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What Is The Role Of Women In A Thousand Splendid Suns

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A popular topic in the world is the different levels of importance between males and females. Khaled Hosseini does a great job of portraying the contrasting impact of these levels from two different perspectives. Through Laila and Mariam, readers are able to see the direct effect of these differences on females. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini is able to illustrate the effects of gender inequality on, not only women, but young girls as well.
In 1996, the Taliban conquered the city of Kabul. While Rasheed is listening to the radio, readers are able to see the laws that have been enforced on men and women by the Taliban. One of the rules for women is, “If you go outside, you must be accompanied by a mahram, a male relative. If you …show more content…

While walking with her friends, Laila recalls her father saying “Marriage can wait, education cannot . . . Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men, maybe even more. Because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated, Laila. No chance.” (Hosseini 114). Here, Hosseini is making it known that it is not uncommon for girls not much older than Laila, who is nine years old, to start getting married and skipping out on a good education. At the same time, though, he’s addressing the fact that young girls still have a choice to go to school and get the education they may want. Years later, when Laila is trying to run away, she remembers her father saying “It’s a good time to be a woman in Afghanistan, Laila.” (Hosseini 259), referring to the years between 1978 and 1992. This is important because just two years later, the Taliban gets total control of Kabul and forbids young girls from going to school. “Girls are forbidden from attending school. All schools for girls will be closed immediately.” (Hosseini 278). Taking away education from young girls crushes their chance of having significant jobs or roles in society. Young boys are not forbidden from going to school because to the Taliban, they’re going to be more useful once they get older. With all of these quotes, Hosseini is putting emphasis on how males are generally seen versus females during this time period in

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