Discussion Topic C

     In the grief filled novel "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini a woman by the name of Mariam takes a conscientious and tragic journey through the events of her environment and culture that influence her own exclusive past that intertwines with her mother and society as a whole.

     After finding her mother “Nana dangling at the end of [a rope]” (p.35), Mariam was reluctantly forced to marry a 40 year old man by her father's three wives because of "staining [his] so-called good name..." (p.405). After the death of her mother, Mariam's world began to fall apart. Being only 15, her innocence was stripped from her and it seemed as if there was no longer a way out. In addition to being labeled as a "harami", she was not accepted in her father's home. Realizing that her father was nothing but a liar, Mariam worked hard to push him out of her life as firmly as she could. Mariam also had to overcome the emotional and physical abuse that was given to her by her husband. Having to sit through piercing discourses of men who “spoil their own nang and namoos, their honor and pride” (p.70) with the intention of drilling in her head that since she is a woman, she must wear a burqa at all times. Taking this into consideration, it lets the audience recognize just how much society took a toll on their relationship, giving a possible implication that Rasheed was fully influenced by his surroundings. The audience can see where the instability in Mariam's life, as far as her relationship is concerned, derived from. Mariam's future seemed shaky. Being young, inexperienced, and relatively naive, she remembers her mother saying "a man's accusing finger always finds a woman" (p.7). This allows the audience to understand that Mariam was not prepared for the harsh honesty of her surroundings which explains why she would isolate herself from the rest of society. Many judgements were made due to social class. But as Mariam continued to live her life, she was stuck with having to settle with beatings and gender inequality in Rasheed's household. 

     Although Mariam had to endure all these factors throughout her life, her suppressed anger and resentment eventually led her to the murder of her own husband. The murder, despite essentially being wrong, gave justice to those women who struggled living in their culture and society. Symbolically, the audience can make the implication that this was a an act of bravery and courage. Mariam did more than stand up for herself and what she believed in, she stood up for what was right.

Discussion Topic B

     Kimberlie Mateo 5th period






     In the novel "A Thousand Splendid Suns", Khaled Hosseini uses several different literary elements throughout the novel to convey the message of gender relations and its affect on society, leaving the characters in the novel with many different obstacles and barriers to overcome. Diction and imagery are seen as each main character has different aspects of their lives that show influences of sexism and gender conflicts.

     Mariam is born the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy man, Jalil, and a poor woman. If she had been a son, her relationship with her father most likely would have been much different. Similarly, when Mariam goes to live with Jalil and his wives and other children, if she had been a boy, she would have had more of a say in whom she marries. Because of her gender, she is forced into a speedy arranged marriage with an older, abusive man, Rasheed. Rasheed is the ultimate chauvinist in the novel. As he refers to women as "brand-new, first-class, shiny [Bentleys]" (p.222) , not only does he treat Mariam incredibly badly, but he views her only as a possession, which is being implied through the diction of the quote. He does the same when he marries Laila, and only his male child means something to him. Most significantly, all of the multiple marriages in the novel, involve men with several wives. Hosseini chooses to include polygamy in his novel not only because it is a realistic element of Afghan culture but also to demonstrate how sexist the practice is--never does one see a wife with multiple husbands.

      Laila's mother is a sexist because she is a product of society. She, like almost all others in her country, have been taught to view men as more valuable than women. This is clearly seen as she uses the imagery of how "a man's heart is a wretched, wretched thing. It isn't like a mother's womb. It won't bleed. It won't stretch to make room for you", really letting the audience feel the extent of how much a man differs from women. Hence, she treasures her sons and dotes on them while neglecting Laila. Her favoritism based on gender only serves to promote a poor self image for herself and eventually for her daughter.

     Most significantly, when the Taliban takes over, they establish strict religious and social laws. It is a recurring opinion in the book through the diction that "a society has no chance at success if its women are uneducated". This implies that ignorance is not a bliss in this case. While the laws do apply to all, the women have much more rigid standards to abide by such as wearing burqas, keeping quiet, staying inside the home most of the time, etc. In contrast, the men enjoy relative freedom as far as mobility and work go.