Reeves 1

Reagan Reeves

Latashia Bates

College Composition 112

26 April 2018

One True Happiness in Life: To Love And To Be Loved

“We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power.

Then will our world know the blessings of peace” (Gladstone) is the dream that the Afghanistan

women within the book hold onto as they are plagued with war, corruption, chaos, and abuse.

The Afghan-born novelist, Khaled Hosseini, within “A Thousand Splendid Suns” vividly depicts

the harsh realities facing women in Afghanistan through the story of two intertwined Afghani

women. Through Laila and Mariam’s similar miserable journey through the war conflicted

Middle East and male dominated environment, Khaled Hosseini uses his protagonists’ reliance

on love to symbolically imitate the liberating transformation effect it can have on Afghani

women in the Middle East.

Khaled Hosseini used the beginning of the novel where Laila and Mariam were first

introduced to expand on the American classic definition of love. In America, the focus of love is

sexualized and romantic, as it is defined as “attraction based on sexual desire: affection and

tenderness felt by lovers” (“Love”) . However, Khaled Hosseini shows that Afghanistan goes

against America’s idea of love. In Afghanistan, marriage is not based on love or emotional

connection; instead, money and status have more influence. Despite the lack of marital love,

Khaled Hosseini emphasizes other forms of love that surcome the negativity. Specifically, the
 Reeves 2

only real love within this novel was motherhood. Hosseini does not define motherhood through

genetics; alternatively, he defines it as unconditional love and a nurturing nature within a

relationship. Hosseini creates Laila’s character to become a daughter figure to Mariam. Laila

describes how, “Mariam is never very far… mostly, Mariam is in Laila's own heart, where she

shines with the bursting radiance of a thousand suns” (Hosseini 414). This moment happens after

Mariam sacrifices herself for Laila and her family. Khaled Hosseini uses this moment to

explicitly acknowledge Laila’s special love she has for Mariam, like a daughter would have for

her mother. Hosseini uses the connection that comes from these two characters to each other in

order to show the readers the love that forms within the Middle East. The motherly bond

between Mariam and Laila is paramount in their transformations, specifically Mariam. .

Khaled Hosseini uses Laila and Mariam’s experiences and life moments to take

advantage of the opportunity to expand the definition of love; he continues to further take his

story to another level by showing how this evolved love has changed them. For example,

Mariam had the most prominent evolution due to development of maternal love, distinctively

shown through the role she took on for Laila and Aziza. Hosseini identified this role as he stated,

“Somehow, over these last months, Laila and Aziza - a harami like herself, as it turn out had

become extensions of her and now, without them, the life Mariam had tolerated for so long

suddenly seemed intolerable” (Hosseini 256). Mariam sees Laila and Aziza as important parts of

her that she cannot imagine surviving without them. Now that she has love and family, surviving

is more important and enduring is easier. She changed from a women who lacked any real

self-preservation or hope in a better life to a women who has more “bark” associated with

protecting her family and improving her life. This individual moment within the novel is when
 Reeves 3

Khaled Hosseini allowed the audience to glimpse what hope looks like for these women who are

working hard through the oppressive male dominance. Mariam’s transformation signifies a

moment when this type of love gives hope to oppressed women a bright side that they can

survive the abuse and war together. Hope for freedom and happiness is possible.

“A Thousand Splendid Suns,” is riddled with constant warfare, abuse, and aggressive

surroundings that can degrade women and oppress their basic human rights. Despite the negative

setting that plagues the book, Khaled Hosseini uses the resilience of his two protagonists, Laila

and Mariam, to expand the meaning of love and show its ability to transform individuals to

increase their ability to endure and thrive. Not only does Hosseini creates a great novel that ends

with a positive result through the fortitude of love, but he continues by broadening his horizons

by creating a message that extends past the last page of the novel. He teaches society to rely on

love to help you develop and grow into an individual who can endure the chaos and challenges

of life, in order to thrive.

 Reeves 4

Works Cited:

Gladstone, William E. “TOP 25 POWER OF LOVE QUOTES (of 207).” ​A-Z Quotes​,

www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/power-of-love.html​.

Hosseini, Khaled. ​A Thousand Splendid Suns​. Riverhead Books, 2007.

“Love.” ​Merriam-Webster​, Merriam-Webster, 21 Apr. 2018,

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love​.