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Literary analysis of A Thousand Splendid Suns
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The book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini explores a vast bouquet of attributes through the characters, many of which must learn from the adversaries and trials Afghanistan faces in the late twentieth century. One such character is Mariam. From the time she was five, she grew up believing she was a harami, a bastard child who was illegitimate in the world. Because of the witty banter and angry comments made by her mother, Mariam believed she did not deserve anything life had to offer. These feelings pressed even deeper when Mariam’s father sent her away from her small village to Kabul to live with an abusive, controlling man named Rasheed. Thus, through Mariam’s attributes as a selfless, motherly, and surviving woman, she unlocked courage embedded inside herself.
Mariam was selfless during many occasions in the story. One shining example is toward the end of the story when Mariam turned herself in to the Taliban for
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killing Rasheed, an action she did in order to save Laila’s life. Mariam explained to Laila, “‘When they do, they’ll find you as guilty as me. Tariq too. I won’t have the two of you on the run, living like fugitives. What will happen to your children?’” (319). Mariam knew the consequences of her actions even when she swung the shovel down between Rasheed’s face. She also knew it would save the lives of those she loved, and understood those lives would be safe if she turned herself in to the Taliban. This, coupled with killing Rasheed to save Laila’s life, is a shining example of not only a mighty character arc, but also the selflessness Mariam held within her heart. This selflessness was the first step on the road to helping her understand courage. It was the selfless act of giving herself up so Laila could live a better life that helped Mariam understand how courageous actions could only come from a selfless heart. After she learned this, she had attained a key to one of the most important locks of freeing the courage buried beneath all the feelings of worthlessness Mariam had grown up with. Next, Mariam possessed motherly attributes. During Laila’s second delivery of her son Zalmai, Mariam held Laila close in the way a mother’s loving, caring hands would hold a daughter close. The story quotes this example as, “Mariam positioned herself behind the crown of Laila’s head and lowered her face so their cheeks touched. She could feel Laila’s teeth rattling. Their hands locked together” (260). Like cars, mothers run on fuel--the fuel of love and hope for their children. Mothers run on the protective ache when their children ache. Through the quote mentioned above, one can see Mariam’s heart clearly hurting for Laila’s painful delivery. Another example of Mariam’s motherly attributes is when Mariam comforts Laila after Rasheed’s death.
During the Taliban reign, death by a woman’s hands would result in the death of a woman. Laila, who realized that Mariam was suggesting she give herself up to the Taliban so she, Tariq, Aziza, and Zalmai could have a safe life, became even more distraught than she already was. “‘For me, it ends here,’” Mariam had comforted in the story, “‘there’s nothing more I want. Everything I’d ever wished for as a little girl you’ve already given me. You and your children have made me so very happy. It’s all right, Laila jo. This is all right. Don’t be sad’” (319). Mariam felt the fear in her heart in both of the examples above, but her motherly love for Laila helped her unlock courage. It is when motherly love comes into play that courage begins to grow like a flower, curling up from the hard, unrelenting soils of tribulation. It was these motherly actions and motherly attributes that are the second key to Mariam unlocking the courage in her
heart. Lastly, Mariam was a survivor, the final key to unearthing courageousness. When Rasheed beat Mariam because she and Laila tried to run away and her life hangs in the balance, she endures. The story expresses this thoroughly by describing this particular beating: “Downstairs, the beating began. To Laila, the sounds she heard were those of a methodical, familiar proceeding. There was no cursing, no pleading, no surprised yelps, only the systematic business of beating and being beaten, the thump, thump of something solid repeatedly striking flesh, something, someone, hitting the wall with a thud, cloth ripping. Now and then, Laila heard running footsteps, a wordless chase, furniture turning over, glass shattering, then the thumping once more...Mariam was barefoot and doubled over. There was blood on his hands, blood on Mariam’s face, her hair, down her neck and back. Her shirt had been ripped down the front” (240). Mariam could have given up and killed herself long ago to escape both these beatings and Rasheed, but her soul was a soldier and she was used to her body being in pain. The word survival, however, goes deeper than its Oxford Dictionary meaning. In order to understand Mariam’s attribute of survival, one must look at the term survival in every form. Survive is not just a verb that means continuing life despite physical hardship. Mariam survived all her beatings with broken molars and bloody skin. Survivor is a noun, one who faces hardship, a person who endures. Survivor is an adjective to describe a person who has gone through both physical and mental hardship. Mariam is a survivor in verb, noun, and adjective form. Kabul was under attack and Mariam got up every morning to make breakfast, fold laundry, and do the daily domestic chores life demanded. Mariam went to bed every night wondering when her next beating from Rasheed would be, the words of her mother from so long ago embedded in some deep recess of her heart: “Only one skill. And it’s this: tahamul. Endure” (17). Surviving the beatings of a hypocritical husband and surviving the beatings of her once-miserable life, Mariam learned to seek mental peace through the love Laila brought into her life. She gained strength from loving, from Laila’s love, and this strength of survival unlocked the doors to the courage Mariam learned by the end of the story. Courage is defined as being scared, but having strength to conquer that fear. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, courage did not look like swordplay and shining armor. It did not look like knights and privateers dressed in scarlet cravats with hatchets down their backs. Courage looked like three attributes Mariam possessed throughout the story: Selflessness, motherhood, and survival.
In the novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Mariam fulfills the hero journey. She goes through many tests and hardships to accomplish the journey throughout her life. The obstacles she overcomes helps her to grow and become a much stronger person. Mariam undergoes a hero’s journey in A Thousand Splendid Suns because she is born and raised in a rural setting away from cities, the hero meets monsters or monstrous men, and suffers an unhealable wound, sometimes an emotional or spiritual wound from which the hero never completely recovers.
Social injustice is revealed throughout the novel and Hosseini really goes in depth and indulges the reader by portraying every aspect of the life of women in Afghanistan at the time period. He also reveals most of the social injustice women still have to deal with today. This novel is based on two young women and the social injustices they face because of their gender. Gender inequality was very common in Afghanistan
In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, a theme that is developed throughout the novel is the sacrifice and perseverance of the main female characters. When Rasheed raged at Laila for refusing to have sex with him. He immediately thought that this is Mariam’s influence on her. Since Mariam throughout the years have developed the confidence to say no to Rasheed. As the only method of expression that Rasheed is familiar with is abuse. Stomping towards Mariam’s room with a leather belt, Rasheed prepared himself to beat his wife. Laila who is not on good terms with Mariam in this part of the novel, tries fiercely to stop him. When things got out of control, Laila gave up, screaming, “You win. You win. Don’t do this. Please, Rasheed, no
Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, tells the stories of women in Afghanistan in the late twentieth century. Hosseini shows the women’s strengths, weaknesses, tribulations and accomplishments through their own actions, and how they are treated by other characters in the book, particularly the male characters. Hosseini portrays men in A Thousand Splendid Suns to create themes of justice and injustice within the novel. The justice, or lack thereof, served to the male characters is a result of their treatment and attitudes toward the female characters in the book and towards women in general.
Women are beaten, and it is culturally acceptable. Like routine, women are beaten in Afghanistan almost every day. When a person purposely inflicts sufferings on others with no feelings of concern, like the women of Afghanistan, he is cruel. Cruelty can manifest from anger, irritation, or defeat and is driven by self-interest. An idea that is explored in many works of literature, cruelty also appears in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns in the relationship between a husband and wife. In their case, the husband uses cruelties in the form of aggression are to force his wife to submit. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini’s use of cruelty elucidates the values of both Rasheed and Mariam as well as essential ideas about the nature of
Justice and perception are words that often overlap. What is seen as justice by one generation can be seen a hateful act of violence by the next. The point is, justice can only truly be construed by the one perceived as the victim. In A Thousand Splendid Suns a picture of sorrow and desperation that grasp Afghanistan is painted as the backdrop to the story. Mariam, a harami, was taught by her mother to endure. That her sole purpose as a woman was to endure the suffering that a man causes. Then, one day, she takes justice into her own hands and kills her abusive husband to save her sister wife and only true companion in her life. This crime leads to her execution; even her final moments a sense of purpose fulfills her because she knows that by sacrificing her life and saving Laila’s, Laila can start anew.
One of the main controversies in this book is the plight of women and men’s struggles. Although both experienced different kinds of inequalities, women were the target of the Taliban. In 1978, women in Kabul were demanding their rights during the Afghan Women’s Year. The president who was in charge then was president Daoud, and he decreed, “The Afghan woman has the same right as the Afghan man to exercise personal freedom, choose a career, and fins a partner in marriage” (53). This decree was absolutely invalid when the Taliban expelled a humanitarian organization that was run by women, and because of that, the Taliban took over Kabul. Women were not allowed to work outside of home. Because of that, Latifa mentions that women in Kabul usually just bake bread, do embroidery,
The novel tells the story of, Amir. Amir is portrayed as the protagonist; the novel revolves around his recollection of past events 26 years ago as a young boy in Afghanistan. Amir is adventures and brave. Hassan is Amir’s closets friend and servant to his house and is portrayed as a subservient male, often supporting and accepting blame for Amir’s actions. Assef, Wali and Kamal are the “ bad guys” within the novel; Wali and Kamal hold down Hassan and Assef rapes him purely for ethnicity differences, as Hassan is a Hazara. Afghanistan boys are supposed to be athletic and true to Islam .The leaving of Soraya Hassan mother with another man gives the notion that women lack morality leaving behind there children .The Taliban laws are followed closely within Afghanistan and women are treated without any rights, beatings, stoning and execution become the reality for women who violate the laws. Culturally Afghanistan women are portrayed to be subservient to there husband only live and breath to provide children, cook food and clean their
...tiple times that they succeeded in getting Rasheed to stop. They were willing to fight back despite the consequences and the fact that they knew Rasheed could bring out so much more anger. Even after attempting to run away and being beaten so badly, they both still showed their bravery. They were on the edge of death, but they still fought every day to stay alive. Mariam shows amazing inner strength when a loved one is involved. Sadness and evil are two things that are very evident in their lives, enough to cause anyone to lose hope in humanity. But, Mariam and Laila are both able to stand up to violence in order to find their courage, inner strength, and even happiness in the end. Life in Afghanistan has always been hard for women, but just like Mariam, women are able to take on these obstacles and overcome them, helping to make the world a safer place for others.
The women of Afghanistan have been through every hardship imaginable. Khaled Hosseini uses his novel A Thousand Splendid Suns to show his readers how women’s rights changed through out the last half of the 20th century and how the different governments affected the women differently.
Judith Grossman wrote an article concerning women's subjectivity in Arabian Nights. The article brought out many points to which I had never given thought. As I read the novel, I saw that women were considered evil and bad, but I didn't think much more of it. After reading Grossman's article I must say I agree with many of the thoughts expressed. She focuses on the fact that women are considered to be evil, but it is just because their true self has never had a chance to be free. Women are locked into this reciprocal cycle of deceit and unfaithfulness, only after being oppressed by their husbands or keepers, as in the case of the Jinnee and the maiden.
In his novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, Khaled Hosseini skillfully illustrates many aspects of Afghan culture to the reader. The novel explores the struggles that have plagued Afghanistan, and how they have affected the lives of its people. Through the story’s two narrators, Mariam and Laila, the reader is presented with examples of how the nation’s culture has changed over time. Through “A Thousand Splendid Suns” Khaled Hosseini emphasizes the struggle in the area between traditional beliefs and progressive changes, specifically as they relate to women’s rights. Throughout history it has been shown these that progressive reforms are unable to coincide with strict Islamic beliefs.
Khaled Hosseini, author of A Thousand Splendid Suns, is indisputably a master narrator. His refreshingly distinctive style is rampant throughout the work, as he integrates diverse character perspectives as well as verb tenses to form a temperament of storytelling that is quite inimitably his own. In his novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, he explores the intertwining lives of two drastically different Afghani women, Lailia and Mariam, who come together in a surprising twist of fate during the Soviet takeover and Taliban rule. After returning to his native Afghanistan to observe the nation’s current state amidst decades of mayhem, Hosseini wrote the novel with a specific fiery emotion to communicate a chilling, yet historically accurate account of why his family was forced to flee the country years ago.
The novel A Thousand Splendid Suns explores the plight of women in Afghanistan; the focus is put on three women Nana, Mariam and Laila. Women in Afghanistan often face difficult and unfortunate situations. In this essay we will examine some of these unfortunate situations for women.
In a nation brimming with discrimination, violence and fear, a multitudinous number of hearts will become malevolent and unemotional. However, people will rebel. In the eye-opening novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns written by Khaled Hosseini, the country of Afghanistan is exposed to possess cruel, treacherous and sexist law and people. The women are classified as something lower than human, and men have the jurisdiction over the women. At the same time, the most horrible treatment can bring out some of the best traits in victims, such as consideration, boldness, and protectiveness. Although, living in an inconsiderate world, women can still carry aspiration and benevolence. Mariam and Laila (the main characters of A Thousand Splendid Suns) are able to retain their consideration, boldness and protectiveness, as sufferers in their atrocious world.