Trauma And Resistance Of Afghan Women By Khaled Hosseini

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Abstract

Throughout the history, women have been living very miserable lives somewhere based on gender differences and somewhere based on lame excuses of religion. They do not have equal rights, freedom, opportunities as men and have been suffering gender-based violence perpetuated towards them in the male dominated society. The research entitled “Trauma and Resistance of Afghan Women: A Critical Study of Khaled Hosseini’s Novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, was intended to critically analyze the novel to explore trauma and resistance of Afghan women, their place and men’s harsh and cruel treatment towards them in Afghan society.

In analyzing “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, the researcher uses descriptive qualitative method and feminist approach

When Hosseini was asked what are your views on some of the women's issues in Afghanistan and the way women are treated there? He replied that the way women were treated in Afghanistan during the Taliban era was unacceptable. However, things were very different when I was growing up. Back then, women were very active in contributing to society, at least in urban areas. My mother, for example, was a teacher at a girl's high school. The Taliban did Afghanistan a great, great disservice by shutting women out of the workplace. Therefore, the damage they inflicted is going to take years to repair rebuilding the schools, getting girls to pick up books again, re-acclimating women into the workplace, and so forth. I think it is very tragic. In the novel, I did not touch much on the subject because I felt it was something that had been pretty well covered. Perhaps the most well known aspect of the Taliban regime was its mistreatment of women. It is still a work very much in progress for women, but my understanding is that in the post-Taliban era things are much better. Girls are going back to school and learning again. Women are returning to the workplace. They wear the Burqa if they want to but they do not have to. Once again, they can move about without the presences of a male adult companion, wear makeup, listen to music and so on. Therefore,

It isn’t like a mother’s womb. It won’t bleed; it won’t stretch to make room for you”.

This passage shows the differences between men and women in “A Thousand Splendid Suns”. Most of the men in the book are rigid and uncompromising, especially where women are concerned.

Hosseini presents pregnancy and the birth of male child as a symbol of hope and sole path for a better future of Afghan women and developing their status in society throughout the novel. When Mariam is taken to her father house after her mother’s death, her father’s wives force him to let her marry Rasheed, a widowed shoemaker in Kabul. At first Rasheed treats Mariam decently, but after she suffers miscarriage after miscarriage, he abuses her both physically and verbally. It is clear that Rasheed’s only use for Mariam is her ability to replace the son he lost years ago. Mariam’s each pregnancy offers her an opportunity Mariam's to be hopeful for the future even with her dreary living situation. At first Rasheed is happy to have a young and attractive second wife in hopes of having a son with her. When Laila gives birth to a daughter, Aziza, Rasheed is displeased and suspicious. This results in him becoming violent towards