Silence In A Thousand Splendid Suns

What drives people to remain silent while others behave violently? Khaled Hossieni, an Afghan-American, who is the author of the novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, which explores the various reasons why some people might remain silent while others are violent towards them. Hossieni discusses the difficulties that Afghan women suffer as a result of the Taliban's control. He speaks of two women who are being tortured as a result of Taliban control and how they try to fight back by banding together and fiercely pushing through. Being compelled to remain silent has a negative influence on a person since it prevents them from speaking out when they are wronged, which is a form of violence. Forced silence prevents a person from speaking up when they

Throughout the novel, there are many examples of violent outbursts against others, such as when Mariam kills Rasheed. While Rasheed is on his way to murder Lalia for having Tariq over, Mariam kills him. Mariam did commit a crime, but it was the result of her silence and not being able to speak to anyone about it. "But in Rasheed's eyes she saw murder for them both. And so Mariam raised the shovel high, raised it as high as she could, arching it so it touched the small of her back. 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." (211). This statement shows Mariam stating that for the first time, she was able to make her own decisions and alter the course of her life by her own choosing, rather than by the choice of others. Her rage at being repressed and tortured for so long grew to violence when seeing murder in the eyes of Rasheed. On to the next example of how silence may lead to violent outbursts towards

In the novel, Hossieni speaks about Mariam’s mother, Nana, having an affair with Jalil, Mariam’s father, and Mariam being conceived by accident. Mariam, on the other hand, lived with her mother since her father was ashamed to be around her; therefore, she was left with her mother. Her mother was forbidden from speaking about Jalil since doing so would be viewed as sinful, especially given the Taliban's government. As a result of the silence and her daughter's developing independence, she becomes emotionally stressed and committed herself. "Mariam saw. A gust of wind blew and parted the drooping branches of the weeping willow like a curtain, and Mariam caught a glimpse of what was beneath the tree: the straight backed chair, overturned. The rope dropping from a high branch. Nana dangling at the end of it." (25). In this quotation, we can see how Nana committed suicide as a result of being overwhelmed with silence, and her daughter being able to be independent on her own. She was, however, worried about her daughter growing up as a "Harami," or the daughter of an unmarried couple. This is an ideal example of how silence and overwhelmingness may lead to a person violently hurting themselves, if they do not have anybody to turn