Splendid suns follows the lives of two afghani women, mariam and laila, as they move from children to adults. For the first fifteen years of her life, mariam lives under nanas care. A thousand splendid suns study guide contains a biography of khaled hosseini, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a. A thousand splendid suns summary and study guide supersummary. A thousand splendid suns character list and analysis mariam mariam, one of two female protagonists, is a quiet, thoughtful child at the start of the book. Rasheed is a very troubled individual whom we know has past losses that may account for much of his anger.
In the process, she struggles with concepts such as justice, worth and the role of women. It was the way nana uttered the wordnot so much saying it as spitting it at herthat made mariam feel the full sting of it. The a thousand splendid suns quotes below are all either spoken by mullah faizullah or refer to mullah faizullah. She understood then what nana meant, that aharami was an unwanted thing. A critical analysis of mariams character in a thousand splendid suns article pdf available february 2017 with 6,306 reads how we measure reads. Shes the one who survives the events of the novel, and shes the one with great things in her future.
A critical analysis of mariams character in a thousand splendid suns article pdf available february. Khaled hosseini had great success with his previous bestseller, the kite runner. A thousand splendid suns, khaled hosseini a thousand splendid suns is a 2007 novel by afghanamerican author khaled hosseini. The a thousand splendid suns quotes below are all either spoken by mariam or refer to mariam. After her mothers suicide, she is sent to live with jalil. Khaled hosseinis a thousand splendid suns examines the sexual politics in afghanistan, with war as the backdrop, and where women cannot make political decisions though they bear the brunt of its. Mariam mariam, one of two female protagonists, is a quiet, thoughtful child at the start of the book. Jalil was the first man to do mariam wrong in a thousand splendid suns.
The book spans 30 years, beginning with the soviet invasion and ending with the overthrow of the taliban. Mariam s mother, once a maid in jalils household until she became pregnant with his child. Part one is written from mariams point of view, parts two and four are written from lailas viewpoint, and part three. It is his second, following his bestselling 2003 debut, the kite runner. Mariams sacrifice shows the end of the abuse that mariam and laila had to endure. She is the illegitimate daughter of jalil, a wealthy businessman who lives in the nearby city of herat. Mariam grows up in a small shack outside of the city of herat. He loves laila, and vows to protect her and look after her. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Khaled hosseini characterized her through her thoughts, dialogue, action, appearance and attitude, setting, others reactions, her setting, her name and her physical. A thousand splendid suns characters study guide by jlmilton includes 47 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. Rejected by her fiance, shamed as a seductress by her lover jalil, and abandoned by her father, nana is a bitter woman who.
Fate and destinys role in a thousand splendid suns yashs. Both the women characters are treated badly and are abused physically, sexually and emotionally. She was brought up to know her place in society as a harami, or bastard child. At the start, she is a harami from a small village. Khaled hosseini characterized her through her thoughts, dialogue, action, appearance and attitude, setting, others reactions, her setting, her name and her physical description. Character traits a thousand splendid suns questions q. What are two character qualities about mariam or laila in. Mariam lives in the small village of gul daman with her mother. Banished to the kolba a hut on a hill after her father disowned her, nana is bitter and unhappy. View notes a thousand splendid suns notes from english iv at immaculate heart academy, washington township. She is the illegitimate child of jalil and nana, and suffers shame throughout her childhood because of the circumstances of her birth.
Miriam is the daughter of jalil and nana and she is born out of wedlock. At first glance, you might be tempted to think of laila as the novels hero. Her personal development and renewed faith leads to a pivotal moment that will force her to choose between the safety of enduring and the risk of determing her own fate. Whats most important to know about mariam is her own realization that her life was hard and yet she had loved and been loved in return. A thousand splendid suns contains many of the riveting elements that made its predecessor a volume that passed from person to person with the urging, youve got to read this book. She tells jalil that she knows what she wants for her birthday. A thousand splendid suns is set in afghanistan, a country in which tribal factions have fought each other for hundreds of years in between occupations by other countries. Mariams story is one of resilience as she seeks to endure her difficult life and the abuse from her controlling husband without losing her spirit. Mariam quotes in a thousand splendid suns the a thousand splendid suns quotes below are all either spoken by mariam or refer to mariam. A vocabulary list featuring a thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini, part 1. A thousand splendid suns characters khaled hosseini this study guide consists of approximately 36 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a thousand splendid suns. Jun 09, 2011 mariam, an ethnic tajik born in herat, 1959. I have selected a thousand splendid suns as the text of my study because it supports my argument.
Start studying a thousand splendid suns characters. This excerpt develops the theme of the novel because it is the climax of the story. Jalil, along with mariam, shaped the childhood as what she believed were two opposing forces, but neither of them were good people regret. Fate and destinys role in a thousand splendid suns jan 26 by yashghei battling with the struggles of the war and forbidden love, while simultaneously showing a character that struggles to find what most of us deem an indisputable right of happiness. For example, in both persepolis, the women were made to wear the veil properly and without question. He is a widowed shoemaker whose first wife and son died many years before his marriage with mariam. A thousand splendid suns is a 2007 novel by afghanamerican author khaled hosseini. He was a kind and loving presence in mariams difficult childhood. A thousand splendid suns study guide contains a biography of khaled hosseini, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The book spans 30 years, beginning with the soviet invasion and. Like his first novel, the kite runner, it is set in afghanistan. She is the illegitimate child of jalil and nana, and suffers shame throughout her. Since hossienis fiction is not been tapped in terms of feminist readings, i have invoked feminist theory to critically analyze hosseinis text.
She read full character analysis get the entire a thousand splendid suns litchart as a printable pdf. There are thousands of desires in the hearts of mariam and laila of which mostly get burnt under the strong heat of patriarchy. A thousand splendid suns is khaled hosseinis second novel. Mariam talks about how her half brothers bring her food, and how her mom treats them, throwing rocks at them and calling them names, making mariam feel sorry for the boys, but once join. What are two character qualities about mariam or laila in a. Rasheed is considered the antagonist of a thousand splendid suns, and a stereotypical muslim man. Character analysis the author of a thousand splendid suns uses one of its main characters, mariam, to illustrate why the book matters to the world. Nana tells a sad lonely story of mariams birth to her while jalil tells mariam a better story of her birth one that makes her feel loved by her dad. Mariam changes more than any other character over the course of the novel.
Khaled hosseinis a thousand splendid suns follows mariam and laila who, despite a 17year age difference and unique circumstances, both end up forced into marrying the same. The argument of my study is that women in afghanistan have no prestige and they enjoy no agency in their patriarchal society. Though jalil comes to meet mariam once in a week, and is affectionate towards her, he never publicly acknowledges her for the sake of protecting his honour. She ultimately is tried and executed by the taliban for her actions, but leaves content with how her life played out. In doing so, she must finally prove or dispel her mothers fateful words. She e ndures as she is believed to, and once she endured a l ot she acts upon this. This study guide consists of approximately 36 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a thousand splendid suns. She learns from the death of her own mother how deep nanas own love albeit dependant affection was for her daughter. A thousand splendid suns had many things in theme that were similar to persepolis.
Mariam physically describes herself to have dark hair and skin, with a long face, which is an insecurity of hers. Get free homework help on khaled hosseinis a thousand splendid suns. A thousand splendid suns characters from litcharts the. Who are the main and secondary characters in a thousand. Laila tells mariam that i couldnt let him, i wasnt raised in a household where people did that page 249 laila mariam begins to think that laila is not as bad as she. Khaled hosseinis a thousand splendid suns follows mariam and laila who, despite a 17year age difference and unique circumstances, both end up forced into marrying the same abusive man, rasheed. Nana is mariam s mother, who used to be a servant in jalils house and had an affair with him. A thousand splendid suns, a 2007 novel by afghanborn khaled hosseini, is the story of mariam and laila, two women married to the same man, rasheed. As hosseini states in a bookbrowse interview, a thousand splendid suns is, in some ways, a more ambitious book than my first novel. Eventually having to wear the veil morphed into a full body covering while the men had every freedom when it came to clothing. At the end of a thousand splendid suns, mariam rises up in revenge and strikes rasheed dead with a shovel when he tries to kill laila. Mariam and laila belong to different generations, but they develop a deep bond as their home city of kabul, afghanistan becomes more dangerous.
The two of them live in a small hut on the outskirts of herat. Mariam is an illegitimate child, and suffers from both the stigma surrounding her birth along. Mariam s physical and emotional anxiety likely originates from her mother, nana, who constantly brings her down. In a similar vein, a thousand splendid suns shows the fallout that afghanistans violent history has had on individuals, especially its women. Hosseini strikes an emotional and sympathetic note for many of the novels characters. Jaliljalil was another character who had a large influence on mariam s childhood as he was the light of her life. To have made an impact that hard on someone is a special thing to do. Like a compass needle that always points north, a mans accusing finger always finds a woman. A thousand splendid suns 186 a thousand splendid suns follows the lives of two women characters mariam and laila who struggle due to the violent nature of their husband.
Mariam is an illegitimate child, and suffers from both the stigma surrounding her birth along with the abuse she faces throughout her marriage. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. The main characters in a thousand splendid suns are mariam and laila. Laila laila finally wins mariam s trust over when laila stands up for when rasheed was beating mariam. Jalil and his wives quickly marry mariam off to a shoemaker named rasheed, and the. Laila laila finally wins mariams trust over when laila stands up for when rasheed was beating mariam. Through their friendship, mariam reevaluates her life and reassesses her selfworth.
Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4afterword here is a link to. Continuous sufferings make them loose all hope in life. This causes him to be controlled and bullied by many childhood classmates. She is a strong girl who questions authority and dreams of bigger things for herself far beyond what she finds within the walls of her small shack. A thousand splendid suns is the representation of women and their burning desires. Print word pdf take our free a thousand splendid suns quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions. The character of mariam in a thousand splendid suns from. Part one is written from mariam s point of view, parts two and four are written from lailas viewpoint, and part three. A thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini, part 1. Long story short, mariam sacrifices her life for lailas happiness and wellbeing. Character profile for mariam from a thousand splendid suns. Born out of wedlock to a rich and married businessman jalil and his former housekeeper nana, mariam resents her mothers strict ways and the fact that she only sees her father once a week.
Nanas verbal and emotional abuse lead mariam to develop a docile personality. Character list mariam mariam is the result of an extramarital affair between nana and jalil khan. Mariam is arguably the most important character in a thousand splendid suns, and she is a vital part of the plot. How the characters must fight for survival amid violence directly reflects how the many factions and political bodies battle for power over the country and its people. Born in 1959 near herat, afghanistan, mariam is the illegitimate child of a wealthy man, jalil, and his onetime housekeeper, nana. Mariam group characterization a thousand splendid suns. Nana tells a sad lonely story of mariam s birth to her while jalil tells mariam a better story of her birth one that makes her feel loved by her dad. Mariam forces laila to leave afghanistan with lailas love interest and her kids. Chapter summary literature notes chapter 5 summary. Were going to let you in on a little secretmariam is the real hero of a thousand splendid suns.
The character of mullah faizullah in a thousand splendid. A thousand splendid suns characters flashcards quizlet. Khaled hosseini illustrates mariams last moments before she is executed as she thought of her entry into this world, the harami child. To that extent, it no doubt will please admirers of the kite runner, but its intense focus on the plight of afghanistans women makes it a strikingly different work. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Fate and destinys role in a thousand splendid suns yash. Hosseini depicts the lives of laila and mariam, and their struggle against society and the taliban. These are words of advice given to mariam by her mother, nana. May 22, 2007 a thousand splendid suns, khaled hosseini a thousand splendid suns is a 2007 novel by afghanamerican author khaled hosseini.
Jan 26, 20 fate and destinys role in a thousand splendid suns jan 26 by yashghei battling with the struggles of the war and forbidden love, while simultaneously showing a character that struggles to find what most of us deem an indisputable right of happiness. A thousand splendid suns notes a thousand splendid suns. A thousand splendid suns main character mariam feels worthless her relationship with her. Jan 22, 2014 mariam mariam, one of two female protagonists, is a quiet, thoughtful child at the start of the book. Study guide literary analysis overall analysis character analysis mariam. Meaningful excerpt from a thousand splendid suns a. This just shows how mariams character was able to use herself as a character who posses a strong sense of agency. Mariam portrays true motherly instincts in a thousand splendid suns. Jaliljalil was another character who had a large influence on mariams childhood as he was the light of her life. Mariam was a key character to the plot by affecting others.