Caitlin Jacobs

Mrs. Chalmers
Honors English 9
April 6, 2016
Honors English 9

Cruelty and Oppression: Two Powerful Motivators

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is a gripping tale about two
women who live in Afghanistan from the time of the Soviet invasion to the rise of the
Taliban. Mariams father arranged her marriage to Rasheed, who was emotionally and
physically abusive and a tyrannical husband. Mariams anger and loathing reaches a
crescendo and she retaliates against Rasheed killing him. For the first time Mariam own
choice decides the course of her life, which is inevitable death. Hosseinis use of
cruelty showcases Mariams increasing desire to protect herself, Laila and Aziza from
oppression and Rasheeds need for control.
Cruelty is a recurring theme in Mariams life starting with her parents. She grew
up constantly conflicted by both her mother and father. Nana refers to Mariam as a
clumsy little harami and a cockroach, and Jalil undermining her especially when in
comparison to his other children. (4) Jalils youngest wife, Nargis, was expecting her
third child, and Nana asks How many is that for you, now? Ten, is it, mashallah? Ten?
Jalil said yes, ten. Eleven, if you count Mariam, of course.(22) Jalil doesnt even
consider her to be one of his children. Nana makes an interesting point inferring to
Mariam that even her own father has no regard for her, she is exposing his cruelty to
Mariam at a very young age. Nana is quite cruel mocking Mariam saying what a stupid
girl you are! You think you matter to him, that youre wanted in his house? You think
youre a daughter to him? That hes going to take you in? Let me tell you something. A

mens heart is a wretched, wretched thing, Mariam. It isnt like a mothers womb. It
wont bleed, it wont stretch to make room for you Nana is so cruel that she tells
Mariam that if she truly believes that Jalil loves her, she is delusional. (27) Jalil was the
one that exiled Nana and Mariam from Herat. Nana says that once Jalil found the clearing
for them, he sounded like a warden bragging about the clean walls and shiny floors of
his prison.(9) Time and time again Nana paints Jalil as an unloving father to Mariam,
and she only later learns that most of what her mother had told her was the truth. Nana
provides Mariam with a grim view of the world as a woman in Afghanistan; she says tells
Mariam that women will always suffer at the hands of men.
As a result of Nanas cruelty Miriam feels less worthy and; thus, Mariams desire
to break free from oppression is strengthened. The cruelty gets to a point where she does
not think anything of it after her experience with her parents growing up. Mariam now
accepts her fate without questioning, or evading what is to come. Nana reinforces the
expectation that life will be hard and unfair, and while doing so dwindles what is left of
Mariams self worth. Nana reminds Mariam, that, like a compass needle that points
north, a mans finger always finds a woman. Always.(7) This depiction of Afghanistan
gives Mariam a narrow view of what it will be like to be a woman in Afghanistan and the
role that women play in a mans world. As a result of this cruelty she becomes a
submissive individual.
Mariams marriage to Rasheed represents the continuing cruelty she faces due to
the oppressive, institutionalized rituals of marriage in Afghanistan. Mariams marriage to
Rasheed, a man she has never met before, is an arranged marriage, a common practice in
Afghanistan. The only way that she would be able to get out of this arranged marriage is

if Jalil were to protest the idea of her marriage, but he says nothing and slouches in his
chair looking unseeingly.(46) Her marriage at ripe age of fifteen abruptly severs her
from her childhood; this effectively makes her an adult and rushes her coming of age.
Jalil is her last chance at the wedding, she hopes that he will step in and stop the
marriage. This would show that he cares about her and loves her. But instead when asked,
if he had any objections to the union, he shakes his head no and doesnt protest the
marriage. (53) She doesnt not want to marry a man she only just met and the fact the
Jalil even put her in this situation after all of what she went through as a child shows his
cruelty and true feelings about his daughter. Mariams marriage to Rasheed represents the
ongoing cruelty she faced even after her childhood that will continue even after she
marries Rasheed.
Rasheeds psychological abuse of Mariam comes from his need for control. This
stems from his image of a family with one son, a wife and himself. Immediately
following Mariams arrival in Kabul, Rasheed imposes rules on Mariam, which limit her
interaction with the outside world. Once Mariam becomes pregnant with her first child,
Rasheeds demeanor brightens significantly, because hid image of a perfect family
consists of a wife, a son and himself. Once Mariam miscarries, instead of consoling her
Rasheed becomes distant and angry. When Mariam suggests that they hold a proper
burial for their unborn child, Rasheed responds saying, Then you do it, he said
sharply. Ive already buried one son. I wont bury another. (96) Rasheeds response to
Mariam reveals that he cares little about Mariams mental health after this miscarriage
and many others. There had been six more cycles of hopes raised then dashed, each loss,
each collapse, each trip to the doctor more crushing for Mariam than the last. With each

disappointment, Rasheed had grown more remote and resentful.(99) Rasheeds

psychological abuse of Mariam reveals that his need for control is fulfilled because he
has control of Mariam psychologically.
Because Rasheeds fantasy of a perfect family and his need for control were not
filled, his demeanor changed drastically. Consequently, he begins a vicious cycle of
physical abuse. When Rasheed eats the rice Mariam prepares he grimaces and spits it
out. (103) Then he shoved two fingers into [Mariams] mouth and pried it open, then
forced cold, hard pebbles into it. Now chew, he said. Now you know what your rice
tastes like. Now you know what your rice tastes like. Now you know what youve given
me in this marriage. Bad food, and nothing else. Mariam spits out pebble, blood and
fragments of two broken molars. Rasheeds image of the perfect family did not come
into fruition, thus his abuse escalated.
Rasheeds physical abuse gets worse once Laila arrives. He continues to beat both
Mariam and Laila after she gives birth to Aziza. Once, Laila steps in to try and stop
Rasheed from beating Mariam, Mariam says Nobodys ever stood up for me
before.(249) For the first time Laila sees Mariam not as an adversary but as a woman
with a face of grievances unspoken, burdens gone unprotested, a destiny submitted to
and endured.(249) As a result of her observation Laila shares and wordless exchange
with Mariam, Laila knew that they were not enemies any longer. The bond that Laila
now has with Mariam allows both of them to see how much abuse and oppression
Mariam has endured.
Laila forges an unsuccessful escape plan that includes Mariam. They are caught by
the police and returned to Rasheed. Laila recounts that there was no cursing, no

screaming, no pleading, no surprised yelps, only the systematic business of beating and
being beaten, the thump, thump of something solid repeatedly striking flesh, something,
[Mariam], hitting a wall with a thud, cloth ripping.(268) Afterwards Laila watched
[Rasheed] shove Mariam into the toolshed. Then, Rasheed began nailing boards across
the window.(269) Mariam is faced with the most cruelty as a repercussion for her
actions.
Mariams increasing desire to break free from Rasheeds oppression is fueled by her
friendship with Laila. Rasheed attacks Laila with a belt, and Miriam intervenes causing
Rasheed to let go of Laila and turn on her. (346) Rasheed returns to Laila continuing to
thrash aboutending up on top, his hands already wrapped around Lailas neck.
Mariam then recognizes that Rasheed meant to suffocate Laila and Mariam realized that
would never be satisfied with killing only Laila. Mariam raised the shovel high, raised it
as high as she could, arching it so it touched the small of his 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. And with that, Mariam brought down the
shovel. This time, she gave it everything she had.(349) After more than 20 years of
submission, Mariam had succeeded in breaking free from Rasheeds oppression and
control.
Throughout the novel, Rasheeds cruelty and oppression shapes Mariams
personality. As a young married woman, Mariam preserves her safety by being
submissive. It was not until she realizes that Rasheed has taken so much from her, that
she gathers the strength to take control of her own life by killing Rasheed. Consequently

she breaks free, sacrificing her life but saving both Laila and Aziza from a life of
oppression.