ISU Essay
Happiness is something that everyone wants to have. However, one must face many obstacles before achieving it. In Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, characters Mick Kelly and Mariam struggle to find happiness. They begin their lives as self-reliant young girls, but soon begin to suffer under family conflicts, oppression, and being rushed into adulthood. Ultimately, they find that self-sacrifice for love of family builds their self-esteem, and gives them sense of belonging even if it impedes their future.
One reason both characters struggle to find happiness is because of their families. In McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Mick has a family that is unsupportive towards …show more content…
Mariam’s mother does not support her. This is seen when she calls Mariam harami. As Mariam grows older she begins to think about the meaning of the word harami she says, “She understood then what Nana meant, that a harami was an unwanted thing; that she, Mariam, was an illegitimate person who would never have legitimate claim to the things other people had, things such as love, family, home, acceptance (Hosseini 4).” Mariam understands that her mother never accepted her, and that she would amount to nothing. The idea that Mariam’s mother put into Mariam’s mind at a young age shows how Mariam’s mother is unsupportive of her and acts as a barrier towards Mariam’s happiness. This leads Mariam to feeling isolated within her household, and an outcast among society, keeping her from achieving her dreams. Because of Mariam’s discouraging mother she has a hard time gaining self-confidence, and the self-esteem needed at an early age to chase her ambitions, hindering her from achieving happiness. Furthermore, Mariam also feels isolated within her family. While Mariam is being forced to marry off to Rasheed, her last words to her father are,” I used to worship you . . . On Thursdays, I sat for hours waiting for you . . . I thought about you all the time . . . I didn’t know you were ashamed of me,” (Hosseini, 45). This quote shows the moment that Mariam realized she was a problem …show more content…
Mick is hindered from happiness, when her family struggles against poverty. When the Kelly’s struggle to pay for Baby’s medical bills, Mick recounts saying, “She never even had a nickel to herself anymore. They were that poor. Money was the main thing. All the time it was money, money, money. They had to pay through the nose for Baby Wilson’s private room and private nurse. … George and her didn’t get any lunch money now. She had to stop the music lessons,” (McCullers, 238-9). This quote shows that when the Kelly’s are in debt Mick suffers the consequences as well. Mick is unable to pay for the music lessons she was taking from another student, hindering her from achieving her dream to become a musician. Taking music lessons is one of Mick’s goals and without her music lessons, it makes it harder for her to enter the inside room. Fundamentally, since her family is overstruck by
Happiness is something that everyone wants to have. However, one must face many obstacles before achieving it. In Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, characters Mick Kelly and Mariam struggle to find happiness. They begin their lives as self-reliant young girls, but soon begin to suffer under family conflicts, oppression, and being rushed into adulthood. Ultimately, they find that self-sacrifice for love of family builds their self-esteem, and gives them sense of belonging even if it impedes their future.
One reason both characters struggle to find happiness is because of their families. In McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Mick has a family that is unsupportive towards …show more content…
Mariam’s mother does not support her. This is seen when she calls Mariam harami. As Mariam grows older she begins to think about the meaning of the word harami she says, “She understood then what Nana meant, that a harami was an unwanted thing; that she, Mariam, was an illegitimate person who would never have legitimate claim to the things other people had, things such as love, family, home, acceptance (Hosseini 4).” Mariam understands that her mother never accepted her, and that she would amount to nothing. The idea that Mariam’s mother put into Mariam’s mind at a young age shows how Mariam’s mother is unsupportive of her and acts as a barrier towards Mariam’s happiness. This leads Mariam to feeling isolated within her household, and an outcast among society, keeping her from achieving her dreams. Because of Mariam’s discouraging mother she has a hard time gaining self-confidence, and the self-esteem needed at an early age to chase her ambitions, hindering her from achieving happiness. Furthermore, Mariam also feels isolated within her family. While Mariam is being forced to marry off to Rasheed, her last words to her father are,” I used to worship you . . . On Thursdays, I sat for hours waiting for you . . . I thought about you all the time . . . I didn’t know you were ashamed of me,” (Hosseini, 45). This quote shows the moment that Mariam realized she was a problem …show more content…
Mick is hindered from happiness, when her family struggles against poverty. When the Kelly’s struggle to pay for Baby’s medical bills, Mick recounts saying, “She never even had a nickel to herself anymore. They were that poor. Money was the main thing. All the time it was money, money, money. They had to pay through the nose for Baby Wilson’s private room and private nurse. … George and her didn’t get any lunch money now. She had to stop the music lessons,” (McCullers, 238-9). This quote shows that when the Kelly’s are in debt Mick suffers the consequences as well. Mick is unable to pay for the music lessons she was taking from another student, hindering her from achieving her dream to become a musician. Taking music lessons is one of Mick’s goals and without her music lessons, it makes it harder for her to enter the inside room. Fundamentally, since her family is overstruck by