Rahma Chowdhury
Mrs. Jennifer Huyghe
English Honors 10
11 September 2020
Cultures of Afghanistan
Imagine living in a society where women have no rights. Women are forbidden to go to work,
they are not allowed to go out without a male consent and they must cover themselves with an article
of clothing called burqa. A Thousand Splendid Suns written by Khaled Hosseini is a novel that was set in
Afghanistan in the 1970s during a civil war. This story focuses on the lives of Mariam and Laila and
ultimately, discusses the cultures of Afghanistan. One main cultural aspect Hosseini covers is woman
inequality and discrimination. The two different female characters, Laila and Mariam, are treated
harshly in a society mostly because of their gender. Although, their relationship begins with a sour taste,
they both end up protecting and fighting for each other under many circumstances.
Mariam was an illegitimate child born in a strict household. Even though her birth was
completely out of her hand, Mariam received hurtful criticism from society. She was further devalued
because she was a girl. At the ripe age of fifteen, Mariam’s mother committed suicide. This led her
father and his four wives to make the decision of marrying her off to Rasheed, a 40 year old shoemaker.
They did this so they could cover Jalil, Mariam’s father’s, mistake. During that time, women in
Afghanistan were generally fixed into an arranged marriage. They usually would not be able to say no to
their parents because this shows disobedience. After marriage, her husband took her to a new city and
demanded her to wear clothes that he believes are acceptable in their culture. Rasheed treated her well
until she failed to maintain her pregnancy. Once he realized that Mariam could not become a mother,
he begins to physically and mentally abuse her. Mariam was not able to do anything because she had no
real family except her husband. One may believe that she did not speak against Rasheed because
violence against women were accepted during that period of time.
Laila, daughter of Hakim and Fariba, is another female protagonist. Laila’s upbringing was very
different from Mariam’s. She received a proper education mostly because her father believed that
women education was of utmost importance. Her father was always taunted and deemed feminine
because of this progressive mindset. Laila’s mother, on the other hand, had undiagnosed depression
because she lost both of her sons in war. Laila never received love from her mother because in her
culture, depression was overlooked and therefore she never received treatment. Laila fell in love with
her childhood best friend, Tariq and decides to marry him before he leaves to Pakistan. But tables turn
when Laila’s loses her parents due to the rocket that blows through her house. She was found in the
rubble by Rasheed. He brings Laila home to nurse her back to good health, but his intentions were to
marry her. Laila agrees to marry Rasheed because she realizes that she is carrying Tariq’s baby. Having a
child without marriage is considered a taboo in Afghanistan. Woman are beaten or even jailed in these
cases. To protect herself and her baby, she enters Mariam’s and Rasheed’s life.
Laila and Mariam met in an unusual way. Both of the women started off as rivals. Mariam did
not like the fact that she was going to be replaced by a younger, prettier women by Rasheed. She was
afraid that she will be only working for Rasheed and Laila. Mariam was also jealous because Laila had
something Mariam did not have, a child. As days go by, they both split chores and decide that they will
have no relationship with each other but they would only talk about chores. Eventually, both women
become each other’s best friend. After Laila had a baby girl, Aziza, Rasheed would not stand her, it
annoyed him because he wanted a boy instead of a girl. In Afghanistan, girls are a burden to parents
because they think girls are not able to do things boys could of, if they had given the chance. Rasheed
started abusing the two and that is when they teamed up for their survival. They went through many
things as victims of Rasheed.
In conclusion, A Thousand Splendid Suns shows many types of emotions Laila and Mariam in
their lives. In this dark times, Laila and Mariam had to endure so much because of their gender. Even
though Mariam could not have kids and become a mother she was still a mother to Laila and Aziza. Not
only did Laila take Mariam as a friend, she also took her as a mother figure. She used what she learned
from Mariam and applied to her own life.
