Preston Road, London

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The theme of family and loyalty is seen in many sections of Home Fire. I will be analyzing how this theme affects many characters, such as Aneeka, Parvaiz, and Eamonn. While Isma and Aneeka are sisters, they had a difference stance in the novel. Isma did not want to associate herself with Parvaiz after he decided to join ISIS; however, Aneeka tried to keep in contact with him and help him out. At the beginning of the book, Isma flies to the United States and gets picked up by her mentor, Hira. When she gets home, she opens her computer and see's Parvaiz's name on the screen, she starts getting negative thoughts. "Now she looked at his name on the screen, her mouth forming prayers to keep Aneeka from logging on, the adjectives thick in her mind. Aneeka must learn to think of him as lost forever. It was possible to do this with someone you loved, Isma had learned that very early on" (Shamsie 13). In this novel, Isma is more distant from Parvaiz and tries to completely detach herself from him. She does not like it when Aneeka stays in touch with him. Even though Parvaiz is family, Isma does not agree with his actions and wants to stay far from him. However, there is a contrast when it comes to Aneeka. Unlike Isma, Aneeka tries to help Parvaiz. Aneeka is willing to cut contact with Isma to stay loyal to her brother. Aneeka gets mad at Isma when she finds out Isma reported Parvaiz to the police. Isma mentions that people would have found out: "He did that, not me. When they treat us this way the only thing we can do for our own sanity is let him go," (Shamsie 44). Aneeka has a hard time detaching and still holds more empathy towards Parvaiz: "Parvaiz is not our father. He's my twin. He's me. But you, you're not our sister anymore" (Shamsie 44). These following quotations show the difference in each sister's stance. Even though Parvaiz was wrong, Aneeka wanted him to come back home. Isma learns the hard way that sometimes people have to let their family members go if their actions are not justified. In terms of Parvaiz, the reason he joined ISIS was because he wanted to connect with his father. He also felt a lack of identity. Parvaiz felt lost and never knew anything about his father when growing up. Parvaiz wanted to learn more about his father and what he did: the question was "Will you protect the new revolution? Will you do the work your father would have done if he lived?" (Shamsie 150). When it comes to Eamonn, the role of family and loyalty also shows up in his actions. When Eamonn tells Karamat Lone about Aneeka and he finds out that Parvaiz is her brother, Karamat says: "You will have no more contact with this girl. I'm setting up a security detail for you" (Shamsie 112). Aneeka wanted Eamonn's help to bring Parvaiz back, but it is hard for Eamonn to do that especially since his father is the Home Secretary. Eamonn also has to fight the battle of being loyal to his father and his believes versus helping out someone he is close with, Aneeka. Various characters in Home Fire have to fight the battle of whom to stay loyal to. Isma and Aneeka, wonder if they should stay themselves to herself and her values or her brother. Parvaiz feels lost and wants to connect to his father, while Eamonn battles staying loyal to his father or Aneeka.

Mira Final Project