Symbolism In A Thousand Splendid Suns A rocket soaring high into the sky, unseen, unknown but soon to come crashing down and destroy the life you know. This situation takes place in A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The rocket is real, but it also represents the many sudden changes that befall the Characters in this book. Liala and Miriam both undergo many unexpected changes and have to adapt and survive through an entire country in turmoil as well as a misogynist culture in which they are oppressed. The first time Miriam’s life is uprooted takes place when she is only fifteen years old. She is the illegitimate child of a wealthy landowner named Jalil. For her Fifteenth birthday, Jalil promises to take Miriam to his cinema. When he doesn’t arrive Miriam goes to look for Jalil against Nana’s wishes. When she returns she finds that her Nana, who was her only caretaker has hung herself. Miriam is then forced to marry a man named Rasheed who eventually abuses her and has to move to a different city with him. This change clearly leaves a lasting effect on Miriam as can be seen in the quote “All Mariam can hear are Nana’s last words, “I’ll die if you go. I’ll just die”(Hosseini 36). This line from the text expresses Miriam's guilt and sorrow about the situation. This change in Miriam's life is symbolized well by a missile …show more content…
When Liala is packing a rocket hits her home killing both of her parents and injuring her. Miriam and Rasheed happen to walk by and pull Liala out of the rubble. After partially recovering Laila says “I shouldn’t even be here… My father wanted to take out the boxes, the books. He said they were to heavy for me. But I wouldn’t let him. I was so eager. ”(Hosseini 125) This displays that Liala feels guilty for surviving and misses her parents. The rocket represents Afganistan's lack of safety and the lack of stability in Liala’s