Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns features at the most basic level the compelling life story of a two women, Mariam and Laila, and their lives. However, the true heart of this work lies in a much broader issue through all of the characters and the events that took place in Afghanistan around the time of this novels story.Hosseini writes characters into his novel as characters in themselves on the surface, but can be seen as representations of a much larger population of Afghanistan. Hosseini uses individual characters as a window into the larger scene of the entire country of Afghanistan, and the many facets of its people, in order to illustrate the political issue in a new light so as to demonstrate to the audience Hosseini’s hope for the future of Afghanistan.
It is in the final image of Laila’s family that Hosseini’s use of characters as smaller personal representations of a larger picture is most clearly, and most essentially to the significance of the novel, seen. The thoughts of Mariam that Laila has after her death are where the heart of the novel is revealed. “Laila resigned herself to moving on… Because in the end she knows thats all she can do. That and hope” (Hosseini 363). Hosseini at this point reveals the idea that the novel has been written to exemplify. Laila chooses to move on, as Mariam would have said to, learning from the adopted mother of her life. Hosseini paints a picture of hopefulness in this ability to move on that Laila posses. The entire novel has been centered around relationship of two women and the effect that that relationship had on the two characters as both individuals and windows into Afghan society. It is at this point that Hosseini shows not how he painted this picture, but why. Hoss...
... middle of paper ...
...in A Thousand Splendid Suns, but without combining the characters into one family the thought would be incomplete. Each of the characters compliments upon the other, Aziza’s ability to forgive pairing with Zalmai’s capacity for change, Laila’s desire to return and rebuild and Tariq’s devotion to her. Without these elements combining, the characters would be isolated and the people they represent would be as well. Without Zalmai and Aziza, two children of two different fathers, being accepted and loved, and uniting as one family, Hosseini would not be able to use them as an embodiment of the unification of Afghanistan.
Hosseini use of characters to show greater issues than what are directly present in the novel allows individuals to be representations of different people, which when united together in a family, depict an entire culture and a hope for its future.
Hosseni’s application of spousal abuse in the novel inflicts a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for Mariam and Laila. Mariam and Laila are victims of abuse in a patriarchal society. In their polygamous relationship with their husband Rasheed, he oppresses them emotionally, verbally, and physically. After Laila is brought back from the police, Rasheed promises that if she ever tries to run away again, he “swear[s] on the Profit’s name [he] will find [her]”(272) and if he does, he will
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.
I think that the author’s intent was to show how the characters’ past plays a role in their future. Miriam, for example, had a rocky relationship with both of her parents. These relationships affected her later on in life. They caused her to have a lack of confidence and relationship problems with Rasheed. Miriam’s past caught up to her and played an important role in her life. Laila, on the other hand, had an excellent relationship with her father which helped her to have a more positive outlook on life. She became hopeful and always wished for the best. Laila then helped Miriam to become more hopeful, just as Laila’s father did for her. Both of these characters went through a lot and they brought their past with them. The shift from past to present tense also symbolized the characters putting the past behind them and focusing on the future. Miriam becomes more daring and goes out on a limb to escape Rasheed and stands up for herself. Laila also manages to escape Rasheed and marries Tariq. In part four, Laila goes to visit Mullah Faizullah to inform him on Miriam’s death. In the car on the way there, the driver tells Laila his story and how he lost two sisters. “I’m sorry,” Laila says, marveling at how every Afghan story is marked by death and loss and unimaginable grief. And yet, she sees, people find a way to survive, to go on. Laila thinks of her own life and all that has happened to her, and she is astonished that she too has survived, that she is alive and sitting in this taxi listening to this man’s story,” (Hosseini 395). Laila reflects on not only her past, but everyone’s, and is amazed that they got through it. It makes her become even more hopeful for what is still to come. The switch to present tense changes the effect of the fourth part because the first three parts focus on sadness, loss, and
A thousand splendid suns, he tells us how his characters endure all the pains in life. Like most of the women in Afghanistan, Mariam and Laila has to endure their lives. Mariam and Laila, from two people didn’t know each other, but now, they become friends. Together, they endure and change their lives forever. They also teach us a lesson: endurance requires love, hope and sometimes sacrifice.
Since September 11, 2001, the Western world’s view of the Middle East, specifically countries like Iraq or Afghanistan, has shifted drastically. Whenever the media portrays the Middle East, they manage to spin a story negatively or violently. Due to these extrinsic influences, the youngest generation of Americans has never known an America that did not express at least some hatred toward certain parts of the Eastern world. Novels like The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini strive to encourage a healthy interest in Afghanistan and the Middle East while breaking the stereotypes that westerners have come to accept as fact about the culture and religion of Afghanistan. Hosseini manages to conjure a universal story line with relatable characters that introduce the world to the everyday people of postcolonial Afghanistan. On a grander scale, in The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini utilizes his own life experiences alongside his firsthand account of the contemporary history of Afghanistan to craft a novel that breaks down these negative stereotypes and offers a significant contribution to Afghan American literature.
From start to finish, one could see how much Mariam values Laila, Aziza, and their friendship. The first example is when Mariam vows to help Laila while they are in the hospital for Laila’s unborn child: “I’ll get you seen, Laila jo. I promise” (287). This simple promise is a deep portrayal of Mariam’s desire to help Laila find a doctor and deliver her baby. Additionally, one can see Mariam’s love for Laila when she protects her from Rasheed’s grip of death, “‘Rasheed.’ He looked up. Mariam swung. She hit him across the temple. The blow knocked him off Laila” (348). Rasheed was going to kill Laila, but Mariam steps in and knocks him off of her with a shovel to save her life. Mariam forms a tight-knit bond with Laila, and when Hosseini includes their relationship, one can see how Mariam values Laila enough to kill another man. The author also describes their relationship after Mariam and Laila discuss plans for leaving: “When they do, they’ll find you as guilty as me. Tariq too. I won’t have the two of you living on the run like fugitives.” … “Laila crawled to her and again put her head on Mariam’s lap. She remembered all the afternoons they’d spent together, braiding each other’s hair, Mariam listening patiently to her random thoughts and ordinary stories with an air of gratitude, with the expression of a person to whom a unique and coveted privilege had been extended” (358). The love Mariam has for
Every nations have their own culture, so we should not judge other nations without comprehend others’ culture. Before I read this novel I believe that the Afghan are rude, callous and brutal, because of the Al-qaede and Ben Raden’s terrorist attack. Nonetheless, I find I am wrong to judge this nation after read this book.The novel illustrate that the Afghani is actually the victim of the tyranny of Al-qaede, but the idiosyncrasy of the Afghani is actually civilized, enthusiastic and friendly. It is a noteworthy lesson for me that I should not judge a nation, a person or something just owing to noticing the the surface but ignoring what is beneath the surface.
Having the ability to sacrifice significantly is not easy; taking the selfish route would be less distressing. Since Laila is pregnant, but not with Rasheed’s child, she became well aware of how she must handle the situation, forcing her to see “the sacrifices a mother had to make. Virtue was the first”. A mother, Laila in particular, is willing to sacrifice her own happiness for the benefit of her child (219). By realizing the grief a mother goes through on behalf of their children, Laila begins to define the necessities for her child in order to provide the best life for it. As a result of the current situations for women in Afghanistan, Laila understands that it is in her best interest to marry Rasheed, so that she can have someone to help her support her family. On the other hand Mariam was not able to have children. Which put a strain on Mariam and Rasheeds relationship. Leaving Mariam with only the loving nature of Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai, due to the fact that Rasheed was only a negative presence in her life. After a while Rasheed treated both of his wives with no respect, therefore the women became closer than ever. Mariam became like a mother figure in Laila’s life, she would do anything for Laila and her children. “She gave it everything she had” revealing that she would go as far as killing Rasheed in order to free Laila and herself from greater abuse (349). However,
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini tells the story of two young girls, Mariam and Laila, and about their rough upbringings in Afghanistan during the 1960’s to the late 2000’s. Mariam lives with her uncaring mother Nana, and Mariam’s father Jalil visits her once a week. After Nana hangs herself, Mariam would assumedly go to live with Jalil. However, Jalil’s wives do not wish to have Mariam around. Jalil solves this issue by finding a man, Rasheed, for Mariam to marry. Their marriage was well initially, but when Mariam could not bear Rasheed the son he wanted, he became abusive.
Khaled Hosseini is the author of an historical fiction novel that was published on May 22, 2007 it is called "A Thousand Splendid Suns". The details and events that he explains in this novel are and did happen. The story was taking place around the 1960's to 2000's in Afghanistan. The purpose was to show and explain the life of women in the time and all the horrible events that was and are still happening.
The author develops a theme around the war because he is trying to make a point on how the country of Afghanistan was shaped, and how they went through many hardships and he uses the main characters and the others to show many of the things that women and men face everyday in the country of Afghanistan, especially during this time.“Yet Laila and Mariam are neither passive nor helpless as they make choices and accept the consequences to affect desired ends, both hopeful and tragic. In interviews and talks, Hosseini claims to write simple love stories, but his portrayal of Laila and Mariam and their dreams, trials, and challenges presents a complex view of women in Afghanistan that goes beyond oppression and the stereotype of the
Freedom is what allows one to pursue their dreams and discover happiness. Unfortunately, very few people are given a privilege so powerful. The Taliban is an Islamic political movement that has been disintegrating the freedom of Afghanistan citizens since the late 1990s. The majority of individuals are not able to comprehend the hardships endured with a lack of this right. Author Khaled Hosseini and director Siddiq Barmak help create a picture that increases the readers understanding of such hardships. In his novel The Kite Runner, Hosseini reveals the influence of jealousy and the destructive nature of humanity through protagonist Amir’s experiences in Afghanistan. The reader learns the importance of determination as Amir loses everything
A Thousand Splendid Suns, is a novel that depicts how harsh life can be in other cultures, and is based on the hometown of the author where the culture is seen very differently and consists of many hardships and bravery. Khaled Hosseini engages his readers through many emotions when writing his novels and connects closely to his readers by writings novels on issues that many of us feel a connection too, such as the treatment of women. For example Khaled describes the fear of women, in terms of their roles to their husbands “Nana had told her what husbands did to their wives. It was the thought of these intimacies in particular, which she imagined as painful acts of perversity, that filled her with dread and made her break out in a sweat” (Hosseini
In the second part of the novel it explains the story of Laila and her family. Laila’s mother does not seem to be bothered with her much. It tells about how she forgot to pick her up from school one day and a couple of boys squirted her with a toy gun filled with pee. Laila comes home and she wakes her mother up and tells her what has happened, she barely seems worried. This happens often in parenting. A lot of times parents can be swamped with things in their own lives that they can forget about things that go on in their children’s lives. This incident angered Laila as she thought about it, “Of course, it wouldn't have happened if Mammy had shown up like she was supposed to either. Sometimes Laila wondered why Mammy had even bothered having her. People, she believed now, shouldn't be allowed to have new children if they'd already given away all their love to their old ones. It wasn't fair. A fit of anger claimed her.” (Hosseini, 118-119) Mammy always seemed distant to Laila and Laila always ponders this. She thought about how her mother and father fought and how her mother might love her brothers more than she loves her. Then the incident happens and she is now almost certain that she does. Her brothers are killed in war and her mother becomes depressed. This breaks the family and now Laila is even more distant from her mother. Things like this can cause devastation to a family and it can make things different between them, just as it is in Laila’s family. Laila remembers what it was like to have the family happy and all enjoying each other’s company, “Laila's favorite part of Mammy's good days was when Babi came home, when she and Mammy looked up from the board and grinned at him with brown teeth. A gust of contentment puffed through the room then, and Laila caught a momentary glimpse of the tenderness, the romance, that had once bound her parents back when this house had been crowded and
My passion for controlling mechanical systems can be pinpointed to when I exposed to a Legos Mindstrom kit back in middle school. Since then I have had a diverse undergraduate career where I tried to pursue many different field but I’ve found the field of control systems to be the most interesting. The Given my undergraduate and work experience I believe that graduate school will be the next logical step on the path to become an engineering leader in this field.