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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
The Freedom of Nonconformity
Most Pakistani women have few options, but from an early age, Malala defies her culture’s norms when they run contrary to her beliefs, and it’s through these defiant acts that Malala gains freedom. When she reaches adulthood, Malala is expected to cover her face and body and live her life in service of her brothers or husband. Malala has few examples of women breaking out of this subordinate lifestyle, but she views women's traditional responsibilities as all-consuming, suppressing individuality and identity, and she dreams of something different for herself. Championed by her parents, Malala recognizes that freedom from this restrictive way of life comes through obtaining a high level of education, but Pakistani girls rarely go to school past elementary grades if at all.
Malala already faces a formidable challenge since her aspirations for the future conflict with her culture's teachings. However, the Taliban’s arrival in the once-peaceful Swat Valley raises the risks of Malala’s nonconformity. The Taliban erroneously claim that the education of girls is against the teachings of the Quran and threaten anyone who fails to conform to their laws. Because Malala is educated, she knows the Taliban is misrepresenting the Quran to gain control. Her exposure to Western culture and a trip to the capital city of Islamabad have shown her that a different way of life is possible for women. She sees what is possible for women outside her own country, and she understands that she can only have this freedom by being different from other girls and by continuously fighting against the forces that try to control her. An education is worth fighting for because it ensures Malala can live her life on her own terms.
Education as a Weapon
Malala grows up learning that lack of education allows dangerous politicians to take advantage of Pakistan, a fact that reveals the true motivation for restrictions on education. While they might claim that women attending school goes against Islam, corrupt politicians’ real reason for restricting education is to make citizens easier to control. Opportunistic politicians as well as the Taliban distort the Quran and Islamic Law with the goal of taking advantage of people. They create propaganda to reinforce the idea that Islam supports their lies. Malala watches in horror as her neighbors fall prey to the incremental fear tactics she’s learned about. Throughout its troubled history, Pakistan’s people have fallen prey to dishonest leaders multiple times because they’ve used the people’s lack of education as a weapon against them. Malala gains control by taking the weapon back. If lack of education makes people vulnerable, Malala’s commitment to never stop learning can only make her a stronger warrior. It is her knowledge that women outside of Pakistan live free lives that gives her the strength to speak out in a series of anonymous diary entries published by the BBC. As the media spreads her story around the world, Malala learns just how powerful the written word of an educated person can be. Being educated can be more powerful than the weapons of terror the Taliban uses. When people are educated, tricking them with lies is more difficult so lies lose their power. In a very practical way, at only 11 years old, Malala uses her knowledge to combat the lies of the armed people trying to limit and control her.
Finding Strength Through Conflict
Beginning with a devastating earthquake in 2005, Malala and her family endure almost continuous conflict, but they never lose hope for a better future. The Taliban arrive in 2007, followed by a brutal military occupation, and then crippling floods. During this turmoil, Malala finds ways to not just cope with disaster but to draw strength from it. When the Taliban tries to forbid girls in Swat from continuing their education, Malala is undeterred and resolves to overcome the obstacle. The more desperate a situation, the greater her courage and resolve. Malala lives under an incredible amount of stress during the formative years of her life, but the turmoil she experiences is almost a boot camp for her later challenges. Most people avoid conflict instinctively but Malala becomes so comfortable in conflict that she remains calm even when a soldier threatens her life at gunpoint. Malala sees her cause as bigger than herself and more important than her personal interest. That, coupled with her strong faith in God, provides her with the strength to dive right into the center of conflict without fear.
Being at Odds with One’s Heritage
From early in her life, Malala’s culture and religion show her that she cannot be what she wants. Regardless of what goes on in her own home, Malala lives in a society in which the cultural expectation is that she will wear a burqa and be subservient to men. This way of life is in direct conflict with the life Malala wants and the goals she has set for herself. From her own research, Malala believes the Quran’s teachings on education and the relationship between husband and wife are often distorted at the expense of women. She rejects the idea that Islam is so inflexible. Malala knows that she can still be a religious woman while refusing to wear a burqa, so she struggles to understand why so many people of her faith accept these restrictions without question. Facets of her Pashtun ethnicity also pose a problem for Malala. Malala tells the story of the Taliban killing a popular local dancer as an example of classism. No one sticks up for the murdered woman because Pashtuns use the services of people such as cobblers and weavers, but they do not respect them. Malala believes that everyone should be treated equally so this kind of judgment is hypocritical and shameful of supposedly religious people. While she loves her culture and religion, she cannot help but be at odds with how others often interpret them.
