What Are Gender Roles In A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns’ was written by an Afghan American writer, Khaled Hosseini. The novel

Equality of genders is a basic human right that all should posses. However, in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, the reader explores Afghanistan’s true nature of extreme gender inequality towards women and how it affects all the characters within the novel. The novel explores how within a marriage, women have unequal rights, undergo major amounts of physical abuse, and are emotionally and mentally tormented by their very own supposedly beloved husbands.

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.

Many people unfairly judge and stereotype others in the Muslim culture based on the actions of certain members in their society. They begin to think that all Muslims are the same, which is not true, which is a message conveyed in A Thousand Splendid Suns. In this novel, the author, Khaled Hosseini, portrays the different Muslim lifestyles by using fictional characters in possible scenarios. Throughout the story, the contrast between the roles of men and women prove that their ways of living and their personal beliefs are not all the same.

According to Eastern Kentucky University on women and gender studies, “feminism is the issue of equality based on gender, gender expression, gender identity, sex, and sexuality as understood through social theories and political activism”. Feminism

Cruelty in Us Cruelty is an enemy to the morals of people; while purposely inflicting sufferings on others, cruelty is done with no feelings of concern. Cruelty can manifest from anger, irritation, or defeat. Moreover, it is driven by self-interest. Commonly when a person feels threatened, cruelties in the form of aggression are even used to force others to submit.

In the novel ‘Boy Overboard’ written by Morris Gleitzman, female characters were disadvantaged by the oppression. Females suffer from sexual abuses, prostitution, child labor, rape and struggle to win attention and voice from the society. In the time period of the domination of the Taliban, female's voice and rights start to diminish. They had to start covering themselves with long layers of garment and be more aware of their surrounding community as that they might harm them. With the disturbs of the taliban which is an islamic fundamentalist group that is still ruling parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries around, it makes it hard for a women to have freedom.

In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, the author Khaled Hosseini gives two very different examples of women raised in a third world country. The book takes place in Afghanistan, starting in the mid to late 1900’s and coming to an end in about the year 2000. The two protagonists of the book, Mariam and Laila, are women who are brought up in two different environments. Mariam’s life is explored in the beginning of the book as being raised as an uneducated outcast who grew up in a small kolba on the outskirts of Herat. She had a mentally ill mother and an absent father, who would occasionally visit but only offer discouragement. Laila also grew up with a mentally ill mother, but had a stable, present father that was there to offer support and encouragement. Her father not only allowed her to receive an education, but empowered her to do so. It is highlighted throughout the novel how the upbringing and home environment of two young women can affect the woman that they eventually will become.

Women are also used as sexual objects in commodity advertisements. The result of this objectification is the enforcing of that ideology of gender inequality. In conclusion, if we are to get rid of this ideology of gender inequality, we need to bring changes in social and traditional systems. To change these systems in Afghanistan, there is a prior need for changes in current political system which is mostly dominated by conservative warlords and undemocratic tribal power brokers.

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

• Feminism is about contesting systemic inequalities, and seeking equal treatment and opportunity for both genders. • Feminism is not against marriage but respect individual informed choice and does not believe in double standard in judging a person’s conduct. • Feminists acknowledge that equal rights translate into equal accountability. Although feminism continues to be non-monolithic and contentious, it has made several progress and created new worlds of possibility for working women, education, empowerment and even arts.

A Thousand Splendid Suns’ was written by an Afghan American writer, Khaled Hosseini. The novel narrates the strength and resilience of two women who endure physical and psychological cruelty in an anti-feminist society. It also demonstrates how The Taliban uses fear and violence to control the people of Afghanistan, particularly females. Throughout this story the novel exposes the way customs and laws endorse Rasheed’s violent misogyny and it tells the tale of two women who endure a marriage to a ruthless and brutal man, whose behaviour forces them to kill him. The protagonist Mariam is a poor villager who lives in a remote area in Afghanistan, in contrast to Laila who is a smart, educated daughter of a schoolteacher.

Khaled Hosseini not only shows the discrimination of minority groups but introduces the notion that people will discriminate not based on their personal views but upon which they believe as their role in society. In Afghanistan culture “Nang and namoos” defined as "pride" and "honor or dignity" is incredibly valued in the culture with people outwardly going out of their way to maintain their reputation. However, in his two novels Khaled Hosseini presents the idea that this pride inevitably leads to the discrimination of another. This is demonstrated In a Thousand Splendid Suns by the characters Jalil and Rasheed due to the way they treat those closest to them. For instance, Jalil ousts Nana outside of his home upon receiving news that she is expecting his illegitimate child.

The idea that Muslim women are oppressed and need saving from the veil itself is part of the ethnocentric view that Westerners have of muslims. Afghani women, in particular have to deal with white feminists trying to free them from this restriction. Lila Abu-Luhgod gives us some insight on what this certain issue looks like from an anthropologists’ point of view. In page 396, Abu-Luhgod takes a different approach to the issue by providing the reader with an example of work done in a different country in the wrong way.

This thesis consists of Hanif’s portrait of women and their marginalized positions in the society and economic, social and religious pride and prejudices towards women in Pakistani society which is an important theme of his novels. He belongs to those who are proof of that some people can tell the truth more comprehensively and authentically with fiction than facts. In his second novel Our Lady of Alice Bhatti (2012), he discusses the battle and determination of a woman fitting in with minority goes out in a patriarchal society and endures accordingly. In a male dominated society women in Pakistan are in lower position than men , they are always on the periphery, and are subordinated to men and are in debased positions both within the house and outside the house. Alam (2011) shows by her study that women’s unequal positions contrasted with men make them weaker both out in the open and private circles.