A Thousand Splendid Suns Flashcards
1
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
Theme Descriptions - Female relationships
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- The theme of female relationship is an important topic depicted in the novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns”. The main female characters in the novel written by Khaled Hosseini are the two Afghan women named Mariam and Laila.
- The ideas of the main characters reflect different aspects of the theme of female relationships. For instance, Mariam’s relationship with her mother can be seen as bitter, while her relationship with Laila is loving. Additionally, the relationships Laila has with her best friend Tariq and her mother also play an important role to the development of the theme.
- Over the course of the novel, the theme of female relationship undergoes a few changes. At first, Mariam and Laila are strangers to each other and feel uncomfortable next to each other. However, they develop a meaningful bond. Their friendship is tested by many factors, such as their shared love towards the same man and the oppression of the regime in Afghanistan.
- The author uses symbols like the physical space of the house to explore the theme. It represents a safe space for the women, where they don’t have to fear anything and can express themselves.
- A quote that shows how the author applies the theme of female relationships is “She was leaving this world as a woman who had loved and been loved back.” . This quote states what Mariam thinks when she reflects on the sacrifices she has made for Laila. Therefore, it also shows how close Laila and Mariam have become and how much their relationship mean to each other.
- Consequently, through the power of female relationships, Laila, Mariam and the other women manage to overcome the most challenging circumstances.
2
Q
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Bamiyan Buddhas
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- represent Afghanistan & love characters have for their country
- Babi takes Laila & Tariq there & explains history of buddhas, he talks of his hopes & dreams for future & for Laila this is a cherished moment, bcs Tariq is here as well
- Taliban destroyed Buddhas despite international outcry to keep them on mountain
- act symbolizes erasure of not only Afghanistan’s history but of Laila’s cherished moment
3
Q
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Burqa
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- outer-body covering worn by women in some Islamic traditions
- used as symbol of repression → can be symbol of comfort for some
- Rasheed forces Mariam to wear burqa soon after their marriage, but she finds comfort in not being perceived in public → uses it as protection against judgement. After being told for her entire childhood that her status as aharami (a bastard child), is shameful, the burqa finally shields her from more hurtful assumptions.
- In Chapter 37 when the Taliban take over the city, part of the new Shari’a law is that women are forced to wear the burqa. Laila, who grew up with more freedoms than Mariam, is horrified at this oppression. These new laws allow the Taliban to control women’s bodies, how they are perceived, and their lives. Rasheed, who previously forced Mariam into the burqa, supports these laws and it is clear by his behavior that he believes women should be controlled.
- Even while Laila is giving birth in Chapter 39, the doctor says that they are required to perform their duties in the burqa. This shows the extent to which the garment symbolizes the oppression of women. However, some women in the novel view the burqa as a comforting part of their domestic life or religious practice.
4
Q
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Rasheed’s Gun
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- Rasheed’s gun is the physical manifestation of his power. When Mariam finds it in the drawer with his dirty magazines, she is disgusted at learning what is important to her new husband: violence and sex.
- However, the gun’s symbolism is deepened when she finds pictures of his deceased wife and son. Rasheed has transformed his trauma into a fragile and toxic masculinity that hinges on holding power by whatever means necessary.
- Throughout the novel, Rasheed uses his gun to intimidate not only his wives but also others. Just as gunshots and rockets echo at length outside his home as the novel progresses, Rasheed grows more violent and relies on his gun to show power. He brazenly shoots into the street as the violence in Kabul forces him to stay home from work, the one place where he can display his value.
- When Laila rejects his order to send Aziza to beg on the streets, threatening the power he holds over the household, he puts the gun into her mouth. This moment is the most violence he has shown toward Laila thus far.
- Finally, at the novel’s climax, this power is stripped away from him when Mariam takes Rasheed’s life before he can use the gun to defend himself.
5
Q
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Mariam
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- is one of the novel’s two protagonists. Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of Jalil, and her status as a bastard child is something she will struggle with overcoming. Mariam has to endure intense suffering and feelings of shame from a very early age. She is continuously made to feel like she has no value, exemplified when Jalil won’t claim her as a legitimate daughter even after Nana dies, and when Rasheed begins to use her status as aharamiagainst her.
- After being shunned by both her father and treated roughly by her mother, Mariam endures a further lack of love from the husband her father marries her off to, Rasheed. Although it gives her no pleasure to endure Rasheed’s abuse, Mariam endures it because she knows endurance is what is expected from women in Afghan culture, and to challenge him only puts her in more danger. Mariam finally finds the power to push back when Laila displays her own strength against Rasheed.
- When she first meets Laila, Mariam mimics the harsh tone her own mother used with her because she has no other model for how to treat another woman. It is through Laila that Mariam learns how to soften, how to love, and how to create a meaningful bond with another woman. Finally, Mariam is able to find love through the intense bond she shares with Laila and her connection with Aziza. Mariam’s decision to sacrifice herself so Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai can run away is a powerful example of both her capacity for suffering and her ability to love. She is a symbol of strength in the face of oppression and violent political systems.
6
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
Rasheed
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- Mariam and Laila’s husband, an older man who owns a shoe shop in Kabul.
- is the primary antagonist of the novel.
- Rasheed exemplifies the very worst treatment women endure at the hands of men, and his violence grows in intensity as political violence overtakes the city
- He often beats his 2 wifes & uses harsh languages to get them to submit to him
- Rasheed doesn’t value education and instead focuses on his reputation and how he is viewed by society.
- The fact that Rasheed lost both a son and a wife early on is offered to humanize him, but by the end of the novel, his character is presented as an irredeemable villain
7
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
Tariq
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- is Laila’s childhood crush and eventual husband, is a foil to Rasheed’s character.
- Tariq is a gentle man who uses a prosthetic leg to walk, his real leg having been taken by a landmine.
- He becomes extremely resilient & adapts quickly to certain situations
- He has to flee to Pakistan and asks Laila to join him, but also respects Laila’s answer when she declines
- Tariq treats Aziza and Zalmai as if both are his biological children
8
Q
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Shame and Reputation
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- A particular kind of suffering in the novel has to do with shame, which comes up again and again as both a pain to be endured and as a tool to inflict on others. In the first case, shame is linked to responsibility and ensuing guilt for an incident in a character’s past. Mariam’s mother’s suicide, after Mariam runs away to Jalil, is one example of such shame. Laila feels her own sense of shame for having survived the bombing that killed her parents, purely by luck.
- Another type of shame is intimately linked to social standing and reputation, and that particular type of shame has the power to inflict deep psychological damage. As a harami (bastard), Mariam is made to feel deeply ashamed by her father Jalil’s family, by others in the village, and by her husband Rasheed. She becomes convinced as a result that she does not deserve to be loved, and will never find a place where she belongs.
9
Q
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Love, Loyalty, and Belonging
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- In A Thousand Splendid Suns, love may not conquer all, but it is a stronger tie than many other social bonds, from social class to ethnic status. Love makes the novel’s characters act in sometimes irrational ways, and their erratic behavior can often be explained by the strong loyalty that stems from love. Mariam’s love for her father Jalil remains constant despite hints that he is ashamed of her harami—she ultimately turns her back on him only out of love for her own mother. The poignant scene at the end of the novel when Laila receives a letter from Jalil meant for Mariam makes clear that his love for her was never entirely stamped out.
- Laila, in turn, believes that by marrying Rasheed and thus saving her and Tariq’s baby, she is remaining loyal to Tariq, even after his death. Laila’s love for Tariq also transcends ethnic boundaries—often a source of tension and violence in Afghanistan—as she is Tajik and he Pashtun.
