Nujood Ali is a young woman who
fought for her freedom and won. Her triumph inspires other girls, who are in
similar situations, to demand what is rightfully theirs, their childhood. In
her book, Nujood uses symbolism to show her audience the importance of their
innocence and the hope they have to gain back what was stolen from them.
Power is the ability to influence
another person’s actions or behavior, and it is a prominent symbol throughout
the entire book. Power shifts in life and it shifts in this story as well. At
first, Nujood’s father held power; he was able to control and determine his
daughter’s future simply by selling her. After she was sold Nujood’s husband
held power; his abuse and oppression of Nujood kept him in control of her, and
it is also what led to the eventual shift of power to Nujood, which led to her
winning her freedom and taking back her childhood. The shift of power
represents justice in this book. The power that Nujood obtained from the courts
and from her mother gave her the ability to discover power within herself, and
provided justice to everyone who tried to steal her childhood. This power is
now what she hopes to awaken in other girls just like her. Another very
important symbol in this book is Nujood’s birthday. At the beginning of the
story Nujood explains how she does not really know when her true birthday is
because her mother had too many children to remember. At the end of the book,
on the day she won her divorce, the lawyer who helped her win declares that
that day would be her official birthday from then on. Nujood’s birthday
symbolizes her childhood and freedom. Nujood had always wondered when her real birthday
was, because it was something she never had experienced, just as childhood and
freedom is something she had never experienced either.
I believe Nujood achieves her
purpose of inspiring other girls like her to fight for their life back. Justice,
freedom, and childhood all are key ideas in this book and in her life, and they
are symbols of what every young girl should fight for if it is being taken from
them.
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