How Does Mariam Change In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Imagine being all alone in a world full of people. Having a bad relationship with your parents, being isolated from the world, no one you can genuinely trust. Mariam has always been alone. She never had a true and loving relationship with her parents she was seen as a disgrace, a mistake. Having no friends and being married off to a horrible person, she never experienced real love. In Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini uses imagery and inner dialogue to depict Mariams evolving feelings about relationships from a negative perspective to a positive. Toxic relationships throughout Maraims life lead her to be a very closed-off person, this is shown through the imagery of the novel. When Mariam was young she always had a toxic

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. With Mariam growing closer to Azzia, the readers see a shift in how she acts and feels. Mariam evolves more throughout part 3, growing closer to Laila and Azzia. Laila and Mariam's relationship was rough at first, but Mariam sees Laila as a daughter to her. Mariam reasons “Had Mariam been certain that he would be satisfied with only shooting her, that there was a chance he would spare Laila, she might have dropped the shovel.”(Hosseini 349). As Mariam contemplates whether it's worth risking it all, it really emphasizes how much her feelings about relationships have changed. Mariam is willing to do anything for Laila and her children even if it means risking the rest of her