Honors : A Thousand Splendid Suns

The theme in the novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini is the inner strength of a women even in the darkest of times, which he has shown through symbolism, metaphors / similes, and irony. Both Mariam and Laila endure so much heartache in their lives because they are women, yet they continue the strength to pull together and persevere. Mariam was born in a world which turns their back on women. She has a father who refuses to acknowledge her existence, a husband who abuses her for twenty-seven years, and the need to murder her husband when he attempted to kill Laila. Even though every situation, she remains to accept what fate hands her. Laila faces the loss of the boy she loves, the deaths of her parents and the marriage to Rasheed who abuses her for first producing a girl instead of a boy and then finding out it’s not his child. In the end, Laila faces the challenge of being a woman who returns to her home country with the intention of helping rebuild the country and honoring the memory of Mariam.

The biggest symbol in the story is the title “A Thousand Splendid Suns” where it refers to a poem in which the city of Kabul was described as having a thousand splendid suns, and also used as a symbol for Mariam. The reason for that is because after Mariam gave up her life for Laila to live out hers, Laila realizes that Mariam is still looking out for her and her family as she always has been. “Mariam is in Laila's own heart, where she shines with the bursting radiance of a thousand suns.” (page 366) The poem that the title is evolved from, is by the Persian Sufi poet Hafiz, in which he compares the mystical relationship with God to the power and brilliance of "A Thousand Splendid Suns" within you. One who has attained this mystical relationship cannot be harmed by evil for she/he is joined to Eternity. Another piece of symbolism is when Mariam remembers how Nana used to say that “each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world.” That all the sighs would drift into the skies and gather as clouds to soon break into tiny pieces that silently fell onto the people below. Mariam then thinks that it was meant “as a reminder of how women like us suffer, how quietly we endure all that falls upon us.” (page 82) Another symbol is “One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.” (page 172) Laila's father Babi, is the one reciting the lines from an old poem written in the seventeenth century. Laila may not have understood the significance of his words at the time. Seeing how Kabul would see such difficult times it's hard to imagine anyone talking about it in such a positive light. Then, considering the nature of the obstacles Mariam and Laila faced, one might suppose Laila may never forget the sad memories from her past. It comes as a surprise when Laila says Mariam's memory shines within her with the intensity of a thousand splendid suns. This gives a sense of completeness to Laila's story to be able to connect that line back to the ending when shes referencing Mariam.

Many metaphors and smilies were intertwined in the novel to compare the characters and situations as well. For example, when the movie Titanic became a huge hit, Laila and Mariam would always watch it, and thats where this quote came from; "Everyone wants Jack," Laila said to Mariam. "Everybody wants Jack to rescue them from disaster. But there is no Jack. Jack is not coming back. Jack is dead." (page 270) Such is a metaphor for life under the Taliban which was dangerous and a scary place. Or what Nana said to Mariam when she was a child that “Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman.” (page 7) That quote can be seen repeated all throughout the novel because of women segregation, and how they could always be found in blame no matter what the situation. Another example of a similie is “She would never leave her mark on Mammy’s heart the way her brothers had, because Mammy’s heart was like a pallid beach where Laila’s footprints would forever wash away beneath the waves of sorrow that swelled and crashed, swelled and crashed.”(page 130) Laila's mother loved her two older sons more then her. Laila always felt the need to prove her importance to her mom, to show that her daughter can be just as good as her sons.

Another element that is important to note is irony – when something happens, or is seen, or is heard that we may know, but the characters do not, or that appears opposite of what is expected. Some examples of irony include: that in chapter 4, Jalil told Mariam about Queen Gauhar Shad who had raised the famous minarets in Herat in the 15th century. This is ironic that a queen would be so honored when men have such power over women in Afghanistan. Another example is that Mariam's father Jalil, asked Mariam at the end of his letter that if he were still alive, (page 277) if she could come to see him. He wanted to take her into his arms, and he would be waiting for her knock. Then, he, ironically, wished her a long and prosperous life. How could he have known that she would die at the hands of the Taliban? (page 329) A final example of Irony is “In a few years, this little girl will be a woman who will make small demands on her life, who will never burden others, who will never let on that she too has had sorrows, disappointments, dreams that have been ridiculed. A woman who will be like a rock in a riverbed, enduring without complaint, her grace not sullied but shaped by the turbulence that washed over her.” (page 355) The passage is talking about Mariam and all the sacrifice she will have to endure in the future, that she doesn't know is yet to come.

All the symbolism, the metaphors plus similes, and the irony bring the story together in a captivating, unforgettable manner. They bring out the theme of women struggles growing up and living in a country so against their beliefs. That women didn't deserve to be educated, seen, or heard, and the penalty of a minor crime was death. Laila and Mariam fought together for their happiness, rights, and freedom as people.