Mariam

927 Words2 Pages

In the novel A Thousand splendid suns, Hosseini exemplifies the need for companionship and love through the genuine lack of these characteristics in Mariam, a underappreciated, illegitimate woman. Mariam’s battle for self-worth shapes the sincerity of her relationships with others and how they feel they should treat her. The product of Mariam's experiences illustrates how essential love and companionship are when discovering dignity and purpose through adversity. In a world filled with controversy and deception, a sense of purpose is essential in the way in which we derive the value of our own self-worth and find fulfillment. For Mariam, caring for the needs of others, and additionally in maternity aspects is one of the few practical …show more content…

This one word was not only the way Mariam felt about herself, but the basis of which she felt she deserved to be treated. The only thing Mariam had to base her own character on was through the way others acted towards her. She grew up throughout her entire life suffering, and accepting from the abuse of Nana and Rasheed. This constant abuse made Mariam feel as if all she could ever deserve and be worth was that of a Harami. Throughout the novel it is apparent how the words and actions of others around her distorted her views of how everyone in the world is warranted to treat her. “”Why have you pinned your little heart to an old, ugly hag like me? Huh? I am nobody, don't you see? A dehati... she [Mariam] marveled at how, after all these years of rattling loose, she had found in this little creature the first true connection in her life of false, failed connections.” (Hosseini, 252) The surprise Mariam finds through another creature showing any sort of affection for her proves to her that, not only she can amount to possess real connections with others, but she is deserving of this basic need and doesn’t owe the world for wanting this. The love Mariam found through Laila and her children was her salvation giving her life a sense of purpose and fulfillment which she had never felt before Through Mariam's checkered background and the diverse people which formed her character, the reader is able to see how much the actions of others around us can contribute to the makings of one's own self-worth. Mariam experienced many conflicting ideas coming from others about what she is accredited to do and her worth in the world. However, Mariam only truly discovered her purpose when she meets Laila and her children, where she is finally able to see her own worth through the salvation of their love and

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