The job of a mother automatically comes with sacrifice. The mindset of a mother shifts to where her paramount priority is her family. In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Ma Joad sacrifices herself and her emotions in order to keep the hopes of the family to be fulfilled. Although the world and her seem to be crumbling down, Ma Joad is still able to keep the family together. Through her emotional and physical sacrifices, Ma Joad proves that her family is what she treasures most.
The war and prejudice against women in Afghanistan changes everything for Laura. Her parents die in a bombing and she is left to find her way and determine her fate by herself. Just like Mariam, she is married and like fate would have it, as a second wife by Mariam’s husband, Rasheed. Laila however bears two children for Rasheen unlike Mariam who has none and is treated much differently from Mariam. He compares her to a brand new first-class shiny Benz.
Sacrifice is the surrender of a great value for the sake of a lesser or nonvalue one. Commonly the word ‘’sacrifice’’ has a heroic theme to it rather than the literal ritualistic meaning. As we grow older, the toll of adulthood begins to interfere with the freedoms we once took for granted in our youth, forcing you to make real and, at times, heart-breaking sacrifices. Furthermore, these two distinctive but comparable stories, Marita and Annie John have contrasting lives but both have respectably seen their fair share of
Sacrifice can reveal what people value the most in their life. In the book The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Celie sacrifices her childhood, her education, and her freedom for her sister Nettie. Celie’s sacrifices are not only representative of her value of Nettie, but also of the lack of value she has for herself. Throughout the book, Celie sacrifices the majority of what she has and gets extremely little in return. She never fights for herself and does whatever people ask her.
How generous does one have to be to become a mother? What attributes does a person need to represent a mother? Khaled Hosseini explores motherhood in A Thousand Splendid Suns. In this novel, Hosseini shows the archetypal satisfactory mother by showing Mariam as a supporting, playing, and caring character for Laila and the children. Mariam is seen supporting Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai throughout the novel.
Laila is supportive of Addie but somehow starts acting questionably, causing a slight rift in their friendship along the way. She is flawed as a character yet still enthralling and relatable as
Parenting has been a long practice that desires and demands unconditional sacrifices. Sacrifice is something that makes motherhood worthwhile. The mother-child relationship can be a standout amongst the most convoluted, and fulfilling, of all connections. Women are fuel by self-sacrifice and guilt - but everyone is the better for it. Their youngsters, who feel adored; whatever is left of us, who are saved disagreeable experiences with adolescents raised without affection or warmth; and mothers most importantly.
When Laila’s parents were killed and she was injured, Mariam took her in and sacrificed her time and space in order to take care of Laila (199). Mariam didn’t have kids of her own, yet took care of Laila as if she were her own daughter. She cared enough for the young girl’s well being to take her in and show her kindness. When Rasheed is about to kill Laila, Mariam hits Rasheed with a shovel so hard that it kills him (349). She viewed Laila as her own daughter, and she wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her daughter.
Although Mariam was the one to suffer the consequences of killing Rasheed, Laila also had a difficult time dealing with this newfound freedom. Her life is much better as she does not have to deal with Rasheed’s terror and she can live her life free without the constant worry of him being around to hurt her. Rasheed’s death allows for Laila, Tariq, Aziza, and Zalmai to be free and move on from his constant abuse and threats. After years of physical and mental abuse, Laila is happy and free; however, on the other hand, her own son, Zalmai does not know the full story. Although Laila is happy with her new life, Zalmai struggles with accepting his life.
The love of a child can be one of the core motivators for a parent, and the deep desire that a parent has for their child to succeed, can often trump any kind of sense of morality that a person may have. This deep kind of love begs the question of how much love is too much, and if that love is threatened, what extreme consequences may occur. Old Woman Magoun, in Mary E. Wilkins Freeman’s Old Woman Magoun, puts her love for her granddaughter above her her sense of morality, and in the same way, Pau Lin in Sui Sin Far’s The Wisdom of the New, shows the desperation that parents can have. Parents and even guardians need to be careful of selfish love, and of how much this love can cater to their own needs and desires. Old Woman Magoun is a desperate, fearful, overprotective woman that clings to her granddaughter, as if she is her own.
Despite having the trappings of a hard sci-fi adventure story, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is a deeply humanist and spiritual film exploring philosophical and emotional issues in a complex way (Dean, 2015). Central to this are the concepts of bravery and sacrifice: as Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and the rest of his crew take great risks and travel vast distances to save humanity from a dying Earth, the characters all display varying aspects of the human condition, especially related to these very big, complex ideas. As the characters of Interstellar go about their mission and weigh the risks and rewards of each and every decision, they each find their own definitions of bravery and sacrifice, weighing their own personal decisions against
Overall, Mama's passion for her family exemplifies the sacrifices that people make when faced with poverty and how these sacrifices cause
Mariam and Laila, who are crystallized by condescending marriage, have no choice but to accept the loveless polygamous marriage. Through complete defiance these women face, the hope for acceptance, better life, and true love never dissipates. The lack of freedom, concealed identity and limited creditability with never-ending torture are daily footsteps for the two protagonists, Mariam and Laila. Despite all the rudimentary systems, the characters uphold their assurance, signifying great fortitude from these
I put down the iron. What in me demanded that goodness in her? And what was the cost, the cost of her such goodness?” This astonishment she feels reflects upon the hardship of motherhood and how her parenting was not good enough. The self-doubt about her parenting illustrates the pressures of expectations set by a patriarchal society.
In A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, Mariam is a strong character whose foundation is tested throughout her life. This base is constructed upon her own experiences and her connection with the people of her past. Mariam’s sense of self, loyalty and hope for the future all stem from her relationship to the past. Mariam’s sense of self directly relates to her parents. Mariam’s mother often twisted her words, and her manipulations lead Mariam to question herself throughout her later life.
