1000 Splendid Suns: An Analysis

Imagine being covered from head to toe each time you left your house; hidden under a long cloak, your eyes blocked out by mesh, your appearance anonymous to preserve your purity. Those who dared to show their bodies would be stoned or thrown in prison. This is the reality of the world that many women lived in under the Mujahideen occupation of Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseini’s portrayal of Afghanistan in 1000 Splendid Suns gives an insight into the mistreatment of women in a heavily misogynistic society. He tells the story of Mariam, who is fifteen when she is married off to a man three times her age named Rasheed. At first, Rasheed is tentative, but as his true colors unravel, the reader sees his manipulative, abusive ways. Although Rasheed’s mistreatment of Mariam, and his second wife Laila, is morally incorrect in modern Western society, it is clear that Rasheed’s culture enables his barbaric and derogatory behavior.
Hosseini frames the novel so that the audience …show more content…
Giving Rasheed the ability to act without consequence was an effect of the Mujahideen’s rule. According to the Taliban, “what a man does in his home is his business” (266). This simple statement places the power of the household in the faith of the man while also divesting the Taliban of any responsibility to protect its female citizens. If the Taliban had valued women in the same way that the Soviets do, malicious thoughts would not have fostered into lethal actions. If men are actually held liable for abuse against their wives, the continuous cycle of exploitation and wrongful blame will no longer exist. However, as seen through Rasheed’s character, so long as men are not held accountable for their actions and sexism is tolerated, or encouraged, no progress will ever be