A Thoisand Splendid Suns

Many characters in A Thousand Splendid Suns have troubled pasts that affect their decisions and the way they interact with others. However, the two characters that are affected the most by their pasts are, Laila and Mariam. Their past decisions mostly affect their lives negatively. Mariam’s past experiences as a “harami” does not prepare her for her future. Laila’s loss of Tariq causes her to lose hope in her children and act negatively toward Rasheed. Mariam’s mother, Nana, had a troubled childhood. Nana grows bitter after Jinn and Jalil’s abandoned her. Nana’s bitterness grows and soon consumes her. This bitterness and anger is taken out on Mariam, causing her childhood to be miserable as well. Nana’s parenting style causes Mariam to have less social skills and a very low self-esteem. Mariam never had stable parenting and lost her parents at an early age making her vulnerable to neglect. Mariam is also unable to develop socially. For example, when Rasheed marries Laila instead of seeing it as someone to help her, she sees it as a threat and becomes aggressive. Mariam is highly impacted by death in her childhood. Nana’s suicide is the cause for her young marriage to Rasheed, and rejection from Jalil. Jalil’s rejection helps Mariam understand that Nana was telling the truth about, that Jalil wanted nothing to do with Mariam. Mariam feels like she betrays Nana because she did warn her about leaving. Mariam blames herself for the death of her kids and Nana. Hosseini writes, “She had failed him seven times she had failed him.” (99) Each “failure” is a miscarriage that is not her fault. Mariam is harsh on herself for deaths that are not her fault. She believes that Nana’s death could have been prevented if she would not have left. At one point Mariam says, “I keep thinking of what she said to me before she left.”(43) Nana was always telling Mariam that she was worthless. Mariam thinks that she could have done something