I realized that I had found not only the right line for the scene, but also an evocative title in the phrase 'a thousand splendid suns,' which appears in the next-to-last stanza."[1]. Teachers and parents! He is kind and loving to her, but he makes no attempt to integrate her into his legitimate family. Social pressures to conform to cultural and religious expectations force the women to find a socially acceptable way to rid themselves of Mariam, who, having no social status of her own and without the help of her father, is forced to accept their terms. She meets with the son of a kindly mullah who taught Mariam, who gives her a box Jalil had entrusted to the family to care for and give to Mariam should she return to Herat. At Part Twos conclusion, when Lailas parents are killed in a rocket explosion and she is gravely wounded, the violence in Kabul seems insurmountable. Her difficult life on the outskirts of Herat makes her long for the imagined comfort of her fathers home. Retrieved from https . After battles with the Mujahideen, or Islamic fighters supported by the United States, the Soviet Union finally withdraws its last troops in 1989 and the Mujahideen take over. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Mariam tries to reach Jalil for help, but she finds that he is dead. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Once the characters are both married to Rasheed and living in the same home, the chapters alternate between Mariam and Laila, but the women also appear in each others chapters. From her parents Mariam inherits conflicting views: Nanas, that a harami like her must endure a lifetime of pain; and Jalils, that there is a whole world to discover beyond the kolba. Nana had worked as a housemaid for the wealthy cinema owner Jalil, Mariam's father, but after she became pregnant, Jalil cast her out to the shack. [12] This motivated him to write a novel centered on two Afghan women. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Upon returning to her home, Mariam finds her mother has hanged herself. "[25], The New York Times writer Michiko Kakutani wrote a more critical review, describing the opening as "heavy-handed" and early events in the novel as "soap-opera-ish". As a result, Nana hangs herself, leaving Mariam up to the will of Jalil. Ahmad and Noor, Laila's two older brothers, leave to fight for the Mujahideen in the jihad. She is publicly executed. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of Jalil, and her status as a bastard child is something she will struggle with overcoming. The use of these terms not only establishes setting, but also signifies that some things cannot be translated. She adores him. To Mariam, he is the loving father who relieves the monotony of life with his weekly visits; to Nana he is the coward who would not stand by her after getting her pregnant. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. A Thousand Splendid Suns: Theme Analysis Afghan Identity A central theme of Hosseini's novel is the question of Afghan identity. Want 100 or more? Mariam, an illegitimate teenager from Herat, is forced to marry a shoemaker from Kabul after a family tragedy. Mariam ventures into Herat herself. Ultimately, the novel does not paint Mariam as a victim but as someone who neither Rasheed nor the Taliban will be able to break. It is through the way she lives on in Laila and Aziza in particular that Mariams legacy becomes so much more than the pain she endured. In addition, this lesson is designed to provide educators with a core . [1] However, he found the novel easier to write once he had begun, noting "as I began to write, as the story picked up the pace and I found myself immersed in the world of Mariam and Laila, these apprehensions vanished on their own. Zalmai is unhappy about the visits. The family return to Kabul and use the money to repair the orphanage Aziza had stayed in, and Laila works there as a teacher. The box also contains cash in American dollars and a copy of Pinocchio on video. When he was fifteen, his family came to the US as asylum seekers and settled in California. As Tariq tells Laila that he and his family are fleeing to Pakistan, the couples makes love for the first time, quickly and passionately. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. For example, the inciting incident in Lailas story also involves a death in her family. They stop en route to Herat, where Laila visits the village where Mariam was raised. Tariq lost one of his legs from a land mine. Already a member? He went through a refugee camp, both of his parents died, and he spent time in prison. You can do this by starting with something as simple as, "Nana says this when." 9/15. Rasheed puts Laila on a pedestal and makes fun of Mariam in order to impress Laila. A few months ago, Tariq's uncle died and his father had a heart attack. Laila, on the other hand, grows up in a nuclear family with liberal ideas about women and education. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Following the US invasion, conditions in Kabul improve, and Laila insists that her family move back home so they can help rebuild their city. One day after visiting Aziza at the orphanage, Laila sees Tariq standing at the front door of Rasheed's house. When Laila gives birth to Aziza, who is actually Tariqs daughter, Rasheed acts much more cruelly to Laila for giving him a daughter rather than a son. April 17, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 She asks Mariam to come with her and Tariq to Pakistan, but Mariam refuses. As the novel ends, Laila is pregnant with her third childif it is a girl, she will be named Mariam. [7] During its first week on sale, it sold over one million copies. A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini Study Guide Summary Themes Motifs Symbols Quotes Quotes by Theme Summary Chapters 22-26 Chapters 22-26 Summary: Chapter 22 In January 1989, Laila and her family gather to watch the last of the Soviets leave the city. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. A Thousand Splendid Suns Analysis. There was a whole facet of Afghan society which I hadn't touched on in The Kite Runner, an entire landscape that I felt was fertile with story ideasIn the spring of 2003, I went to Kabul, and I recall seeing these burqa-clad women sitting at street corners, with four, five, six children, begging for change. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Rasheed adores and spoils Zalmai, and Zalmai worships Rasheed. Minor Characters. . She becomes pregnant with her third child, whom she will name Mariam if it is a girl. Since her youth, Laila has a close male friend named Tariq. Available
In the beginning, she has a childish crush on her friend Tariq. April 17, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 After Rasheed leaves for work, the women do their best to avoid each other throughout the day. creating and saving your own notes as you read. eNotes Editorial. 2023 Course Hero, Inc. All rights reserved. She is barred entry and forcibly taken home, where she sees that Nana has hanged herself. Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. She tells Laila and Tariq to leave with Aziza and Zalmai, and confesses to the Taliban to killing Rasheed, for which she is publicly executed. A Thousand Splendid Suns essays are academic essays for citation. Born in 1959 near Herat, Afghanistan, Mariam is the illegitimate child of a wealthy man, Jalil, and his one-time housekeeper, Nana. In one way, the two novels are corollaries: The Kite Runner was a father-son story, and A Thousand Splendid Suns can be seen as a mother-daughter story. Laila teaches at the orphanage. What are his motives for taking care of Laila? Laila also suffers beatings at the hands of Rasheed, but she is more likely to fight back or talk back to defend herself. Mariam's other friend, Mullah Faizullah, teaches her the Koran and listens to her problems. On her fifteenth birthday, Mariam asks her father to take her to see Pinocchio at a cinema he owns and to introduce her to her siblings. Hosseini brings his novel full circle by having Laila visit Mariams childhood kolba and bear witness to how far Mariam came to leave such a strong mark on Laila and her family. Log in here. . He cares little for Mariam or Laila. Also, include the speaker and context in your analysis. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Before Mariam's birth, her mother, Nana, was a housekeeper for a wealthy businessman in Herat named Jalil. [9], The title of the book comes from a line in Josephine Davis' translation of the poem "Kabul", by the 17th-century Iranian poet Saib Tabrizi:[10], Hosseini explained "I was searching for English translations of poems about Kabul, for use in a scene where a character bemoans leaving his beloved city, when I found this particular verse. Mariam, initially cold and hostile towards Laila, warms to her as they both suffer abuse. After Rasheed's death, Laila is determined to leave Kabul. This reflects both their physical proximity and change in circumstances but also thematically represents their growing bond and sense of family. 20% Not long after they marry, Rasheed forces Mariam to chew pebbles as a punishment for undercooking rice. The family comes close to starvation. By now, Tariq and Laila are teenagers and in love. Throughout this time, Afghanistan was subjected to a series of violent, brutal wars and numerous political coups. Tariq appears at the family home and reunites with Laila, who learns Rasheed hired a man to falsely claim that Tariq had been killed so that she would agree to marry him. Mariam is most changed by her relationship with Laila, as watching the younger woman teaches Mariam to stand up for herself, as highlighted in the scene where she saves Lailas life. from your Reading List will also remove any The narrative, which takes place in Afghanistan, is speckled with Afghani phrases that only sometimes are directly defined. Rasheed, who desperately wants a son to compensate for the one who drowned in a previous marriage, is violent and contemptuous towards Mariam. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! The next morning, Jalil's chauffeur drives Mariam home where she finds that her mother has committed suicide. Poetry Slam Hosseinis favorite book of all time is the collected Poets of Hafez, a revered Persian poet, which he originally read as a schoolboy in Kabul. -Graham S. The village leader, who often comes to visit, A neighborhood troublemaker, who pulls practical jokes on, The kindly orphanage director who looks after, The owner of a hotel in Murree, Pakistan, who hires, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. She is a harami, a bastard, born to a rich father, Jalil, and a poor mother, Nana. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. A Thousand Splendid Suns as well as Titanic illustrate the life and death the couple faces as their adversities draw them apart. Other words, such as kolba and jinn are left for the reader to determine via contextual clues. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. eNotes.com This novel, "A thousand splendid suns," is taken place in Afghanistan and follows the life of a girl, Mariam who is a little girl at the beginning. Once Laila announced that she was pregnant, Rasheed was ecstatic. The second is the date of (one code per order). Jalil's wife tells Mariam that Mariam is to be married off to a shoe shop owner named Rasheed in Kabul. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Mariam gets pregnant seven times but loses the baby each time due to a health complication. Purchasing For the first time in the story, Mariam takes agency over her own life and kills Rasheed. At first, Rasheed is sweet and brings her gifts. She tries to explain that she was defending herself when she killed Rasheed, but the judge sentences Mariam to death. Tariq works for an NGO (non-governmental organization) that fits land mine victims with prosthetic limbs. The story, epic in scope and spanning three decades, follows these two indomitable women whose fortunes mirror those of their beloved and battered country'nothing pretty to look at, but still standing'and who find in each other the strength they need to survive. CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. | Rasheed locks them in separate, hot rooms with no food or water for a day. In this novel, both religious and political dimensions of the afghan society is depicted. After a few days, Abdul Sharif comes and brings news that Tariq had been hospitalized and then died. Hosseini ultimately attended Santa Clara University and later medical school. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Wed love to have you back! Laila is ecstatic. Ed. A Thousand Splendid Suns Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis Part 1: Chapter 1 Summary Mariam, an Afghani woman, remembers her mother calling her a harami when she was five years old although it is many years later before she learns the word means "bastard child." After her friendship with Mariam develops, she invites Mariam to run away with them. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. publication online or last modification online. Shortly afterwards, Laila's family decide to also leave the city, but before they can, a rocket hits their home, killing Hakim and Fariba and injuring Laila who is then taken in by Mariam and Rasheed. But that is the emotionsubterranean, powerful, beautiful, illicit, and infinitely patientthat suffuses the pages of Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. On the outskirts of Herat, Mariam lives with her embittered mother, Nana, in a secluded hut. One day a messenger visits to tell Laila the devastating news that Tariq is dead. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. As in his best-selling first novel, The Kite Runner, Hosseini movingly examines the connections between unlikely friends, the fissures that open up between parents and children, the intransigence of quiet hearts. 2023
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