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Cindy Ly

English 112

Literary Analysis Essay

June 1, 2017

For the Sake of her Family

When war ends, it is typically thought that peace and improvement of the nation would

soon follow. However, to this day, women in Afghanistan still suffer from oppression and abuse

even after the fall of the Taliban. According to research by Global Rights, it is estimated that nine

out of ten Afghan women face physical, sexual or psychological violence, or are forced into

marriage (Jazeera). In A Thousand Splendid Suns, the lives of two female characters, Mariam and

Laila, represent what the women of Afghanistan may live through on a daily basis, such as

domestic abuse, lack of education, forced or arranged marriages, and being hidden or isolated.

In the novel, Khaled Hosseinis characterization of Mariam demonstrates how a womans love

for her family can influence heroic acts of sacrifice, which is crucial for survival.

From the beginning, Mariam is a identified as a harami from a small village by her

delusional motherNana whose ideas gave Mariam a hopeless future. Nanas only lesson that

stuck with Mariam for the rest of her life is to endure. A snowflake was a sigh heaved by an

aggrieved woman somewhere in the world...As a reminder of how women like us suffer, shed

said. How quietly we endure all that falls upon us (Hosseini 91). A snowflake represents a

womans silent endurance and how women do not always verbally address their problems. Due

to oppression and the greater status of men in Afghanistan, women do not have the voice or the

right to freely express their feelings. Therefore, women must endure through their hardships in

order to live better lives with fewer complications against their oppressor. Mariams feelings of
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guilt from running away from home at age 15, her mothers suicide, and not being able to bear

children contributes to her ability to endure and to tolerate a long abusive marriage with

Rasheed. Because Mariam is an illegitimate child, her shame and status as a harami has made

her unable to stand up for herself. Mariam endures through years of oppression, and physical,

sexual, and emotional violence alone until Laila became a part of her family.

Being born a generation apart, Mariam and Laila are brought together by hope, loss, and

war. When Laila married Rasheed, Lailas positivity soon becomes a part of Mariams life and

relieves some of Rasheeds abusive oppression by defending Mariam from beatings and

accusations. Because Laila grew up in an encouraging, loving family with forward-thinking

views, womens rights, and education, her personality soon begins to shape Mariams

perspectives of life. Lailas strong-willed nature gains Mariams trust and forms a bonding

mother-daughter relationship. Under the oppression of Rasheed, Mariam and Laila support,

share, and protect one another from struggle. The arrival of Laila and Lailas children allows

Mariam to fulfill her wish to become a mother and to understand the meaning of love. Lailas

presence and confident nature transforms Mariam from a resentful and fearful woman, into

caring, more headstrong, and capable of making her own decisions without a man as well:

But somehow, over these last months, Laila and Aziza a harami like herself as it turned

out had become extensions of her, and now, without them, the life of Mariam had

tolerated for so long suddenly seemed intolerable The years have not been kind to

Mariam. But perhaps, she thought, there were kinder years waiting still. (256)

Mariams newfound hope and love slowly allows her to gain confidence overtime. When

Rasheed was on the verge of killing Laila, it threatened the safety of her family. Out of love and

years of enduring the abuse of Rasheed, Mariam made a life-changing decision for the first time.
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Determining the course of her own life, Mariam releases her anger and kills Rasheed in defense

for Laila, making the ultimate sacrifice based on her own beliefs.

Mariam believes that turning herself into the Taliban will provide safety for Laila and her

childrens future. Although Mariam wanted to live to see Laila and her children to grow up, she

knew that she could not live on the run. She was leaving the world as a woman who had loved

and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person

of consequence at last (370). These are Mariams last thoughts as she faces execution for killing

Rasheed. Although Mariam is executed, she died proud on her own terms as she made her own

decisions and was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for her loved ones.

In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseinis characterization of Mariam establishes

that a womans strength is influenced by love for her family and she will be willing to sacrifice

herself for the sake of her familys survival. The dynamic characterization of Mariam through the

course of her life was brought on by the love for Laila and her children, which leads to Mariam

becoming a mother-figure and influencing the course of Lailas life as well. At the end of the

novel, the Afghanistan war was over but Kabul was in ruins. The survival of Laila allows her to

spread the influence from Mariam to rebuild, improve, and educate the youth of Kabul in hope

for a more peaceful and righteous future without oppression.

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Works Cited

Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns. New York: Riverhead Books, 2007. Print.

Jazeera, Al. "Afghanistan: No Country for Women." Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera, 03 July

2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.