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A Thousand Splendid Suns :by Jake Held (Final Thoughts (3 questions (What…
A Thousand Splendid Suns :by Jake Held
Chapters 11-20
3 Quote
Chapter 13 pg. 87 " 'If it's a girl,' Rasheed said, 'and it isn't, but, if it
is
a girl, then you can choose whatever name you want.' "
This shows another instance of the gender culture in this book. Rasheed shows his obvious want for a boy and the opposite for a girl. It means nothing as the baby unfortunately dies, but it shows the author's attempt to remind the reader of the gender roles in this society.
Chapter 12 pg. 83 "And what entitled her anyway, a harami, to pass judgement."
Mariam has had so many struggles against her in her life that she herself looks down upon herself. After looking through Rasheed's things she even feels bad for him after everything he's done against her and sees herself as nothing.
Chapter 20 pg. 144 "You wouldn't ... Mammy I worry that-"
This quote really showed me the maturity of Laila at her age. She understood the state of her mother after her brothers' deaths and that Fariba could ultimately take her life. It again shows the life of a women as this question didn't even startle her mother at all.
3 Questions
Is Rasheed really a shoemaker, or does he do something else that may fuel his anger every day?
How are women viewed so far in this society?
What does the phrase said by Mariam that the next time he would be signing papers would be in 27 years mean?
Chapters 21-30
3 questions
How trustworthy is this Abdul Sharif guy because he carries big news?
How would Tariq feel if he found out that in a couple of weeks, Laila's parents have died and she has a husband?
How does Mariam feel that Laila is going to marry Rasheed right in front of her?
3 quotes
Chapter 28: "In the morning, the bed was empty."(Hosseini 209)
This is the perfect scenario for Rasheed. The lover of Laila is dead, which allows Rasheed to come in and save the day. Mariam feels distraught after all she has done for Rasheed, but the book goes back to the common theme of Mariam getting the short end with a man.
Chapter 23: "For Mammy, this was the day she had longed for. This brought to fruition all those years of waiting." (Hosseini 103)
I feel like this is a really good part of the book for Mammy. She is very supportive of her country because of the loss of her sons and this is a big win for her and Laila. She gets her mom back by the questions about her and her life that get asked.
Chapter 27:
"Lucky for you, I mean. I dug you out with my own hands (Hosseini 200)
Rasheed has a bit of foreshadowing here as he hints at the upcoming chapter. He says that Laila is lucky that he saved her, but he plans on marrying her too. We know he is angry that Mariam never gave him a son, so he plans on getting that son from Laila.
Chapters 1-10
3 Quotes
Chapter 2 pg.8 "To Jalil and his wives, I was a pokeroot."
This book starts off with multiple shots taken at Jalil from Nana. She tries to get Mariam to feel the same way she does about him. However, this is countered by Jalil's love he shows Mariam.
Chapter 5 pg.27 "I'm the only one who loves you. I'm all you have in this world, Mariam, and when I'm gone you'll have nothing."
Nana looks as if she is barely holding on to her daughter so she tries to yell at her, but immediately after she feels bad and goes to guilt. It makes me wonder if her child was a boy instead of a girl, how Nana would treat him.
Chapter 1 pg.4 "An heirloom-breaking, clumsy little harami."
I feel like Nana will have common occurrences like this where she goes off on her daughter that she claims is all that she has. The author demonstrates that a "harami" is very looked down upon and for her mother to call her this is eye opening to read.
3 Questions
Does Jalil really love Mariam?
Why does every conversation with Nana end up with her hating on something about Jalil?
Why is Nana so against Mariam going to school?
Chapters 31-40
3 questions
Do you think Laila and Mariam's new friendship genuinely scares Rasheed?
Do you think that when Laila has to get a caesarian, Mariam feels that she might not make it because of the doctors that aren't allowed to give antibiotics to women?
Would Rasheed's treatment of Laila be better if she didn't try to escape before she gave birth to a boy, which seems like all Rasheed wants?
3 quotes
Chapter 34: "Oh your father was handsome, Aziza" (Hosseini 245)
Since Laila and Tariq were not married, this makes Aziza a harami. Aziza doesn't know it, but Tariq is really her father and she would be very looked down upon just as Mariam was.
Chapter 31: ""I wouldn't have fed you and washed you and
nursed you if I'd known you were going to turn around and steal my husband." (Hosseini 226)
Mariam has matured and aged substantially since she married Rasheed and you can tell she is really heartbroken. Laila was a girl she nursed and fed after the rocket hit, and the last thing she expected was for Laila to take her husband.
Chapter 36: "If you send us back, there is no saying what he will do to us." (Hosseini 266)
This part of the book is really sad because of what has already happened to Laila and especially Mariam. They had a glimmer of hope but the man they trusted their lives with, ultimately did what men are supposed to do towards women in this society and turn them in.
Chapters 41-51
3 questions
How does Zalmai feel that Tariq isn't the same type of father that Rasheed is?
Why does Zalmai snitch on his mother about Tariq coming back and all that they do?
How would Jalil have felt about Mariam's actions of killing Rasheed?
3 quotes
Chapter 50: "That you might find it in your heart to come and see your father." (Hosseini 406
Jalil wasn't present for majority of the book, and the parts he was apart of, he ruined Mariam's life. However, I still feel bad for him because he lost so much and he just wanted to see his daughter again, which never happened.
Chapter 47: "One last time, Mariam did as she was told." (Hosseini 371)
Mariam was always being told what to do her entire life and it continues until the end of her life. Though she felt that she had made her life legitimate from her illegitimate beginnings, she was still a women in a society that wasn't for women.
Chapter 46: "I've deprived your son of his father." (Hosseini 358)
Mariam knows what she did was right because if she didn't kill Rasheed he would have killed them both, however she can't help herself from feeling sorry for Zalmai. Mariam knows that she has to turn herself in to at least make Zalmai's life a little bit better.
Final Thoughts
1 reflection
Overall, I enjoyed the book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Mariam was hard not to like from the beginning and I really felt for her when she died the way she did at the end. It was unexpected that the main character would die, but she was replaced with Laila, who shared the same type of character that Mariam had. Even though Jalil was a bad father to Mariam at the beginning of the book, I ended up feeling his pain that he wanted to see his daughter one last time but could not. I was also happy when Tariq came back to Laila even though he was supposedly dead. I think Laila and Tariq's family will be fine and that Zalmai will get used to his new dad.
3 questions
What is the overall message the author is trying to send about men's lives in the Afghanistan?
How would the book have been different if Mariam had ever given birth to a boy?
How would Jalil feel about the life Mariam ended up living?
3 quotes
Chapter 31: ""I wouldn't have fed you and washed you and
nursed you if I'd known you were going to turn around and steal my husband." (Hosseini 226)
Chapter 1: "Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a women."(Hosseini 7)
Chapter 47: "One last time, Mariam did as she was told." (Hosseini 371)