This image could depict Mariam at peace in the final chapter of Part 3.2 of A Thousand Splendid Suns. While this moment is important, it is no means the only significant point in these chapters.
Shahmir
4/6/2018 10:34:20 pm
“Laila crawled to her and again put her head on Mariam's lap. She remembered all the afternoons they'd spent together, braiding each other's hair, Mariam listening patiently to her random thought and ordinary stories with an air of gratitude, with the expression of a person to whom a unique and coveted privilege had been extended” (Hosseini 358).
Rashanak
4/11/2018 10:15:51 am
t is interesting seeing how much Mariam and Laila care about one another. They have a very close bond and shelter each other from the evil with which they reside. It is very sad that Mariam needs to sacrifice herself for her family, but it is necessary in the end. Either way though, the love Mariam finds in Laila and her children seems to be unlike anything she has experienced before. It is heartbreaking that Mariam is going to die to protect all those that she loves and it shows when she has to obey her last order and leave them forever. Reading this, it was obvious there was no better choice, but still, it makes me wish that they could have been in any other country.
Darsameen
4/12/2018 12:23:57 am
I like how you view Mariam and Laila as each others shelter, and if they hadn't lived under the same roof, both women would have been dead by now. Mariam had to endure living with Rasheed and deal with his daily mistreatments, but these two women were willing to get physically abuse in order to protect each other. When Laila first arrived, Mariam couldn't stand her presence but they start to notice that they have both suffered a lot at such a short age.
Mahsheed
4/12/2018 09:28:42 pm
I found it really heartbreaking when Mariam decided to take the fall for his death. Though she was the one who administered the killing blow, it was well deserved and the fact that no one would care about the situation was unfair to me. I agree with you when you say these actions of Mariam truly represent the love that she and Laila have built for each other. They have held each other through thick and thin, they have stood up to Rasheed together, and they have become the foundation that family needs. If they had never developed the relationship they have, who knows what might have happened in the hell they lived in. They had to work together to live through it all. (Word Count: 124)
Mahsheed
4/10/2018 06:47:49 pm
“And so Laila’s life suddenly revolved around finding ways to see Aziza. Half the time, she never made it to the orphanage. Crossing the street, she was spotted by the Taliban...If she was lucky, she was given a tongue-lashing or a single kick to the rear, a shove in the back. Other times, she met with assortments of wooden clubs, fresh tree branches, short whips, slaps, often fists” (Hosseini 321).
Kiriana
4/10/2018 09:54:51 pm
“‘Kneel here, hamshira. And look down.’ One last time, Mariam did as she was told.” -Hosseini 371
Rashanak
4/11/2018 10:05:37 am
It's amazing how much she cares for her family. It is apparent that she cares a great deal for those who are actually family to her, just like the child she thought she would have when she was younger. What I think is interesting though is that we all say Mariam was defending her family, yet in reality, the only person in her household who would be considered her family is Rasheed. It's interesting though that we see more of a family dynamic between Laila and Mariam, and I think that Khaled Hosseini did that on purpose. He shows a lot of interesting viewpoints in this novel, so it only makes sense that he would also want our family to only be together because of their oppressor.
Shahmir
4/11/2018 11:31:04 pm
When Mariam had the guts to kill Rasheed, I was absolutely proud. Not only did she build up the courage to do everything in her power to save Laila, she offered to turn herself in so that she could protect Laila and her children. Although Rasheed’s intentions were to kill Laila, no superior could let Mariam do such a crime of killing him, without having her killed in return. In fact, Mariam knew this before she decided to admit to her wrongs, but she did this so that Laila’s children could have the best life with her, and so Laila could be happy with Tariq. Mariam knew that if she was to stay, they would’ve discovered the crime, and hunt down both Mariam and Laila. To go down to protect the ones Mariam cared about the most really highlighted her morals and personality, and made her a bigger and better person that she was seen as prior to that moment.
Rashanak
4/11/2018 10:00:38 am
"Had Mariam been certain that he would be satisfied with shooting only her, that there was a chance he would spare Laila, she might have dropped the shovel. But in Rasheed's eyes she saw murder for them both [...] And, with that, Mariam brought down the shovel. This time, she gave it everything she had" (Hosseini 349)
Darsameen
4/12/2018 12:14:09 am
I also believe Mariam has come a long way, from being a little girl who was being hidden from the world to a strong woman who is determined to protect those she loves. It s amazing how Mariam had the courage to end the life of the man who only made her suffer. As we can see, Mariam is capable of being a confident woman, but all she needed was a reason to fight for. In my opinion, Laila and her children were the main reason Mariam decided to kill Rasheed. She was willing to put her life at risk in order to secure a better life for the people she loves.
Darsameen
4/11/2018 11:59:16 pm
“Laila loved the moist kisses Zalmai planted on her cheeks, loved his dimpled elbows and stout little toes. She loved tickling him, building tunnels with cushions and pillows for him to crawl through, watching him fall asleep in her arms with one of his hands always clutching her ear. Her stomach turned when she thought of that afternoon, lying on the floor with the spoke of a bicycle wheel between her legs. How close she’d come. It was unthinkable to her now that she could have even entertained the idea. Her son was a blessing, and Laila was relieved to discover that her fears had proved baseless, that she loved Zalmai with the marrow of her bones, just as she did Aziza” (Hosseini 295).
Mahsheed
4/12/2018 09:19:30 pm
I like how you brought up how different the contraception of both Aziza and Zalmai were. Like you said, no woman wants to endure having a child with someone who abuses them constantly. The child can be seen as a burden, and a trap inside a relationship that is not healthy. Laila has learned that Zalmai is just as every bit of her as Aziza is, and that she had nothing to fear in terms of separating her love. I’m very happy Laila didn’t go through with the abortion, because she herself might have gotten extremely damaged, as well as she wouldn’t have another child that she adores. Comments are closed.
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