Characters
Mariam
Mariam is the first female protagonist introduced in this novel. In the beginning of the story, Mariam is slowly learning that she is unwanted, that she is merely a burden, an embarrassment to her father. After her mother commits suicide when Mariam abandoned her, fifteen-year-old Mariam is consumed by guilt, which follows her like a plague for a majority of her life. This also explains her ability to tolerate Rasheed’s cruelty and harshness. In a way, Mariam feels as if she deserves any kind of treatment sent towards her. Later on, because of Mariam’s inability to produce offspring, she becomes a cold, mean woman. However, when Laila enters her life bringing along her own bundles of joy, Mariam’s life is transformed and she is finally able to share her love and feel like a mother.
Mariam’s character is of utmost importance to the story as she relates her struggles to the readers, and how it was like being discriminated for things that were not in her hands (i.e. being born illegitimate, be born a female). Mariam teaches her audience to stand up for ourselves, and how to love others. Throughout her life she was overwhelmed by the shame of being born out of wed-lock. Therefore, she would usually keep to herself and would stay hidden and not stand up for her rights. However, once she learned to love again after Jalil’s betrayal, she becomes a strong woman who would do anything to make sure that her family (Laila and her kids) are safe.
Laila
Laila is the second female protagonist in “A Thousand Splendid Suns”. With her two brothers gone for jihad and being the youngest child Laila was always too mature for her age. Laila strongly believed that everyone should be educated since she was a little and girl and she always sought means to learn more about anything and everything. She grew up with her best friend, Tariq, and at the age of fifteen she fell in love with him. Following the loss of her older brothers, Tariq’s departure, and the loss of her parents, Laila finds herself at the mercy of Rasheed and Mariam who nurse her back to health. Without hesitation, she accepts Rasheed’s proposal, because she didn’t want her unborn child (Tariq’s child) to be without a father, and bring shame to herself.
Laila is a strong, independent individual, who knows how to love and is loved. She strongly believes in her rights as a woman, and as a human being. There are many things one can learn from Laila’s character. For instance, she puts those who she loves before herself. As opposed to Mariam, Laila is prepared to stand up for her rights and the rights of others.
Jalil
Jalil is described as an extremely wealthy Afghan businessman who owns a chain of theatres across Afghanistan. After an affair with one of the maids, Jalil finds himself as a father to a harami, an illegitimate child. Though he visits Mariam regularly, he never brings her to town with him. He promises her many things, one of them being that he would take her to one of his cinemas. However, true to Nana’s (Mariam’s mother) words he never follows through with his promises. When Nana commits suicide, Jalil is forced to take in Mariam, however he shuns her and quickly marries her off so as not to bring any shame to his family for having a harami live with them.
There are a lot of lessons that readers can learn a lot from Jalil. For example, he teaches us that life is too short to let the people we love go to avoid necessary obstacles. In “A Thousand Splendid Suns” Jalil is a character built out of cowardice. He doesn’t own up to the fact that Mariam is his child and her “only sin is being born” (Hosseini, 4). However, later in the story readers can feel Jalil’s regret of rejecting his daughter, when she in return ignores him.
Rasheed
Rasheed is a cruel, bitter man. He had lost his wife and son years before he was married to young Mariam. Mariam’s inability to produce any offspring leaves Rasheed with limited patience towards Mariam. At first, he abuses her verbally, but after her seventh miscarriage he begins to physically abuse and threaten her. Enveloped with the need and desire to replace his late son, Rasheed tricks Laila into marriage. Only after Laila’s second child, Zalmai, is born does Rasheed start to show any semblance of affection. However, his affection and patience is not extended towards Mariam, Laila, or Aziza (Laila’s daughter). Rasheed’s brutality and unsympathetic ways causes him his life when Mariam attempts to save her loved ones.
Rasheed is significant to the story because his character may portray a vast number of men who may find it acceptable to abuse their wives, or to discriminate the female population. Rasheed’s lack of kindness, and his harshness educate us about how women in places such as Afghanistan are treated.