Mariam’s unfortunate relationship with her father caused her to be emotionless, and taught her to subsist through all negativity in her life without hoping for change. This specific mindset helped her, yet hindered her while she was with Rasheed. For one, Mariam’s strong mentality made it easy for her to detach herself from the man she was forced to marry, and live her life as if she were alone, without depending on anyone. She was more of a lone wolf, and this was mainly because of how she was raised to be. However, Mariam’s upbringing made it difficult for her to feel emotion for others, or allow anyone to get near her on a personal …show more content…
Firstly, Mariam and Laila both had one prime parent in their lives. For Mariam, that person was her mother, who despite her overprotective mannerisms, cared for her greatly, and depended on her so much as to take her own life when Mariam left the Kolba. Jalil might have been present in her life for a time, but for the most part, Mariam stood alongside her mother, and they depended on each other profoundly. Moreover, for Laila, that significant parent was her father. Laila’s mother was not very present in her life due to her grief, so the two women’s lives are comparable in that aspect. Also, these two women’s’ life experiences and family relationships caused them to value their family even more further in the book. Both women implement teachings from their childhood, onto the two children. For example, Laila’s father emphasized the importance of schooling to Laila, and as a result, Laila does the same to her children. Furthermore, because of the women’s realization of the absence of the strong family relationship in their childhood, they both tried to be active in the children’s lives and develop that relationship for themselves. For example, following Aziza’s release into the orphanage, Laila continued to visit her in spite of the grave risk she was taking. This was fueled by her own feelings of her