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"A Thousand Splendid Suns" (Final Reflection ("But,…
"A Thousand Splendid Suns"
Chapters 1-10
Quote 2: " 'I cut the cord between us myself. That's why I had a knife.' " (Chapter 2, pg 11)
This quote explains Nana's side of the story of Miriam's birth and part of the struggle that she had to go through, supposedly being alone. She explains earlier on the pain that she went through and how she was there for 2 days trying to deliver her with no aid, though Jalil says this is not the truth.
Quote 3: "Nana yelled at the boys as she carried the bags of rice inside, and called them names Miriam didn't understand. She cursed their mothers, made hateful faces at them. The boys never returned the insults." (Chapter 3, pg 14)
This quote shows how rather than taking her anger out on the people that caused the problems, she takes it out on the people who are just simply trying to help her and bring her the things she needs. Miriam doesn't understand why this is because she doesn't see anything the boys are doing as wrong but sometimes, she plays along with it to please Nana.
Quote 1: " 'A weed,' Nana said. 'Something you rip out and toss aside.' " (Chapter 2, pg 8)
This quote describes how Nana feels that Jalil and the other people associated with him treat her in her mind. She goes on to say that even Miriam was treated as if she was one too before she was even born, she just never got to witness it. This shows a sort of grudge that Nana has against them because of it.
Question 1
Who do you think is telling the truth about Miriam's birth and the other contrasting stories her parents tell?
Theme
Question 2
Why do you think Nana is so selective with the visitors?
Characters
Question 3
Why do you think Nana takes her anger out on Miriam's half brothers yet she's so polite around Jalil?
Culture or Gender norms
Chapters 11-20
Quote 1: "He half smiled, and it seemed to Miriam that this was a smile meant only for her. A private, married smile." (Chapter 11, pg 74)
This quote shows how Rasheed and Miriam's marriage becomes something that Miriam likes and accepts. It also shows how Miriam feels as if he genuinely cared for her.
Quote 2: "Every time the bus bucked over a pothole and jerked forward, his hand shot protectively over her belly." (Chapter 13, pg 86)
This quote is showing how Rasheed's want to protect Miriam from the outside world doubles when she gets pregnant with their first child. He begins to watch the things that happen to her closer and doing everything in his power to keep her safe.
Quote 3: "Then he was gone, leaving Miriam to spit out pebbles, blood, and the fragments of two broken molars." (Chapter 15, pg 104)
This quote shows the anger that Rasheed began to feel towards Miriam after the fact that she couldn't conceive a child the times they tried so he begins to take his anger out on her. He finds every little thing to yell at her about including her cooking, her cleaning and her questioning.
Question 1: Theme
How do you think Miriam's experience with having to chew the pebbles can represent her coming of age moment?
Question 2: Characters
How do you think Laila's mothers words towards her care for Laila versus her care for her 2 sons will affect her in the future?
Question 3: Culture or Gender norms
How do you think people looked at Miriam out in public when she wasn't looking upon seeing her in her burqa?
Chapters 21-30
Quote 2: "With it, she punctured the pad of her index finger. Then she lifted the blanket and let her finger bleed on the sheets where they had lain together." (Chapter 30, page 197)
This shows how she was remembering the time she had with Tariq and somewhat "authenticate" that time. She was trying to make it feel the way it had felt with Tariq.
Quote 3: "But, miraculously, something of her former life remained, her last link to the person she had been before she had become so utterly alone. A part of Tariq still alive inside her, sprouting tiny arms, growing translucent hands." (Chapter 30)
This shows the realization of her pregnancy and what she has to do to cover it all up. She has to pretend that it's Rasheed's child even though deep down she knows the child belongs to Tariq who she loved.
Quote 1: "Giti was dead. Blown to pieces." (Chapter 24, page 161)
This shows how Laila had truly lost almost everyone close to her, even one of her best friends. She was trying to remember her fondly and remember how her life was before.
Why do you think Laila won't marry?
How did Rasheed afford to buy Laila a new ring?
What becomes painfully clear to Miriam after dinner while she's in the kitchen?
Chapters 31-40
"But Aziza only muttered contentedly and dug her face deeper. And when she did that, Miriam swooned." (Hosseini 252)
This quote shows the internal struggle Miriam has with the loss of her own child and now becoming attached to Aziza. It shows the inner mother part of her and the time when she finally starts to partly accept Laila.
"Her war was against Rasheed. The baby was blameless. And there had been enough killing already." (Hosseini 284)
This shows Laila's internal conflict of being unsure of if she believed Rasheed deserved their upcoming child with everything he's done. It shows her decision not to kill the baby before it was born as it had done nothing to deserve it.
"Laila examined Miriam's drooping cheeks, the eyelids that sagged in tired folds, the deep lines that framed her mouth - she saw these things as though she too were looking at someone for the first time." (Hosseini 249)
This quote shows the realization of everything that Miriam had gone through. It also shows a sort of respect Laila had began to gain for Miriam within the household.
What do you think the theme that connects with Laila, Miriam and Aziza's bond is?
Why do you think that after Aziza was born, Miriam finally began to try to get along with Laila?
Why do you think having a son mattered so much to Rasheed?
Chapters 41-51
"Though there had been moments of beauty in it. Miriam knew that life for the most part had not been kind to her." (Hosseini 370)
This shows that even though Miriam knows she has not had the best life, she enjoys the good times she did have. She savors those moments in her mind, now knowing that Laila is happy and free of Rasheed's abuse and he can't hurt anyone else anymore.
What effect do you think murdering Rasheed had on Miriam's metal state?
"Miriam regretted her foolish youthful pride now. She wished now that she had let him in. What would have been the harm to let him in, sit with him, let him say what he'd come to say?"(Hosseini 309)
This shows how later on, Miriam begins to regret the choices she made as a child in turning her father away. Now, in her and her family's moment of need, she could not call on him for help because of it.
Do you think Zalami ever found out the real truth behind what happened to his father?
"She thought of Aziza's stutter, and of what Aziza has said earlier about fractures and powerful collisions deep down and how sometimes all we see on the surface is a slight tremor." (Hosseini 326)
This quote shows the fondness at which Laila thought of her daughter with even in those moments of sadness. In those moments where she was leaving her child in the care of others because she had no other choice.
How do you think Aziza felt upon knowing her real father was alive and able to make her mother happy?
Final Reflection
"But, miraculously, something of her former life remained, her last link to the person she had been before she had become so utterly alone. A part of Tariq still alive inside her, sprouting tiny arms, growing translucent hands." (Chapter 30)
"Her war was against Rasheed. The baby was blameless. And there had been enough killing already." (Hosseini 284)
"Then he was gone, leaving Miriam to spit out pebbles, blood, and the fragments of two broken molars." (Chapter 15, pg 104)
Why do you think having a son mattered so much to Rasheed?
How do you think Aziza felt upon knowing her real father was alive and able to make her mother happy?
How do you think Miriam's experience with having to chew the pebbles can represent her coming of age moment?
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is a book about the struggles of Miriam and Laila during the Afghanistan war. I really enjoyed the book however, I didn't enjoy all the gruesome details that were told. I thought the story was highly interesting but this is not a story I could see myself reading normally.