All We Have Left

All We Have Left opens with Alia reliving the moments in the World Trade Center after the building has been hit by an aircraft. Travis is trying to help her escape. What is the motivation for his behavior when he grabs a flower vase and tries to remove her hijab? 

Alia’s parents are displeased with her on two counts: they believe that she was in possession of marijuana at school and they are displeased with the educational emphasis offered by the New York City high school that she has chosen. What is the basis of their objections?

Nick mouths advice to Jesse in the school hallway, saying, “Blow up the box” (24). She comes to consider this suggestion to be emblematic of their relationship. What does Nick’s counsel refer to initially, and how does it come to characterize them as a couple?