The Theme of Abuse in A Thousand Splendid Suns Submitted to: Mrs. Murray-Batke Submitted by: Kelly Hatt ENG 4U 2011 07 12 A Thousand Splendid Suns A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by Khaled Hosseini, explores the lives of Mariam and Laila as they each face hardships of their own that eventually intertwine in one another. Mariam was deprived of feeling loved as child and when she marries Rasheed she feels as if he can fill that void in her life. However Rasheed ends up domestically abusing Mariam and later Laila when she joins their family after the death of her parents. Hosseini shows how harsh women were treated and how little rights they had in Afghanistan during the time of the Taliban. Leading to the theme of violence and/or abuse that is present throughout the novel.
The decision she made to leave her mother and go to Jalil was one decision that really harmed the course of her life. Nana ended up killing herself because she was so mad at Mariam and all of this leaded to her being given away to be married. If Mariam had made the decision to stay with her mother, she would not have been thrust into a whole new life with Rasheed, her new husband. From here forward her fate was set in stone. She had to stay inside with Rasheed and was physically and mentally beaten by him.
Secondly, despite the degrading of women in this novel the protagonists, Mariam and Laila consistently have the courage to persevere throughout the book. Hosseini frequently displays this theme of the novel through the use of metaphors and in other situations Hosseini uses the element of irony. Another way in which Hosseini presents the inner strength and courage of women is through the use of irony. An example of this is displayed on page 277. At the end of Jalil’s
Idea for Introduction: Many conflicts go on between Ani-Mei and Rose Hsu and the conflicts affect their relationships. In the end the problems are ultimately resolved and they learn from each other. Thesis Statement: Because of past events, a main conflict between An-Mei and Rose Hsu is communication. Topic Sentence One: Main Point One: When A.M. was raped, she was so embarrassed that she left her family and married Wu Tsing Main Point Two: There is no communication between mother and daughter because Popo was strict and he didn’t want her to go with her mom. Main Point Three: A.M. wore different clothing.
Her father prohibits her from having a love relationship with Hamlet. Eventually, she commits suicide. In Oedipus Tyrannus, the plight of women falls squarely on Jocasta, Oedipus’ wife. When her first husband dies, she has no free hand in choosing her next husband. Society determines that whoever kills the sphinx would be her husband.
Who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Firstly, I would blame Lord Capulet as he causes his own daughter's death by forcing Juliet to marry Paris only a few days after her cousin, Tybalt's, death. Juliet protests this marriage because she alone knows that she and Romeo have been secretly married. However, Lord Capulet refuses to listen to anything she has to say and threatens to throw her out of the house and out onto the streets. "And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets."
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.
Kristina's parents had separated when she was quite young and her father moved far away after the divorce. Her mother, because of her hate towards her ex-husband, rarely gives him the chance to see his daughter. However, Kristina goes to visit him for three weeks and soon realizes her and her father barely know each other anymore. This greatly troubles her, and she finds it difficult to be around him. She is also upset with her mother, who is dating a new man and as a result seems to be a completely new person all together.
Nana’s last words to Mariam foreshadow the event of Nana’s suicide: “I’ll die if you go, I’ll just die” (36). Under the pressure of his family, Mariam’s father forces Mariam to marry Rasheed, a widowed shoemaker, which alters her life and what she knew of it: “At the kolba, she could lie in her cot and tell the time of day by the angle of sunlight pouring through the window. She knew how far her door would open before its hinges creaked. Now all those familiar things were gone” (53). Mariam’s life involved the same routine for fifteen years.
Tom’s family dislikes Nola because she is very different from them, money wise. Chris attempts to hide is attraction for Nola but one day she runs out of the house very upset and Chris decides to follow her. They hook up. Chris never tells Chloe and the two of them end up staying together and getting married. Chloe’s father gives Chris a job at the family company and all is well.