The Space Between Us andA Thousand Splendid Suns

In architecture, contrast is used to create a dramatic entrance. The observer moves from a small, dimly lit space to a grand room full of light where they feel the impact of the room because of its contrast with the previous one. Similarly, authors, the architects of a book’s plot, use contrast to emphasize a character’s struggles and triumphs. In both The Space Between Us by Thirty Umrigar and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, the authors use the contrast between two lives to emphasize the power of money, education, and gender within Afghan and Indian society.

The centre of economy and the focus of many lives, the power of money is punctuated by the difference in wealth in Bhima and Sera’s lives in The Space Between Us. The importance of money is stressed in A Thousand Splendid Suns with the contrast between Mariam’s father’s prosperity and her mother’s poverty and the difference in Laila and Mariam’s lives before and after war. Centred on the newly abolished caste system, the distinction between Bhima and Sera’s financial situations underlines the difference money makes in their society. While Bhima is forced to live in a slum, Sera enjoys the luxury of her home and the employment of Bhima. Another luxury Bhima can’t afford is to welcome Maya’s baby. Instead she is forced to watch her granddaughter suffer from the emotional effects of an abortion. While Sera eagerly awaits the birth of her own grandchild she is the one who financially facilitates the abortion of Bhima’s great-grandchild. Furthermore, because of the pre-existing social constraints of the caste system, Bhima is not permitted to sit on the same furniture or use the same dishes as Sera. Similarly, Mariam’s life is also restricted by her mother’s pove...

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... few prospects. As a result, she felt the loss of something that could empower her to achieve her dreams. The power of education is also accented in The Space Between Us by the divergent lives that Bhima and Maya lead. While Bhima on the one hand is destined to forever serve others, Maya has the potential to overcome her circumstances because of her education. The importance that schooling can make in Maya’s life is repeatedly pointed out by Bhima whose dream for Maya is that she will go from her hut with two copper pots to “a kitchen with sparkling stainless steel pots and pans” (page 21) This is Bhima’s ultimate vision for Maya, one only attainable by continuing her schooling. Polarized by Bhima’s lack of education, which is what she equates to as the reason for her almost destitute life, the potential that school can afford a person in India is clearly defined.