Thousand Splendid Suns 6

Laila, Mariam, and Aziza make their escape but they’re paranoid about getting caught. “Everywhere [Laila] looked, [she] saw Rasheed.” It was as if he was omnipresent and tormenting her thoughts. A sour attitude is created when she sees him “…coming out of barbershops with windows the color of coal dust…from battered, open fronted stores packed with old tires...” but her mood soon switches  when she is closer to freedom at the train station. She feels “…the warmth of the morning sun, [and feels] giddy and bold…”when she’s looking for the perfect looking man to trust.”False face must hide what the false heart doth know” is one thing Laila must have never learned all the years her father taught her. Maybe the author of Macbeth should have written it sooner because the kind eyed man that agrees to help them turns them in and they get sent home to the torture of a lifetime.

The new rules of Afghanistan had Rasheed’s approval written all over it! Anything a woman or man did wrong was punishable by a beating or loosing of a limb. Laila even agrees with me when Rasheed says he could get rid of Aziza any time he wanted. “Laila shot him a disgusted look. ‘I’m making a point,’ he said. ‘You’re just like them.’”

There is symbolism when Laila should be giving birth but the baby refuses to come out even though it’s time is past due. Just like how her wedding ring was too small, the pen didn’t work to sign the contract, and now they had to literally cut Rasheed’s son out of her womb. Rasheed isn’t the one she should be with; Laila should be with Tariq! It’s always been Tariq, even when she thought him dead. They were friends from the beginning, known by everyone (except themselves at first) that they had feelings for each other, expected to be married, easily and without much thought of the consequences- they had sex, and Laila gave birth to a beautiful baby girl that came out with no fault. Now Tariq is miraculously alive! This story better straighten itself up and have a RIGHT ending!

Thousand Splendid Suns 5

Rasheed treats Laila the same as Mariam when she had her first pregnancy but when they came home with a baby girl Mariam says Laila did worse by giving birth to a girl then having a miscarriage. "Laila passed that winter of 1992 sweepign the house, scrubbign the pumpkin-colored walls of the bedroom she shared with Rasheed..." Why would Rasheed straight out tell Mariam that he's customed to having his own room and give her her own room, yet not even mention that statement to Laila when she moves in?

is it ironic that Aziza (a herami herself) is the one who brought Mariam and Laila together? Ofcourse Laila rescued Mariam from Rasheed when he tried to beat her, but the connection between Mariam and Aziza warms both of their hearts. The night when the two first connect Laila convinces Mariam to have a cup of tea with her. "One cup. They sat on folding chairs outside and ate halwa with their fingers from a common bowl. They had a second cup, and when Laila asked her if she wanted a third Mariam said she did." This shows a well built friendship is in the making. Laila was the main contributer in trying to work things out betweent he two of them, but now Mariam is wanting a friend just as much as Laila.

Thousand Splendid Suns 4

When Tariq and Laila were at the movie talking about how none of them were ever going to get married Tariq states "they'll have to make room for three on teh wedding stage. Me, the bride, and the guy holding the gun to my head." Technically those two were "married" or joined as one when they had sex and later Tariq was bombed and soon after died because of it. Comparing Laila and Tariq to the story of Romeo and Juliet also set their fate as having a relationship that fails and they all eventually die of a broken heart. Laila's road to death has changed though because she dodged it by not being in the house when it was bombed. Also she has Tariq's baby developing in her tummy. Anything and everything bad could happen to Laila and the baby though if someone finds out its not Rasheed's baby. Mariam is more than likely going to have some reaction to Laila giving rasheed a baby when seh wasn't able to. Mariam is already treated like a worthless slave without Rasheed knowing Laila's pregnant, how will seh be treated when he does find out?

Thousand Splendid Suns 3

Rasheed is becoming more and more excluded from Mairam."He didn't look at her...These days, he never did anymore, and Mariam wasn't even sure if she was being spoken to...With each dissapointment, Rasheed had grown more remote and resentful...no matter how thoroughly she submitted to his wants and demands, it wasn't enough...seven times she had failed him-and now she was nothing but a burden to him." Rbasheed: "Now you know what you've given me in this marriage. Bad food, and nothing else."

Laila talks about how her mom favors her sons and how she isn't loved much by her, but in the chapter where Laila is born it describes her as being very beautiful with stunningly blonde hair I thought she'd be the favored one because of her "high quality" looks. When Laila is sitting at her mother's door knocking but she never answers it is saying how her mother wont let anyone in her life anymore. But Laila ends up just walking in. "She would tap on it nad whisper Mammy's name over and over, like a magic chant meant to beak the spell...but Mammy never opened the door. She didn't open it now. Laila turned the knob and walked in." That shows that Laila is going to make herself be a part of her mom's life. Her Mother may not want anyone around but Laila will always be there.

Thousand Splendid Suns 2

Foreshadowing of Rasheed’s power over Mariam is shown when “[Mariam’s] own band was a little tight, but Rasheed had no trouble forcing it over her knuckles.” It foreshadows the first time they had sex and Mariam didn’t want to, the rules in the house, and the clothing Rasheed made her wear over her face in public. Again there is foreshadowing when Rasheed and Mariam are on the bus heading to their new home. “He was squinting out the window…as though something more interesting had caught his eye.” It explains how Mariam is the jewel in his eye for a split second but then he isn’t interested anymore like when they were going to have a baby but then Mariam had a miscarriage.

Rasheed is sexist and rude! “What’s this crying about? Rasheed said crossly…That’s one thing I can’t stand, ‘He said scowling,’ the sound of a woman crying. I’m sorry, I have no patience for it…In his opinion, superstitions were largely a female preoccupation…He went on chewing and staring ahead, and when Mariam spoke to him he looked at her without seeing her face and put another piece of bread in his mouth.” But for some odd reason, Mariam begins to think “Rasheed’s presence was of some comfort…” It seems Rasheed is doing exactly what Jalil did to Mariam. He would give her gifts and make her feel safe but only to try and hide the real person he was underneath. “It was disquieting to her that Rasheed owned [a gun] whose sole purpose was to kill another person. But surely he kept it for their safety. Her safety.