Gender Roles In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Afghanistan History in A Thousand Splendid Suns A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is a novel that takes place in Afghanistan in the latter half of the 20th century and it incorporates a lot of Afghan history and culture with a focus on the development of the female characters and their roles in a patriarchal society. There are two female protagonist namely; Miriam and Laila both born in the second largest city in Afghanistan that is located in the north-western part of the country. From Miriam’s conception, her life was destined to be a struggle and filled with tragedy unlike Laila, who was born into an educated family with the hope of becoming an educator. Miriam was born out of wedlock to Jalil and Nana, who both did their best to keep her out of sight because she was an illegitimate daughter of a married man. On the other hand, Laila was born to Hakim and Fariba, who both did their utmost best to raise her until they were dragged into the war and met their demise. Hosseini’s, A Thousand Splendid Suns, weaves Afghanistan history and its influence into its characterization of Miriam and Laila.

During this time period, the women lived under a strict patriarchal society and they were regarded as inferior and judged harshly for the actions that men inflicted upon them. In chapter one, Miriam’s conversation with Nana reveals the hardships that women must undergo, “Learn this now and learn this well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman”(p26) is a quote that emphasize that women must be submissive. This reveals the culture of the country and how women were treated and blamed for all the errors and mishaps that occurred in a man’s life without