A Thousand

Splendid Suns

Srishti Gupta
PGDM IA
Roll No : 35
 About the Author- Khaled
Hosseini
• Born March 4, 1965, Kabul, Afghanistan.
• Afghan-born American novelist who was known for his vivid
depictions of Afghanistan.
• His father was a diplomat and his mother a secondary-school
teacher.
• He and his parents moved to Paris, where his father worked
at the Afghan embassy.
• 1st Novel: The Kite Runner, 2003
• 2nd Novel: A Thousand Splendid Suns, 2007
• 3rd Novel: The Mountain Echoed, 2013
• All three of his novel became bestsellers
• He is currently a goodwill envoy of UNHCR
 Story Setting
• It is a story of two women living in a different
environments and how they come to know
each other.
• Took place in Afghanistan from early 1960s to
early 2000s.
• The story begins in Herat, Kabul.
• Shows a great span of political disturbance in
Afghanistan.
 Characters
 Mariam: Illegitimate child of Jalil khan and his
housekeeper, nana. Grows up in a simple mud
hut with her mother Nana, but later accepted by
her father’s family.
 Laila: She was beautiful and smart girl.
She was born to Fariba and hakim, Rasheed’s
neighbors.
 Jalil Khan: Mariam’s father and a wealthy
merchant and cinema owner.
 Rasheed: Mariam’s husband, and a shoemaker in
Kabul, who is very abusive.
 Tariq: Laila’s childhood friend, Son of carpenter.
 Summary
 Marriam is a illegitimate child of a wealthy man Jalil
and Nana (Jalil’s one time Housekeeper)
 First 15 years Marriam live a secluded life with Nana in
a shack (Kolba), which is situated away from the main
town.
 Jalil visits Mariam weekly, and brings gifts.
 Nana often reminds Mariam that she is a harami.
 On her 15th birthday she went to herat house.
 She was barred by Jalil’s legitimate children and wives.
 She went back home and sees that Nana is hanged
herself.
 After Nana’s death she stays at Jalil’s house for a while,
and jalil’s wives tell her to get married to Rasheed.
 Rasheed who is lives in Kabul, is 30 years older than her.
 Kabul where women have liberties of expression,
Rasheed proclaims that he is traditional.
 Marriam started enjoying her status as legitimate wife
instead of illegitimate child.
 Marriam’s seven pregnancies ends in miscarriage.
 Rasheed becomes violent and abusive towards Marriam.
 Laila was born when soviet union takeover Afghanistan.
 She was beautiful, intellectual.
 Encouraged by her ex-school teacher father but ignored
by her mother.
 Laila grew close to Tariq, the carpenter’s son, whose leg
blown off by land mine.
 The soviet union leaves in 1989 which in result, makes
Kabul a battleground for rival warlords.
 Tariq was leaving Kabul with his parents.
 Few weeks later Laila’s own family started packing to
leave Kabul.
 Before they could go away a rocket exploded and Laila’s
parents were dead, leaving Laila injured.
 She was saved by Rasheed, he asked her to marry.
 A messenger tells Laila that Tariq is dead.
 Laila was pregnant with Tariq’s child, and to ensure child’s
safety she agrees to marry Rasheed.
 Marriam was hostile towards Laila.
 Marriam considered Laila a husband stealer.
 But when Aziza was born, they both get united by the love
for Aziza and hate for Rasheed.
 When they attempt to run away, they get caught and
Rasheed punishes them brutally.
 Laila was pregnant with Rasheed’s child and gave birth to
son Zalmai.
 Rasheed’s shoe shops burns down and they face grave
financial difficulties, Rasheed decided to send Aziza to
orphanage.
 One day Tariq turns up at their door steps, Zalmai told
Rasheed that Laila had a male visitor.
 Rasheed got furious and almost killed Laila, but Marriam
attacked Rasheed with a shovel and killed him.
 Marriam gives herself up, and sentenced to death,
while she encouraged Laila to eloped with Tariq and
children.
 Laila and Tariq lived in Pakistan for while and returned
to the more peaceful Kabul and to rebuild the city.
 Conclusion
 Before Taliban take over, women’s role in the society
was increasing (in more urban areas)
 They were allowed Education
 Dress code was lightened – could wear just a loose
scarf over the head, could wear lipstick, nail polish.
 Voting rights were also granted.
 When Taliban came women lose all forms of freedom.
 Could not be in public without any male family
member.
 They were not allowed to work.
 They were not allowed to get education over
the age of 8.
 Women were publicly punished if they break
any rules- Beaten, shot, hanged, stoned.
 Countless more inhumanities suffered upon
Afghan women.