A Thousand Splendid Suns By: Khaled Hosseini

1. A Thousand Splendid SunsBy: Khaled Hosseini “Every street of Kabul is enthralling to the eyeThrough the bazaars, caravans of Egypt passOne could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofsAnd the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls”

2. Main Characters • Mariam • Nana • Jalil • Rasheed • Laila • Tariq • Aziza • Zalmai Photographs by Steve McCurryNational Geographic

3. Important Goals • Laila wants to be with Tariq and her children. • Mariam wants to be away from Rasheed and to see Laila and her family happy.

4. Obstacles • Rasheed • The laws enforced by the Taliban • Themselves “Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam.”(7)

5. Achieving Goals • Laila does get to be with Tariq and her children but it comes with a price. • Mariam does eventually free herself from Rasheed but this also comes with a price.

6. Moral to the Story • Hardships of Women • Affects of war • Importance of freedom

7. What idea was the author trying to explore in this work? How important is that idea? The major theme in the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is the hardships of women and the lack of freedom they have. This idea is important to explore because women are not different than men and deserve every right and freedom they have. When Mariam is on trial for the murder of Rasheed the judge tells her, “God has made us different, you women and us men. Our brains are different; you are not able to think like we can. Western doctors and their science have proven this.”(365). First and foremost this is a flat out lie. Second, it is the lack freedom that caused Mariam to kill Rasheed and now the law, the government is saying that biologically men are superior. The belief that men are superior only fuels the difficulties Laila and Mariam must endure. Right after Rasheed and Laila got married Laila cried for the first time in front of Rasheed and almost immediately he said “that’s one thing I can’t stand [Rasheed] said, scowling, the sound of a women crying. I’m sorry; I have no patience for it.” The nerve of Rasheed to say that, everyday Mariam and Laila have to deal with the misguided wrath of Rasheed. Also, even though Rasheed had abused Laila and Mariam countless times this is the only time he has every said sorry. Mariam was told at a young age that she would never be seen as an a equal to any male and when she was shipped off with Rasheed the little amount of freedom Mariam had was stripped away, to Laila was lucky enough to be born into a family that gave her respect and encouraged her to succeed, but when her parents were killed because of the war, Laila was thrown into the same social hell hole many of the other women in Kabul were enduring. Because of the misguided belief that women have no freedom Mariam was destined to a life of difficult hardships, but thankfully Mariam could use her life as a way to give her closest friend the freedom that she and her family deserved. Mariam gave the ultimate sacrifice to give what she could never get in her own life.

8. Personal Response The most important passages in the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is when Mariam first experiences the accusing finger of men. When Mariam screams at her father to get an explanation to why he is sending her away, all Jalil says is “Goddamn it, Mariam, don’t do this to me,” he said as though he was the one to whom something was being done. And, with that, Mariam felt all the tension vanish from the room.”(49). When Jalil said this Mariam quickly began to understand that what her mother had always said about men was true, especially when it comes to Jalil. “a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.”(7). Jalil had abandon Mariam because he was worried that if people found out that she was a harami his reputation would be destroyed. When Nana killed herself Mariam was left with no where to go but her father’s home. Her father was still worried about his reputation so he quickly found Mariam a suitor so she would no longer be a burden to him. When Jalil tells Mariam not be his problem anymore, Mariam quickly understand that a man’s reputation is more important then a father’s love.

9. Created by: William D. L.