Hope and Oppression a Thousand Splendid Suns

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Diller, Helen 10/18/12 English202 Central Asian Literature Response: A Thousand Splendid Suns Hope and Oppression The novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is bursting with the oppressed hopefulness of the people of Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseini describes all of the characters as trying to retain hope in the midst of personal oppression, all the while dealing with the escalating struggles of the Middle East. At certain points, each character either expresses or exemplifies their life long dreams through their actions. Hope for love, acceptance and a better life are among the many ideas that are constantly shattered throughout this novel. As the lives of two main characters, Mariam and Laila, along with their families are explored, the theme of hope, followed with oppression has its recurrence numerous times. Mariam has been through many experiences that children her age would not normally have to face. One of the main experiences is the eagerness for acceptance. At a young age, Miriam is recognized as a bastard child, and her mother, Nana, referrers to Mariam as an illiterate, clumsy herami. Jalil, Mariam’s father was the only one that Mariam thought could love and accept her; however he doesn't take her to the cinema, and is cast away in shame, to marry, when Mariam’s mother is found dead. Ultimately, Miriam's hopes to be accepted by her father are sunk, forcing her to realize the truth of her situation. Not only did her father not accept her, but Miriam’s hopes for a happy life and marriage were later crushed. She strongly felt that her husband, Rasheed, had not truly accepted her as his wife. After the 'honeymoon stage' of Miriam and Rasheed's marriage, Miriam becomes pregnant and is hopeful that she may be able to have something of her own, to belong, but after many miscarriages, her hope is spent once again, along with Rasheed’s hope for a boy. Nana’s

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