Polygamy In A Thousand Splendid Suns

In Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns polygamous culture is highly accepted and legal. This acceptance stems from Mariam’s own father Jalil had 4 wives, but could not bring himself to accept his illegitimate child. Rasheed and Mariam’s marriage becomes a polygamous one when he coerces Laila into marriage. Polygamy is legal in over 100 countries mostly in the middle east and third world countries of africa. Attitudes toward polygamy in countries like the US and UK greatly contrast those in the middle East, but as TV shows like Sister wives become more accepted so does the idea. The practice of polygamy has caused some debate in the 20th century; and with the new legislation legalizing gay marriage one might say the legalization of

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In A Thousand Splendid Suns Mariam did not enter into a polygamous marriage willingly; she was forced to accept Laila as a sister wife. Rasheed did not want another wife for love, he wanted another wife to bear him children and fulfill his needs in the bedroom. From the time he married Mariam, rasheed displayed a domineering patriarchal attitude not just toward her but all women. This attitude in men is one of the