Theme Of Fascism In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Fascism is defined as “A political ideology that asserts the superiority and inferiority of different groups of people and stresses a low degree of both freedom and equality in order to achieve a powerful state (O’Neil A-17).” The novel A Thousand Splendid Suns takes place in Afghanistan at a time in its history where fascism had an iron grip on the Afghan people and every aspect of their lives. The author, Khaled Hosseini, showcases the adverse effects of Afghanistan’s fascist governments. In the book, two women named Mariam and Laila fall prey to the fascist regimes in Afghanistan. Hosseini showcases his negative feelings towards fascism all throughout the book. He portrays the fascist theocracies of the Taliban and the Muhajideen as incompetent
Before the Taliban is in power, there are bombs over Kabul everyday. These bombs destroy entire neighborhoods, and kill girls walking home from school. Tariq’s father’s health is failing, and staying in Kabul is not helping. Tariq and his family are leaving Afghanistan, and he has to leave Laila and the place he lived for his whole life. Tariq asks Laila to marry him and come with his family, but she has to say no. Laila is the only child left in her family, and if she left Kabul, it would destroy her parents. Tariq is also an only child, and if Tariq stayed in Afghanistan, his parents would have stayed as well, and they would have died in Kabul. Leaving her mother and father would devestate them, and if Tariq did not go with his parents, they would not leave, and then they would die in Kabul. The brutality of the Taliban and their bombs ripped people from their loved ones before they were even in power. One of the hallmarks of fascism is glorifying the state over the individual (Authier). The Taliban leaders demonstrated this by putting their cause of taking over the government before the lives of Afghan civilians. The Taliban also tears Mariam from her family: Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai. When Mariam kills Rasheed, she does it in self defense, and in defense of Laila. Mariam’s trial lasted 15 minutes, and it ended in a death sentence. There was no jury, no lawyer in her defense, no appeal, and no