Discussion Topic C

In the culturally charged novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini's early unravel of Mariam's oppressive childhood foreshadows her life as an oppressed wife. The adversities she faces for not being taken into account as a child mold her self-esteem as a woman.
Nana says to her, “Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always find a woman,”(pg 7) From an early age Nana plants in Mariam the seed of inferiority that women have towards men. Mariam carries with her the idea that in Afghan culture a woman will always be to blame for any misfortune in the eyes of men. This philosophy becomes true in the eyes of Mariam after she loses her first child and thinks, “No. Not Rasheed. She was to blame.” (pg 93). She blames no one but herself and feels unworthy of the precious gift that is a child. Rasheed’s abusive behavior of an unsatisfied husband causes her to feel guilt, as though she cannot even be a decent wife. Hosseini's initial portrayal of an unwanted girl shapes Mariam into an unwanted woman.
Through Hosseini's early introduction of Mariam as a child, the reader is able to grasp the importance that negligence plays in her life. Mariam punishes herself throughout the novel for the grievances she experienced as a child.
Mariam demonstrates that in some cases you try so hard but in the end it doesn’t even matter.