A Father's Betrayal of Their Daughter Betrayal isn’t unusual to face throughout life and can be from those we least expect. In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, many characters face betrayal in some way. Mariam was not an exception to this because her own father would limit where he was seen with Mariam to her home away from the city. This behavior would ultimately lead to Mariam having to endure a complete stranger's actions for many years. In the novel, Jalil visited his daughter Mariam weekly, Though these visits were isolated from the general public since he was concerned about his self-image. This adds to the novel's overall meaning as it illustrates the unfair treatment women face in Afghanistan, especially those …show more content…
Mariam had turned fifteen in the spring of 1974 and there was one thing she wanted from Jalil. For him to take her to Herat to see the cartoons at his cinema, both Nana and Jalil weren’t approving of this idea. But Mariam was persistent and Jalil agreed and would send someone to pick her up. Though she wanted Jalil to take her personally and be part of the family for once. Mariam began to realize something was wrong when, “it was almost one o’clock. He’s a businessman, Mariam thought. Something had to come” (Hosseini 30). The significance of Jalil not showing up shows Mariam that he might not be all that she had believed Jalil was. Though at this point she was still in denial that Jalil would betray her like that and not take her to his cinema. Nana had warned Mariam that he isn't the perfect person she thinks he is. Mariam disregards these warnings even with the threat of the “jinn” coming upon Nana resulting in her death. Mariam sets out for Herat and crosses the stream for the first time. When she arrives she realized that Nana was wrong about how people would treat her in public. She was another ordinary person going …show more content…
Women have few rights and things available to them in the country. If there is a conflict between a man and a woman, the woman is who receives the blame even if it wasn’t their fault since they are seen as inferior. On top of that some are born illegitimate like Mariam and face even more hardships for things then again out of their control. Through the actions of men such as Rasheed or Jalil this important meaning is expressed. This is to spread awareness to the reader that while it seems obvious that men and women should have equal rights, some countries don’t believe in the idea. Following more traditional beliefs where women take on household responsibilities while men provide for their families
PART 1: CHAPTERS 1-15 Characters introduced: Mariam Mariam is the protagonist in the novel. She grows up outside of the city of Herat in a small shack and is raised by her mother, Nana. She was thought to know that she is a “harami”. She dreams of bigger things for herself and tends to question authority.
Nana believed that Mariam was going to like the life she found when she went to Jalil’s and not return back home. There has never been a time in Mariam's life that she has not had to endure from childhood to her
In the book Jalil never does what he wants he always does what his wives say to him, as in when Nana committed and Jalil wanted to stay with Mariam, but his wives said she had to get married no matter what and that’s exactly what he did he gave her in too an older man. When he let his wives' control what he didn’t
(Illegitimate child) In Afghanistan, being a harami, people treated Mariam differently and unfairly. She had to persevere through this her whole life and even to her death towards the end of the book, it is still one of the key personality traits of Mariam. “The years had not been kind to Mariam. But perhaps, she thought, kinder years were waiting still.
Once Mariam realized that her father allowed her to sleep on the street rather than bring her into his home that it wasn’t a good idea to get in his car. For Example, the driver said "Let me take you home. Come on, dokhtarjo. "Mariam stood up and walked toward him. But then, at the last moment, she changed direction and ran to the front gates.
As the novel progresses we get to see Mariam change in opinion about relationships as she builds a healthy relationship with Laila. The author uses inner dialogue to show how empathizes with Mariam’s change throughout the novel “Mariam bounced stiffly, a half-bewildered, half-grateful smile on her lips. Mariam had never before been wanted like this. Love had never been declared to her so guilelessly, so undeservedly”(Hosseini 252). Mariam is finally getting a sense of what 'it's like to be loved, she's not seen as a burden in Azzia’s eyes.
When Mariam was pushing through a multitude of women so that she could get a doctor to help Laila give birth she thought about Nana, and she realized that Nana had sacrificed her reputation so that Mariam could live. As the author states “She thought ruefully of Nana, of the sacrifices that she too had made. Nana, who could have given her away, or tossed her in a ditch somewhere and run. But she hadn't. Instead, Nana had endured the shame of bearing a harami, had shaped her life around the thankless task of raising Mariam and, in her own way, of loving her.”
Foreshadowing reveals that Mariam’s life will ultimately be miserable. Specifically, in Chapter 8, the author describes Rasheed’s fingernails as “...yellow-brown, like the inside of a rotting apple, and some of the tips were curling, lifting” (Hosseini 49). The looks of Rasheed’s fingernails foreshadows how his attitude and relationship with Mariam may “rot” and decay in the future. Additionally, in Chapter 8, the author talks about how Rasheed was forceful with Mariam’s wedding band. Hosseini says, “Her own band was a little tight, but Rasheed had no trouble forcing it over her knuckles” (Hosseini 49).
In the novel, Hossieni speaks about Mariam’s mother, Nana, having an affair with Jalil, Mariam’s father, and Mariam being conceived by accident. Mariam, on the other hand, lived with her mother since her father was ashamed to be around her; therefore, she was left with her mother. Her mother was forbidden from speaking about Jalil since doing so would be viewed as sinful, especially given the Taliban's government. As a result of the silence and her daughter's developing independence, she becomes emotionally stressed and committed herself. " Mariam saw.
Kasey Takusagawa Langton May 23rd, 2023 A Thousand Splendid Suns While many characters go through various changes, Mariam goes through the biggest and most noticeable changes. Each character goes through their problems and hardships and everybody changes along the way. Whether it is the way they think, act, or look. One way Mariam’s change was shown was when Mariam goes down to get a drink but runs into a baby that was not being properly taken care of.
Mariam's family dynamic is very different from Laila's. Mariam always thinks that Jalil is telling the truth and that he loves her when in reality he does not. She believes him and this causes resentment to build up against
Mariam is raised by an angry and bitter mother and an absentee father who only visits her occasionally. Her relationship with the two is quite different. Her absentee father makes her feel special and she enjoys every moment they spend together, always looking
Mariam longed to place a ruler on a page and draw important-looking lines”(Hosseini ). Mariam is an example of how women are banned from an education and whose life could have been changed by education. Instead of being educated, she is sheltered by her mother and lives the rest of her life without high expectations of herself. Nana teaches her that an Afghan woman has to endure the life that is chosen for her because she does not have a say. Nana even says "There is only one, only one skill a woman like you and me needs in life, and they don't teach it in school.
Mariam plays with Zalmai by “push[ing] his toy car. Sending it back and forth between them across the room” (328) when Tariq had come to visit Laila after a long time. Mariam and Aziza played together also, ever since that night that Mariam and Aziza interacted Aziza has been attracted to Mariam. When they played the Titanic game “Aziza [always] insist[ed] that she get to be Jack” (302). This was during the summer that the “Titanic fever” (303) rose across the town.
Jalil is relatively successful, owning a movie theater. Jalil is not ashamed of his wives and their children. He provides them with what seems to be a large comfortable house to live in. After Mariam's mother dies Jalil takes her into his house. He gives her room.