Examples Of Social Injustice In A Thousand Splendid Suns

In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, many forms of social injustice towards women in Afghanistan are present. The characters face social injustice from family, relationships, society and are forced to endure them throughout their lives until they realize that the only way to bring justice is to fight back.
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

within the society and families. The protagonists Mariam and Laila are treated horribly because of their gender. Mariam is arrange married to her husband Rasheed without her consent and Laila has to force herself to marry Rasheed because of how unsafe the society was for her being a single pregnant mother. After their marriage, they are both abused by their husband, both mentally and physically, to the point where Rasheed, “ returns with a handful of pebbles and forces Mariam’s mouth open and stuffs them”(104). He also attempts to choke Laila to death. His abuse and constant taunting are simply because of how he perceives himself which is being superior to women. Also, he wants authority and power and expects his wives to do things according to him. Rasheed was not the only husband abusing his wives many others were doing the same things because it is what the society taught them. Furthermore, the government of Afghanistan (Taliban) was also unjust towards women by limiting their access to education. Women lost their rights and “it was ruled that women must wear a veil at all times while out in public”(Status of Women). Also according to BBC news, women were “barred from attending school and going out to work”. On the other hand before the invasion of the Taliban during the 1970s women were almost as equal as men. They were able to attend school, work many government jobs and had many more rights. This novel takes place from the early 1960s to early 2000s. Thus the time period covers both before and after the invasion of the Taliban. It becomes very obvious that Mariam loves to learn from an early age, but her mother does not allow her to attend school. Later on, she is married and she is unable to attend school because the Taliban invade Afghanistan and thus Mariam is unable to study. Furthermore, Laila gets an education when she is younger however she is unable to continue because of the invasion. The government played a big role in women’s right to education. Women all over the country were unable to attend schools instead they were to learn from their husbands. It is very clear that the government themselves are serving injustice and taking away women’s rights to education.
Oppression plays a big role in the characters’ lives, especially Mariam’s. as she had to deal with it since childhood. Throughout the novel, it becomes clear that sexism is a major form of oppression. Women are continuously abused by the men in the society. Oppression from Mariam’s husband Rasheed has the most impact on her and how she lives her life. From the time they are married Rasheed, forces Mariam to wear a veil to cover herself although other women are wearing skirts and tops. He also gets angry when she is unable to cook good food. For example: when Mariam cooks rice Rasheed’s response is, “Now you know what you’ve been giving me in this marriage. Bad food, and nothing else” (92). In addition, Mariam is continuously abused physically and emotionally because she is unable to have children. So throughout the novel, she learns to endure pain and she is always trying to please her husband but no matter how hard she tries her husband continually rejects her. The continuous abuse and anger affects Mariam emotionally and physically but is also the reason why she decides to take social justice initiative.
The characters in this novel don’t really attempt to achieve social justice until the very end of the novel.

Mariam and Laila face a lot of social injustice yet they do not attempt to challenge the issues because they are told to endure all forms of pain and social injustice. From a very young age, Mariam was told by her mother that all she needed to do was to withstand any pain and suffering, it’s the one skill she needed.” Endure . . . Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have”(17). In addition, Laila also suffered the injustice of society since she was a single mother it was not safe for her to live on her own so she had no choice but to marry Rasheed. The society gave women no choice but to endure and that’s the main reason why Laila and Mariam were unable to take a stand. However, close to the end of the novel Mariam decides to take initiative and fights back. She finally takes action because she is driven by the love she has for Laila and her child since they are the only family she’s had that loved her. So when Rasheed her husband attempts to choke Laila to death, Mariam reflects on how much injustice she has faced and how unjust both her husband and the society have been towards her and other women. At this point, Mariam realizes that she must end her and Laila’s suffering once and for all. So she takes Rasheed’s life. Although Mariam is executed as a form of punishment, she is very successful at taking a stand to end the oppression and injustice. Mariam knew her actions were fatal yet she still did what she knew was right. Furthermore, she sacrificed herself and didn’t regret her action instead she was pleased that “she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother” ( 329). Her actions freed Laila and her child from Rasheed’s abuse and helped them build a better life. Thus Mariam was successful and did not want to endure the injustice or see Laila suffer, she did it by

her will and even though it was fatal she made a difference and her death served a purpose.
Khaled Hosseini is very successful at raising awareness of women’s rights and triggering emotions of the readers in order to promote social justice. The novel triggers emotions because of all the abuse and injustice that is displayed throughout. For example, Rasheed’s continuous abuse, injustice towards women and etc, makes the reader think about how fortunate we are to live in a society where women and men are treated equally. Also, Hosseini is very descriptive, causing the reader to feel like they are in the story, and it really connects the reader to the book. Furthermore, Mariam’s death generates a lot of emotions in the reader. Mariam takes a stand for what is right and she sacrifices herself for Laila’s freedom. This is truly touching since she is sacrificing herself for her loved ones. Thus this novel was able to promote social justice through the use of emotions, descriptive writing, and many more.