Rasheed: Summary

Mariam is married to Rasheed. Rasheed a controlling shoemaker, who is motivated to replace his dead son. After discovering Mariam cannot conceive a child, Rasheed started to abuse Mariam. Rasheed unhappy that he can’t replace his son, he marries Laila. Laila gives Rasheed the son that he wanted.

Mariam is married off to a disgusting man named Rasheed and he mistreated her just like her mother treated her. Rasheed then gets another wife and things for Mariam and Rasheeds new wife, Laila , don't get off to a great start. Mariam is told to take Lailas orders, but upon one of Laila and Mariam's first conversations with each other Mariam gave a crude tone and let it readers know that “I was here first and I won't be thrown out” (225). Mariam believes that Laila will get rid of Mariam and this causes disagreement and tension between the two. Mariam later opens her eyes and realizes that Laila isn't an enemy and forgives Laila for trying to get her thrown out.

Although, Mariam is discouraged to pursue an education, Mariam and Laila knew the possibilities of women. Laila was expected to be something important in her life, her childhood friends and Rasheed made a note on how intelligent, independent and determined she was. While Mariam

One day, Tariq stopped by Rasheed’s house to see Laila. This came to Laila as a surprise because Rasheed had made everyone believe that he was dead. After learning that Tariq had been there, Rasheed began to beat Laila for being with Tariq. ( Hosseini 182) Mariam had realized that Rasheed’s anger had overcome him and that he was going to kill Laila.

Rasheed however asks her to wear a burqa before going out. He makes it very clear to Mariam and later on to Laila, that a “woman 's face is her husband 's business only”. However when Mariam fails to bear a child, after several miscarriages, Rasheed begins to torture her both physically and mentally. Rasheed also becomes cross on Laila when she gives birth to a girl child. Later on Laila gives birth to a boy, but this does not improve her status in front of Rasheed.

“But in Rasheed’s eyes she saw murder for them both. And so Mariam raised the shovel high, raised it as high as she could, arching it so it touched the small of her back.” (349). This quote was the moment before Mariam’s life would end, she killed Rasheed to save the people she loved which was Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai. But, Mariam’s action would have conscious she knew that she would have to admit to the police.

Mariam longed to place a ruler on a page and draw important-looking lines”(Hosseini ). Mariam is an example of how women are banned from an education and whose life could have been changed by education. Instead of being educated, she is sheltered by her mother and lives the rest of her life without high expectations of herself. Nana teaches her that an Afghan woman has to endure the life that is chosen for her because she does not have a say. Nana even says "There is only one, only one skill a woman like you and me needs in life, and they don't teach it in school.

Twelve maybe thirteen years old, I held a piece of glass to his throat and took his blanket from him. I gave it to my mother””. The ultimate love filled sacrifice would be Mariam. Mariam’s sacrifice was made for the protection of Laila, Aziza, Zalmai, and Tariq. She knew what the punishment would be if she killed Rasheed, but she had to in order to keep him from killing Laila.

Mariam offers to surrender herself for Rasheed’s death, instead of taking the risk of both of them getting caught and killed. Unlike herself, she realizes that Laila has significantly more to lose, her children and Tariq. Mariam knows that the action she has taken against Rasheed is completely justified, therefore to her, execution is an honest and good way to die. For her family

Mariam sacrifices her freedom for Jalil by marrying Rasheed. In the novel, when the wives told Mariam they found a suitor for her, she tells Jalil to say something and he says “‘Mariam don’t do this to me’”(49). Even though Mariam did not want to marry Rasheed, she knew Jalil wanted her to and so she did, forever surrendering her freedom to him. Marrying Rasheed deprived Mariam of her freedom because when Rasheed tells Mariam “‘a woman’s face is her husband’s business only’”(70), it indicates that she is his and he controls her.

When Laila’s parents were killed and she was injured, Mariam took her in and sacrificed her time and space in order to take care of Laila (199). Mariam didn’t have kids of her own, yet took care of Laila as if she were her own daughter. She cared enough for the young girl’s well being to take her in and show her kindness. When Rasheed is about to kill Laila, Mariam hits Rasheed with a shovel so hard that it kills him (349). She viewed Laila as her own daughter, and she wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her daughter.

The novel starts by introducing Mariam, in the beginning, she’s a self-conscious young lady with a mother who is despicable and suffers from depression. Her father has entirely different family and shuns her when she tries to be indulged in his life. Mariam is the banished child, due to Nana and Jalil having intercourse while unmarried, resulting in Mariam being illegitimate. At a young age, she was forced to marry a severely abusive man named

Although the two are similar because they share Rasheed as their husband, they differ in the way they respond to situations. The explanation for their differences in behavior originates from how they grow up. Laila learns from her father at an early age to be independent and to be restless when it comes to achieving her goals, such as pursuing an education. Babi tells her that “Women have always had it hard in this country, Laila, but they’re probably more free now, under the communists, and have more rights than they’ve ever had before” (Hosseini 135). Despite the war and her abusive marriage with Rasheed, Laila has positive outlook on life that serves her in numerous situations.

Maria is trying to grow up too fast and she put her family to the side instead of being grateful. In this story, conflict, characterization, and symbolism all have an effect on the overall theme.

However, after a long time of struggling against the society and the loss of her two sons in addition to that, her role as an ideal feminist challenger is no longer dominant. Much like Mariam, Laila is a victor. The difference between Mariam and Laila is Laila has been defying the norms of the culture throughout her life, unlike Mariam, who was submissive for the early years of her lifetime. Laila represents a hope for woman in the male dominated culture, as she goes on to escape from her abusive husband, finds happiness, pursues education, and contributes back to the society postwar. The male characters are also notable to observe from the novel because the patriarchal society, as well as for the comparison purpose.