The Privilege of Freedom: Ellen and the Women of Afghanistan in 'Caravans' Anonymous 10th Grade

Freedom, an influential theme of Caravans, reveals how the jobs and daily lives affect the characters throughout the novel. Social life throughout Afghanistan possesses core values that many citizens follow and abide by, as this influences the freedom of the people. The novel Caravans demonstrates these important ethics through the various characters, such as Ellen Jasper. Some characters face limited freedom, whereas others may receive undeserving freedom. Especially, Ellen is a white American girl in Afghanistan, she feels more free in a country where social life restricts women and their freedom.

For many years, Afghanistan is known for its hostile culture. They follow a set of strict rules within their society that fall into their ethics and make up their culture. Freedom is a major portion of the social life that attends to the Afghanistan culture. While the women are limited in their share of freedom, men through the society are greatly privileged. While freedom may be shared differently, regulations amongst the community are deemed similar through gender roles. Many events throughout the novel illustrate the strict rules and reprimands of Afghanistan society. Especially “In Ghazni... a woman [was] stoned to death. In...