How does one’s culture affect their lives? Can culture influence one’s behavior? How do people escape the shackles of society? These questions are all explored in Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. This book contains a heartwarming story about two women confined by Afghan culture. In this novel, Hosseini emphasises the struggles women have to endure such as arranged marriage, lack of freedom, and war due to the conservative culture in Afghanistan.
Arranged marriage is common in Afghan culture. The issues with arranged marriages are pivotal because of the consequences in the novel. For instance, Mariam was married to Rasheed against her will. She even pleaded with her father, saying, “I don’t want this. Don’t make me,” (47). …show more content…
Under the Soviet rule, life for women was not perfect, but was bearable. Afghanistan was fighting in a war against the Soviet Union. The war affected mothers who had children fighting in the war. One example is Laila’s mother, Fariba. Fariba’s sons, Ahmed and Noor, died in this war. Fariba broke down after their deaths and even neglected her own daughter, Laila. She sat in her bed all day and staggered around the house as if “she would run into the boys sooner or later,” (141). The war against Soviets resulted in the removal of many Soviet soldiers. However, this resulted in a civil war in Afghanistan, where the Taliban took over Afghanistan. The Taliban changed Afghan culture in more ways than one. They restricted certain rights to women. The Taliban made different hospitals for women. Laila goes to one of the women’s hospitals to deliver her baby. The description of the hospital was that they had “no clean water,... no oxygen, no medications, no electricity,” (286). In the delivery room, there “were no curtains between the beds,” (288) and they did not have anesthesia. This meant that Laila felt the pain of a Caesarian section without being numb. Also, the Taliban banned women from going to school. They closed down all of the schools for girls. Their right to have an education were taken from them. This meant that women had to illegally get an education, just as Aziza at the orphanage. In addition, women were prohibited to work. They could not hold any job and bring in money. When Rasheed’s shop burned down, Rasheed tried to look for more work. When Rasheed couldn’t find a job, Mariam and Laila could just watch. They could not provide for their own family because the Taliban would not allow them to work. These restrictions on women were brought because of war and the Taliban influenced
Arranged marriage is common in Afghan culture. The issues with arranged marriages are pivotal because of the consequences in the novel. For instance, Mariam was married to Rasheed against her will. She even pleaded with her father, saying, “I don’t want this. Don’t make me,” (47). …show more content…
Under the Soviet rule, life for women was not perfect, but was bearable. Afghanistan was fighting in a war against the Soviet Union. The war affected mothers who had children fighting in the war. One example is Laila’s mother, Fariba. Fariba’s sons, Ahmed and Noor, died in this war. Fariba broke down after their deaths and even neglected her own daughter, Laila. She sat in her bed all day and staggered around the house as if “she would run into the boys sooner or later,” (141). The war against Soviets resulted in the removal of many Soviet soldiers. However, this resulted in a civil war in Afghanistan, where the Taliban took over Afghanistan. The Taliban changed Afghan culture in more ways than one. They restricted certain rights to women. The Taliban made different hospitals for women. Laila goes to one of the women’s hospitals to deliver her baby. The description of the hospital was that they had “no clean water,... no oxygen, no medications, no electricity,” (286). In the delivery room, there “were no curtains between the beds,” (288) and they did not have anesthesia. This meant that Laila felt the pain of a Caesarian section without being numb. Also, the Taliban banned women from going to school. They closed down all of the schools for girls. Their right to have an education were taken from them. This meant that women had to illegally get an education, just as Aziza at the orphanage. In addition, women were prohibited to work. They could not hold any job and bring in money. When Rasheed’s shop burned down, Rasheed tried to look for more work. When Rasheed couldn’t find a job, Mariam and Laila could just watch. They could not provide for their own family because the Taliban would not allow them to work. These restrictions on women were brought because of war and the Taliban influenced