Antigone In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Jalaluddin Rumi once questioned, “And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?” Discovering one’s self continuously occurs throughout life; the variety of experiences that individuals endure contribute to the formation of one’s self-perceptions. Much of life’s events that facilitate self-discovery are challenges, such as conflicts involving the norms of society. It is common for outcasts of societies to be victims of injustice and violence due to not being accepted. Literature provides readers with examples of individuals that are victims of their societies and demonstrates how their responses to their situations reveal their true characteristics. The readings this semester exemplify this through the characters Antigone, Candide,

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. This includes her decision to return to Kabul, a place where her family once called home. Laila portrays her hopefulness for the future by becoming a teacher for both boys and girls in the orphanage to demonstrate that gender equality is the norm. She takes on the role of behaving as a motherly figure for the children in the orphanages because their parents are unable to support them or because they are dead from the wars in Kabul. The only family that they have is Laila and her family, which leaves Laila with the responsibility to raise the forgotten children of Kabul. She believes that it is her duty to teach the children about the past in order to restore the future since they will be the future adults living in Kabul; through her teachings, Laila is bringing hope back to her home. The pain and suffering that Laila endures throughout the novel inspires her to strive to make a positive difference in