Nana's Suicide In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Many women from around the world live day to day under the shadow of gender roles. While their spouses are away at their jobs, the women are expected to cook, clean, and take care of their kids, all before the husband gets home from work. From A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Nana is a single housewife who birthed and raised her only daughter Mariam by herself, while doing daily house chores, taking care of her medical conditions, and battling depression. While Mariam was approaching her early preteens, Nana suddenly decided she had endured enough pressure and hung herself. On the whole, the events leading up to Nana’s death proves a desperate act of suicide.
One factor influencing Nana’s desperate suicide is her harrowing life from the past and present. Before her life with her only child Mariam, Nana took a job as a maid

for one of Herat’s wealthiest businessmen, Jalil. After messing around, Jalil impregnated Nana, causing flames to rise between Jalil’s three wives to the point where they shamed Nana and asked Jalil to kick her out of the house. Outside the house, Nana’s father disowns her for the pregnancy, pushing Nana further into the depths of a difficult life afterward. “The wives demanded that he throw her out. Nana’s own father . . . disowned her,” (6). Adding on to the betrayals of the people closest to Nana, she also lives with her daughter as a single mother, which means that she has an extra responsibility to carry on her shoulders. Lastly, as a teenager, Nana was to marry a man, but a fateful epilepsy fell upon her, daunting her groom and other potential suitors away. In summary, the shaming, the responsibility of a single mother, and her medical conditions bear upon Nana a strenuous life to endure.
A further factor contributing to Nana’s suicide is her depression.

As stated previously, Nana was shamed not only by her former employer and his employer’s wives, but her own father, the only other man in her life. The pivotal result from this is her severe depression which she kept through her life with Mariam. One of the specific factors contributing to Nana’s depression is Jalil’s betrayal and irresponsible actions with one of his employees. A result of this is Nana having to birth Mariam herself, cutting the umbilical cord and all. However, Mariam, the only other person in Nana’s life that actually loves, cares for, and stays with her, has Jalil visit their little hut that he built for Nana. Every week, she attempts to dress herself up in her most appealing clothes and masquerades herself behind a face which says that she is fine as a single mother, when in reality, she is not. “Despite her rants against him when he was around, Nana was subdued and mannerly when Jalil visited” (20). In sum, Nana’s passionate hate for the man who turned her life inside-out affects her daily mood and mindset, ultimately leading Nana to her

demise.
The last factor adding to Nana’s desperate suicide is her mixed emotions. Another emotion that is portrayed by Nana is her anger and impatience towards Mariam for even the tiniest of mistakes. “Instead, Nana grabbed Mariam by the wrists, pulled her close, and, through gritted teeth, said, ‘This is my reward for everything I’ve endured. An heirloom-breaking, clumsy little harami,’” (4). Even after breaking a special bowl owned by Nana, one that may easily be replaced, she loses her temper. One emotion Nana displays is her constant pessimism and negativity, mostly targeted toward Jalil: “’And believe me,’ Nana said. ‘it was a relief to your father having me out of sight. It suited him just fine,’” (8). To be brief, Nana’s constant mood swings and malleable emotion only added to the stack of things that drove Nana to her suicide.
Nana is just like most of the world’s women, only with a few aspects which make her condition worse than others. Her difficult life, depression, and constant mood swings all add up to her desperate decision to end her life so suddenly, even when she is a strong enough woman to endure all those aspects and more. This issue is significant to everyday life because many people, men, women, children, teenagers regardless, face daily problems which can never outweigh other people’s problems. Everybody goes through hardships, and that is what makes us human. The reality of this is that most people’s conditions blur their view of what life is, although everybody endures the same problems as everyone else. The people that cannot see this truth are the ones that end up in their desperate situations where they end up ending their own lives, as Nana did with her own.