A Thousand Splendid Suns: Book Report
This book tells a story of two women, Mariam and Laila. Mariam is a young girl that is raised by her mother, Nana, in Afghanistan. After a promise to take Mariam to the cinema is broken by her father, Jalil, she walks to his house only to be stood up. As she is driven home she discovers Nana has ended her own life. Jalil not wanting to take care of Mariam marries her off to a shoe shop owner named, Rasheed. At first she is hesitant about this marriage and protests it, but soon she realizes it might be a good thing. Rasheed is sweet and buys her gifts. Rasheed having lost his previous wife and son, wants to have another son. Mariam is pregnant seven times but each time is unable to carry the baby due to complications. Upset, Rasheed becomes mentally and physically abusive to Mariam. Laila is a young girl that lives in the same neighborhood as Mariam and Rasheed. Laila's older brothers leave to fight in Jihad, but are soon killed. Laila's mother refuses to move because her sons have died in the same country, but conditions are getting worse and it is not safe. Tariq, Lailas friend whom she has fallen in love with, moves away with his family to Pakistan and she is devastated. Not wanting to leave her father she stays although it is not safe. Her mother is finally persuaded to leave because Lailia is almost hit by a bullet but by then it is too late. Their house is hit by a bomb and Laila is the only one who survives.
Laila is soon also married off to Rasheed. As Laila announces she is pregnant, Rasheed is ecstatic only to find out it is a baby girl and knows it is not his. Conflicts arise and Laila and Mariam plan to run away together but are stopped by the Taliban and taken home. “You try this again and I will find you, I swear on the prophets name that I will find you. And, when I do, there isn’t a court in this godforsaken country that will hold me accountable for what I will do” (p. 309). Laila becomes pregnant again this time it is boy. Rasheed unable to support the family because of a fire, searches for work and is forced to put Lailas baby girl into an orphanage. Tariq reappears one day as Laila visits their daughter. His appearance creates conflict and Mariam murders Rasheed. Fearing they would be caught, Laila wants Mariam to move away and live with their family but Mariam does not want the children in such danger. Mariam is caught, put into prison, and publicly executed. Laila and her family create a new life for themselves and move back when Kabul’s conditions become more stable.
Set in Afghanistan the themes of war, social status, and power are apparent throughout the novel. It’s attempt to persuade the readers toward realizing that there is still hope in oppression was successful. Although not everything ended in joy, there were small signs of hope. An example of this hope is seen when Mariam is able to pursue her want for knowledge through Mullah Faizullah, her tutor. At the beginning of the novel Hosseini first describes the lives of these girls before going into detail on how these stories will connect. This created many questions for me as the stories began to connect, some were answered and others not. An example being, why did Rasheed want to replace his previous wife and son? Understanding that there is a hole in his life, why did it have to be a son? The novel does not come out and say the reason but, I believe it to be because men had more rights and carried on the family name. To Rasheed a girl was simply worthless. Another question that I felt was unanswered was why did Jalil refuse to see Mariam or tell her they were not going to the cinema. I understand he did not love her like his real daughter because of the circumstances but I felt as though it would have saved her mother for a period of time longer than she lived.
Warfare and how it can destroy a city or country to me was one of the most obvious themes. It was brutal and honest in showing how it affects innocent families, but also showed how individuals were able to endure despite the conflicts that confronted them. “Giti was dead. Dead. Blown to pieces. At last, Laila began to weep for her friend. And all the tears that she hadn’t been able to shed at her brother’s funeral came pouring down” (p. 207). This not only shows the death and the hardship that was found through war but also the innocence. Giti was walking home from school with her classmates and was killed by a stray rocket. The devastation it describes as her mom ran to collect pieces of her child was realistic in the way I imagine many innocent families dealt with grief.
The theme of power over weak individuals is seen throughout the novel as well. Specifically by Rasheed in his use of violence and manipulation. Rasheed was confident he would receive what he wanted. Another example being the Taliban having a hold over Afghanistan. The Taliban did what they wanted without consequence. “Seizing power, the Taliban implemented four central policies regarding women. First, women were forbidden to hold jobs, and their sole responsibility was to bring up the next generation of Muslims. Second, they could not attend schools until the taliban had come up with a curriculum in accordance with the basics of Islam. Third, women were forced to wear burqas… Finally, women were denied freedom of movement. They could only leave their homes if escorted by male relatives and had to avoid contact with male strangers” (Kazemiyan 13). This source helped me to understand and put into perspective what was happening in the United States and Afghanistan. It mainly focuses on Afghan women and their struggle with being victims of war and violence. Mariam and Laila buried there own TV in fear it would be taken by the Taliban. “ It was the raids, the reason they were in the yard digging. Sometimes monthly raids, sometimes weekly. Of late, almost daily. Mostly, the Taliban confiscated stuff, gave a kick to someone’s rear, whacked the back of a head or two. But sometimes there were public beatings, lashings of soles and palms” (P. 340-341). The power the Taliban had over these people was terrifying. Laila had a dream she buried her own child in fear they would take everything she loved. It is disturbing for Laila to be so afraid she buried her own child. I believe this book was banned because of the book’s conflicts with their own value system in Afghanistan and the United States.
One cultural element I would like to understand better would be Islamic marriage practices. In the novel both Mariam and Laila are married without the desire to Rasheed. “According to traditional Islamic law, women and men are not free to date or intermingle, which results in a more drawn-out and deliberate process. A large majority of Islamic marriages are arranged marriages in which the parents or guardians select appropriate matrimonial mates for their offspring” (Wikipedia 10). This answers questions on why Mariam did not fight to not marry Rasheed and why Julil arranged the marriage other than to get rid of Mariam. This also cleared my question of why the priest asked a fourth time, originally explaining he would only ask three if Mariam desired to marry Rasheed.
The way women were forced to dress is another cultural element I believe if better understood would add to my knowledge of the novel. Women were forced by the Taliban to wear Burqas. Before women were forced by the Taliban, was it another example of patriarchal control or a choice women voluntarily made? “Many women say that the burqas are not a tool of subjugation at all, but rather a means for equality. Their reasoning for this is that in public, they aren't judged on their appearance. They are free from unwelcome male advances and liberated from objectifying leers… these women were far from sexually repressed; they just kept their sexual appeal under wraps in a way that made it more special within the bonds of marriage” (Edmonds 3).
Literature is an important vehicle for examining cultural issues because as the reader you are able to experience the culture and other ways of living through words. I believe as we gain these insights on a culture we are able to learn, understand, and appreciate it more. Literature and history is not solely based on dates and people, but it is about people who lived and cultures that are still alive. Without literature we would know little about the past and our ancestors.
This novel gave me more knowledge on Afghanistan and the trials they were faced with. Although the novel is not a true story, it is based on history. I was able to gain insight on religion, war, and how powerful a group or one person can become. Through love, violence and power can and will eventually be defeated. I enjoyed this book immensely and would recommend it to a friend. This novel is an important work for people to know because it reveals a countries history and culture and uses perfect imagery to paint a picture of a war stricken country.