A Thousand Splendid Suns is a novel written by Khaled Hosseini that focuses on the life and struggles of two women who became wives of one man by chance. While the novel predominantly focuses on the tragedy of one family, it explores the lives of women and the society they live in through several generations and changes of political regime. There are two main characters in the novel, Mariam, and Laila, who are opposed to each other in their characterization. This essay will focus on Mariam’s characterization and evaluate its efficiency for Mariam and Laila’s path to friendship.
Firstly, Mariam’s story lies at the foundation of the novel’s plot. Mariam is described as obedient to a man’s opinion. Born as harami, Mariam enjoys spending time with her father as he makes her feel “deserving of all the beauty and bounty” there could be in life (Hosseini 10). The part describing Mariam’s childhood explains her complex relationships with Rasheed, who initially was kind to Mariam but became abusive after her miscarriages. Later, Mariam can be characterized as a submissive and kind woman initially frightened of Laila. Opposed to Mariam, Laila was freer to express herself from a young age and experienced the joy of mutual love. Therefore, the novel explores how women with different upbringings faced the problem of the political regimes making restrictions on their freedom.
In conclusion, examining the work that the author put into the description of Mariam and Laila’s childhood defined the characterization of both women later in the novel. Devoid of her father’s attention and ashamed of their origin, Mariam falls into the cage of marriage with no way out. After initially rejecting Laila, who was more intelligent and willful, Mariam sacrifices herself to save her friend. The final segment where Laila receives the videocassette with Pinocchio cartoon from Mariam’s father emphasizes Mariam’s soft, innocent, and kind nature. Thus, the novel effectively characterizes both women and Mariam in particular by describing their childhood and recalling important details from their past.
Work Cited
Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns. Center Point Pub, 2007.