Women's Rights In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, was written after Hosseini traveled back to his native Afghanistan to examine for himself the nation’s situation in the aftermath of decades of turmoil. Hosseini had left Afghanistan before the Soviet takeover, and Time suggests that this novel is an act towards his redemption for his family’s choice not to return to the country. Unlike Hosseini's first novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns contains no scenes set in America. Hosseini crafts the story of two strong Afghan women of different ages from different areas whose lives intersect for a while. The novel can be divided into four main sections on the basis of subject matter. The first part focuses on the upbringing of Mariam, a child

There are many themes within the novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. One of the most evident themes throughout the novel is the women right and feminism.

During the starting of the novel, women in Afghanistan had simple rights. They could go to the school, leave their houses and many more. But as the novel processed the rights of the women diminished.

When the Taliban came into power, women were beaten up just for showing their ankles, laughing too loud. Their husbands were like their slave owners and they could do whatever they please to do with them and it was perfectly

When it becomes clear that Rasheed has taken Lailato the home in order to make her his second wife, Mariam is angry because she has given her life to Rasheed. Laila is also not happy with the situation but feels that she has no other alternative given that her parents have been killed. The two women tried to avoid each other during the day, but eventually when Rasheed turns violent towards both of them, Laila and Mariam and forges a bond around their shared suffering. Soon Laila's daughter Aziza is also a part of this bond, as Rasheed hates the child and Aziza grows particularly fond of