Charlene Wu
Mrs. Zachik
World Literature
November 8, 2014

A Thousand Splendid Suns
By
Khaled Hosseini,
Riverhead Books, May 22 2007

Laila, from Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, is a product of her environment. She’s shaped by warfare, by her family and by her education. Laila was born in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan. In the course of time Kabul came under siege and became a war-torn city. “It wasn’t so much the whistling [of the shells] being fired itself, Laila thought later, but the seconds between the start of it and [its] impact, like a defendant about to hear the verdict” (Hosseini. 2.24.1-3). Every day Laila spends in war-torn Kabul she is at risk. The image of herself as a “defendant” symbolizes this. Laila is shaped by fear and by the warfare. Her judge [the shells], in her eyes is a crazy person, handing out punishments indiscriminately and without any regard for human life. Laila also surrounding by her parents.Laila knew that her “Mammy didn’t understand. She [Mammy] didn’t understand that if she looked into a mirror, she would find the one unfailing conviction of Babi’s [her husband] life --looking right back at her” [Hosseini. 2.21.59]. Mammy and [her husband] Babi had a difficult relationship. Mammy blamed him for the death of Ahmad and Noor. But it’s Babi’s unflinching devotion to Mammy that ultimately shown through, as Mammy eventually fell back in love with Babi. This love had an impact on Laila and how she viewed her family.Babi gives Laila a strong foundation,Mammy on the other hand,“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” (Hosseini.2.20.23). Mammy had dedicated her life to the memory of her two sons, Ahmad and Noor. While this might seem heartwarming at first, the result is that she’s unable to be there for Laila in the way a mother should be. “Leaving Afghanistan had been unthinkable to her [Mammy] while Ahmad and Noor were still alive. Now that they were Shaheed, packing up and running was […] a betrayal, a disavowal of the sacrifice her sons had made” Hosseini.2.21.56). Again, Mammy’s love for her sons was so strong that Mammy actually ended up hurting the people around her. Mammy’s dedication (ironically, to her family) is exactly what put them in danger for their lives.If they had left Kabul earlier,they may have escaped the bombs. Laila was born in Kabul, where she had access to an education. Many women in Afghanistan do not have an access to an education. The greater access to education for girls in the Soviet Union prompted a backlash from rural communities in Afghanistan. In these rural communities, “There, [the] men saw it as an insult to their centuries-old tradition, [to have women educated,] Babi said, to be told by the government and a godless one at that [that] their daughters had to leave home, attend school, and work alongside men” (Hosseini. 2.18.108). At these co-ed schools in Afghanistan, the boys often insisted that the girls accept their proposal of marriage. As a case in point, Giti, one of the girls at a co-ed school where Laila was attending, says to her: “He’s going to ask my hand. Laila! Maybe as early as this summer.” […] “What about school?” Laila asked. Giti scratched her head and gave a ‘we both know better’ look.Laila is completely dedicated to her schooling, but most of her female friends aren’t. This might be due to social pressure, or it just might be due to the realities of family life in Kabul, Afghanistan. We all know that school isn’t always the most fun thing in the world; but, like Laila, we have to struggle just to get a high school education.In Laila’s case, as she attended school, there was a war going on, which made walking to school a dangerous prospect. There was also pressure against girls going to school and getting an education. Luckily, Laila and Babi knew the importance of an education and overcame these hurdles whenever they reached them. Laila,is a product of her environment.She’s shaped by warfare,by her family and by her education.

Works Cited BOOKS:
Hosseini, Khaled, A Thousand Splendid Suns.New York. Riverheaad Books,2007.Print

INTERNET:

A Thousand Splendid Suns Summary,Nov.2009.Web.