The Struggle To Attain Equality

Summary

The novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, tells the story of two Afghan women in the 1960s, as they struggle with different, yet not so different, challenges that prevent them from being truly free and equal members of their male-dominate society.

The novel begins telling the story of Mariam, a 15-year old girl whose mother, Nana, is verbally abusive and makes Mariam believe that she is burden, and a harmai (Hosseini, 4), which means bastard in Farsi. Mariam is an illegitimate child to Jalil, a rich business man who has multiple wives and numerous other children. When Nana, Jalil’s housekeeper, finds out she is pregnant with Mariam, Jalil orders her to move out and live in a home in Herat, Kabul. Although Nana must care for Mariam by herself, Jalil visits his daughter to bring her material items that have no special meaning. After Mariam’s mother commits suicide, she must be marry off at the age of 15 because Jalil sees her as a disgrace to his name. Mariam’s arranged marriage to strict Muslim follower, Rasheed, leaves her feeling empty and lost. When she miscarries her first child, she is feels as if she is a disappointment to Rasheed, who becomes more and more abusive by the day.

Laila, who lives in the same neighbourhood as Mariam and Rasheed, experiences a much different life. Her parents are University educated, so they encourage her to continue on with her learning. Her father tells her to not rush into marriage, rather to take advantage of the increased liberal movement in Afghanistan. Laila, who is almost 10 years younger than Mariam, is a head strong girl who forms a close bond with Tariq, a boy who is a few years older than her.  

Connection to The Kite Runner

I have read Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, which contains a similar writing style and tone as this book. The main characters in The Kite Runner were male, whereas in A Thousand Splendid Suns, the main characters are female. Therefore, I feel that I can better relate to how Mariam and Laila may feel as women whose rights are oppressed. The novel obviously identifies the issue of gender inequality in the Middle East, especially when it comes to education. Mariam is not educated, and struggles to understand her world because of her ignorance. Laila, on the other hand, has a right to education because she is part of a higher class family.

Foreshadowing and Predicting

From reading the Part 1 of this novel, I believe that Mariam’s relationship with Rasheed will only become worst due to their inability to have a child. Rasheed’s previous marriage ended poorly, as both his wife and his son drowned in a lake. After seven miscarriages, Rasheed becomes increasingly angry that he cannot have a child. Also, Mariam notices subtle hints that he is a dangerous and unpredictable man. On day when she is looking through his drawers, she finds an old photo of Rasheed, his wife, and his son. She remarks, “There was something vaguely unsettling about the way Rasheed seemed to loom over them……her unsmiling, sullen face. The way she titled forward subtly, as though she were trying to wriggle free of his hands.” (Hosseini, 84). Although Mariam is subordinate to Rasheed and only wants to please him, I believe that she will not be able to deal with the negativity without separating herself from Rasheed. She will have to make the decision to either get out of the situation, or continue to tolerate Rasheed’s abuse for the rest of her life.

In the beginning of Part 2, which introduces Laila as a new character, I immediately thought that Tariq and Laila would one day be married. They seem to balance each other out, as Laila is an intellectual who is loves learning, and Tariq is brave, and helps to defend Laila when she is attacked by the neighborhood bullies. He is, however, a cripple, and is deemed as “lesser” by many kids his age.

Literary Devices

Hosseini is a very descriptive writer. He likes to include words in his writing that clearly paint an image of what is happening during the course of the novel. He also uses a motif, or a phrase stated early in the novel. Nana tells Mariam that, “As a reminder of how women like us suffer…..How quietly we endure all that falls upon us.” (91). This phrase is repeated once in the first third of the novel, so I can predict that it may be used again later on to reinforce the theme that women have little to no rights in this society. Also, there is a reference to Pinocchio when Mariam is a young child. She asks Jalil to take her to see the first showing of Pinocchio (flashback to the emergence of Disney in pop culture!). I think the author may have used the example of Pinocchio to show that Jalil is a liar, someone who lies directly to his daughter. His endearing character tricks Mariam into believing that he an honest father, when in reality, it is quite clear that he just tries to please Mariam with material items rather than parental love. 

Reflection

When I am reading, I need my environment to be quiet and free of all distractions. I personally find when my family is out of the house, I am able to best concentrate on school work. I often use sticky notes so that I can track important information in my reading and refer back to it quickly.

This novel has reinforced my belief that the social practices of people in the Middle East are directed by Islamic beliefs, and a male-dominate culture. Women are to obey male figures in society, and many do not have the opportunity to be educated and learn about how Western cultures value women's rights and freedoms.

Works Cited

"10 Reasons Why Malala Yousafzai Should Be Every Pakistani's Role Model                                           SHUGHAL." SHUGHAL. N.p., 2015. Web. 20 July 2016.

"A Thousand Splendid Suns." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2016.

Khaled Hosseini. "A Thousand Splendid Suns." New York: Riverhead Books, 2007.
Maanvi. "In Photos: Afghanistan's First Female Graffiti Street Artist." The Quint. N.p., 2016. Web.           20 July 2016.

"Quotes from ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ by Khaled Hosseini." Aamil Syed. N.p., 2014. Web. 20             July  2016.

Notes

Here is a link to an article about Afghanistan’s first female graffiti artist, and how she is trying to bring feminism into the spotlight with her artwork: Feminism in Art


Tags: Gender Inequality, Middle East, Right to Education