A Thousand Splendid Suns

1.  Mariam was born a bastard child and soon grew to know her place in society.  When her mother who raised her died, she was sent to live with her estranged father, a very wealthy man who had never played a role in her life.  Her father's other wives would not let Mariam live with them, so it was arranged for her to marry a man by the name of Rasheed.  Rasheed had hopes of having a son to carry on his legacy, and upon finding out that Mariam was infertile, he was extremely unhappy and became abusive.  He then married a second wife by the name of Laila.  Her parents has recently been killed in a bombing by the Taliban, so Rasheed took her in as a sense of duty.  As her childhood love is found and comes to secretly visit Laila, she becomes impregnated with his child.  Rasheed believes it to be his child, and becomes happy and loving in hopes of having a boy.  However, when the child is born and he sees that it is a girl, he becomes the abusive spouse to both of his wives once again.  Shortly after Laila becomes pregnant once again, this time with Rasheed's child.  To his approval, this child is a boy.  As the novel goes on, the two women go from being enemies to the best of friends, realizing they have one common goal: to get away from Rasheed.

2.  There are many possible themes seen in this novel, including shame, oppression and hope, education of women, pregnancy and children, the strength of female bonds, and marriage vs love.  The one I am going to elaborate on is the strength of female bonds.  Mariam and Laila both marry into a loveless marriage, and to the same man.  In the beginning they act as if they are enemies, both competing to be the best wife.  However, as time goes on they grow closer as they realize they are both fighting against their abusive husband.  As their relationship grows, it shows that women can truly accomplish anything, despite cultural or religious beliefs.

3.  The novel is told through both Laila and Mariam's points of view, so the tone is constantly changing.

-In the beginning of the novel when Mariam is a child, the tone is sincere excitement when talking about her father.  She saw him very little in those days, so it was a treat whenever she got the chance.

• "Suspended in the air, Mariam would see Jalil's upturned face below her, his wide, crooked smile, his widow's peak, his cleft chin…..Mariam did not believe that Jalil would drop her.  She believed that she would always land safely into her father's clean, well-manicured hands."

-A little later in the novel as Mariam finds out she is infertile, the tone turns despairing.

• "The grief kept surprising Mariam.  All it took to unleash it was her thinking of the unfinished crib in the toolshed or the suede coat in Rasheed's closet…"

-One of the only pleasures in staying at home was the fact that the women had children to take care of, so at one point the tone turned hopeful, as the women hoped for a brighter future both for themselves, as well as for their children.

• "Of all the earthly pleasures, Laila's favorite was lying next to Aziza, her baby's face so close that she could watch her big pupils dilate and shrink.  Laila loved running her finger over Aziza's pleasing, soft skin…."

-During tough times, Rasheed declared that their daughter Aziza would be sent to an orphanage.  As this was Laila's pride and joy, the tone here switched to regret, as she regret ever having entered into this loveless marriage.  Women were not allowed outside without a male escort, so on Laila's trips to visiting her daughter, she was often beaten in the street.

• "She lay on her stomach, feeling like a stupid, pitiable animal, and hissed as Mariam arranged damp cloths across her bloodied back…."

4.  Literary elements found in the novel:

-Diction:  Arabic words such as "qurma," "mastawa,", "sofrah," etc. are used to get a better feel for the characters.

-Direct characterization was used when talking about characters.

• "They all wore too much cologne, and they all smoked.  They strutted around the neighborhood in groups, joking, laughing loudly, sometimes even calling after girls, with identical stupid, self-satisfied grins on their faces."

-Metaphors

• "She swallowed dry spit.  Shifted on her chair.  She had to steel herself.  If she didn't, she feared she would come unhinged."

-Flashback

• "Laila remembered Tariq's hands, soft but strong, the tortious, full veins on the backs of them, which she had always found so appealingly masculine."

-Imagery

• "Ouside, mockingbirds were singing blithely, and, once in a while, when the songsters took flight, Mariam could see their wings catching the phosphorescent blue of moonlight beaming through the clouds."