A Thousand Splendid Suns: Response

I had a really big eye-opening experience by reading this novel. Throughout the novel, the author provided plenty of detail to create a very clear picture of the atrocities that occurred in Afghanistan. Throughout the rule of different governments, women were very poorly treated. As I was reading the novel, I was really touched by what Mariam had to go through. She showed her strength and determination throughout the novel, by withstanding Rasheed’s constant attacks and insults. While reading the novel, I also saw that small things lead to happiness. Although Mariam could not bear children, she was so happy when she could help Laila raise her children. I also realized the degree of cruelty to which people can go to in order to manipulate somebody. Rasheed paid a man to come and tell Laila that Tariq had died so that she would marry him. Furthermore, I realized how lucky I am to be living in Canada where there is a democratic government.  In Canada there are a lot of freedoms that people in Afghanistan can only dream of. Women in Afghanistan must cover themselves with a burqa, whereas in Canada women can express themselves in many different ways. Overall, the novel really gets across the hardships that the people of Afghanistan had to deal with, and especially the hardships that women had to deal with.

I feel that my ISU project is progressing well. I got a little behind on my reading, but now I am caught up. I have a lot of potential connections that could be made between A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner, that will be confirmed or not after I read The Kite Runner. I really liked A Thousand Splendid Suns and I anticipate that The Kite Runner will be just as good if not better as both novels are written by the same author, Khaled Hosseini. I look forward to reading The Kite Runner and comparing the two novels.

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Analysis

“All I [Rasheed] ask in return, well, it is a simple thing. I ask that you [Laila] avoid leaving this house without my company. … Oh, I also ask that when we are out together, that you wear a burqa. For your own protection, naturally. It is best. So many lewd men in this town now. Such vile intentions, so eager to dishonor even a married woman. So. That’s all.” (Hosseini, 200)

This quotation shows that Rasheed is asserting his power of being a man over Laila. In Afghanistan, women were seen as objects rather than humans. Rasheed is forcing Laila to wear a burqa and to always be in his company when she exits the house. Before marrying Rasheed, Laila did not have to wear a burqa or be accompanied by anybody. The quotation shows the big transformation that Laila had to undergo once she married Rasheed. She was no longer a ‘free’ woman. She was at the mercy of Rasheed. He decided what she could and could not do, and she could do nothing to change that. Once she married Rasheed, Laila’s personality disappeared. She could no longer express herself under the burqa, nor could she travel by herself. This quotation serves to show that females were not considered as humans. They were objects. Laila is only one example of something that was happening all over Afghanistan.

“Attention Women: You will stay inside your homes at all times. It is not proper for women to wander aimlessly about the streets. If you go outside, you must be accompanied by a male relative. If you are caught alone on the street, you will be beaten and sent home. You will, under no circumstance, show your face. You will cover with burqa when outside. If you do not, you will be severely beaten.  Cosmetics are forbidden. Jewellery is forbidden. You will not speak unless spoken to. You will not make eye contact with men. You will not laugh in public. If you do, you will be beaten.” (Hosseini, 248)

This quotation is an announcement made by the Taliban government once it came to power in Afghanistan. The Taliban government is making women powerless. Women can no longer show their faces, laugh in public, or be on the streets unaccompanied by a male relative. Furthermore, women are being forced to stay inside unless it is necessary for them to walk on the streets. Women are at the mercy of their husbands. The guards patrolling the streets are empowered to harm women without any punishment, because according to Taliban law, women are the ones at fault. Due to the laws put in place by the Taliban government, women were isolated from the outside world. They had rare opportunities to discuss with other women, and were at the command of their husbands. Due to the laws, women were dominated by what their husbands decided or what the Talibans decided. Through the laws that were put in place by the Taliban, men could do horrid things to their wives and get away with them, because women had no power or rights to do anything about it.  

“For me, it ends here. There’s nothing more I want. Everything I’d ever wished for as a little girl you’ve already given me. You and your children have made me so very happy. It’s all right, Laila. This is all right. Don’t be sad.” (Hosseini, 319)

Mariam realizes that she must take the blame for killing Rasheed, or else everybody will have to suffer. She decides to tell the authorities of what she has done so that Laila can live an easier life, and not have to worry about the Taliban coming after her. Mariam is saddened that she has to turn herself in but she realizes that it is the only way to ensure that Laila will not be affected by the murder. The quotation also shows that Mariam and Laila have developed a strong friendship. Although, the two women did not like each other at first, over time they became good friends. Furthermore, Mariam is happy that she is able to help Laila raise her children, despite not being able to have children of her own. The quotation shows that although women had to endure hardships, they still found small things to be happy about and to cherish.  

A thousand Splendid Suns: Characters

Mariam: Daughter of Jalil Khan and “Nana”, marries Rasheed, becomes good friends with  Laila

Jalil Khan: Mariam’s father

Nana: Mariam’s mother

Mullah Faizullah: Mariam’s tutor who teaches her about the Koran

Rasheed: Mariam’s and Laila’s husband, father of Zalmai

Laila: Marries Rasheed and later Tariq, mother of Aziza and Zalmai

Tariq: Marries Laila, father of Aziza

Aziza: Daughter of Laila and Tariq, sister of Zalmai

Zalmai: Son of Laila and Rasheed, brother of Aziza

Zaman: Orphanage director, works with Tariq and Laila to renovate orphanage, allows Laila to be a teacher at the orphanage

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Summary

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is a novel about the hardship of life in a war torn country, specifically Afghanistan. The story starts with a young girl named Mariam who is forced to marry a man named Rasheed. She moves to live with Rasheed, but she is unable to bear children and is soon considered useless by Rasheed. After a few years of marriage, war starts in Afghanistan. During the war, Rasheed saves a girl named Laila, who he soon marries. Laila has two children, Aziza and Zalmai with Rasheed. Although he has two children with Laila, Rasheed is increasingly forceful and hurts both Mariam and Laila. One day, when Rasheed is about to strangle Laila, Mariam kills him with a shovel. Mariam turns herself in and is killed, while Laila marries her childhood love, Tariq. She visits Mariam’s former home, and eventually settles down. She becomes a teacher at an orphanage, and along with Tariq raises her two children. Throughout the story, Laila and Mariam have to adapt to the different governments that rise to power in Afghanistan, from the Communists, to the Taliban, and eventually Al Qaeda.