A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns follows the journey of two Afghan women Mariam and Laila who do not have freedom in women’s rights in their country. Hosseini the writer helps us understand a clear message shown by oppression and hope through women in Afghanistan. However the abilities to have resilience which helps them overcome all the adverse situations they encounter throughout the novel is what we admire.

Laila first introduced to us in the novel as a strong young courage’s women with a big heart. Growing up she had a happy childhood but this all changed after the death of her parents in a bomb blast. After the death of her parents, Laila idealism and independence are challenged when she decides to marry Rasheed in order to give her unborn child by Tariq. Hosseini shown the message of hope through Laila after her parent’s death and when she decides to marry Rasheed, not because she chose to but she didn’t have any choice, reminding us that women in Afghanistan had so little opportunity to freedom. However Laila still had hope in everything she did. She desires her intelligence and education to improve the world around her.

Mariam grows up in a small shack outside of the city of Herat. She was brought up to know her place in society as a 'harami,' or bastard child. However she is a strong girl who questions authority and dreams of bigger things for herself - far beyond what she finds within the walls of her small shack. Though she is raised by Nana, her mother, she is very fond of her estranged father, Jalil. Hosseini showed a significant message and point when after falling into deep despair following her mother's death, Mariam is abandoned by Jalil, who marries her off to Rasheed, despite her attempts to remain single. Her childless marriage to Rasheed eventually forces her into a life of submission and misery until close to the end of her life, when Laila provides her with some hope.

Mariam and Laila both women with a strong heart with hope. Throughout everything they went through in their individual lives, it did not change them in the way they looked at life and what they hoped for. When Laila found out she was pregnant, she found a special meaning to live life again after her parent’s death. When Mariam had a strong anger towards her father for he did to her after her mother died. Hosseini demonstrates their ability to have resilience which it was one main reasons that kept them going and having hope that they deserve better and worth living for. Hosseini gives us the idea here how in Afghanistan in order for women to survive they must be able to handle physical and emotional grave situations. Therefore Mariam and Laila did. They both had a meaning behind everything they did not want to do. That’s what kept them going till the end.