Oppression In A Thousand Splendid Suns

In A Thousand Splendid Suns the author shows the oppression of women as a dominant theme from the beginning of the book to the end. This theme is demonstrated through the eyes of the two main female characters Mariam and Laila. They are presented as one who had a disgraceful childhood, Mariam and the other with a better childhood, Laila. Even with the differences in their childhood and life experiences, they both end up as a desperate wife to the heartless Rasheed. The author shows that even if you start out with what seems to be a good life, women could still fall prey to marrying a heartless man and having a terrible existence. The women have the same ill feelings when forced to wear a burqa. They say that their identity is lost, which seems to be true because no one …show more content…
These rights that the women are slowly gaining are shown though Laila who has her whole life in front of her. The author shows dramatic irony through Laila. While she was specifically told that she would never become a housewife, that is ultimately what happens to her. She ends up with no other options than to marry Rasheed. The story continues as the two women meet and are instantly against each other. This shows that the women in the same marriage don't always get along. Their feelings truly don’t matter to the husband. The women, instead of realizing that Rasheed is the true enemy, believe that they are each other’s enemy. This is due in part to the many years Mariam has spent listening to Rasheed’s every command and in essence becoming brainwashed. Instead of helping Laila, Mariam’s first instinct is to feel jealous of her and all the attention Rasheed is paying to her. This is when the theme of oppression comes full circle! Even women are against other women. . Later they realized that they are not enemies and instead share the same problems and