Women In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Within Hosseini’s ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ and Atwood’s ‘The Year of the Flood’, each modern novel’s societies present their central women characters as being enslaved. Whilst each society is entirely different as ‘The Year of the Flood’ is post-apocalyptic and on the other hand ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ follows the ever changing political situation in Afghanistan, they both suggest that women are enslaved. The term ‘enslaved’ is defined as ‘a state of subjugation’ in which the oppressor has control of the oppressed. Arguably, this applies to both the central women characters Toby from ‘The Year of the Flood’ and Mariam from ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’. The objectification of women in both novels significantly contributes to the enslavement,
Hosseini shows this through Mariam being unable to choose who she wants to marry, irrespective of her age. Mariam appears to be at the control and mercy of men as she is treated like an object. The main example of this is the marriage between Mariam and Rasheed. Hosseini shows how Mariam is not considered important through the order of which the characters are asked about the marriage. As Jalil is asked if he has any “objections to the union”, this suggests that Mariam has no choice in the matter. Equally, the marriage could be interpreted as Mariam being a transaction as she is treated like property, highlighting her enslavement in society. The marriage is considered a “contract” which implies the marriage is a transaction and Mariam is the product. Alternatively, Hosseini shows the enslavement of Mariam as a “contract” suggests a binding situation in which Mariam is unable to escape and has no control over. Hosseini emphasises that Mariam is entrapped, she will be enslaved into this marriage against her will which contributes to the enslavement as she has no rights. Additionally, the “thin, gold band” represents Mariam’s entrapment in the form of an object. Moreover, the band being “a little tight” shows the situation is suffocating Mariam as there is no escape. The “forcing” of the band over Mariam’s finger is a symbol for how Mariam is forced into the
In ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’, each house Mariam lives in represents entrapment and therefore enslavement. Initially, the description of the symbolic house she lives in represents the key characteristics of her entrapment. The “clearing” the house is situated in physically isolates Mariam from the outside world. Whilst it is not directly stated, it is implied that the house is not a palace “wooden floorboards” “dirt track” which shows the reader how Jalil’s choice of where Mariam lives has implications for her life quality, highlighting the level of control he holds over her. Hosseini uses irony as whilst Jalil is metaphorically the guard to the prison, Mariam’s home, he is also her link to the outside world. The reoccurrence of the symbolism of literal imprisonment is reinforced by Mariam’s imposed captivity by Rasheed in the tool shed. Rasheed’s ability to treat Mariam as though she is an animal rather than a person by using a “padlock” to ensure this. This comparison to an animal shows how Mariam is not treated as a human, she is a problem which can be solved by the use of a padlock. Ironically, the imprisonment of Mariam in places that are not literal imprisonments could be Hosseini foreshadow where Mariam will end up at the end of the novel. This physical imprisonment symbolises the insubstantial amount of control Mariam has and how she is at the mercy of Rasheed,