Sisters in Marriage

Living with Abuse 

In Part 2 and 3 of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the political unrest and war that plagues Afghanistan becomes more violent and unforgiving. Laila’s house is bombed which results in the deaths of Mammy, her heart-broken mother who lost two of her sons in the fighting, and her dearly beloved father, Hakim. Laila can be seen as the "damsel in distress" in this situation because she is now an orphan who does not have a home. Rasheed witnesses the bombing take place, so he rescues Laila from the rubble and forces Mariam nurse her back to health. Laila later becomes the innocent victim of Rasheed’s abuse when she is forced to marry Rasheed and have a child with him. She is young, inexperienced, and completely blameless. Laila is not as independent as Mariam is because her family provided all the necessities of life for her, including an education. Also, Tariq, who acts as the stereotypical handsome prince in the story, defends Laila from the neighbourhood bullies. Laila is very different from Mariam in that she educated, and more logical, whereas Mariam is naive acts solely on emotion and her limited past experiences.

Innocence v.s. Naivety

Laila is a bold woman who embodies strength through how she responds to Rasheed’s behaviour. Although Mariam can be seen as a strong woman by the end of the novel, she doesn’t question Rasheed, rather she obeys his commands and tries her best to please him. Therefore, readers can view her as being a weak, subservient woman who gives into Rasheed’s commands, and who fails to stand up for women’s rights. Both woman must obey Rasheed to some extent, because he has the power and means to kill them if they disobey him. However, their different personalities cause them to be foils to each other in terms of feminism.

There are several parts during the novel when Mariam is described to be shaking and plagued by anxiety. It is clear that this behaviour is a result of Rasheed’s aloof personality, and his physical and emotional abuse. Rasheed is evidently the antagonist in the story, who seeks to control his wives through the fear that he will beat them to death. Mariam is a humble and obedient woman, who since her childhood, obeys authority figures in order to attain a false sense of affection. At the start of this book, I viewed Mariam as an unheroic character because, due to her mother’s verbal abuse, she struggled to have confidence in herself and her ability to stand up to those who hurt her. Despite this, I am beginning to see her as being more bold and courageous in her actions, and I sense that she will develop into a more likable, heroic character by the end of the novel.

Specific Examples of Archetypes 

There are two less significant examples that can also be considered to be archetypal in this part of the story. Firstly, after Laila gives birth to a baby girl whom they name Aziza (she is Laila and Tariq's child, but Rasheed thinks she is his child), Rasheed is upset that his baby is not a boy. One day when Aziza is crying, Rasheed says to Laila, “I swear, sometimes I want to put that thing in a box and let her float down Kabul River. Like baby Moses” (Hosseini 237). Rasheed’s reference to Moses foreshadows that Aziza is to be like a deliver, who leads the captured Egyptians (Mariam and Laila), out of the Pharaoh’s control (Rasheed), and into a paradise like the Promised Land. His lack of compassion and patience further proves his evil nature. 

Also, one night when Mariam wakes up due to her anxiety, she sees Aziza wide awake beside Laila, who is asleep. This is the first time that Mariam seems to connect with Aziza and show affection to

Northern Mockingbird 

her. It is difficult for Mariam to see Laila’s bond with Aziza because she had seven miscarriages which left her feeling lost and purposeless (especially in the eyes of Rasheed). After she spends time with Aziza, Aziza falls asleep and the narrator reads, “Mockingbirds were singing blithely….” (244). The reference to mockingbirds reminds me of Harper Lee’s novel,To Kill a Mockingbird. I read this book in grade 10, and its primary theme of innocence can be seen in the way Aziza is portrayed to be an innocent child, who may be later subject to Rasheed’s abuse. This example emphasizes that often, when a character such as a child or a woman is essentially good, those who are evil take advantage of their innocence and vulnerability in order to make themselves feel powerful and controlling.

                

                                                                                                                                                 

Bibliography

Khaled Hosseini. "A Thousand Splendid Suns." New York: Riverhead Books, 2007.

"Mockingbird." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 July 2016.

"Monday: One Point Japanese Clinic | Japanese Experts Net." Japanese Experts Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016.

Tags: Polygamy, Abuse, Innocence