Women In Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns

There’s a famous quote from Abraham Lincoln that says. “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” This quote relates to Rasheed and how when he was given power, he started using it towards the women in wrong ways and was characterized as the bad guy. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, women in Afghanistan are portrayed as living according to strict cultural restrictions, as a result they often have to compromise their happiness, whilst men are given more freedom within their culture to pursue their happiness. Throughout Mariam’s life, her main desire was to receive the love and support from the people around her. She was disappointed multiple times by the men in her life: Jalil, Rasheed, and Mullah Faizullah all made Mariam feel alone. For instance, early on in the novel, when Mariam is still a girl, her father Jalil promises to take Mariam to the theatre but he doesn’t follow through with his plans, so Mariam walks to his house. He’s seemingly out of the house but

He has all of the rights, and is forced as the only one to work and support the family. The Taliban put in place many rules but they’re mainly targeting the Afghani women, and they don’t really affect Rasheed’s life. This leaves the women with little to no control over their own life decisions. While the drought is happening, Rasheed’s shop burns down and they are all forced to sell their stuff. Rasheed is struggling to get another job, and he’s barely able to provide for their basic needs. It explains their poverty level with this quote, “When the money ran out, hunger began to cast a pall over their lives…. Aziza’s ribs began to push through her skin, and the fat from her cheeks vanished.” Even though Rasheed has all of the freedoms that the women don’t, it doesn’t necessarily make him happy. He seems to have temporary happiness, but it’s never fully