Rashida/The Girl Character Analysis

Rashida is a 14-year-old girl Jamal and Bibi meet while on the smuggler’s boat. Though she too is traveling from Afghanistan, she wears shorts and a t-shirt, keeps her hair uncovered, and wears eyeliner and green lipstick. Jamal and Bibi meet her in line for soup as her blanket catches fire from the flame under the pot. The three of them—plus Omar—spend the rest of the trip together and Rashida eventually reveals she is originally from Australia but spent the last few years in Afghanistan taking care of her grandparents. When her grandparents died, the government refused to let her family leave, however, and her parents only had enough money to smuggle her out of the country. Accordingly, Rashida has a lot of love and respect for her parents, and they for her. The things they pack her for the trip come in useful while on the smuggler’s boat: Jamal makes bread out of the flour they gave her, and Rashida uses an expensive watch they gave her to buy off the smugglers, allowing Jamal, Bibi, and Omar to continue their trip to Australia. This highlights Rashida’s generosity, as well as the strength of the bond the four children share. Without parents to watch over them, they are forced to take care of one another, and as the oldest, Rashida plays an especially important role. Not only does she watch over all of them, but she also acts as a role model, especially to Bibi. From her, Bibi learns what a strong, confident young woman looks like, as well as how to be sympathetic even towards those who have caused harm.