Does My Head Look Big In This?

This novel centers on Amal’s decision to wear the hijab. How does her hijab become a symbol that different characters in the story interpret differently? What does their interpretation of this symbol demonstrate about these characters?

• What does the hijab mean to Amal? What does this demonstrate about her as a person?
• What does Amal’s hijab seem to mean to strangers? What does this demonstrate about Australian society?
• What does Amal’s hijab mean to her principal? What does this demonstrate about Ms. Walsh as a person?
• What does Amal’s hijab mean to students at her school? How do her friends’ reactions differ from those of people like Tia? What reaction do people at Adam’s party have? What do these differing reactions tell you about these different people?

Teaching Suggestion: If your students are not yet familiar with the idea of symbolism, this prompt is a natural opportunity to talk about the definition of the term and the way that symbolism has multiple layers and can have different meanings to different audiences. This prompt lends itself well to a jigsaw-style small-group discussion. You might ask each student to become an expert on one of the four bulleted sub-questions, either by writing a brief essay-style response or by simply jotting down a list of ideas and evidence. (Since the final bullet point is more complex, you might assign it to more capable students or to a set of partners.) Then, students can come together in small groups to share their ideas and come to a conclusion about what the different interpretations of the hijab are meant to convey more generally.

If your students are ready for a discussion of strategies for interpreting symbols, you might extend this conversation by asking students to explain what makes the hijab a useful symbol in this context—would another item of religious clothing, like a cross necklace or a yarmulke, work as well as the hijab? What about the specific religion, culture, and history associated with it matters in this context? What about the nature of the garment itself matters?

Differentiation Suggestion: Literal thinkers may struggle to understand the nuances of the hijab’s symbolism and get stuck on one of its more obvious meanings. You might first demonstrate how perspective shapes perception with a physical object and ask students how different people might describe the same thing depending on their vantage point. Point out to them that they can infer where a person is standing by how they describe the object. Then, you can connect this brief lesson with the hijab by explaining how we can infer the different cultural and personal perspectives that make Amal’s principal, for instance, view the hijab differently from the way Amal views it.