Gender Roles In A Thousand Splendid Suns

In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Mariam and Laila are faced with gender inequality during a war in Afghanistan. Mariam, a harami, loses her mother and is forced to move away and get married. Laila is separated from her best friend and tragically loses her parents in an explosion. After Laila moves in with Mariam and discovers she is pregnant, the two women flourish a deep companionship to help each other escape misery. This novel is immensely compelling because of the growing relationship between Mariam and Laila. As both characters are faced with similar issues in the abusive home of Rasheed, they are able to support each other. The way in which Mariam and Laila affect each other's lives is eye opening. Together,

Mariam took care of Laila when she was hurt, gave her a place to stay, and stood up for her. Being someone who had experienced cruel behavior from Rasheed, Mariam understood what Laila was going through and was willing to do what she could to stop it. Despite the fact that Mariam felt betrayed by Laila at first, she easily moved past it and gave Laila a cordial welcome. This caught my eye because the women were exceedingly connected and bound to help each other before they even knew it. Adding on, Laila gave birth to Aziza which brought Mariam happiness and showed her what motherhood felt like. It states, “She marveled at how the girl's eyes shown with worship, even in the morning when her face drooped and her complexion was waxy from a night's worth of walking the baby. The girl had fits of laughter when the baby passed gas. The tiniest changes in the baby enchanted her, and everything it did was declared spectacular” (Hosseini 214). This was meaningful because Mariam finally got to experience the love of motherhood. Because Mariam was unable to have kids, she was amazed by Aziza and became filled with joy in her presence. If Mariam and Laila lacked such connection, Mariam

Character development and change over the story demonstrates how Mariam and Laila came into Rasheed’s home feeling as if they were a failure, but left feeling accomplished and aware of their purpose in life. The two women met at rock bottom and were able to work themselves up collectively. It states, “She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had been loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother” (Hosseini 329). This demonstrates how Mariam was able to see her value, which was achieved through everything she accomplished with Laila. This line brought about emotional reactions because it represents the impact that the characters had on each