A Thousand Splendid Suns Josh Weakly
Annotation:
A Thousand Splendid Suns details the lives of two Afghani women through the political
and social shifts of their country. Khaled Hosseini wonderfully weaves the stories of
Mariam and Laila, drawing them together in an unexpected tale of sorrow and beauty,
brokenness and redemption. Mariam is born outside of wedlock and is constantly
reminded of the shame of not having a father. Her childhood and early marriage are
marred by the oppression, neglect, and abuse of male figures in her life. Laila is born
into an educated family and is given tremendous opportunities until internal turmoil in
Afghanistan tears her life apart. Laila then enters into the world of Mariam sharing the
same oppressive and abusive husband. Laila and Mariam, though from different
upbringings, bond together through their shared sufferings and even more through their
shared endurance of those sufferings.
Khaled Hosseini’s novel is wonderfully fascinating and provides for a highly engaging
read. This novel would work well in a high school English classroom. There are many
difficult issues presented in the text, such as war, rape, and domestic abuse (among
others), but these can be addressed in a meaningful manner as they appear in the text.
The novel provides significant insight into the history and development of Afghanistan
and provides a unique insight into the lives of women living in Afghanistan. This novel
is highly recommended for individual or classroom reading.
A Thousand Splendid Suns Summary: Liz Hein
Khlaled Hossein’s A Thousand Splendid Suns details the lives of two women
growing up in Afghanistan beginning in the 1970s. Afghanistan at this time is war torn
and women are not seen as equals. Everyday is a struggle. The story begins by focusing
on Miriam, an Afghani girl and bastard child who lives with her bitter mother, Nana.
Miriam wants nothing more than to be accepted by both her parents. However, her
mother resents her because she had her out of wedlock and her father tries to keep her a
secret. Miriam knows that her father, Jalil, has a new family and loves them very much.
Miriam is not included in this family. Instead, Jalil bought a small house on the outskirts
of town for Miriam and her mother to live in rather than include them in his household.
Jalil comes to visit Miriam once a week during her adolescence. They do things like fish,
tell stories, and draw. This leads Miriam to believe that one day she will be able to live
happily ever after with her father. When he is not there, Miriam spends much of her time
with Mullah Faizullah, an old and friendly man who teachers Miriam much about the
Koran and also life in general.
On Miriam’s 15th birthday, she hopes to meet her father at the movie theatre he
owns. When Jalil does not show up, Miriam decides to go to his house in hopes of
spending the day with him and the rest of his family. Jalil refuses to see her and Miriam
is crushed. Miriam sleeps outside his home all night, praying that Jalil would finally let
her in. In the morning, the defeated Miriam returns home only to see that her mother has
hanged herself in fear that her daughter had left her forever. At this point, Miriam does
get what she wants: Jalil takes her in. However, these are not the circumstances Miriam
was hoping for. After living with Jalil, she realizes he does not want her when she is
frequently shunned and is quickly married away to a man named Rasheed who makes
shoes in Kabul. Rasheed turns out to be a cold and cruel man. All he wants is a child to
replace the son he lost in a previous marriage, however when Miriam suffers from a
miscarriage, Rasheed starts to beat and abuse her.
The reader’s attention is then drawn to a young and lively girl named Laila and
the boy she has a childlike love for, Tariq. Tariq lives in her neighborhood and lost a leg
due to a land mine. Unfortunately, this love is short lived because Tariq must leave Kabul
with his family. Meanwhile, Laila’s parents are killed from a bomb and Laila ends up
marrying Rasheed and living with him and Miriam. At first, Miriam and Laila’s
relationship is rocky, especially after Laila (unlike Miriam) is able to become pregnant.
Miriam becomes more like a servant to the other two rather than another wife. This
changes when Laila gives birth to a baby girl, Aziza, when Rasheed wanted a male.
Rasheed being his unreasonable self, blames Laila for the baby’s sex. The two women
can also bond over the feeling of lost love. Miriam has lost her mother, and Laila is told
that Tariq has died.
Now that both women are being abused both mentally and physically, they form a
tight bond. While Rasheed is gone, they enjoy each others company and make plans to
one day escape from Rasheed’s tyranny. When they first attempt their escape, they are
tricked and Rasheed brings them home and beats them almost to death. Eventually, Laila
does give birth to a boy, Zalmai, but Rasheed is still not happy because of the recent
restrictions set on everyone from the Taliban. He also has suspicions that Laila is not his.
He believes she is Tariq’s (this turns out to be true). Just when everything seems terrible,
Tariq shows up at their front door and Laila and Tariq’s love is rekindled. When Rasheed
finds out about this visit, he is furious. He starts to beat Laila mercilessly until Miriam
intervenes with a shovel, resulting in Rasheed’s death. This is a shock to all and Miriam
ends up confessing to the murder and is sentenced to death. She sacrifices herself so that
Tariq and Laila can take the children and head to Pakistan until it is safe to return to
Kabul. This bittersweet ending is a reminder of the power of love and family.
Biography
of
Khaled
Hosseini
Katie
Janicek
Khaled
Hosseini
was
born
in
1965
in
Kabul,
Afghanistan.
His
mother
was
a
high
school
language
and
history
teacher
at
a
large
Kabul
high
school.
His
father
was
a
diplomat
with
the
Afghan
Foreign
Ministry,
which
relocated
the
family
to
Tehran,
Iran
in
1970
and
eventually
Paris,
France
in
1976,
just
a
few
years
before
the
communist
coup
and
invasion
of
the
Soviet
army
in
Afghanistan.
The
family
was
granted
political
asylum
in
the
United
States
and
moved
to
California
where
Hosseini
graduated
high
school
and
went
on
to
get
a
bachelor's
degree
in
biology
from
Santa
Clara
University
in
1988.
He
went
on
to
get
a
medical
degree,
complete
his
residency,
and
become
a
practicing
intern
in
a
California
hospital.
During
his
medical
practice,
he
wrote
and
published
his
first
novel,
The
Kite
Runner,
which
went
on
to
become
an
international
bestseller,
published
in
48
countries
since
it
hit
the
shelves
in
2003.
He
won
numerous
awards
for
this
novel
and
was
inspired
to
write
his
second
novel,
A
Thousand
Splendid
Suns,
which
was
published
in
2007.
Also
in
2007,
Hosseini
made
a
trip
to
Afghanistan
with
the
United
Nations
Refugee
Agency
which
inspired
him
to
start
the
Khaled
Hosseini
Foundation,
which
provides
humanitarian
assistance
in
Afghanistan.
He
currently
lives
with
his
wife
and
two
children
in
Northern
California.
Review
of
A
Thousand
Splendid
Suns
Katie
Janicek
Khaled
Hosseini
captures
the
attention
of
the
reader
from
the
first
chapter
of
the
eloquently
written
A
Thousand
Splendid
Suns.
The
heart‐wrenching
tales
of
Mariam,
Laila,
and
so
many
other
nameless
victims
leave
the
reader
amazed
at
just
how
much
some
can
endure.
As
the
book
goes
on,
the
reader
learns
about
those
individuals'
strengths
and
what
they
have
to
suffer
through,
while
at
the
same
time
getting
information
about
the
communist
coup
in
Afghanistan
and
a
glimpse
of
the
cultural
changes
it
creates
among
the
people.
Throughout,
Hosseini's
detailed
and
precise
language
keeps
the
reader
entertained
and
in
the
moment.
The
reader
is
able
to
see
the
characters
grow
up
and
the
nation
mold
itself
to
various
new
forms
of
leadership
and
control.
Even
with
all
the
horrifying
events
that
take
place,
the
novel
brings
to
light
important
issues
of
culture,
gender
roles,
abuse,
family,
friendship,
and
love.
Most
of
all,
it
is
a
story
of
survival
and
willpower,
perhaps
perfectly
summed
up
in
Laila's
“marveling
at
how
every
Afghan
story
is
marked
by
death
and
loss
and
unimaginable
grief.
And
yet...people
find
a
way
to
survive,
to
go
on”
(350).
This
is
a
book
that,
despite
its
terrifying
and
sometimes
heartbreaking
tales,
you
will
not
want
to
put
down.
Links: Josh Weakly
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/forums/forumtopicprintpage/boardid/khtss/message-id/73/print-singlemessage/false?board.id=khtss&message.id=73&format=one
This website contains the poem that composes the title of Khaled Hosseini’s novel. This
will provide the students with an example of poetry that has come from Afghanistan as
well as providing a reference for the line that is quoted in the novel. This poem depicts
the beauty of Kabul and is an important piece in the novel as the beauty of Kabul and of
Afghanistan are sought after by the two heroines of the novel.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/islam.htm
This link will take viewers to a simple website that explains some of the basic ideas and
beliefs behind Islam. For many American students, the religious beliefs of Islam will be
unfamiliar to them and this will provide a beneficial resource for students to look at prior
to and during the reading of A Thousand Splendid Suns. Since the novel takes place in
Afghanistan, an Islamic nation, the website will be beneficial to understanding the
cultural and religious setting that the story takes place in.
Liz Hein
A Thousand Splendid Suns Teaching Resources
1. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/100best/storyA_story.html
This National Geographic article depicts one of the most famous photos in the history of
Afghanistan. Teachers could show this picture and article to students and ask for their
interpretation. A good question would be: what do you see in this 12 year old girl’s eyes?
By reading this article and viewing this picture, students will see real women actually
experiencing things much like the women in the book. They can relate the women in the
article to the characters in A Thousand Splendid Suns and further understand the novel.
2. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/asia/afghanistan/timeline/index.html
This entire website is a good resource for students reading this book. However, I selected
the timeline specifically because the book spans a long period of time. It would be
beneficial for students to go through this timeline in comparison with the book and truly
understand what life was like in Afghanistan at each point in time. They can also look to
see what is happening currently in Afghanistan and also what is happening with The
United States and Afghanistan relations.
Related
Link
­Katie
Janicek
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/relationships/abuse.html
This
website
presents
information
about
abusive
relationships
in
ways
that
relate
to
and
are
directed
at
teenagers.
It
gives
fictional
stories,
definitions,
warning
signs,
and
other
information
about
abuse
and
how
it
can
be
recognized
and
handled.
It
also
presents
positive
ways
for
teens
to
deal
with
difficult
situations
with
friends,
family
members,
and
love
interests.
There
are
some
serious
issues
of
abuse
in
A
Thousand
Splendid
Suns
that
teachers
should
not
treat
lightly.
This
website
could
provide
teachers
with
a
constructive
way
of
showing
their
students
that
abuse
comes
in
many
different
forms
and
is
never
okay.
It
could
also
help
further
discussions
about
the
characters
in
the
story—their
motivations,
characteristics,
actions,
etc.
Sources
Katie
Janicek
“Abusive
Relationships."
KidsHealth.
Web.
02
December
2010.
<http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/relationships/abuse.html>.
"Khaled
Hosseini
|
Biography."
Khaled
Hosseini
|
A
Thousand
Splendid
Suns.
Web.
02
Dec.
2010.
<http://www.khaledhosseini.com/hosseini‐bio.html>.
"Khaled
Hosseini."
Wikipedia,
the
Free
Encyclopedia.
Web.
02
Dec.
2010.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaled_Hosseini#Biography>.
Liz Hein Work Cited
1870, By. "The Online NewsHour: Afghanistan and the War on Terror | Political
Timeline | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 01 Dec. 2010.
<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/asia/afghanistan/timeline/index.
html>.
Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns. New York: Riverhead, 2007. Print.
"National Geographic Magazine 100 Best Pictures-Afghanistan." Web. 01 Dec. 2010.
<http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/100best/storyA_story.html>.