Character Revelation of Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini's literary work, A Thousand Splendid Suns, exemplifies the main character, Mariam, 's exceptional perseverance and resilience. Throughout her life journey, she faces multiple hardships, including growing up fatherless from early on and being forced into an unfulfilling and brutal marriage. Despite these circumstances that hinder her path towards survival and satisfaction in life, she persists forward, demonstrating true bravery through it all, making for admirable character traits.
Mariam shows perseverance in her continuous goal to find a better life with her children, Laila, and herself. Mariam's innocence and naivety are on display at the beginning of the book when Rasheed forces her to wear a burqa, and she submits despite her discomfort. Women wearing burqas in Afghanistan represent a separation from the
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At the end of the book, Laila gets into a feud with Rasheed. He becomes violent, and his bloodlust leads him almost to kill his wife. Mariam then steps up to him. At this point in the story, she finally has the chance to go after her goal, which Rasheed has been delaying with commands that isolate her, such as the one to cover her face. She breaks free of his manipulation by picking up a shovel, "She turned it so the sharp edge was vertical, and as she did, it occurred to her that this was the first time that she was deciding the course of her own life. And, with that, Mariam brought down the shovel. This time, she gave it everything she had" (Hosseini 329). Next, Mariam's experiences with her husband throughout the book also show her continuous resilience toward his unjust actions. When Rasheed is furious at his wife, Laila, he strangles her and wraps his hands around her neck, intending to kill her. Fortunately, Mariam steps up by holding a shovel over his head. Her reaction to Rasheed strangling Laila shows the reader that she is not the naive woman she appears to be at