Gender Roles In A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns Essay The novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, depicts the hardships and suffering women in Afghanistan are forced to face everyday. Throughout her life, Mariam dealt with many struggles, yet, she was able to endure all the pain and eventually found happiness. The beginning and end of her troubles were represented by legal documents Mariam signed. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam’s action of signing her name on a legal document signifies death, both literally and figuratively, while also representing Mariam’s growth as a character from the beginning to the end of the novel.

For many years women have been oppressed and have been deemed not as important as men in many societies. The Afghani culture has received a reputation of not giving women equal rights. Women are not allowed to drive cars, go out in public alone, and sometimes not even able to show their faces. In Khaled Hosseini's book A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam and Laila show what it is like to live in a society where women are treated unequally and how they persevere through these rough times. Mariam first learns to endure, Laila is told she has a meaning in life, and then the women suffer pain physically and emotionally which they persevere through.

Within thirty-nine years, from 1964 until 2003, there were six eras consisting of King Zahir Shah, Mohammad Daoud Khan’s Republic, communist rule, mujahideen’s conflict after the Soviet troops left, the arrival of the Taliban, and the presidency of Hamid Karzai. In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, politics play an important role in women’s rights. It began with King Zahir Shah and Najibullah, with rights that allowed women education and career; later the Taliban took over and ended freedom in women; ending with the Taliban’s surrender following 9/11, again allowing women more rights. Mariam and Laila were affected mostly negatively by the political rules put into place regarding women.

The Thousand and one nights offers a unique perspective on the roles of women in that society. The roles of women are really interesting because they are treated different in numerous circumstances. On one hand, they are shown to be powerless, and on the other hand, some are shown to have absolute control. Throughout the beginning of the story, the status of women seemed to go from getting brutal and wicked treatment by men, to their ability to fight back, and then they are revealed as somewhat heroic. There are some major differences in how men and women are portrayed in The Thousand and One Nights.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a beautiful story of the struggles of Afghan women. Two of the character, Mariam and Laila, both have a different beginnings to their lives, but both lives entangles themselves and makes for an interesting story with its own rollercoaster of emotions. On page 250 of the novel, the “unguarded, knowing look” that passes between Mariam and Laila is enough to show that their adventures have just started and that the relationship has much to flourish. Throughout the book, you will see Mariam and Laila prosper and grow as characters and ladies in general. To know the details of their struggles, inner turmoil, and honest victories you will just have to read the book.

It is the juxtaposition of these two characters that shows the reality of this fiction tale: that woman in the process and aftermath of war face a particular level of oppression and are in fear of a particular level of terrorism. This level of oppression in terror is in part due to the culture of war and the socialization of the oppressors- the men in war. The effects of this on women are rape, violence, need for food, shelter, etc. In Savage Content states “ Rape has always been associated with warfare in general. The more brutal the war, the more likely to involve the rape of enemy women.”

Today there are about 1.45 million stay-at-home dads according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Latshaw). The United States Department of Labor states that 57% of women currently participate in the workforce (“Data & Statistics”). Although these numbers are not quite perfect, they exemplify how society is changing from its sexist and stereotypical ways. Many people today are still fighting for gender equality, but there has been a significant change recently. Although it has become acceptable for women to work and men to take care of the kids, men and women were subjected to different roles in the 1920’s.

Afghan women are subjected to an increasingly insecure environment. Women participating in public life face threats and harassment. In extreme cases, women have been killed for holding jobs that are seen to disrespect traditional practices or are considered un-customary. A woman being abused in the household is so prevalent and pervasive in Afghanistan that practically every woman will experience it in her lifetime. It has become a regular feature of women’s and girls’ lives in their health, their livelihoods, their access to social and cultural resources, and their educational

The novel aptly portrays the fight of Afghan woman for her rights to education, health, freedom, choice and

Introduction It is true that many countries in the world are known for chauvinistic practices and Afghanistan is one among them. Khalid Hosseini, in his work, A Thousand Splendid Suns, portrays with gripping words to underscore the chauvinism against women therein. To quote, “ Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman”1 The worst of the cruelty practiced is very much justified using religious dogmas as a political thought. The violence is quite remarkable under the Taliban theocracy where politics and religion have a common victim that unfortunately, is a woman!

Maybe it’s time to start doubting the sanctity of this society because even the minutest things have prejudices. In Khaled Hosseini’s ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’, a progression of Mariam’s life is seen from a young misunderstood girl to a strong woman who was brave enough to sacrifice her own life for someone else’s good. One thing that persistently occurs is that men decide what is to be done with her. In other words, men shaped up Mariam’s life.

This highlights the importance of how these acts of cruelty Mariam and Laila faced; ‘fear of the goat, released in the tiger’s cage’ is what ultimately defines their inner feminist strength, ‘over the years/learned to harden’ which shows that Mariam and Laila’s past indirectly prepares them for The Taliban’s arrival. The Taliban take away the basic rights of Mariam and Laila ‘jewellery is forbidden’, but they fail to do so. Ironically, it is the society itself that gives them the strength and platform to strike back against Rasheed, who is a cruel, male-dominating character who symbolised and reinforced everything the term ‘anti-feminist’ stands

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini follows the lives of two women, Mariam and Laila, and the novel portrays the dichotomy of gender in the Afghanistan culture. Gender plays a large role in all of Afghanistan’s social institutions, and we can observe this even at the very start of the novel. For example, Mariam’s mother, Nana, is shunned and placed in a recluse area by Mariam’s father Jalil since Mariam is a harami, or in other words, a bastard. Nana was a maid for Jalil when they had an affair, and when he found out that she was pregnant, he sent her away to small house in a seemingly hidden and isolated village. Only on Thursdays is when Jalil visits Mariam, showing that she is not worth any more attention than that.

Through the feminist ideas, we see that women and are men are not slightly different but are completely different. Civil rights, rules and cultural norms were definitely not made for their favor. I saw the transition from the Democratic rule where Laila was able to study and Mariam was able to freely buy from the market to the socialist and military rule where women were denied access to most of these simple things. The direct relationship of the political aspect to the culture of Afghanistan was embodied in how women were treated. We see that through different and various leaders, the system varies.

Poor and uneducated women must struggle daily for basic rights, recognition, and respect. In many nations today, women are still considered their husband's property, wife-beating is justifiable, forced abortion, malnutrition, and killing of female infants are common. Though these women may live far apart they live very similar when it comes to these situations of mistreatment. Many are forced to quit school at a certain age or not even go at all. This lack of education could help them overcome this oppression by showing them a sense of worth.