Education In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Hakim Laila’s feminist identity was influenced by her father, Hakim. Hakim is mostly referred to as Babi in the novel. Babi was a high school teacher, in other word, an intellectual. Intelligence is devalued by the majority in their society, therefore being a teacher makes Babi an extraordinary person in the novel. Since Fariba, Laila’s mother, was distanced from her, Laila had a special bond with her father.

They represent the plight which the Afghan women have been facing since ages. These characters give hope to the countless women who still suffer the dominance and hardships of the Afghan society. The actions of these characters symbolize their strength to endure things as they join together and retaliate against the man, and in turn the society, who has taken away their rights to live their lives according to their own choices. The ‘thousand splendid suns’ represent the thousands of Afghan women with immense potentialities who are still under the clutches of patriarchal domination and are forced to hide behind the walls. Khaled Hosseini has beautifully portrayed the cruel realities of the lives of Afghan women through Mariam and Laila and this is what separates A Thousand Splendid Suns from literary works that deal with Afghan women.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, tells the history of the last three war filled decades of Afghanistan through the lives of two unsuspecting women. Education is a topic discussed in the novel frequently and effects Mariam's and Laila's lives. The similarities and differences between the two focuses heavily on education. Laila's father, Babi, repeatedly urged the importance of Laila's schooling. While Mariam's mother, Nana, wanted Mariam to stay away from any type of school. 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

Once you step inside the life of a “harami”,you’ll never be the same with your new insight. The story starts with two interchangeable characters, Laila and Mariam. Similar in many ways, both of these women are introduced in the novel as young children. The author expertly describes events Laila and Mariam encountered within their everyday lives that has either affected them or helped them progress and deal with the modern rules for women rooted within Afghanistan.

Having meaning in the world is what most of us long for. The woman in Afghanistan don’t even have a reason to think about having meaning, because of the way they are treated. Women by the Taliban get treated as an object. Reading A Thousand Splendid Suns gives you a clear portrayal of what the women in the book was Mariam. Can’t even imagine how frightened she must have been.

In regards to the historiography of gender politics in the Victorian era, the social position of women and femininity had become a problematic issue. Similarly, the gender apartheid instilled prior to the civil war in Afghanistan. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, initially published in 2007, is set in Afghanistan from the early 1960s to the early 2000s. In this, it explores the story of Mariam and Laila as the protagonists, who teach the reader the reality of life as a woman in a backward Islamic country. The story covers three decades of anti-Soviet jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny seen from the perspectives of these two women and observes how they become to create a bond, despite having come from previously living in very different backgrounds. The dual narration of these characters demonstrate the juxtaposition of Mariam who is scorned and isolated by society and is aware of the social stigma for being an illegitimate child, or “harami”, (which is the Farsi term for ‘bastard’) and Laila, a well educated and strong-willed girl who rejects the social norms and values of a women in their society. However, their lives come to a halt, when forced to marry the abusive antagonist Rasheed whose violence is endorsed by societal customs and the law of the land. Conversely, The Yellow Wallpaper written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a semi-autobiographical short story published in 1892. Exploring the idea of a women’s right to express themselves, that were hindered

From its very beginning, the genre of the novel developed in literature with the intent of describing fictional human experiences built in an imaginary world, but that can be based upon a true story, as they always enclose a slight realism. In the novels, female characters are portrayed in many different ways. In the books analyzed, these females are not the protagonists of the tales, however, they are described, more or less, as influential women, who have significant roles in the evolving of the stories; in particular, their function in the narrative is crucial and it shifts from supportive and inspirational to adversary and puzzling. The actions that these women take, the words they say and the connections they make, have the power to influence the protagonist’s thoughts and shape the novel. Both Great

The fact that violence and sexism leads them to believe that they can not stand up for themselves, the struggle for identity continues. Foster and Hosseini establish this fact with the characters and examples shown in their books. The women portrayed in these books are made to believe that they are worthless and inept. In the end, all of this horrible torture will change the women’s personality and everyone else around

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a beautiful story of the struggles of Afghan women. Two of the character, Mariam and Laila, both have a different beginnings to their lives, but both lives entangles themselves and makes for an interesting story with its own rollercoaster of emotions. On page 250 of the novel, the “unguarded, knowing look” that passes between Mariam and Laila is enough to show that their adventures have just started and that the relationship has much to flourish. Throughout the book, you will see Mariam and Laila prosper and grow as characters and ladies in general. To know the details of their struggles, inner turmoil, and honest victories you will just have to read the book.

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.

“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.

In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam is presented as a Christ figure in a Muslim society through her humble and forgiving qualities and the sacrifice of her life and freedom. When Hosseini wrote this novel, many people were stereotypical of Muslims. Hosseini presented Mariam this way to show the readers that although people may have different beliefs, they are not as different as one would

Women have less to say about what they need or want but they have to pay much and also to face the results when the men around them botch. It is dreary to see these frail willed men delineated in the novel who failed to stay up for women, who recognize an overall population where women are set backs of their

In the story, the women are oppressed by the society. This is narrated through the delivery of the main antagonist’s id, the gender inequality in enforcing laws and the marginalization of women. As a result of Rasheed’s id, Mariam and Laila are consistently physically and emotionally

The role of women in literature crosses many broad spectrums in works of the past and present. Women are often portrayed as weak and feeble individuals that submit to the situations around them, but in many cases women are shown to be strong, independent individuals. This is a common theme that has appeared many times in literature. Across all literature, there is a common element that causes the suffering and pain of women. This catalyst, the thing that initiates the suffering of women, is essentially always in the form of a man.