No matter the form of abuse, a child’s future actions are influenced by what they were exposed to as adolescents. Mental abuse forms the basic perspective the person will use to perceive the world and the thoughts that dictate their behavior. Physical abuse develops the interactions the person will make with other people. Even though these experiences are shown to be negative, the person can overcome their hardships to make sure a better outcome is handed to those beginning to be abused. The person’s hardships will teach them what type of behavior is acceptable in order for them to save the lives of others beginning this cycle of abuse.
Within Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, the physical and mental abuse Mariam received through her adolescence would directly correlate to her future perspective and actions to save the lives of others found in her initial position.
Mariam’s status proved to be the foundation of the mental abuse she suffered from her early childhood. From the point of conception, she was designated a harami or illegitimate child. This name
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This feeling of being unwanted among the legitimate family could be seen through “unspoken words exit[ing] Khadija’s mouth” and the constant push to marry her off (Hosseini 45). While the dissatisfaction of her presence was expected among the wives, the unwillingness of Jalil to make Mariam feel like she belonged in his family ultimately made Mariam disregard any affection towards him, and the adored perception of her father would cease to exist in her mind. This new perspective of his parenting gave Mariam a reference to how a father shouldn’t behave towards his children, which guided her decision to kill her husband near the end of the novel. Her husband, Rasheed, neglected to acknowledge his daughter Aziza from the point of birth because she was a