Does My Head Look Big In This?

The hijab (religious veil) is the novel’s central symbol. Amal’s decision to wear a hijab full time opens the book and sets the story of a young woman’s wish to observe her faith and live a typical, teenage life. From this perspective, the hijab symbolizes Amal’s religious beliefs and her ability to choose her own way of expressing those beliefs. The hijab is also symbolic within the world of the novel. As an external badge of her principles, it symbolizes for various characters two opposing things: for some, it is the mark of Amal’s repression and the oppression of her religion (this is why at the beginning many characters ask her if her parents made her wear it); for others, it is the sign of her modesty, chastity, and determination.

Like characters in this novel, most readers will already have their own idea as to what a religious veil might symbolize. However, the author guides us through Amal’s journey in such a way that by the end of the book we understand the hijab also as a representation of Amal’s strength of character, because even though she sometimes doubts the wisdom of her decision due to many obstacles that her choice to wear the covering creates, she never falters.