Role Of Mariam In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Mariam as a Christ Figure in A Thousand Splendid Suns In John 8:12 of the Bible, Jesus spoke to the people and said: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Similarly, in A Thousand Splendid Suns Mariam acts as the light in Laila and Aziza’s lives. Also, Mariam functions as a Christ figure because she is good with children, she has followers, and she sacrifices herself for other people. In A Thousand Splendid Suns Mariam is good with children. Though she has no children of her own, she bonds with Aziza, which makes her feel like a mother. For instance, “When Aziza first spotted Mariam in the morning, her eyes always sprang open, and she began mewling and squirming in her mother’s grip” (252). This behavior portrays the unconditional love Aziza has for Mariam. Aziza also looked up to her as a mother. Specifically, “as soon as she was in Mariam’s arms, …show more content…
Specifically, “ Mariam gained some notoriety among [the female prisoners], became a kind of celebrity. The women eyed her with a reverent, almost awestruck, expression. They offered her their blankets. They competed to share food with her” (363). Mariam was like the Light to them as well. They honored her for rebelling on her husband, they honored her for doing something that they, themselves, were to scared to do. Naghma as an individual looked up to Mariam as a Christ figure. Naghma had tried to elope to Gardez with the young man she had fallen in love with. Just like Jalil did to Nana, Gardez lied and said that Naghma seduced him. Nana told Mariam “Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam” (364), which is exactly what happened to Mariam and Naghma.However, Mariam made the lowly women feel like they could do what she did and be honored, just as Jesus made lowly people feel