In both ‘The Scarlet Letter’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne and ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ by Khaled
Hosseini women are presented as being inferior to men in society
Evaluate this statement
‘Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman’. Nana’s
words are the embodiment of accusation and female inferiority. As natural and inevitable as a
compass needle pointing north, a man will always find a way to point his fingers at a woman.
Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter’ (2015) and Hosseini’s ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ (2018) manifests
the stern position women hold in society and represents this in a way to challenge stereotypes
surrounding women. Contemporary readers would assume that these positions must have altered
their course over time, however both authors, who represent differing time periods, negate this
sentiment through the portrayal of unyielding stereotypes and expectations. Both novelists
enunciate the absolute rigidity of patriarchy and misogyny that has captured society, and through
the contrasting time periods and settings, Hosseini and Hawthorne similarly highlight the flexibility of
gender inequality; patriarchy does not always look the same but is always equally detrimental.
Both ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ and ‘The Scarlet Letter’ are embedded with the idea of female
oppression. There is almost an invisible depiction of the silencing of women and how this is
representative of society often being invisibly inimical. The idea of inferiority flourishes within the
writing and narration of the novels, as both are male novelists telling the story of oppressed women.
A woman’s story is, yet again, written by a man. The women in the books are not only suppressed
within the oppression existing within the novels, but also in a way, they are belittled by the voice of a
man recounting their experiences. A woman’s voice is her personal freedom, a symbol of liberation.
Although unintentional, the fact that both novelists are male is complementary with expectations of
subservience and constant attempts to silence a woman. The authors are directing the “compass” of
a woman’s life, deciding her story and writing her experiences. Similarly in society, a woman will
always be told the way to behave and decide by a man. The unintentionality of this is a powerful
elucidation of society and how women are often belittled and disparaged through societal constructs
that have become so engraved in society that even women themselves, in some cases, cannot
realise the self-harm and deprecation they can lead to. In chapter 13 of ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’,
Mariam and Rasheed receive news of their pregnancy. Mariam exhibits joy and pride in her
pregnancy and gains a sense of worth and meaning. This reflects traditional gender behaviour and
mirrors the invisible, stereotypical constructs of a society. Although it seems natural and
understandable for Mariam to feel such an extent of happiness in this situation, it is frequently easy
to look past the unseen issues. As a young teenage girl, Mariam feels as though her worth is rooted
to her motherhood, to her fertility. “Everywhere she looked there were bright colours''. The news of
pregnancy is enough to ‘brighten’ her whole day, it overpowers her sorrow of being married to an
older man and the memories of her sexual assault, because in society, a woman exists to breed, and
this is where she feels she gains her worth. The idea of female inferiority being depicted through
male authors and narration is a continuous idea in literature. In ‘The Handmaid's Tale’ by Margaret
Atwood (1985), the ‘historical notes’ section cleverly illustrates a shift from the female protagonist
Offred’s voice to the voice of male professors. Through this, Atwood illuminates how men will always
find a way to silence a woman and minimise her experiences. Karen Hornick asks, “Can a man
implicated in patriarchy speak for a woman constrained by it?” (Hornick, 1992). Hornick’s question
validates the idea that a man’s storytelling, in a way, embodies female inferiority. As men,
Hawthorne and Hosseini undoubtedly exist within patriarchy. In consequence, writing a woman’s
story is reflective of female suppression and sets the setting for the rest of both novels to encompass
and challenge how women are inferior to men in all societal ways.
