Mariam In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Mariam is the real hero of this story. She starts off insecure in life and goes a long time believing herself to be inferior. From conception, she was deemed a harami- an illegitimate child. Her mother, who constantly reminds her of this, speaks ill about men and women’s places in life to Mariam. Nana, out of bitterness and fear, doesn’t even allow Mariam to go to school- telling Mariam that women like them need one skill and that is to endure. This is the beginning of Mariam’s battle with her self-worth. When Jalil refuses to see Marian at his house, her feelings of her illegitimacy are confirmed. Upon returning home Mariam is unable to be shielded from the sight of Nana hanging by a rope. With no mother and a father who won’t take her in, …show more content…
Not only does the loss of her unborn baby affect Mariam’s perspective of herself, but Rasheed’s, too. Thus, Rasheed turns spiteful and violent toward Mariam- speaking to her only to spout hateful and degrading comments. Nevertheless, Mariam does as her mother had told her and endures. Every day she attempts to please Rasheed and manages to survive when he despises her. Then Laila came into their life. While Mariam and Laila’s friendship takes a while to begin, they do eventually form a bond. Through this bond, Mariam is able to gain some confidence as she witnesses Laila stand up to Rasheed on multiple occasions. Mariam was also able to find a family and love through Laila and her children. Dreams of having someone to love and to be loved in returned become a reality for Mariam. She found herself to be a mother, despite not being able to carry a child of her own. All her life, Mariam had been determined to be a part of a family. As hard as she had tried as a child to be a part of Jalil’s, which had proved to be unsuccessful. Now she had what she had always yearned for. Mariam, for once in her life, had the opportunity to protect her loved ones and act on their