Prose: A Thousand Splendid Suns context and themes Flashcards
Themes: pain and suffering
Pain and suffering is shown in the novels through the two protagonists. This is seen through physical pain, such as Mariam being forced to eat pebbles and Laila being injured by being blown up from a rocket, as well as mental/psychological pain and well as suffering at the hands of an instable state, such as Laila having a cesarian without any anesthesia and Mariam being married off at 15 and being shunned by her parents.
Themes: parental relationships
Parental relationships are shown in the novel through the double-standarding and neglect of parents. Nana is a pessimistic woman who has no love for Mariam, unless she stays with her due to Mariam being the result of an affair and them being shunned from society as a result of this. Jalil also ingores her on the whole, but shows regret in his later years. Laila is brought up in a slightly different time, with Babi, who is well-cultured and progressive, pushing Laila for an education adn career, and Mami, a complicated woman, who seems to value her sons more than Laila, and stays in mourning, which Hosseini could use as a metaphorical state of the ruin that has befalled Afghanistan.
Themes: change
Change is shown through the novel as it’s driving force. It is shown through Mariam deciding to go into Herat and see the differences and colours, as well as both hers and Laila’s marriage to Rasheed in Kabul and adjusting to a routine for three, then four, then five. Also, when Mariam and Laila decide to take autonomy of their lives is a key turning point in the novel, as is Laila and Tariq’s journey back to each other and going to live together in Murree, Pakistan. Change is the driving point in the novel, making it difficult to find familarity in the settings, which Hosseini has done deliberately.
Themes: injustice/gender roles
Injustice plays a key role in the novel, as the whole plot is set around Mariam and Laila, along with additional characters such as Nana, Aziza and Zalamai suffers injustice. These are due to certian societial factors, as well as religion, class, gender and finanacial status.
Themes: social criticism
Hosseini employs social criticism in the novel as a way of pointing out the flaws in Afghan society and the different leaderships that occur during the span of the novel. He paints a picture of these different leaderships physcially harming the protagonists, as certain events in the novel happen to conincide with the time of historical events, such as different coups, invasions and explosions, such as 9/11.
Context: When was King Mohammad Zahir Shah overthrown?
1973
Contexr: When and why did Doud Khan’s premiership last/end?
1973-1978
The soviet invasion
Context: How long did the Soviet Union control Afghanistan
11 years, between 1978-1989
Context: Which leader gets control of Afghanistan following the end of the Soviet Union’s control?
Najibullah
Context: When does the Taliban come into power for the first time?
In 1996, after 4 years of different Mujahideen fractions fighting and struggling for power
Context: What event causes the end of the Taliban’s reign in Afghanistan and why?
9/11 can be considered a significant event causing the end of the Taliban’s premiership of Afghanistan, due to them protecting the leader of al-Qaeda, Bin Laden. This then leads to NATO prescence, a US invasion, and Karzai government of Afghanistan for 20 years.
Context: Whar is Sharia Law (also known as the Austere Rule) and how is it used by the Taliban?
Sharia Law is constructed from the words of Muhammad, his actions, and the Quran. It regulates public and private behaviour as well as private beliefs. It is one of the most restrictive in the world and favours punishment over rehabilitation. The Taliban enforced Sharia law during their premiership until 2001, and are seemingly renforcing it in their second premiership. It heavily restrict women’s rights, and virtually removes all their independence and public prescence. It also focuses on polygamy, in that men can have up to four wives.
Promise to restore peace and security and instill Sharia, the Islamic law.
Introduced and supported Islam punishments- public execution and amputations for those guilty of theft.
Supported by ethnic Pashtuns.
Disapproved of girls over 10 going to school.
Context: How is religion used in the novel?
Religion is used as the core excuse for the majority of things in the novel, such as it’s treatment of women, Afghan society, their political history and the downfall of both women.
