The Theme of Female Endurance in 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'

Feminism is the talk about society, politics and psychology of both men and women. When we look at the past of women's life specifically, we come to know that they are at war for gender equality. In the world fiction book 'A Thousand Splendid Suns', Khaled Hosseini writes about two generations of charters who are brought together by the tragedy of war and the patriarchal government.

The women in the story us their connection as women in a patriarchal country to inspire each other and make a difference. They push through their unfair treatment, and endure the brutality that is life as women in afghanistan showing their belief in a world of equality. Finally, the characters display their strength confirming the strong appearance of feminism in the book.

In 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' teamwork, endurance and strength verify that the book is the very epitome of feminism. Woman in the book inspire, advise and work together to create a theme of feminism. Nana's death opens Maryam's eyes and helps her realize that what her Mother Nana said was right; “a man's heart is a wretched, wretched thing, Mariam. It isn't like a mother's womb. It won't bleed, it won't stretch to make room for you”. Mariam was taught throughout her life that men where “wretched”. Even though Mariam was unable to get the full betterment from Nana’s lessons while she was alive, her death removed the cover blinding her from Jalil’s lies. This helps her not only with her situation with Jalil but also with her situation with Rasheed, as is visible with the amount of trust that Mariam has with Rasheed. This is the first step of feminism in the book to the protagonists life and Hosseini uses this as a stepping stone to his later shows of feminism. Laila, a more innocent character and the second major character of the novel, is a hopeful girl with an education and a bright mind. Hakim, Laila's father who wants his daughter to learn and groom as a literate person is the character that initiates Laila’s drive for feminism. He wants Laila to learn, get an education and serve her country. Hakim shows that all men are not against the rights of women, he is not the only man however, Mullah Faizullah, Tariq and Tariq's father. They are proof to the reader that not every man wants to strip a women's rights due to their physical strength. Therefore, Hakim and Tariq symbolize more than just good characters but also the rarity of a pure human being who is neither jealous, nor intimidated by females with equal rights. Finally, in the light of the story mariam learns another lesson that she lives by uses in order to understand and eventually stand up against men. Nana tells mariam that a man will always find a woman to blame for the problems and setbacks in his life. As, Nana said to Mariam: “a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that Mariam” . Mariam remembers these words long after the event and even acknowledges that a woman must always endure all the sufferings coming from man’s side.

Women working together is the very epitome of feminism, in the book and in current events because the only chance women have for equality is by bonding and sharing information. The sharing of knowledge across generations of women is what allows the female characters to fight back against the men and therefore portray feminism. In order to get women to fight back they must first endure and survive the inequality that life throws at them. In the case of Mariam, she wpushes through and endures the torture given by Rasheed. For instance in the situation where he forces her to eat pebbles. She is not alone however, other women in the country endure these unfair behaviors them not raising their voices is the reason their stuck in an unfair world. They did not choose their life and since nobody asks for their perspective or how they want to live their lives they maintain their patriarchal life. Mariam and Laila endure, and survive Rasheeds cruel treatment and are able to fight back and pay Rasheed back for his acts. The story begins with the miserable condition of Nana and the elusive fantasy of Mariam regarding her father. The rupture of Mariam’s fantasy in the beginning where she realizes the truth about her father, is what sets mariam up for a life of enduring. “There is only one, only one skill a woman like you and me needs in life [...] Only one skill And it's this: Endure'. Nana constantly tells mariam that this world is not for them and that they are to be ruled by men. Nana wants mariam to be realistic even though she is scared of her heart break. This although is demoralizing is a lesson that showed mariam how to endure and survive to fight another day. Hosseini also brilliantly over exaggerated Mariam's character in order to show the strength and endurance. No human can bear the amount of torture that mariam bore throughout his/her life. This shows the strength of mariam, and that a woman is able to push through the discrimination that she is facing and come out making a diffrense.

In conclusion, all the enduring the characters faced in the book shows their power and that they can withstand everything life throws at them. The theme of endurance among woman portrays feminism by proving that women have the strength to fight back.