A Thousand Splendid Suns Part II (Laila's Story)

2/24/2017

These images could depict some of the main plot points of Part II of A Thousand Splendid Suns. While these moments are important, they are by no means the only significant points in these chapters.
After having read these chapters:
-Select a single passage (this may be a single paragraph or several) that you feel best typifies the action and Hosseini's authorial intent in this section of ATSS.
-Explain the action and context of the quoted passage (you must cite the passage) and then,
-Explain how your understanding of this passage (1) supports your understanding, (2) deepens the character development, and/or (3) builds a central message that aligns with one of the unit's essential questions.

Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the scientists's name that you selected in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by the end of Saturday night!

Secondary Blog Response Expectations (read everyone's primary responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the Poet's name that you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by the start of class on Monday!

William Woodsworth

2/24/2017 11:46:19 am

A Thousand Splendid Suns shows how the main characters’—Mariam and Laila—see and feel about their family and how they both face the loss of their families—whether it be being whisked away in an arranged marriage or having their family being blown to pieces by a rocket. But for Laila, she had trouble feeling the loss of family members that were essentially “Kings in a history book” (Hosseini 140) to her, people she only heard about but never really saw. When attending the fatiha and seeing everyone filled with despair over the loss of Ahmad and Noor—Laila’s older brothers—she admits that he she had difficulties feeling anything for people “[She] had never really thought of as alive in the first place” (Hosseini 140). She feels that because she never really interacted with them and she never really spent time with them that Laila can’t call Ahmad and Noor family. But she does have a brother, and that brother is Tariq. She feels a connection with Tariq as she reminisces about how it was he who “Taught her cuss words in Pashto, who liked salted clover leaves...who had a light pink birthmark just beneath his left collarbone…” (Hosseini 140). We see that Laila cherishes and values the time she spends with others and feels that this is what defines family to her rather than if a person is related by blood. So to her, her brother has never died and is still with her. And as this part continues we see that she spends more time with her mother and father and starts to form a connection with them, but unfortunately her entire family is taken away from her as her brother moves away and her parents are hit by a rocket.
Word Count: 291 words

SKIII

2/26/2017 11:00:15 pm

Do you think that Laila will be able to reconnect with Tariq after the rocket killed her family, or will this event leave her stranded in Afghanistan without him? I feel that she will find a way to reconnect with him with the help of Mariam, who she meets at the end of part two. Laila's love for Tariq far surpasses her love for her family, so I believe that she will be determined to leave the country and reconnect with him. She no longer has any reason to stay in Afghanistan, so I think that she will escape the fighting to find Tariq or she will die trying.

Paloroan

2/27/2017 07:57:53 am

I agree that Laila cherishes and values the time she spends with others and that this defines family for her. Being related by blood doesn't make them family because they are not people she can see and she didn't a relationship with them that she could feel. Throughout Laila's part of the novel, the tone is drastically different than in the first part. It feels lighter in most parts, and people are described in greater detail. Readers are able to more understand their personalities and traits. I think that this is because this is how Laila views people. She feels a deeper connection with the people in her life; the author wants readers to become immersed in her world. Once we have all gotten attached to the characters just as she has, they are taken away from her and the readers as well. (143 words)

Jennifer Garner

2/27/2017 07:25:03 pm

I believe spending time within an adolescent’s life is crucial to whether a bond will form or not. When family is absent for a long period of time it makes it harder for that person to be close to each other like family should be. Unfortunately, Laila is put in this position since her brothers went to war, and she doesn't really feel as if they're family. However, she does respect them. I also think that since her brothers have died more pressure is going to be put on her to be the best she can be. Even though her mother might have favored them a little more than she, she still knows that she is the only child that her parents have left.

Jasper Fforde

2/25/2017 11:06:57 pm

In A Thousand Splendid Suns the author in this part of the book is to connect the pieces as to how Laila and Mariam meet by telling her story. In a middle of the war Laila and her family are trying to survive while battling their every day war in life. I connect Mariam and Laila as similar when the author writes, “'You go then, then. But peace is coming, and I, for one, am going to wait for it’...'Shes agreed!’ he said, his voice tremulous with suppressed excitement. 'We’re leaving, Laila. All three of us. We're leaving Kabul’”(Hosseini 177-188). I find both Mariam and Laila's stories similar and ironic because Mariam was trying to find something in Jalil and she went against what her mother said so the mother died and she ends up in an unpleasant situation. With Laila, her and her father's dreams of leaving Kabul made them convince Mammy to let them leave and as they were trying to leave there house blows up leaving Laila all alone in the same situation as Mariam, when in the beginning the mother told them they shouldn't leave. I think this passage was included because it shows that the characters dreams clouded there thoughts and it backfires on them. It shows how Laila and Mariam come together because of their tragedies that they were placed upon similarly. WC 230

Robert Hayden

2/26/2017 09:21:07 pm

I believe the Irony in their story is that while their mothers were alive both Laila and Mariam were ignorant to their feelings and now that both mothers are dead they have been enlightened. When Mariam’s mom was alive Mariam did not believe anything she told her about Jalil. She did not understand why her mother did not get along with Jalil nor why she would tell her all those awful things about the world. Then her mother died and Mariam is experiencing all of those things. Same with Laila who found it to difficult to grieve the death of her brothers alongside them. She did not understand the pain of losing a loved one until her parents were blown to pieces.
Word count:122

William Woodsworth

2/26/2017 09:35:20 pm

While I like how you drew similarities between Mariam and Laila’s circumstances, I feel like the prospect of “characters dreams clouded there thoughts and it backfires on them” doesn’t entirely add up on Laila’s part. While yes, Mariam’s dream to leave Afghanistan and reunite with Tariq led to a hasty moving out, I don’t think the missile attack that followed was the fault of their actions. To me it feel more like they’ll connect because they both know the feeling of having everything they love be taken away from them in an instant rather than paying the consequences of their misguided actions.
Word Count: 102 words

George Orwell

2/27/2017 12:28:39 am

I completely agree with your response because we both have the same general idea of what the authors purpose is and how the two characters connect because they do. That is essentially the author's purpose of incorporating part two. I really liked how you mentioned, " I think this passage was included because it shows that the characters dreams clouded there thoughts and it backfires on them" because I didn't think about it that way. Both are very dreamy and you could say that this is how the author builds the characters in his novel. The girls are too busy dreaming that they do no realized the bad outcomes that could arise. words: 111

SKIII

2/26/2017 11:38:49 am

"She changed into black again, went into her room, shut the curtains, and pulled the blanket over her head" (Hosseini 172). This quote displays the end of Mammy's false hope in the end of chapter 23. Najibullah had surrendered a few days before and Mammy threw a party to celebrate the Afghanistan's victory. After years of depression, she was finally cured. This joy that overwhelmed Mammy after the victory was important because it symbolized her sons' contributions in the war. They had given their lives to make Afghanistan a better place to live. However, a few days after victory, the Mujahideen begin fighting against themselves. Once one war was over, they began a new war that was even worse. Mammy's happiness was cut short, and she crawls back into her depression. Suddenly, her sons' sacrifices meant nothing to the country. By doing this, we see that Mammy's only care in life is that her sons' deaths be rewarded by peace in Afghanistan. She cannot bring herself to leave the country and betray her sons. She realizes that staying in Afghanistan is only putting the rest of her family in danger when it is too late. While packing to leave their home, a missile hits.

George Orwell

2/27/2017 01:34:11 am

Well worded. I believe that Mammy was also proud of her sons because as a women, it is very difficult to fight for what you want so having her sons take a part in the war is kind of sending her own representatives to fight for her. I think that Mammy is too caught up in her own "dreams" and "clouds" that she also got "hit" with it in the end. No matter what the circumstances are women will be prideful of their country no matter where they come from even though they have limited rights because that is where they grew up and were built. words: 106

Paloroan

2/27/2017 07:45:32 am

I agree that her joy caused by the victory was because it symbolized her sons' contribution in the war. She was already in a state of depression after they had gone off to fight, but once she found out that they had died, her depression progressed. She retreated further into a world of her own. She wasn't being a mother to her daughter or a wife to her husband. When the war had stopped, she believed that everything that had hurt her would go away. When it began again, this time closer than before, she realized that that same pain would come back. The darkness that had taken over her was not gone. There was nothing to show for her sons' effort. (122 words)

The A in ABC

2/27/2017 10:27:26 am

I also believe that mammy cannot leave her sons behind in Afghanistan and leave them to rest in a place that consists of no peace. It is almost like Mammy is living her life through what her sons had made for themselves. Mammy’s sons fought in the war and it was their duty to fight for their country. However, it almost seems like in Mammy’s eyes she should have been the one fighting and dead rather than them. I don’t understand why she can’t leave this behind and just go with her new family. It is almost like she doesn’t want her daughter as long as her sons are dead.

Magaret Atwood

3/29/2017 11:07:21 am

I agree with the fact that Mammy was excited about Afghanistan's victory because her sons were a huge contribution to it, and due to the fact that they were a part of the 'history' of the country, her love for it's happiness was based on the love she had for her sons. I also agree with the point that Mammy's happiness was cut short when a new war was started and her sons' sacrifice were no longer taken into consideration or 'cherished' because it makes sense that since she was devoted to being supportive of the country based on her sons' sacrifice she would no longer be happy and support the country when all her sons did are now in 'vain'.

The A in ABC

2/26/2017 06:08:50 pm

“So she let him kiss her, and when he pulled back she leaned in and kissed him, heart pounding in her throat, her face tingling, a fire burning in the pit of her belly” (Hosseini 176). At this point in the novel, Laila, and her best friend of late, Tariq have grown older and they have started to gain feelings for one another as they’ve grown with age. They soon realize that after some while they both feel the same and then all of a sudden they begin to kiss one another. I believe that Hosseini added this section into the novel to show the independence that Laila believes she has in this type of world. She believes that she can go out and get with any guy that she wants to. However, during this time period, women were not allowed to do such a thing. However, since he made Laila disobedient towards this type of subject it shows the idea of creating a very independent character. This allows us to see that Laila is going to be someone who could possibly be very strong minded and outspoken. She will not listen to whatever society believes and she will do what she thinks is best. This allows us to grow interest into the type of character she is and makes us believe that we too can stand up to society’s standards. I believe that this scene really starts to begin to foreshadow women’s independence in Afghanistan. Something so small as a kiss to someone you want can lead to a whole revolution.

Linda Pastan

2/27/2017 07:54:56 pm

I really agree with your interpretation of Laila. She is kind of the one who "goes against the flow" when it comes to gender roles. We really see a different kind of woman in this section as her role is very opposite to Mariam. However, since she has lost all of her family and her world has turned upside down, do you think she'll lose the independence that she was taught to have, or will she soon be deprived of that freedom?

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

2/27/2017 10:51:16 pm

I do not agree with your reasoning to why the author included that statement in the novel rather than including it show Laila’s independence I believe he includes more as a way to give contrast to Mariam the life she lived when with her mother. She does have that teenage mentality that she is free to love whoever but she does not believe she can get whoever she wants since from the start of part two it was evident she only has eyes for Tariq. Also I do not believe Laila is disobedient because she never disobeys her parents whenever they tell her to get an education or take care of Babi when Mammy was depressed. A better way of phrasing it is that Laila’s parents do not follow the social norms when it comes to raising daughters. I do agree however when you say she is very strong minded because her education has allowed her to feel empowered.

Linda Pastan

2/26/2017 06:33:46 pm

The second part of the book, Laila story is told. We can already see a difference between her family and Mariam’s. Laila has a family that is all together, however, throughout the section, she loses her brothers and her mother always seems to be down. Despite her troubles in her house, she always turns to Tariq in her hard times. His family is very accepting and brings in Laila with open arms. An explanation of this is, “Her times in Tariq’s family always felt natural to Laila, effortless, uncomplicated by differences in tribe or language, or by the personal spites and grudges that infected the air at her own home” (Hosseini 130-131). We know a theme in this story is the importance of family. In Mariam’s part, her family was separated and she was trapped knowing she was a bastard child. When she tried to get away from home, everything went wrong and she was given up for marriage. When Laila’s home was troubled, she could easily go to Tariq for a sanctuary. Tariq’s is already on the move out of Afghanistan. Laila’s family leaves the day after, but is stopped by a blast that kills her whole family. Just like Mariam, everything that Laila has is lost. They now relate to each other because they don’t have anyone to lean on. At the end of the section, “the long faced woman is standing over her looking down” (Hosseini 195). This shows how Mariam is the first person to be by Laila’s side and this will be the start of the family connection that they will soon create.
(268)

SKIII

2/26/2017 10:53:03 pm

I think that Laila meeting Mariam will end up being a life changing experience for both of them. They have both lost their family and have nothing on their own, so maybe they will be able to start a better life together. I think that Mariam will learn that she does not have to be complacent to Rasheed and will begin to fight back against his harsh treatment or leave him. I also think that Mariam may be able to help Laila leave the country and find Tariq. Both characters will find hope and independence in each other.

The A in ABC

2/27/2017 10:31:34 am

I like the idea of family being a big concept and theme throughout this novel and what the possibilities it could possibly bring throughout the novel. We first see in Mariam’s family that family is almost non-existent and it is sort of the idea of fending for yourself. Then in Laila’s situation it is definitely better but not to the level in which it should be. I predict that Laila and Mariam’s situations will bring them together and closer than they already are. I believe that they will be able to bond together and form a relationship that will enable them to build a good and well qualified family for one another.

Paloroan

2/26/2017 07:33:20 pm

“How long had she waited… the irony crushed her” (184). Tariq had finally told Laila that he loved her; she had waited forever to hear that from him. Now that she had heard it, it was possibly one of the worst things. He wanted her to come with him to leave the country, but she could not leave her family. He pleaded outside of her door afterwards, and they were both clearly emotionally hurt. They loved each other, but they both knew that Laila could not just abandon her loved ones. She was all that her father had left at that time. Her mother was in an unstable state and in a world of her own ever since her sons had died. If Laila were to leave, her father would be alone. If he were to lose her, there would be nothing to stop him from ending up just like her mother. Throughout Laila’s story, her loyalty to her family was always shown. This quote shows the extent to which she cares for them. She was willing to give up the one thing that she wanted her entire life. She put her own happiness aside for the well-being of her family. (201 words)

Robert Hayden

2/26/2017 09:35:10 pm

I found that particular part very interesting because apart from the family difference between Laila and Mariam that is one of the biggest difference between them character rise. Even though the fathers are different in the role they play in the girls lives, the girls are closer to the fathers. Although Laila’s mother isn’t really much of a mother to her, she still loves her and want to care of her and protect her. In that passage Tariq is offering her a way out, for them to leave together and she denied him. She loves Tariq but will not abandon her mother for him. While Mariam is the opposite of that. She had no trouble leaving her mother for Jalil even though the mother pleaded and begged her not to.
Word count :130

Jennifer Garner

2/27/2017 07:12:42 pm

It's interesting to me that Laila didn't leave because in Mariam's story her parent had to make her leave with her new husband. In Mariam’s situation it was natural for a younger girl to leave the family, and fulfill her duties as a wife. However, this situation is totally different. Laila decides that the man of her dreams isn't as important as her family, and ultimately stays home. This shows a huge contrast between each of the stories. I also agree that this proves that Laila is loyal to her family above all things. Therefore, the values carried within each family differs.
103 words

Magaret Atwood

3/29/2017 11:19:36 am

This is very important and I noticed one of Laila's characteristics while reading part II. I noticed that Laila was a very committed character who was also submissive in any situation she found herself in. In this particular time of her life when she had to choose between how to basically live in the coming years and what decision would be beneficial to her, she showed how committed she is and how much love she had for her family. Even with Tariq, she exhibited this characteristic of love and commitment when he had to travel and leave her. She was not excited about it because of the kind of good relationship she had with him.

Robert Hayden

2/26/2017 08:54:29 pm

In part two of ATSS Hosseini tell the story of a young girl named Laila who live with her mother and father. She has two brothers but they left to fight in the war when she was two. To her, they are complete strangers. When her family got the news that they were dead Laila found it very difficult to feel sad for them. “ It was hard to feel, really feel Mammy’s loss. Hard to summon sorrow, to grieve the deaths of people Laila had never really thought of as alive in the first place”(140). Here Laila’s family had suffered this great pain but she could not understand their grief. She could not understand mama’s sorrow. At the end of her story, her parents are blown to death and Laila finally understood their grief. “ Then a giant roar. Behind her, a flash of white. The ground lurched beneath her feet. Something hot and powerful slammed into her from behind.”(193). A rocket or a weapon of some sort it her house and blew her parents to pieces just as they were preparing to leave the neighborhood. Losing her parents like that will help Laila understand why Mammy basically withdrew herself from the world after her brothers died. I think in this section the author want us to realize how Mariam’s and Laila’s story align. When her mother was alive Mariam found it to difficult to understand her and to believe her Just as Laila could not sympathize with her mother.
Word count:251

William Woodsworth

2/26/2017 09:52:59 pm

I think that while both Mariam and Laila will learn to understand their mother’s behaviors, I think that they’ll both also endure the pain that their circumstances have brought them to: and they’ll endure through each other. We’ve seen that Rasheed is a horrible, abusive, and manipulative husband so we should expect him to be the same to Laila. But I feel as if both Mariam and Laila will learn from Nana’s teachings of enduring what the world throws at them and connect. And by becoming close with each other, I think that they will find a way to leave Rasheed and move on from their tragedies.
Word Count: 107 words

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

2/27/2017 10:35:45 pm

I completely agree with you in the first statement! i had never noticed how the girls questioned their mothers behavior but are now going through the same thing, i believe this will help them grow and develop through part three and four because we will be able to see how their losses and reflections shapes them into the women they are meant to become. Losing their families will definitely give them something to connect to and possibly the strength to fight back rasheed's abusive ways. Their experiences will help them because since they survived one horrible time in their life, they will the courage to do it a second time.

Jasper Fforde

2/26/2017 10:11:19 pm

I agree with your response and I believe that with the knowledge they didn't understand when their parents were alive they will come together and use this to move forward in their lives. Mariam believed that Jalil was good despite her mothers stories and because of this her life took a bad turn and she finally understands why her mother wanted her to stay with her and not go to Jalil but she didnt listen. And Laila couldnt find herself to feel grief or pain for people she didnt know that well which were her brothers. She didnt understand why her mother locked herself away from the world until she lost her parents. And with these tragic events Mariam and Laila share a common understanding. wc 125

Ray Bradbury

3/3/2017 11:22:36 am

I agree that Mammy and Babi's death will affect Laila greatly but I don't think that this is the event that will help her feel Mammys loss because Mammy worshipped her brothers, and while Laila shows great love for her parents, she doesn't show that kind of worship for them. I feel that the loss of her parents will help Laila to become stronger and help her understand Mariam's story because she like Mariam is now alone, without her mother or father to protect her. This loss will strengthen the bond between the two women. I feel like something else will help Laila understand her mothers grief. W.C 104 words

Jennifer Garner

2/26/2017 08:55:32 pm

Chapter 26, page 180 states, "Three days before, Laila had gone outside...this latest could cost her her remaining one" (Hosseini 180). Within this passage the author reflects on Laila's experience a couple days before when she was almost hit by a bullet. Fortunately, she wasn't hit, but her mother was hit with an awakening of what's really happening in Kabul. She was too busy being depressed that about the Soviets that she couldn't see that her family was in true danger. This provides character development of Mammy. In the past, we've mostly seen her depressed ways and we haven't been able to see her be a true mother. She has lost two sons in the past, so I expected her to be more protective over her family. In the next passage she even feels guilty for what she has done. They've taken care of her and tried to convince her for so long, but she wouldn't listen. Hopefully Mammy will keep this in mind when traveling to Pakistan. When she travels she will see more kaoss that couldn't possibly revert her back to the old state in which she was before. Overall, Mammy is able to develop into a true mother that's able to care for her family and grow out of her selfish ways.
210 words

Jasper Fforde

2/26/2017 10:18:34 pm

I too do believe that Mammy has developed and changed since the beginning of the book from being depressed and oblivious to more aware of what she misses when she locks herself away from her family. However it’s ironic that when she finally realizes that they are not safe she is taken away from Laila and the mother Laila was about to have is nonexistent any longer. However I disagree that Mammy has developed into a "true mother" because she missed a lot of Laila’s life, and to just decide that they must move does not make her a true mother it just makes her more aware. Unfortunately we won’t be able to see Mammy develop into a true mother like she probably wanted because throughout part 2, Laila was the mother figure in the house. wc 136

George Orwell

2/27/2017 12:20:49 am

A authors always has an intention on why they incorporate things into their writing and Hosseini included this passage, "The government had sponsored literacy classes for all women...and burqa and accompanied by men,"( Hosseini 135) to allow the readers to see the correlation the two characters,Laila and Mariam. The purpose of the author's novel is to tie all if the stories to one another because even in part 2, Laila sees Mariam. However, the other reason in why Hosseini incorporates this passage to talk about one of his themes on how women in other countries do not have the luxury that others get due to their gender and limited rights. Both of their mothers gave some wise words to their daughters about what's it like to be a women in their time and what they need to understand. It also gives more room for the characters to be more developed later on in the story because when both of their mothers are lecturing their daughters, it shows the little knowledge they have about the world and that they further on will experience the things that their mothers used to talk to them about. It's a foreshadow to their lives. When both of their mothers pass, the two start to take a different role for themselves and in the novel based on the determined and serious tone that the author uses. words: 231

Linda Pastan

2/27/2017 08:45:09 pm

I like how you focused on women's roles in your post. I also liked how you included the idea of character development. There is definitely a contrast between those characters and it goes to show the differences within the Afghani culture. Laila and Mariam will soon be brought together and their differences will soon be known and maybe even be embraced.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

2/27/2017 10:22:25 pm

In part two of ATSS we follow the life of Laila and her family, during this section of the book we learn that Laila’s two brothers have died in war. Mammy has gone into a great depression for the loss of her sons and Babi misses them dearly however, Laila cannot relate to her parents in their time of grief because she has truly never met them. When trying to consulate her mother in bed the author states “[Laila]…she would never leave her mark on Mammy’s heart the way her brothers had, because Mammy’s heart was like a pallid beach where Laila’s footprints would forever wash away beneath the waves of sorrow that swelled and crashed, swelled and crashed (144).” Hosseini includes this statement to give the reader a better idea of the life afghan girls had to live. They are not valued as much as sons since they have to be married off, constantly taken care of, and taught the basic household skills. This quotes connects to the theme of family in the story because they are broken apart by the war. At the end Laila is left completely alone after a stray rocket hit her home and kills her parents. “something hot and powerful slammed into her from behind. It knocked her out of her sandals. Lifted her up. And now she was flying, twisting. And rotating in the air, seeing sky, and earth then sky, then earth (194).” This quote makes good literature because it is very detailed when describing what happens to Laila that way the reader can get a better image of the setting and understand how awful the impact truly was.

Ray Bradbury

3/3/2017 11:34:12 am

I really liked the first quote that you chose because I feel like the details that Hosseni puts into it really gives us a vivid picture of Laila's true feelings. I also agree with your statement about the treatment Afghani women because here we see Laila being treated as an after thought by her mother because she is a girl and is unable to carry on the name like Fariba told Mariam in the first part of the book. The fact that a mother would push her child to the side because she doesn't feel like she posseses the capabilities of her other children baffles me. W.C 106 words

Ray Bradbury

3/2/2017 09:01:24 pm

One quote that I think best typifies Section 2 of ATSS is “I know you’re still young, but I want you to understand and learn this now…. Marriage can wait, education cannot. You’re a very, very bright girl. Truly, you are. You can be anything you want, Laila…. I know that when this war is over, Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men, maybe even more" (Hosseni 114). Lailas Babi says this to Laila, and it is very different from what Mammy says to Mariam in the first part. He doesn't want Laila to just sit back and let things be, he wants her to go out and use her education that she has gotten to better her surroundings.This causes Laila to value herself for more than her wifely duties, while Mariam only values herself as a bastard child who nobody really wants. Hosseni parallels the girls stories to show life on the different ends of the spectrum. I feel that this will impact how the women react to the falling world around them and how they will be able to cope with the losses they have experienced thus far. Each womans upbringing will make them stronger and will further help them to strengthen each other. W.C 210

Margaret Atwood

3/29/2017 07:26:37 am

"The girl was looking back as if waiting for Mariam to pass on some morsel of wisdom, to say something encouraging.../ Mariam remembered the day they’d buried Nana and how little comfort she had found when Mullah Faizullah had quoted the Koran for her". This quote I believe was used to emphasize how similar both ladies were in terms of issues. As Laila arrived to Rasheed's home and would always grieve, she expected to receive some comfort from the "older" lady who was in the house, which is Mariam. However, Mariam herself remembered herself in that particular situation as well, and since she did not have any one to provide her that empathetic relationship, she could neither offer it to Laila but by the 'grace' of memory, she was able to remember the inspirational quotes Mullah used to read to her. Which she taught would have been helpful. Laila's character develops here as she suddenly moves from having a lavish life to going into complete emotional "suffering".

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A Thousand Splendid Suns Part II (Laila's Story)

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