She adores him. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. $24.99 Laila and Tariq build a new life in Kabul: Laila becomes a schoolteacher at the orphanage where Aziza once lived. At first, Rasheed is sweet and brings her gifts. Chainani, Soman ed. The novel concludes with Laila becoming a teacher and making efforts to improve Kabul. Mariam, a young girl in the 1960s, grows up outside Herat, a small city in Afghanistan. Tariq tells her that he must leave Kabul with his ailing parents, and he and Laila become physically intimate just before his departure. Culture Shock When Hosseini arrived in California as a fifteen-year-old, he only spoke a few words of English. The story of A Thousand Splendid Suns revolves around the lives of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila. The next day, Mariam turns herself over to the Taliban in an effort to clear the way for Laila to find sanctuary for herself and her children in Pakistan with Tariq. Laila and Tariq leave Afghanistan and move to Murree, Pakistan, where they get married. Knowing that the two wives of a murdered husband would not have a chance of victory in a Taliban court, Mariam gives herself up and is sentenced to death, while she encourages Laila to elope with Tariq and the children. As Tariq tells Laila that he and his family are fleeing to Pakistan, the couples makes love for the first time, quickly and passionately. He went through a refugee camp, both of his parents died, and he spent time in prison. She meets with the son of a kindly mullah who taught Mariam, who gives her a box Jalil had entrusted to the family to care for and give to Mariam should she return to Herat. . "[18], A Thousand Splendid Suns received significant praise from reviewers, with Publishers Weekly calling it "a powerful, harrowing depiction of Afghanistan"[4] and USA Today describing the prose as "achingly beautiful". The second is the date of Word Count: 908 Hosseini best develops the. Do tie this specifically to this text as well. Before Mariam's birth, her mother, Nana, was a housekeeper for a wealthy businessman in Herat named Jalil. Struggling with distance learning? Mariam's loving nature is challenged by Nana, who yells at the five-year-old and calls her a bastard when she accidentally breaks a favorite sugar bowl. Laila had planned to run away from Rasheed soon after Aziza was born. Up until the novels climax, the story has been told in past tense. After they are killed, Laila's mother Fariba is never the same. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. publication in traditional print. After the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001 and the onset of President George Bush's War on Terror, which has toppled the Taliban, Laila hears that conditions in Kabul are improving. Nana also warns her that "a man's accusing finger always finds a woman," establishing that Nana does not accept the blame for her affair with Jalil and resents the way it changed her life from living in a wealthy urban setting as a housekeeper to an isolated life with a young daughter. In the beginning, she has a childish crush on her friend Tariq. Renews April 24, 2023 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Women as Protagonists in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Despite the loss of Lailas close friend, Lailas story also ends on a note of hope. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. A Thousand Splendid Suns is a deeply moving story of friendship and love with a backdrop of Afghanistan's history. A Thousand Splendid Suns study guide contains a biography of Khaled Hosseini, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. As Mariam grows older, she learns her father has three wives and nine legitimate children. The rising action, or the events leading to the climax, are punctuated with growing unrest both within and outside the walls of Rasheeds house. [1], Hosseini visited Afghanistan in 2003, and "heard so many stories about what happened to women, the tragedies that they had endured, the difficulties, the gender-based violence that they had suffered, the discrimination, the being barred from active life during the Taliban, having their movement restricted, being banned essentially from practicing their legal, social rights, political rights". Hosseini ultimately attended Santa Clara University and later medical school. Discount, Discount Code He became a hotel janitor. PDF downloads of all 1715 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Instant PDF downloads. [30], Columbia Pictures owns the movie rights to the novel. Though the novel depicts intense violence and injustice, Hosseini ultimately highlights how the womens relationship with each other lends each a sense of hope and accomplishment. Mullah Faizullah's son gives Laila a box that Jalil left for Mariam. on 50-99 accounts. He tells Rasheed that Laila has allowed Tariq to see her face, and Rasheed becomes enraged. Study Guides. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. But that is the emotionsubterranean, powerful, beautiful, illicit, and infinitely patientthat suffuses the pages of Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. When Zalmai tells his father of their visitor, Rasheed has Laila in a death-grip. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Due to a lack of food, Rasheed sends Aziza to an orphanage. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. The box also contains cash in American dollars and a copy of Pinocchio on video. Wed love to have you back! She asks Mariam to come with her and Tariq to Pakistan, but Mariam refuses. What is the message of A Thousand Splendid Suns? Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Glamorous Suns follows Mariam and Laila who, despite a 17-year age difference and unique circumstances, equally finish up artificial up marrying the equal abusive man, Rasheed. It is co-produced by the American Conservatory Theater and Theatre Calgary. Laila teaches at the orphanage. She slowly grows accustomed to Rasheed and begins to enjoy her status as a legitimate wife rather than an illegitimate child. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for A Thousand Splendid Suns at the best online prices at eBay! They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Then Rasheed plays on Mariam's sympathy by describing all the horrible fates that await Laila if she's sent away rape, kidnapping, and poverty among them. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. It becomes clear that Rasheed's only use for Mariam is in her ability to replace the son he lost years ago. Chapter 1 familiarizes the reader with Hosseini's style. A Thousand Splendid Suns is a 2007 novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, following the huge success of his bestselling 2003 debut The Kite Runner. As Tariq and Laila grow up, she falls in love with him. Sometimes it can end up there. When Rasheed returns home from work, Zalmai informs Rasheed that Laila had a male visitor. This novel, "A thousand splendid suns," is taken place in Afghanistan and follows the life of a girl, Mariam who is a little girl at the beginning. He is a misogynist who uses women for what he wants. Ahmad and Noor, Laila's two older brothers, leave to fight for the Mujahideen in the jihad. Hosseini attempts to anchor the reader in this complex history, by showing how specific historical eventsthe departure of the Soviets from Kabul, for instance, or the arrival of the Talibanimpacts the lives of the characters. Free trial is available to new customers only. Fariba joins Hakim and Laila spies on their conversation with the stranger; it quickly becomes clear that he brings news that Laila's brothers, Noor and Ahmed, have died. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Jalil visits Mariam once a week, telling stories and bringing gifts. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Laila is born sometime after the marriage of Mariam and Rasheed. Laila, Tariq, Aziza, and Zalmai move into a townhouse in Kabul. Rasheed attempted to squash the possibility of Laila missing her ex-lover by arranging for someone to tell her he was dead; he is furious when his plan is overturned. You can view our. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. -Graham S. The village leader, who often comes to visit, A neighborhood troublemaker, who pulls practical jokes on, The kindly orphanage director who looks after, The owner of a hotel in Murree, Pakistan, who hires, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. The inciting incident that propels the plot into motion is when Mariam rejects Nanas wishes and chases after her father, who ignores her. For a woman who has been treated unfairly her entire life and who has come to accept it as just her lot in life, Mariams actions serve as a poignant example of character evolution. Her mother prepares her for a life of hardship, which she sees as their lot in life as women. You remember that, Mariam." ~Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Chapter 1, Page 7 "Look at me, Mariam.' Reluctantly, Mariam did. This structure allows Hosseini to explore the effects of Afghanistans history across decades while crafting complex relationships between the characters. The box contains a letter apologizing and providing an update for Mariam. After her friendship with Mariam develops, she invites Mariam to run away with them. SparkNotes PLUS At first, Rasheed tries to convince Mariam that it'll be good for their reputation it is not proper for a young unmarried woman to stay with them. A Thousand Splendid Suns is a novel by Afghan American author Khaled Hosseini centered on two women brought together by tragedy and fate during the turbulent last quarter of the 20th century in Afghanistan. Dont have an account? For example, the inciting incident in Lailas story also involves a death in her family. Last Updated on August 18, 2022, by eNotes Editorial. Laila and Tariq live in Pakistan for a while, but after a year return to a more peaceful Kabul, to help rebuild the city. Laila becomes pregnant again and gives birth to a boy, Zalmai. "[1] He also found his second novel to be more "ambitious" than the first due to its larger cast of characters; its dual focus on Mariam and Laila; and its covering a multi-generational-period of nearly forty-five-years in total. Tariq and Laila visit together over the next few days, and Tariq describes his past. Laila blocks his blow, the first time anyone has ever stood up for Mariam. Tariq and Laila spend the afternoon together while Rasheed is at work. Tariq and Laila have sex before he leaves, a choice that creates lasting consequences. Jalil's wives simply want Miriam out of their way. You can view our. The sugar bowl, part of Nana's prized tea set, features a dragon on its side, "meant to ward off evil." She thinks about how Mariam would become her own salvation years after leaving this small, humble hut. Mariam is initially hurt and threatened by Laila's presence and refuses to have anything to do with her. They watch a kissing scene and both feel awkward and tense after it ends. From her parents Mariam inherits conflicting views: Nanas, that a harami like her must endure a lifetime of pain; and Jalils, that there is a whole world to discover beyond the kolba. The second date is today's If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Part 1 tells the story of Mariam, a young girl born in Afghanistan in the 1950s. [12] This motivated him to write a novel centered on two Afghan women. Part One is entirely told through Mariam's point of view, and Part Two is told through Laila's. The characters converge in Part Three and alternate until the book's climax, or the height of the tension. "[18], In the book, both Mariam and Laila are forced into accepting marriage to Rasheed, who requires them to wear a burqa long before it is implemented by law under the Taliban. Laila tells Tariq about Aziza and her marriage to Rasheed, and Tariq does not blame her for marrying. While they pack, a bomb hits Laila's home, and she is the sole survivor of the blast, knocked unconscious. Study Guide. She makes her wishes known by asking Jalil to take her to see Pinocchio for her fifteenth birthday. On her fifteenth birthday, Mariam asks her father to take her to see Pinocchio at a cinema he owns and to introduce her to her siblings. She protests, but he does not care. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Near her 15th birthday, Mariam goes for the first time to the Herat house Jalil shares with his legitimate wives and children. Laila is also informed that Tariq and his family died in a bomb blast on their way to Pakistan. The narrative, which takes place in Afghanistan, is speckled with Afghani phrases that only sometimes are directly defined. They stop by Herat on their way to Kabul, where Laila visits Mariam's old home and is able to come to terms with her grief over Mariam's execution. One day after visiting Aziza at the orphanage, Laila sees Tariq standing at the front door of Rasheed's house. Read the Study Guide for A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Lasting Effects of Abuse in Miriams Life, Oppression of Women: A Comparison of A Thousand Splendid Suns and Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Comparing "Osama" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns", View our essays for A Thousand Splendid Suns, View the lesson plan for A Thousand Splendid Suns, View Wikipedia Entries for A Thousand Splendid Suns. Here's an in-depth analysis of the most important parts, in an easy-to-understand format. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Tariq lost one of his legs from a land mine. When Rasheeds shoe shop burns down and he cannot hold another job, the familys grave financial difficulties mean that Aziza has to be sent to an orphanage, while Zalmai continues to be spoiled.