A Thousand Splendid Suns Forgiveness

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In Khaled Hosseini’s novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” the characters Laila, Mariam, and Rasheed lived through a complex journey of forgiveness and penance that deeply impacted their lives. Despite the hard times these characters went through, they navigated through their relationships together. Through their interconnected stories, Hosseini explores the transformative nature of forgiveness and the healing that can come from acknowledging one’s mistakes and seeing redemption. Rasheed, a cruel and cold-hearted person, took Laila in after her parents had passed away in an accident. Rasheed’s twisted understanding of forgiveness and penance is shown through his abusive character. A troubled scene in the book, “Hair was ripped from Laila’s scalp, …show more content…

He let go of Laila’s hair, and she felt the toe of his shoe connect with her left buttock. She howled with pain.”(Hosseini 161). He believed he could marry Laila because of his selfless act and he got that chance but he did not show Laila the true love she believed he was going to give her. Instead of seeking true forgiveness and penance, Rasheed used violence to assert dominance and control. In stark contrast to Rasheed’s abuse, Laila and Mariam’s act of sharing food and spending time together shows the audience that they have genuine forgiveness and penance towards one another. This quote, “Laila brought out a plate of figs and poured Mariam a cup of tea. She sat down across from her. They had never sat like this before, one at each end of the table, like friends, like sisters, as equals. Mariam felt her heart swell with gratefulness” (Hosseini 268), capturing a turning point between the women. The act of sharing food and drinks, most likely associated with hospitality and friendship, becomes a silent language of mutual forgiveness and acknowledgement of past grievances. Rasheed, being manipulative, used this tactic to cause conflict between Mariam and

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