Identity In A Thousand Splendid Suns

“Like a compass needle always points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a women.”
These are words of advice given to Mariam by her mother, Nana, in the book a thousand splendid suns. Disgraced as a temptress by her lover Jalil, abused by her fiancé and abandoned by her father, Nana is an unpleasant woman who prepares her daughter to expect nothing but domination and abuse from men. Unfortunately, Mariam discovers that throughout her life, her mother’s words are often precise and that women must learn to endure much injustice in their patriarchal Afghan society.
Identity is a person's conception and expression of their own and others individuality or group affiliations. In the novel, the theme of identity is presented in several ways.

Identity also involves thinking about how teens perceives themselves and how others perceive them. Therefore, a positive self-identity is essential in enhancing a sense of belonging as this correlates with a positive self-esteem. Identity development is important for teens to establish what their own beliefs and values are.
A thousand splendid suns is a story about the lives of two women, Mariam and Laila and how their lives intersect each other’s after many years of devastating events. It is a story of abuse, social injustice, torture and the miserable condition of women in afghan. Mariam is an illegitimate child and she therefore has to suffer the stigma that surrounds her birth. Mariam has to endure physical and verbal abuse throughout her marriages after she suffers a miscarriage and then realises that her only purpose in her husband’s life is to replace the son that he lost years ago.
Mariam and Laila, the main characters share their experiences of women oppression, which is a major theme and one of the social issues exist in the novel. They experience oppression from both their husbands and from the society where they live. Oppression is the suppression by one group to another group. By being oppressed you are denied your human right to be an

She also criticizes and opposes the biased expectations and calibre that is dictated by society in order for women to possess some “perfection”. Maya mentions her flaws saying: “I’m not cute or built to suit a model’s fashion size”. Throughout she shows that with self-confidence you can overcome anything as we are not created to please others.
A vast part of the poem considers self-confidence and conveys a message to the reader that regardless of the appearance of the women, if her actions indicate her pride in herself, she will be untouchable. A women who is phenomenal and ready to overcome society’s expectations will be happy within herself. Maya uses imagery to describe herself and her actions that make her a ‘phenomenal women’.
Another empowering and influential poem, ‘Still I rise’, highlights the struggle in conquering prejudice and injustice in society. The poem is about determination and resilience while facing oppression in difficult times. The poem specifically describes the oppression of African-Americans. Although the speaker says that despite her circumstances, she will