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How Is Mariam Portrayed In A Thousand Splendid Suns

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A Thousand Splendid Suns Essay
The novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, depicts the hardships and suffering women in Afghanistan are forced to face everyday. Throughout her life, Mariam dealt with many struggles, yet, she was able to endure all the pain and eventually found happiness. The beginning and end of her troubles were represented by legal documents Mariam signed. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam’s action of signing her name on a legal document signifies death, both literally and figuratively, while also representing Mariam’s growth as a character from the beginning to the end of the novel. This is shown through Khaled Hosseini’s use of symbolism.
The first time Mariam signed her name on a legal contract was when she married Rasheed. …show more content…

At the trial, Mariam admitted to her crime and while the judge didn’t not believe Mariam was a wicked woman, he still believed Mariam had to pay for her actions. As a result, Mariam was sentenced death. To make her guilty plea official, Mariam had to sign a legal document in the presence of a mullah, just as she did when she signed her marriage contract years back. “As the Taliban watched, Mariam wrote it out, her name- the meem, the reh, the yah, and the meem- remembering the last time she’d signed her name to a document, twenty- seven years before, at Jalil’s table, beneath the watchful gaze of another mullah (pg. 366).” This time, the literal meaning of the document was a legal documentation of Mariam’s death. Symbolically, Mariam’s signature represented her life that she was surrendering in order to protect her loved ones. Once again, Mariam made her own life changing decision in which she had to make sacrifices. The first time Mariam signed a document, she freed herself from Jalil, whereas the second time, she freed herself from Rasheed by standing up to him. In addition to this, Mariam’s growth is shown through signing the document because her reasons for the signing the wedding contract were for herself, while this time, Mariam reasons are for the benefit of others. This shows that Mariam has grown more loving, compassionate, and confident towards the end of her life because she

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