Who Is Mariam In A Thousand Splendid Suns

In A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, Mariam is a strong character whose foundation is tested throughout her life. This base is constructed upon her own experiences and her connection with the people of her past. Mariam’s sense of self, loyalty and hope for the future all stem from her relationship to the past. Mariam’s sense of self directly relates to her parents. Mariam’s mother often twisted her words, and her manipulations lead Mariam to question herself throughout her later life. “For a moment, Mariam heard Nana 's voice in her head, mocking, dousing the deep-seated glow of her hopes” (20). Mariam often thinks of her mother’s opinions in moments of self-doubt such as this one, as she knocks on her father’s doorstep. Mariam’s sense of self is largely defined by one of her mother’s words, in particular, harami. As she grows, Mariam encounters the obstacles being a harami, or bastard, means in her life. “She imagined they all knew that she 'd been born a harami, a source of shame to her father and his family” (39). In her lowest moments like this one, Mariam questions herself and

Mariam takes the relationships in her life very seriously. Due to a lack of people in her life in her childhood years, Mariam is truly grateful for every positive connection she finds. Her strongest of these bonds is her faith. The first positive influence on her life was Mullah Faizullah, who taught her the Koran and how to pray. "You can summon them in your time of need, and they won 't fail you. God 's words will never betray you, my girl" (11). When she and Laila become friends, Mariam treasures the relationship because of the deficiency she had in her early life. Mariam shows her gratitude by sharing her faith with Laila’s daughter, Aziza; “It 's the only thing I have to give her… this knowledge, these prayers. They 're the only true possession I 've ever had” (153). It is because of this gratitude that Mariam becomes a loyal friend even to the point of her