but the tension between the two can sometimes cause chaos, as it does here.
Quote #5
This, she thought, was Ahmad and Noor's Afghanistan. This, here in the provinces, was where the war was being fought, after all. Not in Kabul. Kabul was largely at peace. (2.21.7)
Again, we see the importance of the division between urban and rural Afghanistan. While the Soviets are still in power, Laila remains in Kabul, blissfully isolated from the fighting. Of course, the war eventually reaches the city and brings with it the culture of rural Afghanistan.
Quote #6
[Laila] thought longingly of the wide-open skies of her childhood, of her days of going to buzkashi tournaments with Babi and shopping at Mandaii with Mammy. (3.32.31)
These peaceful images of pre-war Kabul show how "normal" life in Afghanistan was. Laila watched sports with her dad and went shopping with her mom. Does that seem much different from your day-to-day life?