How Is Mariam Portrayed In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Afghanistan’s women are expected to endure being kept to a high standard so that they will not be subjected to being shamed. This idea is presented in the first chapter of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Nana. Mariam is considered a “harami” or an illegitimate child, something Mariam had no control of but is still judged on. At first Mariam did not know exactly what a “harami” was but figured it out as Nana would say it with disgust after Mariam did something she did not like. Mariam understood a “harami” was someone unworthy of “love, family, home, and acceptance” (Hosseini 4). Unfortunately for Mariam, she was born with the disadvantage of not being from a proper family. Compared to Jalil’s other daughters, who were also fifteen, Mariam was the only one who he thought was at the appropriate age for marriage rather than giving her the choice to attend school and go to a university like the others.

This foreshadows that Mariam’s life will be full of hardships and as Rasheed’s wife, she will be faced with exposure to a stricter Muslim sub-culture. Her purpose in life become completing her wifely duties and bearing children. After finding out that she is unable to bear children, Mariam has to endure the rest of her life with Rasheed being angry with her over not being fertile, as his main hope within their marriage was to have a son (Stuhr 60). As a result of being infertile, Rasheed is excited about marrying Laila, in addition to Mariam, in hopes of Laila giving him a son. Soon, he begins to treat his two wives equal to each other because Laila gets pregnant with a girl, which has no value to his values. Upon giving birth, Laila is turned away from a local hospital because they only accept male