In this short story "Pakistani", it tells us of a little Pakistani girl who gets picked on because of her race and culture. She's new to the school and hasn't made many friends yet. She is alone but wants to be part of the oneness she sees before her in the playground. She gets asked to play by another girl but it goes on to tell us of the discrimination of the little Pakistani girl. .
The little Pakistani girl is seen as strong, patriotic, quite shy and, although the story does not tell us, attractive. She is strong to not let the other children get to her when they were calling her names. She shows respect for her country and people and also the country she is living in. She is shy to not join in with the other kids to laugh, scream and kick without a care in the world. She wants to be "part of the wave" and "to be drowned in an ecstasy of movement". When she gets asked to play by the short and plum girl, she is excited that she is part of the crowd and not just the one person. She is part of the "sea" that has been created by the other children. The other girl who asks her to play is a "short and plump" girl "with round glasses and wispy brown hair." You get the feeling that she's nice when she asks the Pakistani girl and yet she is the one who started the discrimination and the name calling. With the description given, it makes you wonder if she was alone too at first. In the playground other children kick her but when the Pakistani girl accidentally kicks her, she retaliates. It shows that she has a sense of power over her and is clearly showing off to be popular amongst all the kids. She seemed really surprised when the Pakistani girl did not retaliate or cry. It was a clear sign she was looking for or expecting but did not achieve in upsetting her that much as the Pakistani girl just walks away. .
The playground is the perfect setting for this kind of story as its one of the most frequent places where you would find similar stories to this one.
