Similarities Between Othello And A Thousand Splendid Suns

In both literatures, they demonstrate the social structure in the patriarchs of society. Both female protagonists in the literatures are subjective towards men, portraying character traits of submissiveness. However, their subjectivity are either forced by male dominance, or is craving for love of a male figure. Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns, demonstrates how the dominance and aggression of male character can force a female character into submission. Rasheed was assertive and aggressive when he was displeased with Mariam’s cooking. Rasheed’s “powerful hand clasp her jaw. He shoved two fingers into her mouth and pries it open, then forces the cold, hard pebbles into it. Mariam [struggles] against him, but he kept pushing the pebbles in…”

This further emphasizes how women are not submissive to male, but are forced by them to be obedient. On the other hand, the play Othello demonstrates how females are obedient to male, despite their maltreatment. Desdemona craves for Othello’s affection and approval, remaining fiercely loyal to him without the constant abuse like Rasheed in A Thousand Splendid Suns. In Desdemona’s final breath, she still remains true to her husband, saying “Nobody, I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord” (Shakespeare 5.2.138). She has completely accepted her role as subordinate and obedient wife. Earlier in the play, she states “Whate’er you be, I am obedient” (Shakespeare 3.3.89). She herself realizes that she is submissive around Othello, and that she is obedient towards him no matter what he does. Even when he becomes aggressive as shown in this passage. “O, devil, devil! If that the earth could teem with woman’s tears, each drop she falls would prove a crocodile. Out of my sight!” (Shakespeare, 4.1.273-276). Similar to A Thousand Splendid Suns, male dominance are shown through aggressiveness, which parallels the aggressive behaviour of a common theme in the patriarchal