A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS: LITERATURE NOTES

THEMES - THEME ANALYSIS

The Inner Strength of Women

The theme of the inner strength of women is the most prevalent theme. Both characters, Mariam and Laila, are forced into life situations which challenge their strength and their ability to endure. Mariam is born illegitimate in a world which turns their back on such women. She is later forced into a marriage to a cruel, abusive man and endures twenty-seven years with him. She bonds with Laila later in her life, which allows her to understand that she can love and be loved in return. In the end, her great strength allows her to face the sacrifice she makes of her own life to save the ones she loves. As for Laila, she is born into a somewhat privileged world in that she has parents who love her and a father who believes she deserves a life where she is valued and loved. Although her mother spends much of Laila’s childhood grieving for her lost sons, Laila endures her Mammy’s setbacks with love and as much understanding as she can give. Later, when she finds herself pregnant to Tariq, who she believes is dead, she marries Rasheed to protect her unborn child. She, too, endures the abuse of her husband and fights back against whenever she can even though it means she will be beaten. In the end, he nearly kills her, but when Mariam insists she flee with Tariq and the children, she recognizes she must live for her children’s sake even though it means the death of Mariam alone for the crime of murdering their husband. She then accepts her responsibility to honor the memories of her parents and Mariam by rebuilding Kabul and her country as a strong, determined example to all her countrywomen.

The Human Capacity for Evil

The theme of the human capacity for evil is also an important idea. Throughout the novel, Mariam’s mother’s belief that a man’s finger always comes to point to a woman is..........

RISING ACTION

The rising action begins with Mariam’s story of her childhood and ends with the climax which is...........

FALLING ACTION

After Rasheed is dead, the two women hide his body in the shed and then make plans to escape the country. Mariam knows...........

POINT OF VIEW

It is written third person point of view from the perspective of an omniscient narrator.

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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini: Free BookNotes Summary

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