Themes
You must not lose hope even after life pushes you down
One of the main themes in the story was about not giving up. Take Laila for example; she lost her only two brothers, her best friend was a victim of a landmine, the boy she loved moved away, and her house was bombed killing the only people she had left. However, through all of this hardship she managed to stay strong, not only for herself but for her unborn child as well. Even though Rasheed had someone come and convince Laila that Tariq was dead, she still carried on living, and raised two children while dealing with Rasheed at the same time. Throughout this portion of her life she was always making plans, she was always hoping that there was a way out.
"We're leaving in the spring. Aziza and I." (Hosseini, 229)
Even though it seemed like a far-fetched thought Laila was determined to get away from her abusive husband. She always found a way to fight back, even if there were consequences; giving up wasn't an option for her.
True love opens doors while arranged marriages close them
A strong theme in "A Thousand Splendid Suns" was the idea of love and marriage. If we look at Mariam's long-lived marriage, we can tell that it was broken down, withered, and downright brutual. She was constantly being abused by her husband, verbally and physically. He always found a way to put her down, he didn't cherish her, or attempt to find a way to make her happy or to make her have a sense of security safe.
On the other hand if we look at Laila's love for Tariq, and his for her, readers can tell that both parties would do anything for the other:
"'For you,' he said. 'I'd kill with it for you, Laila.'" (Hosseini, 158)
Even at the tender age of fifteen and sixteen, we can feel the loyalty and the love in every single word that passes through them.
Later on in the novel, when Laila is reunited with Tariq once more, her marriage to him is completely different than it was when she was married to Rasheed. Although Tariq was jailed for several years, and had many obstacles on the way, he came back for Laila. This just proves the extent of loyalty and commitment that comes with true love. After a bit of time, they went back to Kabul together in hopes of reestablishing the community.
It is important for girls to be educated so they can become stronger
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" revolved around the topic of oppression. Or more specifically oppressed women. From the very start of the book Nana (Mariam's mother) says;
"Like a compass needle that always points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam.” (Hosseini, 7)
After her father betrays her and she is forced to marry Rasheed, she starts to become more and more demoralized, and does not stand up for herself.
However, ever since Laila was a young girl, she knew and understood the importance of being educated. By being educated of what is happening in the world one learns to make choices for themselves, instead of having others control their lives for them.
"Laila dropped the spoke because she could not accept what the Mujahideen readily had: that sometimes in war innocent lives had to be taken." (Hosseini, 253)
As mentioned before, at the end of the novel Laila and her family return to Kabul in hopes of bringing it back up. Laila becomes a teacher at a school to teach other students and girls the importance of standing up for what you believe is right.