Summary A Thousand Splendid Suns analysis: plot, characters, themes, quotes, context

‭A‬‭Thousand‬‭Splendid‬‭Suns‬‭overview‬

‭Plot‬

‭●‬ M ‭ ariam,‬‭harami,‬‭lives‬‭in‬‭a‬‭kolba.‬‭Father‬‭Jalil‬‭is‬‭a‬‭wealthy‬‭businessman‬‭who‬‭keeps‬‭her‬
‭separate‬‭from‬‭her‬‭real‬‭family.‬‭Nana‬‭is‬‭spiteful‬‭to‬‭Mariam.‬‭Mariam‬‭visits‬‭and‬‭is‬‭rejected,‬
‭sleeping‬‭outside,‬‭Jalil‬‭looks‬‭down‬‭at‬‭her‬‭from‬‭the‬‭window‬‭of‬‭his‬‭room.‬‭Nana‬‭suicide‬‭-‬
‭guilt,‬‭especially‬‭as‬‭she‬‭knows‬‭she‬‭was‬‭right‬‭about‬‭Jalil‬‭and‬‭he‬‭is‬‭embarrassed‬‭of‬‭her‬‭.‬
‭Jalil’s‬‭wives‬‭set‬‭up‬‭the‬‭marriage.‬‭Rasheed‬‭marriage‬‭nonconsensual‬‭-‬‭goes‬‭to‬‭Kabul‬
‭○‬ ‭Hard‬‭to‬‭be‬‭empathetic‬‭with‬‭Nana‬‭-‬‭but‬‭it‬‭becomes‬‭cyclical‬‭as‬‭Mariam‬‭is‬‭cruel‬‭to‬
‭Laila,‬‭before‬‭eventually‬‭breaking‬‭the‬‭curse‬
‭○‬ ‭Nana‬‭tries‬‭to‬‭convince‬‭her‬‭that‬‭Jalil‬‭is‬‭embarrassed‬‭by‬‭her‬‭but‬‭in‬‭Mariam’s‬‭eyes‬
‭he‬‭can‬‭do‬‭no‬‭wrong‬
‭○‬ ‭Mullah‬‭Fazullah‬‭-‬‭her‬‭only‬‭friend‬‭-‬‭teaches‬‭her‬‭religion‬
‭●‬ ‭Cosmopolitan‬‭atmosphere‬‭of‬‭Kabul‬‭-‬‭Rasheed‬‭initially‬‭buys‬‭her‬‭gifts‬
‭●‬ ‭Mariam‬‭has‬‭abusive‬‭marriage‬‭with‬‭Rasheed‬‭-‬‭especially‬‭when‬‭she‬‭can’t‬‭bear‬‭children‬
‭○‬ ‭Fundamentalist‬‭ideas‬‭regarding‬‭Islam‬‭-‬‭burkha‬‭(enjoys‬‭it’s‬‭anonymity),‬‭respect‬
‭○‬ ‭Miscarries‬‭the‬‭baby‬‭-‬‭structurally‬‭there‬‭is‬‭no‬‭build‬‭up‬‭to‬‭these‬‭events‬‭-‬‭reader‬‭is‬
‭constantly‬‭hit‬‭with‬‭them‬‭-‬‭emphasises‬‭their‬‭strength‬
‭●‬ ‭Communist‬‭party‬‭comes‬‭to‬‭power‬‭in‬‭1978‬
‭●‬ ‭Laila‬‭is‬‭the‬‭antithesis‬‭of‬‭Mariam‬‭-‬ ‭born‬‭to‬‭educated‬‭parents.‬‭She‬‭is‬‭well-educated‬‭and‬
‭her‬‭father‬‭would‬‭never‬‭dream‬‭of‬‭substituting‬‭her‬‭education‬‭for‬‭marriage.‬‭She‬‭grows‬‭up‬
‭when‬‭Afghanistan‬‭is‬‭under‬‭Soviet‬‭occupation‬‭-‬‭rights‬‭for‬‭women‬‭are‬‭high.‬‭Her‬‭brothers‬
‭fight‬‭against‬‭the‬‭Soviets‬‭for‬‭the‬‭Mujahideen‬‭-‬‭Mammy‬‭is‬‭depressed.‬‭Babi‬‭is‬‭liberal‬‭and‬
‭receives‬‭abuse‬‭from‬‭Mammy.‬‭Her‬‭brothers‬‭die‬‭and‬‭her‬‭mum‬‭never‬‭recovers‬
‭●‬ ‭Laila‬‭has‬‭a‬‭far‬‭more‬‭happy‬‭childhood‬‭-‬‭friends‬‭Giti‬‭and‬‭Hasina,‬‭lessons‬‭with‬‭Babi,‬
‭relationship‬‭with‬‭Tariq‬‭(one‬‭leg‬‭-‬‭stepped‬‭on‬‭a‬‭landmine)‬‭-‬‭relationship‬‭turns‬‭romantic‬
‭●‬ ‭1992‬‭-‬‭communists‬‭forced‬‭out.‬‭Escalating‬‭political‬‭crisis‬‭means‬‭Tariq‬‭leaves,‬‭before‬‭they‬
‭leave‬‭they‬‭have‬‭sex.‬ ‭Her‬‭parents‬‭are‬‭bombed‬‭to‬‭death.‬
‭●‬ ‭She‬‭becomes‬‭Rasheed’s‬‭2nd‬‭wife.‬‭Abdul‬‭Sharif‬‭tells‬‭her‬‭Tariq‬‭dies‬‭-‬‭she‬‭must‬‭marry‬‭him‬
‭because‬‭she‬‭is‬‭pregnant‬
‭●‬ ‭Rasheed‬‭is‬‭initially‬‭adoring‬‭of‬‭Laila‬‭-‬‭but‬‭Laila‬‭gives‬‭birth‬‭to‬‭Aziza‬‭who‬‭Rasheed‬‭despises‬
‭●‬ ‭Initial‬‭resentment‬‭but‬‭transcends‬‭into‬‭a‬‭caring,‬‭supportive‬‭mother-daughter‬‭relationship‬‭-‬
‭drink‬‭chai‬‭together.‬‭Laila‬‭has‬‭been‬‭stealing‬‭from‬‭Rasheed‬
‭○‬ ‭Alternating‬‭chapters‬‭emphasises‬‭their‬‭closeness‬
‭●‬ ‭Laila‬‭and‬‭Mariam‬‭try‬‭to‬‭run‬‭away‬‭but‬‭are‬‭caught‬‭-‬‭Rasheed‬‭beats‬‭them‬‭-‬‭Sharia‬‭law‬
‭legitimises‬‭Rasheed.‬‭Mariam‬‭is‬‭locked‬‭in‬‭a‬‭shed‬‭and‬‭Laila‬‭is‬‭locked‬‭in‬‭her‬‭bedroom‬
‭●‬ ‭Taliban‬‭take‬‭control‬‭and‬‭implement‬‭Sharia‬‭law‬
‭●‬ ‭Laila‬‭gives‬‭Rasheed‬‭a‬‭son‬‭Zalmai‬‭(nearly‬‭aborted‬‭him)-‬‭only‬‭women's‬‭hospital‬‭in‬‭Kabul‬
‭doesn’t‬‭have‬‭anaesthetic‬‭-‬‭cyclical‬‭patriarchy‬
‭●‬ ‭Kabul‬‭is‬‭plunged‬‭into‬‭desperate‬‭poverty.‬‭Rasheed‬‭loses‬‭his‬‭business‬‭in‬‭a‬‭fire,‬‭the‬‭family‬
‭begins‬‭to‬‭go‬‭hungry‬

, ‭●‬ M ‭ ariam‬‭tries‬‭to‬‭gain‬‭money‬‭from‬‭Jalil‬‭but‬‭learns‬‭Jalil‬‭dies‬‭-‬‭Rasheed‬‭forces‬‭Aziza‬‭into‬‭an‬
‭orphanage.‬‭Laila‬‭visits‬‭her‬‭despite‬‭threats‬‭from‬‭Taliban‬‭as‬‭women‬‭cannot‬‭be‬‭alone‬
‭without‬‭a‬‭male‬‭escort‬
‭●‬ ‭Tariq‬‭resurfaces‬‭and‬‭says‬‭they‬‭will‬‭run‬‭away‬‭to‬‭Pakistan‬‭-‬‭Zalmai‬‭tells‬‭Rasheed‬‭about‬
‭this‬
‭●‬ ‭Mariam‬‭realises‬‭Laila‬‭will‬‭kill‬‭Rasheed‬‭-‬‭Mariam‬‭murders‬‭Rasheed‬‭with‬‭a‬‭shovel‬‭and‬‭is‬
‭executed‬‭publicly,‬‭taking‬‭the‬‭fall‬
‭●‬ ‭Tariq‬‭and‬‭Laila‬‭go‬‭to‬‭Pakistan‬‭and‬‭marry‬‭-‬‭9/11‬‭-‬‭American‬‭occupation‬
‭●‬ ‭Laila‬‭goes‬‭back‬‭to‬‭visit‬‭Mariam’s‬‭kolba‬‭-‬‭sees‬‭Mullah‬‭Fazullah’s‬‭son‬‭Hamza‬‭-‬‭letter‬‭and‬
‭money‬‭from‬‭Jalil‬‭-‬‭asks‬‭for‬‭her‬‭forgiveness‬
‭●‬ ‭Laila‬‭and‬‭Tariq‬‭renovate‬‭the‬‭orphanage‬‭and‬‭is‬‭pregnant‬‭again‬‭-‬‭hope‬
‭○‬ ‭Quite‬‭resilience‬‭-‬‭a‬‭life‬‭of‬ ‭rejection‬‭and‬‭abuse‬‭-‬‭spiteful‬‭cover‬
‭○‬ ‭A‬‭thousand‬‭splendid‬‭suns‬‭=‬‭metaphor‬‭for‬‭the‬‭strength‬‭of‬‭women‬‭who‬‭endure‬



‭Characters‬


‭Mariam‬
‭●‬ ‭Illegitimate‬‭daughter‬‭of‬‭one‬‭of‬‭the‬‭most‬‭successful‬‭businessmen‬‭in‬‭the‬‭city‬
‭●‬ ‭Throughout‬‭he‬‭r‬ ‭life‬‭she‬‭is‬‭plagued‬‭by‬‭the‬‭shame‬‭of‬‭being‬‭a‬‭Harami‬‭+‬‭guilt‬‭for‬‭suicide‬
‭●‬ ‭Remarkable‬‭ability‬‭to‬‭endure‬‭and‬‭persevere‬‭through‬‭suffering‬‭-‬‭often‬‭with‬‭help‬‭of‬‭koran‬
‭verses‬‭she‬‭memories‬
‭●‬ ‭Mariam‬‭makes‬‭the‬‭ultimate‬‭sacrifice‬‭-‬‭suffering‬‭and‬‭strength‬‭of‬‭women‬‭in‬‭Afghanistan‬

‭Laila‬
‭●‬ E ‭ ducated‬‭family,‬‭supportive‬‭dad‬‭but‬‭abandoned‬‭by‬‭mother‬
‭●‬ ‭Laila‬‭is‬‭hopeful‬‭for‬‭Afghanistan’s‬‭future‬
‭●‬ ‭Risk‬‭taking‬‭and‬‭bold‬‭-‬‭but‬‭not‬‭as‬‭tough‬‭as‬‭Mariam‬

‭Rasheed‬
‭●‬ ‭Villain‬
‭●‬ ‭Has‬‭already‬‭been‬‭married‬‭once‬‭but‬‭wife‬‭and‬‭son‬‭died‬‭(son‬‭Yunus‬‭drowned‬‭while‬
‭Rasheed‬‭was‬‭drunk)‬
‭●‬ ‭Initially‬‭caring‬‭to‬‭wives‬‭but‬‭then‬‭becomes‬‭abusive‬‭and‬‭violent‬
‭●‬ ‭Reveals‬‭the‬‭worst‬‭of‬‭men's‬‭treatment‬‭of‬‭women‬‭in‬‭Afghanistan‬

‭Tariq‬
‭●‬ M ‭ ischievous‬‭-‬‭always‬‭easy‬‭to‬‭prove‬‭his‬‭strength‬‭by‬‭defending‬‭Laila‬
‭●‬ ‭Adores‬‭Laila‬‭and‬‭is‬‭unwaveringly‬‭loyal‬‭to‬‭her‬‭-‬‭returning‬‭to‬‭Kabul‬‭to‬‭find‬‭her‬

‭Nana‬