What sacrifices do parents have to make? To what extent would one go to for a child? Khaled Hosseini emphasizes this concept in A Thousand Splendid Suns. In the novel, Laila makes numerous sacrifices for her children. Innumerable hardships are withstood by parents for children. These include having to endure physical pain, mental anguish, and an abusive relationship. Laila undergoes immense amounts of pain for her children. An instance of this is when she has a caesarean section with her son, Zalmai. After being told “the hospital [has] no anesthetic,” she tells the doctor to “cut [her] open and give [her the] baby” (291). An additional example of Laila being hurt physically is when Aziza is in the orphanage. Laila sets out to see Aziza every day, without Rasheed. Most days, the Taliban stops her and beats or whips her. “One day, a young Talib beat Laila
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One example is when she has to send Aziza to the orphanage in order for both of her children to have food and shelter, for Rasheed and Laila could not provide for both children. When Rasheed tells Laila that Aziza has to go to the orphanage, “Laila sat on the floor… not speaking and stone-faced, her hair hanging around her face” (313). This is one occurrence of Laila having mental anguish, and another time she experienced it is after Mariam killed Rasheed. She was unsure of what to tell Zalmai and “when Laila went to bed, her mind was muffled up, clouded, incapable of sustained rational thought” (356). Laila wanted Mariam to leave with them, but Mariam knew that she would get caught. At the time of Mariam telling Laila that she could not go with them, “Laila could find no reasonable answer for anything Mariam said… she rambled on anyway, incoherently, childishly” (358). She experiences mental distress for her kids when she had to let Mariam go. She knew she had to protect her children, even if it meant physically “sacrificing”
One example is when she has to send Aziza to the orphanage in order for both of her children to have food and shelter, for Rasheed and Laila could not provide for both children. When Rasheed tells Laila that Aziza has to go to the orphanage, “Laila sat on the floor… not speaking and stone-faced, her hair hanging around her face” (313). This is one occurrence of Laila having mental anguish, and another time she experienced it is after Mariam killed Rasheed. She was unsure of what to tell Zalmai and “when Laila went to bed, her mind was muffled up, clouded, incapable of sustained rational thought” (356). Laila wanted Mariam to leave with them, but Mariam knew that she would get caught. At the time of Mariam telling Laila that she could not go with them, “Laila could find no reasonable answer for anything Mariam said… she rambled on anyway, incoherently, childishly” (358). She experiences mental distress for her kids when she had to let Mariam go. She knew she had to protect her children, even if it meant physically “sacrificing”