More Useful Dead Than Alive Quotes

More Useful Dead Than Alive

“You’d do that for her”

“I’d do anything for you”

These quotes from the novel, The Swallows of Kabul written by Yasmina Khadra, explain the story between characters Atiq Shaukat, a jailer for the Taliban, and his dying wife Musarrat. Musarrat is a very loyal wife to Atiq and will do anything for him because she follows the “wife duties” as she says. Musarrat is getting more sick by the day and is soon going to die while Atiq does his job as a jailer, in which the two do not have the ideal relationship as couples should; throughout the end of their relationship Musarrat sees how cold hearted and non-loveable he is. Soon after he meets Zunaira who is in prison claiming to have murdered her own husband, Mohsen Ramat,

As Atiq walked into their home he noticed the house cleaned and also noticed food that was made and prepped with desert. Musarrat appeared and noticed Atiq observing everything, then she said softly, “I want to perform my wifely duties until the end” (Khadra 53). This quote proved to me that no matter how sick Musarrat felt she would push it all aside to still perform wifely duties to her husband who barely communicates to her. It still shows the respect and love Musarrat has for Atiq especially making food and cleaning the house when Atiq got home and her faithfulness to really keep her promise when they got

As Musarrat is laughing at Atiq after expressing the feelings Atiq received from Zunaira and even so much Zunaira distracted Atiq from his prayers it seemed as if “it’s not often that he hears her laugh, and her, unusual gaiety makes their dark hovel almost habitable” (Khadra 150). Musarrat is reacting well to Atiq being vulnerable, especially when he is talking about a random woman he just met which indicates that Musarrat is happy for him. Musarrat then goes on with so much excitement, “I’d like to kiss the feet of the woman who’s awakened such sensitivity in you in the course of a single night” (Khadra 151). The way Musarrat has, herself, fallen in love with Zunaira because of the way Atiq describes her is impeccable. Musarrat is genuinely so excited for Atiq and his future because Musarrat thinks as if when she dies Atiq will have Zunaira to replace her and they happen to meet at the perfect