Why the Setting is Important in "A Thousand Splendid Suns"
Author, Khaled Hosseini
Review by, Mathilde
The time and setting of "A Thousand Splendid Suns", a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, create unique and unforgettable images for the reader and are an essential part of the story that Hosseini is telling.
The story is set in Kabul, Afghanistan during the last thirty years. Afghanistan is an area of the world that is not really well-known or understood. The novel starts off with the Soviet invasion and ends after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. The time period is significant to the story because the characters in the story are affected by both the Soviet invasion and the Taliban's rule. The main characters, Mariam's and Laila's, lives are especially changed when the Taliban takes over. Under the Taliban, women had no rights; and food was harder to come by. The Taliban changed their lives dramatically and these changes become an important aspect of the story.
It is clear that Khaled Hosseini wrote this book so that readers would have a better understanding of women's lives in Afghanistan as well as to show how major political changes in Afghanistan impacted people's lives, which makes the time and setting of "A Thousand Splendid Suns" vital to the story itself.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
A Thousand Splendid Suns
A Thousand Splendid Suns
By, Khaled Hosseini
Character: Mariam
Review by Mathilde
A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by Khaled Hosseini, is the story of Laila and Mariam, two Afghani women who become the wives of one man and who also become best friends. The novel is set against the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and how Laila and Mariam try to find freedom.
As a character, I enjoy Laila’s personality a lot, but I admire and respect Mariam more. I think by her actions Mariam is a hero. Mariam is born a Harami, a bastard child. Her mother was a maid in her father’s house. When her father realizes Mariam is his child, he quickly sends them to live outside the city and comes to visit Mariam only once each week. As Mariam grows older, she begins to think that her father as a “god”, and slowly she grows apart from her mother, who has become mentally disturbed but who nevertheless has taken care of her all her life. One day Mariam runs away from her mother to live with her father, but when she comes to his house, he refuses to allow her in and tells her to go back home. When she returns home she finds her mother hanging from a tree. She is sent back to her father’s home, where his three wives and nine other children live. He doesn’t know what to do with Mariam, so has marries her off to a man called Rasheed, who is twenty-fives years older than Mariam. Rasheed beats her, mistreats her and makes her wear a burqa in public. Many years past and Mariam adapts to Rasheed’s ways. One day Rasheed brings home Laila and declares her as his wife. He becomes more disrespectful to Mariam as Laila is prettier, smarter, and younger and most importantly, she can bXXXX a child. But as time goes on, Mariam and Laila both receive horrible beatings and their lives become more difficult with the Taliban nearby. Laila and Mariam become friends. Life grows harder and simple things like getting enough to eat become an issue. Then one day as Rasheed’s is beating Laila, his beating starts to become more severe. Mariam, afraid for Laila’s life, takes a shovel and knocks out Rasheed, leaving him dead. Laila and Mariam finally have their freedom, but Mariam gives up her freedom so that Laila can escape. She knows that the police will certainly chase them once they discover Rasheed dead. So, Mariam sacrifices herself by admitting to the crime saying Laila had nothing to do with it so that Laila can escape and have a better future. Mariam eventually is sentenced to death. She dies never really having experienced true happiness in her life.
Mariam’s story is heartbreaking; she sacrifices her life in order to give Laila a future. Her courage and selflessness touched me the most. Her story is tragic because she never is truly loved and when she eventually finds friendship with Laila, she has to let it go. How she deals with all the pain in her life is what I find so admirable about her character and why she is truly a hero and is worth respecting.
By, Khaled Hosseini
Character: Mariam
Review by Mathilde
A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by Khaled Hosseini, is the story of Laila and Mariam, two Afghani women who become the wives of one man and who also become best friends. The novel is set against the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and how Laila and Mariam try to find freedom.
As a character, I enjoy Laila’s personality a lot, but I admire and respect Mariam more. I think by her actions Mariam is a hero. Mariam is born a Harami, a bastard child. Her mother was a maid in her father’s house. When her father realizes Mariam is his child, he quickly sends them to live outside the city and comes to visit Mariam only once each week. As Mariam grows older, she begins to think that her father as a “god”, and slowly she grows apart from her mother, who has become mentally disturbed but who nevertheless has taken care of her all her life. One day Mariam runs away from her mother to live with her father, but when she comes to his house, he refuses to allow her in and tells her to go back home. When she returns home she finds her mother hanging from a tree. She is sent back to her father’s home, where his three wives and nine other children live. He doesn’t know what to do with Mariam, so has marries her off to a man called Rasheed, who is twenty-fives years older than Mariam. Rasheed beats her, mistreats her and makes her wear a burqa in public. Many years past and Mariam adapts to Rasheed’s ways. One day Rasheed brings home Laila and declares her as his wife. He becomes more disrespectful to Mariam as Laila is prettier, smarter, and younger and most importantly, she can bXXXX a child. But as time goes on, Mariam and Laila both receive horrible beatings and their lives become more difficult with the Taliban nearby. Laila and Mariam become friends. Life grows harder and simple things like getting enough to eat become an issue. Then one day as Rasheed’s is beating Laila, his beating starts to become more severe. Mariam, afraid for Laila’s life, takes a shovel and knocks out Rasheed, leaving him dead. Laila and Mariam finally have their freedom, but Mariam gives up her freedom so that Laila can escape. She knows that the police will certainly chase them once they discover Rasheed dead. So, Mariam sacrifices herself by admitting to the crime saying Laila had nothing to do with it so that Laila can escape and have a better future. Mariam eventually is sentenced to death. She dies never really having experienced true happiness in her life.
Mariam’s story is heartbreaking; she sacrifices her life in order to give Laila a future. Her courage and selflessness touched me the most. Her story is tragic because she never is truly loved and when she eventually finds friendship with Laila, she has to let it go. How she deals with all the pain in her life is what I find so admirable about her character and why she is truly a hero and is worth respecting.
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