Discussion Topic B

In the heart wrenching novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by Khaled Hosseini, Hosseini using literary elements such as diction and imagery to acquaint his readers with the plight of the women in Afghanistan, who endure hardships of life and suffer in the hands of men. Each passing day is an ordeal for these women.  According to the Afghan society, men are allowed to have complete power of their wives and then, the Taliban makes it law.  Throughout the novel, Hosseini emphasizes the fact that women in Afghanistan are treated filth for something they cannot control through the use of diction. Both Mariam and Laila are perfect examples of how women in Afghanistan are treated.  They are reminded that “like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman.” This meaning that there is no exception to this rule, women will always be blamed even if a man is truly at fault. In other words, Mariam’s mother implies that men cant be trusted. Hosseini uses this quote to show the relationship between the men and women. The women are looked down on and blame the men for their unhappiness. 

Against a backdrop of unending war, Mariam and Laila become allies in an asymmetrical battle with Rasheed, whose violent misogyny—"There was no cursing, no screaming, no pleading, no surprised yelps, only the systematic business of beating and being beaten"—is endorsed by custom and law. Hosseini gives a forceful but nuanced portrait of a patriarchal despotism where women are agonizingly dependent on fathers, husbands and especially sons, the bearing of male children being their sole path to social status. His tale is a powerful, harrowing depiction of Afghanistan, but also a lyrical evocation of the lives and enduring hopes of its resilient characters.  In the whole novel, the Taliban is held responsible for enforces this unequality between the men and women. Hosseini uses rules and laws such as telling them, “stay inside your home at all times. . . If you go outside, you must be accompanied by a mahram, a male relative. If you are caught alone on the street, you will be beaten and sent home.  The imagery in this quote shows the struggle these women endured. The control they assert over women's conduct and liberties is "only" an extreme form of what we have already seen, transferring completely to the public sphere what has been considered acceptable already in the household namely, the horrors inflicted on women by men who cannot, or will not, be held accountable. Hosseini expresses the needs to be an equal balance of men and women in power because of the different qualities they possess. The society in Afghanistan makes it hard for the women to grab control of their lives.