Theme Of Motherhood In A Thousand Splendid Suns

How generous does one have to be to become a mother? What attributes does a person need to represent a mother? Khaled Hosseini explores motherhood in A Thousand Splendid Suns. In this novel, Hosseini shows the archetypal satisfactory mother by showing Mariam as a supporting, playing, and caring character for Laila and the children. Mariam is seen supporting Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai throughout the novel. One night when Mariam was constantly awaken by the scorching heat she went downstairs to drink a glass of water and she noticed Aziza lying awake beside Laila on the floor. Mariam immediately noticed that the little girl was “dressed like a damn boy” (243). A few days later Laila “found a stack of baby clothes, neatly folded, outside her bedroom door” (247). Laila knew that Mariam had generously given these clothes to her for the reason that Mariam knew that Rasheed was not going to buy any for her, and since Aziza was the first person to love Mariam “so undeservedly” (252) Mariam felt a connection between both of them. This interaction causes Mariam and Laila to come closer together also, and therefore the drinking of “chai” (251) became a “nightly ritual” (251). When Mariam unexpectedly killed Rasheed, Laila was terrified by what had happened and Mariam “had Laila lie down, and, as she

Mariam plays with Zalmai by “push[ing] his toy car. Sending it back and forth between them across the room” (328) when Tariq had come to visit Laila after a long time. Mariam and Aziza played together also, ever since that night that Mariam and Aziza interacted Aziza has been attracted to Mariam. When they played the Titanic game “Aziza [always] insist[ed] that she get to be Jack” (302). This was during the summer that the “Titanic fever” (303) rose across the town. Mariam’s character as being playful to Aziza and Zalmai shows that she is like a mother to them on the grounds that she played with them to bring about