a thousand splendid suns essay

Themes and Analysis

A thousand splendid suns, by khaled hosseini.

'A Thousand Splendid Suns' digs deeply into issues of motherhood, sacrifice, and the strength of the human spirit in the face of unfathomable sorrow.

Article written by Charles Asoluka

Degree in Computer Engineering. Passed TOEFL Exam. Seasoned literary critic.

‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ explores a variety of themes, such as the difficulties Afghan women experience in a patriarchal society and the harsh gender roles that are enforced on them. It shows how women are denied fundamental freedoms and rights and how the expectations of males influence their life. It also talks about the unwavering love and selflessness of its female protagonists, who are ready to endanger their lives for those they care about. It illustrates how love may promote optimism and resiliency despite extreme adversity.

Khaled Hosseini also explores the catastrophic effects of conflict on common people during a time of political unrest and war in Afghanistan. It shows how homes and towns are destroyed, lives are lost, and millions of people are displaced. ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns ‘ characters are a testament to the resilience and tenacity of the human spirit. The protagonists can withstand extreme tribulation and still maintain optimism in the face of difficulty. It shows how the human spirit can triumph in the face of the most trying situations.

Afghan History

The setting of ‘ A Thousand Splendid Suns ‘ is Afghanistan, a nation whose tribal tribes have fought for hundreds of years between foreign invasions. The characters’ struggle for survival amid conflict clearly reflects the conflicting political forces and factions that vie for control of the nation and its citizens. The novel’s historical elements cover a sizable amount of time—30 years—to depict how the effects and pain of war are passed down through generations. Laila’s family experiences the impact of the Soviet occupation while Mariam navigates the first years of her marriage to Rasheed. The Soviets fire Laila’s father from his position as a teacher, and Ahmad and Noor, two of Laila’s brothers, are killed while battling the Soviets. Although Laila’s family is in trouble, Laila’s teacher supports the Soviets and maintains that the populace has overthrown the former government. Due to the loss of the boys—first to the army and then when they are killed—her mother experiences despair. Laila struggles to feel like she belongs in the family because her parents always quarrel. The ongoing conflict and political change cycle has shaped Laila’s entire young life.

For Laila’s family, the Soviets leaving seemed like a happy turn of events, but a tribal faction’s attempt to seize control leads to conflict between them. Tariq’s family departs Kabul for Pakistan due to the instability. Giti, Laila’s best friend, is destroyed by a rocket, and her parents are killed by shelling her home. Rasheed and Mariam are necessary for Laila’s life, but this circumstance quickly becomes unsustainable as well. Laila, Mariam, and Aziza have no chance at all of evading capture when the Mujahideen take over Kabul, and they are sentenced to home confinement, where they almost dehydrate to death. Then, the ongoing conflict between tribal tribes and the Taliban’s extensive territory turns into a full-scale campaign on women. Rasheed is pleased that a more conservative government is in place, but because of the Taliban’s severe regulations, Laila must deliver Zalmai via cesarean section without anesthetic. The cruelty of the Taliban is matched by the cruelty Rasheed exhibits at home. No aspect of life for any of the characters has not been touched by war.

Shame, Social Status, and Reputation in A Thousand Splendid Suns

Several of the characters make decisions based on how their actions will impact their reputation rather than their desires. This dissonance results in varied degrees of humiliation for numerous characters. Rasheed’s interactions demonstrate how reputation may be used as a weapon, while Nana’s treatment of Mariam demonstrates how reputation can be used as a tool to instill shame. The plot of the novel is set in motion by Jalil’s shame at having Mariam recognized as his daughter. Mariam would not have wed Rasheed if he had not worried about what other people would think of him. Throughout the book, Mariam is identified by her reputation as a harami. Laila, who consistently prioritizes her own goals over those of others, is one of the few characters who can struggle with throwing away her reputation. Mariam eventually succeeds in doing this as well, and it turns out to be the turning point in her story. A person’s reputation in Afghanistan matters not only personally but also politically. The Taliban’s Shari’a laws have serious consequences for women who do not experience sentiments of shame, like Laila.

Genuine Love in A Thousand Splendid Suns

The concept of pure love contrasts and coexists with the terrible outcomes of arranged weddings. Mammy (Fariba) and Babi (Hakim), Laila’s parents, had a real love-type marriage. Despite their frequent arguments in Laila’s early years, they still spoke with affection about how they met and fell in love. They still like relating their courtship tales to Laila. Their relationship is stressed out by life’s occurrences rather than a lack of affection. The author implies through these two characters that true love does not involve violence but rather involves sticking together and making decisions as a couple. Mammy and Babi delay leaving Kabul until they are both on board, a choice that ultimately costs them their lives. Laila remembers them as having a loving relationship, even though she is subjected to horrific brutality in her arranged marriage. Laila finds the courage to confront Rasheed and the understanding that she does not deserve his violence from the memories of her parent’s love for one another.

True love is demonstrated through Laila’s narrative with Tariq, which demonstrates that it endures. Tariq, her high school sweetheart, ends up being her lover. Afterward, Laila is committed to protecting his child, even if it means wed to the hateful Rasheed. When she thinks Tariq is dead, Laila keeps his memory alive and rushes to him when he knocks on her door. Laila is aware that Tariq’s presence in the home will lead to issues, but she is unsure of how harsh Rasheed’s response will be. She is prepared to deal with the repercussions, though, to speak with Tariq. When Laila must flee, Tariq waits close by, and she follows him. In the novel’s conclusion, they are married, and despite the sadness that comes along with their happiness, their love is still strong.

Another illustration of genuine love in the book is Mariam’s devotion to Aziza, Laila, and later Zalmai. Mariam’s narrative emphasizes the virtue of being prepared to make sacrifices for loved ones. Because of her love for Zalmai, Mariam is unwilling to run to safety with Laila, even if she is willing to risk her life to save the latter. She doesn’t want Zalmai to have to deal with living with his father’s murderer. She loves Laila and Aziza too much to insist on their staying, though. She values their security more than her own life. Because she was able to love Laila and the kids, the family she always desired, Mariam claims she has had a fulfilling life. Despite her fear of dying, she is able to meet her death peacefully because of this understanding.

Pain and Resilience in A Thousand Splendid Suns

All of the characters in ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns ‘ have experienced both physical and emotional agony. But this sorrow manifests itself in various ways. Losing a loved one causes its unique brand of acute pain, frequently in a way that doesn’t appear to offer any sort of solace. But, there are other forms of hardship that the characters voluntarily put up with to save others. ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns ‘ appears to be struggling with how to establish a hierarchy of suffering and loss. Is the death of Laila’s brothers—which occurred after Babi, or so Mammy alleges—allowed them to fight the Mujahideen somehow worse than the accidental rocket that took Giti’s life? Several techniques are used by the characters to deal with such hardship. After the passing of her sons, Mammy seeks solace in her gloomy bedroom but never fully appears to be able to get over her grief. Laila is more practical; she marries Rasheed as a result of her parents’ passing rather than despite it because she believes it to be her only alternative. This kind of tenacity seems to be encouraged in the book rather than the immobility that can result from suffering. Even though the characters’ pain may be irreversible, there is strength and value to be derived from their ability to survive.

This is particularly true when the characters voluntarily choose to endure. For instance, Laila voluntarily consents to be beaten by the Taliban for going alone as a woman to visit and spend time with her daughter Aziza who is being raised in an orphanage. Mariam naturally decides to kill Rasheed to give Laila a better chance at life, despite knowing full well that she will be found guilty and put to death by the Taliban as a result. It is suggested that women, in particular, excel at this capacity to willingly suffer for the benefit of others. From Mariam’s sacrifice to Laila’s very difficult childbirth, women suffer on their own.

Intergender Dynamics and Afghan Women

Hosseini can highlight particular facets of Afghan life and history that diverge from the mainstream historical narrative by recounting the tale of ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns ‘ from the perspectives of two Afghan women. In reality, the book makes use of the restrictions placed on Afghan women to examine how women have dealt with, overcome, and defied these restraints. Throughout the book, gender relations vary according to the occupying troops and the regulations that go along with them. For instance, under communist control, girls are allowed to go to school and work outside the family. Babi pushes Laila to capitalize on this status and praises it. Yet, before being married, girls are advised not to spend too much time with people of the other sex. Gender relations can also be influenced by particular cultural or traditional customs; Mariam, for example, has been forced to wear a burqa by her husband for a long time before it was made legal. The ones who go off to fight are the males, like Laila’s brothers, while the women stay at home and frequently have to deal with the effects of war.

The Mujahideen and, later, the Taliban arrive, significantly altering the comparatively progressive gender norms of communism. The limitations on Laila’s freedom of expression and travel have the effect of removing Kabul, the city she always believed to be hers. Nonetheless, the protagonists manage to buck these expectations. Laila slips to the orphanage across town, and Mariam plots an escape from Rasheed with her. Although Rasheed’s brutal beatings may have been lawful under the Taliban, Hosseini is unmistakably on the side of more rights for women, and the reader is intended to support Laila and Mariam as they fight against these injustices.

What is the main theme in ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns ?’

The persecution of women in a patriarchal society is one of the main themes in ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns. ‘ The book is set in Afghanistan, a nation where women are required to act by gender norms and are denied fundamental freedoms like the right to an education and the freedom to travel around as they like.

What lessons can be gleaned from ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns ?’

One of the lessons in ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns ‘ is the value of human fortitude and the capacity to bear unfathomable agony. Throughout the upheaval of war, Mariam and Laila, two women who struggle in a patriarchal culture, forge an unshakable relationship. Their experience is told in the novel. The tale also teaches readers the value of female unity. Mariam and Laila develop a strong friendship despite coming from different origins.

What genre is “A Thousand Splendid Suns” ?

Khaled Hosseini’s ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns ‘ is a work of fiction that falls within the literary and historical fiction categories. A subgenre of literature, known as historical fiction, uses historical persons or events as the backdrop for fictional stories that are set in the past. The novel ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns ‘ is set in Afghanistan in the 1980s, during the Soviet occupation, and in the 1990s, during the Taliban administration.

Why did Mariam stay with Rasheed in ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns?’

Mariam’s decision to endure the violence and stay with Rasheed can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, societal and cultural pressures played a significant role. Growing up in a society where women were expected to be obedient and submissive, Mariam internalized these expectations and felt trapped in her marriage. Additionally, Mariam felt a sense of duty and responsibility towards her role as a wife and mother, despite the mistreatment she endured.

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A Thousand Splendid Suns

70 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 21-25

Chapters 26-30

Chapters 31-35

Chapters 36-40

Chapters 41-45

Chapters 46-51

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

What is the role of childhood in the novel? To what extent are Laila and Mariam’s adulthood experiences shaped by their childhoods?

To what extent do the changes in Afghanistan’s political regimes affect Mariam and Laila?

“‘Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman,’” Nana tells Mariam in her girlhood (7). How do Mariam and Laila encounter misogyny, and how successful are they in confronting it?

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A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled hosseini.

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

None of the characters in the novel is a stranger to pain and suffering, either physical or emotional. However, this suffering takes different forms. The loss of loved ones brings its own kind of acute pain—often in a way that seems to lack any kind of redemption. On the other hand, there are other types of suffering that the characters willingly endure in the service of others.

A Thousand Splendid Suns seems to grapple with how to create a hierarchy of grief and suffering: is the loss of Laila’s brothers, after Babi (or so Mammy accuses him) allowed them to fight the Mujahideen, somehow worse than the random rocket that killed Laila’s friend Giti ? The characters grapple with such suffering in different ways. Mammy takes refuge in her dark bedroom following her sons’ deaths and never quite seems to be able to overcome her grief. Laila is more pragmatic: she marries Rasheed not despite but because of her parents’ death, which she sees as her only option. The novel seems to promote this kind of perseverance over the immobilization that can stem from suffering. Though the suffering that the characters have experienced might be impossible to undo, there is value and strength to be drawn from their ability to endure.

This is especially the case when the characters choose willingly to suffer. Laila, for instance, willingly submits to beatings by the Taliban for traveling as a woman alone, just so that she has the chance of seeing and spending time with her daughter Aziza at the orphanage. Mariam, of course, chooses to kill Rasheed so as to give Laila a chance of a better life, knowing all the same that she will be convicted and executed by the Taliban as a result. This ability to suffer willingly for the benefit of others is portrayed as something women in particular excel at. From Laila’s horrifically painful childbirth to Mariam’s sacrifice, women endure their own suffering and even add to it themselves.

Suffering and Perseverance ThemeTracker

Suffering and Perseverance Quotes in A Thousand Splendid Suns

She understood then what Nana meant, that a harami was an unwanted thing: that she, Mariam, was an illegitimate person who would never have legitimate claim to the things other people had, things such as love, family, home, acceptance.

“It’s our lot in life, Mariam. Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have. Do you understand?”

For the first time, Mariam could hear [Jalil] with Nana’s ears. She could hear so clearly now the insincerity that had always lurked beneath, the hollow, false assurances.

“ One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,

Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”

“But I’m a different breed of man, Mariam. Where I come from, one wrong look, one improper word, and blood is spilled. Where I come from, a woman’s face is her husband’s business only. I want you to remember that. Do you understand?”

It wasn’t easy tolerating him talking this way to her, to bear his scorn, his ridicule, his insults, his walking past her like she was nothing but a house cat. But after four years of marriage, Mariam saw clearly how much a woman could tolerate when she was afraid.

“To me, it’s nonsense—and very dangerous nonsense at that—all this talk of I’m Tajik and you’re Pashtun and he’s Hazara and she’s Uzbek. We’re all Afghans, and that’s all that should matter. But when one group rules over the others for so long…There’s contempt. Rivalry. There is. There always has been.”

It was hard to feel, really feel, Mammy’s loss. Hard to summon sorrow, to grieve the deaths of people Laila had never really thought of as alive in the first place. Ahmad and Noor had always been like lore to her. Like characters in a fable. Kings in a history book.

It was Tariq who was real, flesh and blood.

“And that, my young friends, is the story of our country, one invader after another. [...] Macedonians. Sassanians. Arabs. Mongols. Now the Soviets. But we’re like those walls up there. Battered, and nothing pretty to look at, but still standing.”

There would come a day, in fact, years later, when Laila would no longer bewail his loss. Or not as relentlessly; not nearly. There would come a day when the details of his face would begin to slip from memory’s grip, when overhearing a mother on the street call after her child by Tariq’s name would no longer cut her adrift. She would not miss him as she did now, when the ache of his absence was her unremitting companion—like the phantom pain of an amputee.

All day, this poem about Kabul has been bouncing around in my head. Saib-e-Tabrizi wrote it back in the seventeenth century, I think. I used to known the whole poem, but all I can remember now is two lines:

Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls .’”

The girl was looking back as if waiting for Mariam to pass on some morsel of wisdom, to say something encouraging. But what wisdom did Mariam have to offer? What encouragement? Mariam remembered the day they’d buried Nana and how little comfort she had found when Mullah Faizullah had quoted the Koran for her.

She was remembering the day the man from Panjshir had come to deliver the news of Ahmad’s and Noor’s deaths. She remembered Babi, white-faced, slumping on the couch, and Mammy, her hand flying to her mouth when she heard. Laila had watched Mammy come undone that day and it had scared her, but she hadn’t felt any true sorrow. She hadn’t understood the awfulness of her mother’s loss. Now another stranger bringing news of another death. Now she was the one sitting on the chair. Was this her penalty, then, her punishment for being aloof to her own mother’s suffering?

But, miraculously, something of her former life remained, her last link to the person that she had been before she had become so utterly alone. A part of Tariq still alive inside her, sprouting tiny arms, growing translucent hands. How could she jeopardize the only thing she had left of him, of her old life?

Laila examined Mariam’s drooping cheeks, the eyelids that sagged in tired folds, the deep lines that framed her mouth—she saw these things as though she too were looking at someone for the first time. And, for the first time, it was not an adversary’s face Laila saw but a face of grievances unspoken, burdens gone unprotested, a destiny submitted to and endured.

“Why have you pinned your heart to an old, ugly hag like me?” Mariam would murmur into Aziza’s hair. “Huh? I am nobody, don’t you see? A dehati. What have I got to give you?”

But Aziza only muttered contentedly and dug her face in deeper. And when she did that, Mariam swooned. Her eyes watered. Her heart took flight. And she marveled at how, after all these years of rattling loose, she had found in this little creature the first true connection in her life of false, failed connections.

[Mariam] had passed these years in a distant corner of her mind. A dry, barren field, out beyond dream and disillusionment. There, the future did not matter. And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion.

Laila dropped the spoke because she could not accept what the Mujahideen readily had: that sometimes in war innocent life had to be taken. Her war was against Rasheed. The baby was blameless. And there had been enough killing already. Laila had seen enough killing of innocents caught in the cross fire of enemies.

Mariam regretted her foolish, youthful pride now. She wished now that she had let him in. what would have been the harm to let him in, sit with him, let him say what he’d come to say? He was her father. He’d not been a good father, it was true, but how ordinary his faults seemed now how forgivable, when compared to Rasheed’s malice, or to the brutality and violence that she had seen men inflict on one another.

[Laila] thought of Aziza’s stutter, and of what Aziza had said earlier about fractures and powerful collisions deep down and how sometimes all we see on the surface is a slight tremor.

Though there had been moments of beauty in it. Mariam knew that life for the most part had been unkind to her. But as she walked the final twenty paces, she could not help but wish for more of it. […] Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami daughter of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back.

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Essays on A Thousand Splendid Suns

Prompt examples for "a thousand splendid suns" essays, the role of women in afghan society.

Explore the portrayal of women in Afghan society as depicted in "A Thousand Splendid Suns." How do characters like Mariam and Laila challenge or conform to traditional gender roles?

Motherhood and Sacrifice

Discuss the theme of motherhood and sacrifice in the novel. How do Mariam and Laila's experiences as mothers shape their characters and the trajectory of the story?

The Impact of War and Conflict

Analyze the effects of war and conflict on the lives of the characters. How do the political upheavals in Afghanistan impact their personal journeys and relationships?

Friendship and Solidarity

Examine the evolving friendship between Mariam and Laila. How does their relationship evolve, and what does it symbolize in the context of the broader narrative?

Social Injustice and Oppression

Discuss the themes of social injustice and oppression in the novel. How are characters like Rasheed representative of the oppressive systems in Afghan society?

Redemption and Healing

Explore the concepts of redemption and healing in the story. How do Mariam and Laila find ways to heal and rebuild their lives in the face of adversity?

The Importance of Education

Analyze the significance of education in the lives of the characters. How does access to education empower Mariam and Laila, and what does it represent for Afghan women?

Family and Identity

Discuss the theme of family and identity in the novel. How do Mariam and Laila's backgrounds and family histories shape their sense of self and belonging?

Symbolism in "A Thousand Splendid Suns"

Examine the use of symbolism in the novel. What do elements like the burqa, the Kabul River, and the title itself symbolize in the story?

The Afghan Cultural Landscape

Explore the rich cultural tapestry of Afghanistan as depicted in the book. How does the author convey the traditions, customs, and folklore of Afghan society?

The Power and Struggle of Women in a Thousand Splendid Suns

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The Confusion Towards The Rights of Women in "A Thousand Splendid Suns"

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Gender Roles and Male Dominance in 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'

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A Thousand Splendid Suns: Oppression of Women and The Veil Controversy

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May 22, 2007

Khaled Hosseini

Novel, Domestic Fiction

Mullah Faizullah, Zalmai, Mariam, Jalil, Aziza, Nana, Fariba, Tariq, Laila, Rasheed, Hakim

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A Thousand Splendid Suns

Symbolism in a thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini nkiru okocha 12th grade.

Symbolism is a powerful tool used to represent key points and messages across in stories. The symbols present in A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini reveal important details in the development of the story. The table, where Mariam sits across from Jalil and his wives represents the barrier between their life and hers, symbolic of family. Similarly, the “Titanic fever” that grips Kabul offers an escape to the Afghan people from the wars revealing the significance of the feeling of hope. Lastly, the burqa symbolizes the oppression and maltreatment of women in Afghanistan. Therefore the existing symbols in A Thousand Splendid Suns reveal motifs in the story such as the value of reputation, the value of hope, and suppression of women.

To begin, the table where Mariam sits across from Jalil’s wives is symbolic of family and separates Mariam from them. After Nana dies Jalil takes in Mariam, but she is treated as an outcast in the household. One of Jalil’s daughters, Nilofaur, even tells Mariam her mom said Mariam was not Nilofaur’s real sister. When Jalil and his wives announce to Mariam she will be marrying a forty-five-year-old man, the table between them not only divides them physically but in reality. The table supports...

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