Sweat And A Thousand Splendid Suns

Women have always struggled in society to find a relationship where the husband and wife are equal in status and power. In many communities it is commonplace for the man to be the head of household and make all of the decisions. This power over the household often times gives the husband the authority to use whatever means necessary to make the wife submissive. The theme of spousal abuse is is present in both A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston, the way it is viewed by society differs, as well as how it is dealt with.

In A Thousand Splendid Suns spousal abuse is an accepted part of their culture and it is written into their laws. Shortly after Mariam and Rasheed are married, they go shopping for the

first time, and Rasheed requires Mariam to wear a burqa that covers her from head to toe. N. Tripathy (2018) says, “Though Uncomfortable, she accepts the Burqa which Mariam reveals her unwillingness to rebel against her husband and her understanding of Rasheed’s strict ideals and their effect on her lifestyle” (p. 56). In afghanistan, women like Mariam are subject to the wills of their husbands because society and their laws tell the man that she is his property and that he has every right to do with her as he pleases. These laws and social norms allowing abuse of women, whether in public or in private, deter Mariam from rebelling against Rasheed because she knows that if she does she will punished severely. Once the Taliban take control of the country the strict laws women are subject to increase tenfold as do the punishments for breaking them. Khaled Hosseini (2007) writes about the laws women are subject to:
You will not laugh in public. If you do, you will be beaten.
You will not paint your nails. If you do, you will lose a finger.
…
If you are found guilty of adultery, you will be stoned to death.
Listen. Listen well. Obey (p. 278)
Women are no longer just subject to abuse from their husband, they are to be publicly abused by any man who deems that they are breaking a law. The women have no defense for themselves. They must submit to the abuse or face an even more severe punishment of death. This submission of women, whether by force or choice, keeps the cycle of violence occuring because the women are too afraid to stand up for themselves and the men believe that it is right and just according to society and their laws.
In contrast, in “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston, society knows that abusing one’s wife is wrong, but no one is willing to do anything about it. The community knows that Sykes is abusing Delia and having an affair with Bertha, but they refuse to do anything about it. Zora Neale Hurston (1997) writes,
‘We oughter take Syke an’ dat stray ‘oman uh his’n down in Lake Howell swamp and lay on de rawhide till they can’t say Lawd a’ mussy… But the heat was melting their civic virtue…’ Come on, Joe, git a melon outa dere an’ slice it up for yo’ customers. We're all suffering’ wid de heat’ (p. 4)
The men of the community that are gathered threaten to beat Sykes and his “stray” until they can not call on the Lord, but they are quickly sidetracked, and any desire to help Delia fades away. As a society, they know that Sykes abuses Delia and their relationship, but they aren’t willing to do anything because they don’t want to get involved in someone else’s business. L. Champion (2006) writes,
Her submission to Sykes results from social expectations that were prevalent… men were considered the head of families and wives were expected to obey their husbands.

However, Delia eventually confronts Sykes, an act that shows her ability to violate patriarchal social codes (para. 15)

The idea that “what happens behind closed doors, stays behind closed doors…” was very common in the time period that Hurston lived in. Societies were willing to turn a blind eye to what was happening to women because it was someone else’s problem, even though they knew that what was happening was wrong.

In A Thousand Splendid Suns, when a woman in the community finally gained the courage to stand up to her abuser, she was punished severly and in most cases her punishment was death. In Mariam’s case her sentence was death for killing Rasheed when he was killing Laila. Hosseini writes,

Something tells me you are not a wicked woman, hamshira. But you have done a wicked thing. And you must pay for this thing you have done. Shari’a is not vague on this matter. It says I must send you where I will soon join you myself (2007, p.

366)
The man delivering Mariam’s sentence does not necessarily want to punish her with death, but their laws deem that he must. If Mariam were a man she would not have faced the consequences that she did for killing someone else. The society created by the Taliban and Shari’a Law make it so women have absolutely no freedom or way out of an abusive situation, they were afraid to leave because of the abuse they would receive for trying and if they finally did decide to leave they are punished severely by law and the community. The harsh laws for women keep them from standing up for themselves and keep the men in power under the guise of religious values. So, for Mariam Rasheed’s death meant the end of her life as well.
The death of her husband in “Sweat” has the opposite effect for Delia, with his death she is finally free to do as she pleases.

Hurston writes,

She lay there. ‘Delia. Delia!’ She could hear Sykes calling in a most despairing tone as one who expected no answer. The sun crept on up, and he called. Delia could not move--her legs were gone flabby. She never moved, he called, and the sun kept rising (1997, p. 9)

Upon Sykes being struck by the snake and resulting in his death, Delia goes weak with relief. She is so relieved that he is finally out of her life permanently that she collapses. She can not believe that she is finally free to live her life as she pleases and keep all of her hard earned money. Sykes used abuse and her lack of ability to go anywhere to keep her trapped in their marriage for fifteen years and finally his own mistake freed her. In her community, she is finally able to earn her money and keep it, she no longer has to give it to Sykes simply because he is the head of the household. Even though it is hard for a single female to earn a living during that time period, she has already been doing it for so many years, but now she gets to reap the benefits and keep all of her money. So, for Delia Sykes’ death meant complete

freedom.
The differences in the communities present in A Thousand Splendid Suns and “Sweat” change the way spousal abuse is viewed by the citizens living there and as well as how the aftermath of the abusive relationships is dealt with. In one community, such as the one Delia lives in, the death of an abusive husband means absolute freedom for the wife. In another e community, such as the one that Mariam lives in, the death of an abusive husband means the death of the wife because they really have no other way to provide for themselves. In different communities, the end of an abusive relationship does not always mean a new beginning, it may signify the end.