Q3-Q4 outside reading blog #3

            In A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, there are some themes that are similar to the kite runner. One of them is a father forced to be ashamed of their child. In the book Mariam one of the main characters is asked by her father what she would like for her birthday. Mariam decides that she wants to see a cartoon (Pinocchio). This is immediately considered a bad idea. “Later at the stream, Mariam said, ‘take me.’

             ‘I’ll tell you what,’ Jalil said. ‘I’ll send someone to pick you up and take you. I’ll make sure they get you a good seat and all the candy you want.’

            ‘Nay. I want you to take me.’

            ‘Mariam Jo— ’

            ‘And I want you to invite my brothers and sisters too. I want to meet them. I want us to all go, together. It’s what I want.’ Jalil sighed. He was looking away toward the mountains”(25).

            This passage illustrates fathers forced to be ashamed of their children. When Jalil says ‘I’ll send someone to pick you up and take you’(25). it is clear that the author is showing us that Jalil loves his daughter but loves his reputation more. It is also apparent that there isn’t any other reason because he does not mention business or the movie being too expensive, he just doesn’t want to go with her. This theme is similar to the kite runner because when Mariam says ‘And I want you to invite my brothers and sisters too. I want to meet them. I want us to all go, together. It’s what I want’(25). Jalil sighs. It is likely that he like Baba in the kite runner wants to treat his children as equals but is prevented by social pressures. Also in this passage Mariam repeats that this is what she wants. This childish diction suggests that Mariam although 15 is still very innocent and does not understand the world and thus how Jalil is every bit as bad as Nana says he is because he cannot let go of his reputation and be proud of his illegitimate daughter. This theme of upholding a reputation comes up in both of Hosseini’s books. Both times it is displayed in a negative way. Clearly Hosseini is trying to make a statement that you should be proud of your offspring no matter if they are of a different ethnic group or illegitimate.

            Another theme in both the kite runner and 1000 splendid suns is having one fateful decision change the course of a person’s life. When Jalil agrees to take Mariam to the movies and invite her brothers and sisters, Nana her mother realizes that the situation is too good to be true and warns Mariam to accept nana’s version of Jalil to be the factual one. Instead Mariam wants to believe that Jalil will go on his promise. “‘ what a stupid girl you are! You think you matter to him, that you’re wanted in his house? You think you’re a daughter to him? That he is going to take  you in? Let me tell you something. A mans heart is a wretched, wretched thing, Mariam. It isn’t like a mothers womb, it won’t bleed, it wont stretch to make room for you. I’m the only one who loves you. I’m all you have in this world, Mariam, and when I am gone you will have nothing. You’ll have nothing. You are nothing!”(26). In this passage the author uses foreshadowing to illustrate how this is a major decision in Mariam’s life and that she is tempted to make the wrong choice. In accordance to the forshadowment when Mariam seeks her father she finds that her mother was correct about him and then finds that her mother, Nana has committed suicide. Mariam’s position gets steadily worse in a loveless marriage where Mariam feels lost  and friendless in her world. So when her mother said ‘I’m all you have in this world, Mariam, and when I am gone you will have nothing. You’ll have nothing’(26). She was correct. The author also uses figurative language to show how Nana feels about men. She says ‘It isn’t like a mothers womb, it won’t bleed, it wont stretch to make room for you’(26). She is using figurative language to describe her relationship with Jalil. Even though she despises Jalil behind his back, to his face she shows a slight reverence and respect. Jalil has married three women and clearly Nana feels that unlike a womb he has left her out and because his heart doesn’t bleed he wont be able to have sympathy of any kind.

            Another common theme in both of the authors books is the reoccurrence of nang and namoos or honor and pride. In the kite runner this theme is given a fairly positive connotation when Amir is courting his future wife Soraya because it gave him a successful stable relationship and loving in laws verses the problems that Soraya had when she did not follow the cultures customs on marriage. In 1000 suns the nang and namoos are given a negative connotation in the form of irony. When Rasheed buys Mariam a burqa he tells her about his shoe making shop. “‘ I have customers, Mariam, men, who bring their wives to my shop. The women come uncovered, they talk to me directly, look at me in the eye with out shame. They wear makeup  and skirts and show their knees. Sometimes they even put their feet in front of me, the women do, for measurements, and their husbands stand there and watch. They allow it. They think nothing of a stranger touching their wives’ bare feet! They think they’re being modern men, intellectuals, on account of their education, I suppose. They do not see that they’re spoiling their own nang and namoos, their honor and pride.’ He shook his head”(63). Because it is reasonable to assume that this book has an intended audience of people from western countries, the author uses irony to show how he disagrees with the nang and namoos of the afghan culture. This is apparent in how rasheed describes the event. In the western culture women and men are almost equal so the situation that Rasheed is describing has the opposite effect that the reader would expect.  Rasheed says ‘The women come uncovered, they talk to me directly, look at me in the eye with out shame. They wear makeup  and skirts and show their knees.’ This is the normal behavior for westerners so the authors is using irony to show how he thinks that this should be the case everywhere and not just in the west.

            A theme that is in both texts is bravery. In the kite runner Hassan is willing to protect Amir and Baba is ready to die for decency. In 1000 suns Tarqi Laila’s one legged friend and future husband is very brave and is willing to stand up for Laila. When Laila tells him how she has been bothered by a bully and his pack of friends in response Tarqi decides to do something about it. “Tarqi clenched his teeth and muttered something to himself in Pashto that Laila didn’t catch ‘you wait here,’ he said in Farsi ‘now.’

            ‘No,Tarqi — ’

He was already crossing the street. Khadim was the first to see him. His grin faded, and he pushed himself off the wall. He unhooked his thumbs from the belt loops and made himself more upright, taking on a self-conscious air of menace the others followed his gaze.

Laila wished she hadn’t said anything what if they banded together? How many were there –ten? Eleven? Twelve? What if they hurt him?

Then Tarqi stopped a few feet from Khadim and his band. There was a moment of consideration, Laila thought, maybe a change of heart, and when he bent down she imagined his shoe lace had come undone. Then his hands went to work and she understood.

 The others understood too when Tarqi straightened up standing on one leg. When he began hopping towards Khadim, then charging him, his unstrapped leg raised high over his shoulder like a sword. The boys stepped aside in a hurry. They gave him a clear math to Khadim. 

The in was all dust fists and kicks and yelps. Khadim never bothered Laila again”(119-120). This passage uses characterization to show how Tarqi is very brave. It also emphasizes this by the slight use of Irony. It isn’t expected that a boy with one leg could take on a pack of bullies and when he does he only seems braver. Tarqi’s devotion to Laila is very similar to Hassan’s devotion to Amir. The Passage also shows the authors feelings toward bravery. Clearly the author thinks very highly of the brave and regards bravery as an important quality.      

 

In both of  Hosseini’s books the Taliban and their way of thinking is shown very negatively. In 1000 suns  this negative connotation is showed through the eyes of women. In the fundamentalist belief the man is the head of the house. This is very true for Mariam, she once described Rahseed’s will as “ imposing and immovable as the Safid-Koh mountains loaming over Gul Daman”(64). In her life she has had very little freedom and virtually her whole life has been controlled by some man. When she was little Jalil supported her and arranged her marriage to Rasheed. While married to Rasheed she was forced to wear a burqa and did not leave the house. Her lack of freedom is shown at the climax of the book when Rasheed has learned about Tarqi and has decided to kill both of his wives. “Had Mariam been certain that he would be satisfied with shooting only her, that there was a chance he would spare Laila, she might have dropped the shovel. But in Rasheed’s eyes she saw murder for them both. And so Mariam Raised the shovel high, raised it as high as she could, arching it so it touched the small of her back. She turned it so the sharp edge was vertical, and, as she did, it occurred to her that this was the first time that she was deciding the course of her own life”(311). The diction of this passage is clearly indicating the author’s beliefs on the treatment of women in Afghanistan. The scene also symbolically illustrates how Mariam is taking control and striking her oppressor down with a shovel for the greater good. The author also takes his time in explaining how she swings the shovel and how she brings it down. This glorification through description is showing the reader how even though killing her husband is an isolated event the process of rising up against him has been a life long battle.