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A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled hosseini.
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Chapters 1–8
Chapters 1–8, summary: chapter 1.
Mariam’s father, Jalil Khan, is a wealthy businessman with three wives. Mariam’s mother, Nana, is not married to Jalil. When Mariam is five, Nana calls her a harami —bastard—for breaking part of her tea set. This is when Mariam learns of her illegitimate status. Nana was a housekeeper in one of Jalil’s homes when she became pregnant. Jalil quietly arranged for Nana and the baby’s new home. Nana once told Mariam that she wished her own father had killed both Nana and her unborn child.
Summary: Chapter 2
Jalil and two of his sons built a small shack, a kolba , for Nana and the baby. Jalil preferred to take the responsibility on himself rather than hire laborers. Mariam has been given two very different accounts of the day of her birth, in 1959. Nana says she was alone, gave birth to Mariam in their kolba, and that Jalil waited a month before visiting his new child. Jalil claims that he arranged for Nana to give birth in a hospital, and that he picked out Mariam’s name. Mariam adores her father, who visits her for a few hours once a week, and she believes Jalil’s version of the story.
Summary: Chapter 3
Once a month, a few of Jalil’s sons deliver supplies to Nana and Mariam. Nana hurls rocks and insults at the boys. Nana doesn’t like people, especially visitors from the village who bring special things for Mariam. But Mariam enjoys her regular visits with Mullah Faizullah, the village tutor. Mullah Faizullah teaches Mariam how to read and how to pray. When Mariam hears that Jalil’s other daughters are going to school, Mariam tells Mullah Faizullah that she wants to go to school with her father’s other children. Mullah Faizullah asks Nana for permission for Mariam, but Nana refuses. Nana tells Mariam that the only lesson Mariam needs to learn in life is endurance.
Summary: Chapter 4
Mariam always looks forward to her father’s weekly visits. The anticipation keeps her anxious for several days. Nana and Jalil make polite conversation, and then Jalil and Mariam spend time together. Jalil takes Mariam fishing, they sing songs together, and Jalil brings Mariam trinkets and news from the world outside Mariam’s kolba . When Jalil leaves, Mariam imagines being part of his life, living with him, and taking care of him.
Summary: Chapter 5
Jalil comes to visit Mariam weekly, and Nana serves them tea and acts with civility towards him. In 1974, just before Mariam turns fifteen, she tells Jalil that her birthday wish is for Jalil to take Mariam to the cinema to see “Pinocchio.” After Jalil leaves, Nana berates Mariam for being ungrateful, for wanting to leave Nana alone. The day arrives, and Mariam waits for her father. When Jalil does not come, Mariam leaves her home for the first time, in search of her father. The villagers, not at all how Nana described, are pleasant. One villager helps Mariam find Jalil Khan’s home. However, Mariam is turned away. Jalil’s driver tells Mariam that her father isn’t home. Mariam sees her father in the window and refuses to leave. Ultimately Mariam is forced into the car and taken home. After the driver helps Mariam across the stream, he tries to shield Mariam from what she is about to see. Nana has hung herself from a willow tree.
Summary: Chapter 6
After Nana’s burial, Jalil tries to comfort Mariam, but she only wants Mullah Faizullah. Mariam’s tutor speaks to her from the Koran, but nothing can ease the guilt Mariam feels over Nana’s death. Mariam keeps mostly to her new room in Jalil’s house. Mariam’s half-sister, Niloufar, brings a gramophone and plays music. Mullah Faizullah comes for a visit. Mariam tells him she feels responsible for Nana’s death. Mullah Faizullah tells Mariam that Nana had always been an unhappy person, and that her death was not Mariam’s fault. A few days later, Niloufar’s mother summons Mariam downstairs. The family needs to speak with her.
Summary: Chapter 7
Jalil’s wives inform Mariam that she has a suitor. Rasheed, a forty-five-year-old widower, is a respected shoemaker in Kabul. Mariam argues; she is too young, she’d rather live with Mullah Faizullah. Jalil’s wives say that she is the right age to marry, and that Mariam would be a burden on her old tutor and his family. When Mariam pleads with Jalil, he dismisses her. Jalil has already made the arrangements with Rasheed. Mariam is taken back upstairs and locked in her room.
Summary: Chapter 8
The next day, Mariam and Rasheed are married. Mariam and her new husband prepare to travel to Kabul, and Jalil accompanies them to the bus stop. Jalil tells Mariam how much she will enjoy Kabul, but she stops him. Mariam tells Jalil how desperately she had loved him, but how she now realizes he is ashamed of her. Mariam tells her father not to visit her in Kabul. Mariam never wants to hear from Jalil again. Mariam gets on the bus and does not look back as it pulls away.
Analysis: Chapters 1–8
A Thousand Splendid Suns introduces the theme of shame in tandem with the introduction of Mariam, one of the novel’s protagonists. Dropping a tea plate is an unforgiveable offence for which Mariam is viciously berated by her mother, Nana. This cruel display reveals Mariam and Nana’s difficult relationship. Nana repeats the slur “ harami ,” meaning a bastard child, showing how deeply her daughter’s illegitimate status affects her. Mariam thus learns from an early age that she is not desired by her mother and that her very existence is shameful.
Jalil treats Mariam with a kindness that is starkly contrasted with the harsh treatment Mariam receives from her mother. Jalil brings Mariam gifts to not only appease her need for his attention, but also to assuage his own guilt over Mariam being a child born out of wedlock. Mariam views Jalil as benevolent because she cannot understand what her father actually thinks of their relationship. Regardless of how Mariam feels about her father, one fact remains: while Jalil may be kind to Mariam, he has no desire to integrate Mariam into his life in the city with his other children and wives, ultimately heightening Mariam’s feelings of shame.
Mariam’s parents find one commonality in how they view and treat Mariam, which will shape how Mariam views herself: both parents refuse to truly integrate her into their lives. Nana, with her strict hand over Mariam’s life, treats her as a subject to control. Because of Mariam’s status as Jalil’s bastard child, he cannot face the shame of bringing her into his home with his legitimate children. The trauma of not having a supportive family forces Mariam to adopt her reputation as a harami as a fundamental part of her identity.
Nana’s influence over Miriam underscores the importance Nana places on enduring and surrendering to their personal fates. Amid their tense and complicated relationship, Nana dutifully teaches Mariam necessary skills like cooking, bread-making, and cleaning, but she resents Mariam’s desire to go to school. In displaying her displeasure, Nana reinforces the gender expectations of their society. Nana uses the word harami as well as many other insults, including what other people perceive Mariam’s reputation to be, to exert control over her daughter. While Mullah Faizullah believes education is beneficial and worthwhile, Nana has resigned herself and her daughter to simply enduring the will of fate.
In Chapter 5, trauma ushers in Mariam’s sudden and dramatic shift into adulthood. Jalil teaches Mariam how to fish and recite poetry, and these activities become a form of childish escapism that Mariam uses to craft an imaginary life in which her father might bring her to his home. However, these childish fantasies crack when Jalil refuses to let Mariam come to the theater to see Pinocchio . This deeply traumatic first rejection from a man makes Mariam realize her childhood daydreams are not real, and that she is not one of her father’s priorities. Her lack of importance in her father’s life is solidified when Mariam is not allowed to enter Jalil’s house, which she interprets as a refusal to be a part of Jalil’s family. Nana hanging herself and the subsequent trauma of witnessing her dangling body fully removes Mariam from everything that was familiar to her in childhood.
Just as it was for Mariam’s mother, endurance begins to play a significant role in Mariam’s life. Staying at Jalil’s house is not the fantasy she assumed it would be. At the house, Mariam endures Jalil’s unwelcoming and even hostile wives. They exemplify this behavior by trying to expel her out of the house through an arranged marriage. There is an unbalanced power dynamic between Mariam, Jalil, and his wives: Mariam, who is but a teenager, is being married off to a much older man and Jalil’s wives are shepherding this decision to get her out of their lives. Mariam marries Rasheed inside her father’s home, shattering her childish hopes of it ever being a safe haven. Going forward, Mariam will have to endure a troubled home life with her new husband, while her forced marriage by her father marks the beginning of her suffering at the hands of cruel men.
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- My Preferences
- My Reading List
- A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini
- Literature Notes
- Book Summary
- Character List and Analysis
- Minor Characters
- Summary and Analysis
- Part 1: Chapter 1
- Part 1: Chapter 2
- Part 1: Chapter 3
- Part 1: Chapter 4
- Part 1: Chapter 5
- Part 1: Chapter 6
- Part 1: Chapter 7
- Part 1: Chapter 8
- Part 1: Chapter 9
- Part 1: Chapter 10
- Part 1: Chapter 11
- Part 1: Chapter 12
- Part 1: Chapter 13
- Part 1: Chapter 14
- Part 1: Chapter 15
- Part 2: Chapter 16
- Part 2: Chapter 17
- Part 2: Chapter 18
- Part 2: Chapter 19
- Part 2: Chapter 20
- Part 2: Chapter 21
- Part 2: Chapter 22
- Part 2: Chapter 23
- Part 2: Chapter 24
- Part 2: Chapter 25
- Part 2: Chapter 26
- Part 3: Chapter 27
- Part 3: Chapter 28
- Part 3: Chapter 29
- Part 3: Chapter 30
- Part 3: Chapter 31
- Part 3: Chapter 32
- Part 3: Chapter 33
- Part 3: Chapter 34
- Part 3: Chapter 35
- Part 3: Chapter 36
- Part 3: Chapter 37
- Part 3: Chapter 38
- Part 3: Chapter 39
- Part 3: Chapter 40
- Part 3: Chapter 41
- Part 3: Chapter 42
- Part 3: Chapter 43
- Part 3: Chapter 44
- Part 3: Chapter 45
- Part 3: Chapter 46
- Part 3: Chapter 47
- Part 4: Chapter 48
- Part 4: Chapter 49
- Part 4: Chapter 50
- Part 4: Chapter 51
- Character Map
- Cite this Literature Note
A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in Afghanistan from the early 1960s to the early 2000s. Mariam, a young girl in the 1960s, grows up outside Herat, a small city in Afghanistan. Mariam has complicated feelings about her parents: She lives with her spiteful and stubborn mother, Nana; while her father Jalil, a successful businessman, visits Mariam — his only illegitimate child — once a week. Mariam resents her limited place in Jalil's life; she wants to live with him, his three wives, and her half-siblings in Herat. She makes her wishes known by asking Jalil to take her to see Pinocchio for her fifteenth birthday. Jalil reluctantly agrees, but then never shows up to take her to the film. Mariam walks to heart and finds Jalil's house, but he doesn't let her in, so she sleeps on the street. The next morning, Jalil's chauffeur drives Mariam home where she finds that her mother has committed suicide.
Mariam is taken to Jalil's home after her mother's funeral. Jalil's wives want nothing to do with Mariam, so they force him to let her marry Rasheed, a widowed shoemaker in Kabul. At first Rasheed treats Mariam decently, but after she suffers miscarriage after miscarriage, he abuses her both physically and verbally. It becomes clear that Rasheed's only use for Mariam is in her ability to replace the son he lost years ago.
Growing up down the street from Rasheed and Mariam is Laila, a young, intelligent girl from a loving family. However, the Afghani war against the Soviets disrupts Laila's childhood and both her older brothers leave to join the war. Laila seeks comfort from her best friend, Tariq, a boy a few years older than her. Just before Laila reaches adolescence, her parents' receive news that both of their sons have been killed. A few years later, war reaches Kabul and bombs fall on the city regularly. By now, Tariq and Laila are teenagers and in love. As Tariq tells Laila that he and his family are fleeing to Pakistan, the couples makes love for the first time, quickly and passionately. A few days later, Laila's parents decide to leave Afghanistan as well, but as they are packing a rocket hits their house, killing Laila's parents and wounding her.
Rasheed and Mariam nurse Laila back to health and after she recovers, a stranger, Abdul Sharif brings her news that Tariq has died. Devastated and realizing she's pregnant with Tariq's child, Laila agrees to marry Rasheed. Mariam is initially hurt and threatened by Laila's presence and refuses to have anything to do with her. However, after Laila gives birth to a daughter, Aziza, the women come to see themselves as allies against Rasheed's abusive, manipulative ways. A few years later, Laila gives birth to a son, Zalmai. Then, one afternoon, after years of abuse and sadness, Laila is shocked to see a man standing at her front door: Tariq.
Tariq and Laila spend the afternoon together while Rasheed is at work. Laila and Mariam realize that Rasheed hired Abdul Sharif to tell Laila about Tariq's untrue demise so she wouldn't run away. When Rasheed finds out that Tariq has come home, he brutally beats Laila. With a shovel, Mariam kills Rasheed. The next day, Mariam turns herself over to the Taliban in an effort to clear the way for Laila to find sanctuary for herself and her children in Pakistan with Tariq.
In Pakistan, Tariq and Laila marry and finally begin the life they dreamed of so many years ago. With time, both of Laila's children warm to Tariq and they enjoy their new life. But in September, 2001, their happiness is overshadowed by news that the United States has attacked Afghanistan. Following the US invasion, conditions in Kabul improve, and Laila insists that her family move back home so they can help rebuild their city. They stop by Herat on their way to Kabul, where Laila visits Mariam's old home and is able to come to terms with her grief over Mariam's execution. Laila and Tariq build a new life in Kabul: Laila becomes a schoolteacher at the orphanage where Aziza once lived. And when Laila becomes pregnant, she decides that if she has a girl, she'll name her Mariam.
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A Thousand Splendid Suns Part 1
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- Mariam is a young girl who lives with her mother in the small village of Gul Daman. When she's five, her mother calls her a harami (illegitimate child) for the first time after she accidentally breaks an old family heirloom.
- Mariam's father, Jalil, visits her for one or two hours each Thursday. He's totally affectionate with Mariam while they're together, and he calls her a "little flower" (1.1.7). When Jalil leaves, Nana always criticizes him, calling him a liar and a hypocrite.
- Jalil has three wives and nine legitimate children back home. Talk about a busy man, right? He owns a local movie theater and a few other businesses.
- Nana used to be Jalil's housekeeper; the two had an affair that, well, resulted in Mariam. Jalil's family swore vengeance and shamed Nana's father into abandoning her. Jalil struck a deal with his wives, and he now houses Nana and Mariam in Gul Daman.
- Nana recalls how she almost got married once when she was fifteen. Unfortunately, she had a seizure (which she calls a jinn , or evil spirit), and it scared off her potential husband.
- Nana also talks about the day that Mariam was born. She claims that she gave birth to Mariam alone in their house and had to cut the cord herself. Yikes. Jalil, on the other hand, claims that he was involved with Mariam's birth. For now, at least, Mariam buys his version of the story.
- Although Nana dislikes visitors, there are a few people who come by occasionally, like Bibi Jo, an older woman who gossips with Nana.
- Mariam's favorite visitor is Mullah Faizullah, a local religious leader who visits sometimes with his son Hamza. Mullah Faizullah teaches verses of the Koran to Mariam.
- One day, Mariam tells Mullah Faizullah that she wants to go to a real school. He hesitantly asks Nana, but Nana refuses, saying that the only thing a woman needs to learn is to "endure" (1.3.40).
- Jalil's getting his visit on again. Nana, surprisingly, is very polite and subdued while he's around. Jalil tells Mariam stories about Herat.
- Jalil gives Mariam a necklace on her fourteenth birthday. Mariam is appreciative, but Nana says that it's cheap and low quality after Jalil leaves.
- It's almost Mariam's fifteenth birthday, and she is psyched . During her weekly visit with Jalil, she asks him take her to see a new American cartoon. He avoids the question.
- After Jalil leaves, Mariam returns to her home and finds Nana furious. She calls Mariam an ungrateful daughter and tells her that she will die if Mariam leaves.
- Outside of the house, Mariam takes ten pebbles and arranges them in three columns. The three columns represent Jalil's three wives, and the rocks represent their children. She leaves one pebble, representing herself, to the side.
- At noon on her birthday, Mariam gets dressed up and goes to wait for Jalil. When he doesn't arrive, Mariam impulsively heads to his home in Herat.
- Mariam knocks on the door and is met by a young woman who gets confused when Mariam tells her that she is Jalil's daughter. A man comes out and tells her that Jalil is out of town. Stubbornly, Mariam refuses, and she ends up spending the night in Jalil's front yard.
- In the morning, the driver returns and tells Mariam that she has to leave. He tries to bring her to his car, but she slips away and runs through Jalil's gate.
- As she runs through the front garden, Mariam sees Jalil watching through the window. He quickly closes the blinds, and the driver is finally able to pull Mariam to the car.
- The driver brings Mariam home to Gul Daman. A horrible sight awaits them, however: Nana has hanged herself.
- Mariam is sent to live with Jalil after Nana's funeral.
- Mariam is given the guest room. She's visited by Niloufar, one of Jalil's daughters; Bibi Jo; and Mullah Faizullah.
- After being there for a week, Mariam is called downstairs because the family has something important to talk to her about. Uh oh: this doesn't sound good.
- Mariam sits at a table with Jalil and his three wives. After some uncomfortable small talk, Khadija (one of the wives) tells Mariam that they want her to marry a man named Rasheed.
- Mariam resists, but the wives tell her that Rasheed is a good man and a wealthy shoemaker. Mariam protests, but Jalil sides with his wives.
- They send Mariam to her room and lock the door.
- The next morning, Mariam is given a dress and is brought downstairs, where she finds two men and a local Mullah ( not her beloved Mullah Faizullah) preparing for her wedding ceremony.
- Mariam meets Rasheed, her future husband, and before you can say " Yikes ," the two are married.
- Mariam has an emotional goodbye with Jalil after the ceremony. She finally tells him how disappointed she is with him, and this visibly upsets him.
- Mariam and Rasheed arrive in Kabul. While Rasheed's house is far more modest than Jalil's, it's huge compared to Nana and Mariam's home.
- Rasheed gives Mariam a tour, but all she can do is cry. Rasheed tells her how much he hates the sound of women crying. He sure seems like a keeper.
- Eventually, Rasheed brings Mariam to a guest room, telling her that he prefers to sleep alone. He heads back to his bedroom to sleep.
- Mariam doesn't do much for the first few days and is always sure to be in bed by the time Rasheed gets home from work. Rasheed grows tired of this, telling her that he expects her "to start acting like a wife" (1.10.17). Again, all Mariam can do is cry.
- The next day, Mariam begins her duties as a wife, soaking lentils and vegetables for Rasheed's dinner and preparing dough to cook at the village's communal tandoor baking oven.
- Mariam follows a group of women and children to the tandoor. One woman named Fariba strikes up a conversation, but they're rudely interrupted by the other women. Frightened, Mariam runs home without baking the bread.
- Rasheed is actually pleased with the meal that Mariam prepares for him. He suggests showing her around Kabul the following day and hands her a brown paper bag. Mariam looks inside and…
- Rasheed has given Mariam a burqa , and he's told her that she must wear it whenever she leaves the home. Mariam has never worn one before.
- Rasheed takes Mariam around town, showing her a local park and the American embassy. He even buys Mariam her first ice cream cone—which totally blows her mind.
- Rasheed goes inside a shop while Mariam stands outside and watches the "modern Afghan women… [who] walked among strangers with makeup on their faces and nothing on their heads" (1.11.19).
- Eventually, Rasheed emerges and gives Mariam an embroidered shawl as a gift. She's surprised and genuinely moved by the gesture.
- Later that night, Rasheed and Mariam consummate their marriage.
- The Eid-ul-Fitr festival follows Ramadan each year, and Mariam and Rasheed leave the house to join in the festivities. Mariam sees Fariba again, but Rasheed mocks her and her teacher husband.
- On the third and final day of Eid, Rasheed leaves town to visit friends, and Mariam stays home alone.
- Mariam cleans the house, eventually making her way to Rasheed's room. Although she's never been inside, her curiosity gets the better of her, and she enters the room.
- Mariam starts going through Rasheed's drawers. In the top drawer there is gun sitting on top of a few magazines. Mariam examines the gun before realizing that the magazines are pornographic.
- In the bottom drawer, Mariam finds an old picture of Yunus, Rasheed's now-dead son. There's also a photograph of Rasheed with his first wife.
- Mariam puts everything back where she found it and continues cleaning the house.
- Mariam and Rasheed are on a bus back home after visiting the doctor. Mariam is pregnant, and Rasheed is making it very clear that he wants a boy.
- Rasheed celebrates the pregnancy by hosting a party the following night. Mariam cooks and cleans but spends the night upstairs in her room.
- Later, Mariam visits a bathhouse at Rasheed's request. While there, she begins to bleed, and she miscarries the child. The miscarriage deeply upsets Rasheed, and his attitude towards Mariam markedly shifts.
- Mariam is deeply depressed after the miscarriage. Rasheed rarely talks to her and is downright hostile when he does.
- In an attempt to ease their pain, Mariam suggests holding a burial ceremony for the baby. Rasheed brushes her idea aside, but Mariam goes through with the funeral the next day.
- It's now 1978. Mariam watches large political demonstrations on the streets from her window. She sees Fariba, who is now pregnant.
- Mariam and Rasheed stay inside and listen to the radio. Rasheed talks goofily about politics (in his eyes, a communist is someone who believes in "Karl Marxist") and insults Mariam (1.15.4).
- It turns out that Mariam has gone through six pregnancies since her first, each one ending in a miscarriage. Rasheed becomes crueler with each one.
- A few weeks later, Mariam and Rasheed wake up to see military planes zooming over Kabul.
- Mariam cooks dinner that night while Rasheed listens to the radio. An Air Force Colonel is claiming that the communists have taken control of Afghanistan.
- Meanwhile, there's a jump cut to Fariba, who has just given birth to a daughter named Laila. More on her soon…
- Back home, Rasheed is furious about dinner. He tells Mariam that the rice is overcooked. Mariam tries to apologize, but Rasheed storms outside and returns with a handful of pebbles. He forces them into Mariam's mouth and makes her chew, breaking two of her molars.
- Introduction
- Women and Femininity
- Visions of Afghanistan
- Babi (Hakim)
- Mammy (Fariba)
- Mullah Faizullah
- What's Up With the Title?
- What's Up With the Ending?
- Tough-o-Meter
- For Teachers
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled hosseini, everything you need for every book you read..
A Thousand Splendid Suns
By khaled hosseini, a thousand splendid suns summary and analysis of chapters 1-5.
The book opens with young Mariam being verbally chastised for breaking a tea set that belongs to her mother ( Nana ), who calls her a "harami" or bastard child. Mariam, as the narrator, explains that she did not clearly understand what the term meant. Nani explains that upon getting pregnant, Jalil cast out Nana from his household. Nana wishes that her father avenged her, but he did not do so. In order to save face in his household, Jalil insisted that Nana threw herself upon him. In retelling the story, Nana warns Mariam that a man will always blame a woman. After getting pregnant, Nana refused to stay in Herat or to move in with her father, so Jalil and his sons built her the kolba, the shacklike house in which Nana and Mariam live, in a clearing outside of the city.
Nana had told Mariam that she was once close to marriage when she was fifteen years-old. She was to be married to a parakeet seller, but before her wedding a "jinn" (a seizure or spasm of some sort) entered her body and the wedding was called off. Nana retells the events of Mariam's birth as if to suggest that she was on the floor of the kolba for two days, lying in pain waiting for birth. However, Jalil claims that Mariam was born in a hospital while Jalil was away. Both parents claim that they chose Mariam's name. Nana claims that Jalil did not visit baby Mariam until she was one month old, but Jalil says he came to see her as fast as he possibly could. Jalil's sons Muhsin and Ramin bring rations to the kolba so that Mariam and Nana don't have to go out to buy them. Nana throws rocks at the boys and curses, but Mariam feels sorry for them because of Nana's assaults.
Mariam and Nana spend their days feeding and milking animals, making bread and rice. Nana doesn't like visitors or people, but a couple of characters do visit the kolba. Bibi Jo is an older woman who comes to complain and gossip. Mullah Faizullah visits to tutor Mariam. He teaches Mariam the Koran prayers and her how to read. Mariam likes Mullah Faizullah, because he listens to her opinions and ideas.
During one tutoring session, Mariam tells Mullah Faizullah that she wants to go to school, and Mullah Faizullah approaches Nana about the issue. Nana refuses to send Mariam to school, chastises Mullah Faizullah, and tells Mariam that the only skill she needs to learn is how to endure life.
Mariam eagerly awaits Jalil's visits, because she loves the time they spend together. Nana also prepares for the visits, always appearing well groomed though she speaks ill of Jalil behind his back. Upon Jalil's arrival for this particular visit, Nana told Jalil that she had heard from Bibi Jo that one of Jalil's wives was pregnant. Jalil confirms the rumor.
Mariam and Jalil always go fishing and draw pictures when he visits. Jalil teaches her rhymes and brings newspaper clips to teach Mariam about Afghan politics. Jalil explains to Mariam that at this point in politics, Daoud Khan overthrows King Zahir Shah which turns Afghanistan into a republic. Rumors fly about the possible socialist ties of Daoud Khan. Jalil also brings her gifts. Mariam has admiration for Jalil, and she wishes that Jalil could take her in to live with him.
Mariam asks Jalil to take her to the cinema to see the new cartoon film that is premiering. When Mariam approaches Nana about the idea, Nana insists that the trip is a bad idea. However, when alone with Jalil, Mariam tells him that she wants to go to the cinema, and she also wants to meet her brothers and sisters. Jalil offers to send someone else to take her to the movies, but Mariam demands that Jalil to take her, and finally Jalil agrees.
Nana finds Mariam's intention to go to the cinema as a sign of her being ungrateful to her, and she tells Mariam she must stay home. Mariam does not listen to Nana and feels resentment towards her for treating her like a burden.
On the day of the movie, Jalil does not come to pick up Mariam, so Mariam decides to walk to Herat herself. Once there she is amazed by the city, and she catches a ride to Jalil's house. Mariam is told by a doorman that Jalil was away on business indefinitely and that she should go home. Mariam refuses to leave and spends the night outside of Jalil's house.The next day, Mariam tries to run into the garden. She only catches a quick glance of Jalil in the window, before she is forced into the backseat of Jalil's car by his chauffeur. Mariam is taken back to the kolba, betrayed and ashamed. While walking back to the kolba, the chauffeur tries to hide Mariam's eyes, but Mariam is able to see that Nana has hanged herself.
The opening of the novel sets the foundation for the book's more macrocosmic themes. Nana refers to Mariam as a “harami" (bastard or illegitimate child) in order to suggest that Mariam's birth was the consequence of an extra-marital affair. The term "harami" frames her upbringing as one that is illegitimate, a reference that Mariam herself makes in a later chapter. On the opposite side, Jalil appears as the standard for “legitimacy” according to societal views. Yet, once he lets Mariam down and subsequently rejects her presence at his home, his legitimacy as a father is called into question. In addition, Jalil’s relationship to Nana and Mariam displays his shame of this “second family”.
Both Mariam and Nana express hope at various points throughout this section. Nana reflects on her hopeful attitudes toward her upcoming marriage when she was a girl. Mariam expresses her hope for reconciliation with Jalil, finally persuading him to deepen their relationship and take her to the cinema. Yet, both characters find that their hope spirals into despair, a trajectory that repeats throughout the novel. Nana’s wedding is interrupted by a jinn, while Mariam’s meeting with Jalil never comes to pass.
Additionally, Mariam’s insistence to attend school and Nana’s refusal is the beginning of a discussion about education for women that resonates throughout the novel. Mariam learns early on that the attainment of a formal education would not only be impossible for her, but also that such an education would be wasted on her. The larger point, of course, is that a woman's responsibility is her home and her family.
The start of the novel provides insight into Mariam's dual existence as a child. She lives with Nana's harsh realism, imbuing her with a sense of longing for a better life. Jalil provides a new perspective on life, one that is fanciful and denies anything ugly or unpleasant. Mariam is forced to choose between these two opposing forces and ultimately chooses the idyllic view, as most children likely would. Nana's encouragement of Mariam to learn how to endure foreshadows the life that Mariam will lead, one that will require her to endure a childless abusive marriage.
Nana's emphasis on Mariam learning to endure suffering not only suggests how bleak Mariam's future will be, but also the type of lessons that Mariam must have learned as a child in Nana's home. Ultimately, throughout the rest of the novel, Mariam's capacity for endurance is what allows her to survive horrible conditions and depressing personal losses. Additionally, as Mariam grows up, she becomes steady and solid enough to endure her surroundings but rarely proactive enough to change her situation - a pattern of behavior which most likely reflects her upbringing.
Mariam's trip to Herat, which ultimately culminates in Nana's suicide, signals the end of Mariam's childhood, as well as the end of her naivete. Prior to her trip to Herat, she was shielded about Jalil's true regard for Mariam. Once Mariam attempts to reach Jalil, however, she is exposed to the truth about his consideration for her as an outsider to his life. Upon her mother's death, the simplicity of her life in the kolba is completely overturned, and she is thrust into adulthood immediately with her quest for a new home.
The significance of the "jinn", which appears in this first section of the book, is twofold. In religious belief, the jinn is a dark spirit that enters the body of a person. However, in biological terms, the word jinn also refers to a physical seizure or spasm. Throughout the novel, the term reflects this duality, serving as a symbol of pain and death, often imbued with a sense of karmic vengeance for past actions of regretful characters.
A Thousand Splendid Suns Questions and Answers
The Question and Answer section for A Thousand Splendid Suns is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
How elitism is shown in last 4 chapters?
Jalil tells Nana about another child he has had, and Nana is bitter about the fact that her daughter is not counted among his children. Jalil sits with Miriam and they sing songs and draw pictures together. He tells her about events in the outside...
. Rasheed digs Laila out of the rubble of the explosion that kills her mother and father and takes her into his home. Does his behavior seem unusual? What are his motives for taking care of Laila?
Rasheed wants another wife. He wants a younger wife that will give him at least one son. Rasheed only cares about himself. He cares little for Mariam or Laila. He is a misogynist who uses women for what he wants.
What is the motive of Jalil’s wives in finding a suitor for Mariam Why does Jalil go along with them in this plan?
Jalil's wives simply want Miriam out of their way. They have children of their own, and Miriam, nor her mother, were ever a part of their lives. Jalil, on the other hand, feels as if he owes Miriam something. Thus, he wants to arrange her marriage...
Study Guide for A Thousand Splendid Suns
A Thousand Splendid Suns is Khaled Hosseini's second novel. Like his first novel, The Kite Runner, it is set in Afghanistan. A Thousand Splendid Suns study guide contains a biography of Khaled Hosseini, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
- About A Thousand Splendid Suns
- A Thousand Splendid Suns Summary
- Character List
Essays for A Thousand Splendid Suns
A Thousand Splendid Suns is the second novel written by Khaled Hosseini. A Thousand Splendid Suns essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
- The Lasting Effects of Abuse in Miriam’s Life
- Strength Within Struggle
- Oppression of Women: A Comparison of A Thousand Splendid Suns and Tess of the D'Ubervilles
- The Sun Shines on Olympus
- Comparing "Osama" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns"
Lesson Plan for A Thousand Splendid Suns
- About the Author
- Study Objectives
- Common Core Standards
- Introduction to A Thousand Splendid Suns
- Relationship to Other Books
- Bringing in Technology
- Notes to the Teacher
- Related Links
- A Thousand Splendid Suns Bibliography
Wikipedia Entries for A Thousand Splendid Suns
- Introduction
A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS: DETAILED STUDY GUIDE / NOTES
Chapter 34: laila.
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Summary: Chapter 1 ... Mariam's father, Jalil Khan, is a wealthy businessman with three wives. Mariam's mother, Nana, is not married to Jalil. When Mariam is five
Chapter 1 familiarizes the reader with Hosseini's style. The narrative, which takes place in Afghanistan, is speckled with Afghani phrases that only sometimes
Mariam, a young girl in the 1960s, grows up outside Herat, a small city in Afghanistan. Mariam has complicated feelings about her parents: She lives with her
Chapter 1 · Mariam is a young girl who lives with her mother in the small village of Gul Daman. · Mariam's father, Jalil, visits her for one or two hours each
... Splendid Suns Chapter Summary. Find summaries for every chapter, including a A Thousand Splendid Suns Chapter Summary Chart to help you understand the book.
Mariam adores Jalil, who never calls her such a name, but instead visits and tells her stories about their city, Herat, and the famous poet Jami who lived there
A Thousand Splendid Suns, a 2007 novel by Afghan-born Khaled Hosseini, is the story of Mariam and Laila, two women married to the same man, Rasheed. Born in
The book opens with young Mariam being verbally chastised for breaking a tea set that belongs to her mother (Nana), who calls her a "harami"
This chapter is so sad, because it is reminiscent of a divorced couple and how they use their children to hurt each other. Nana passes on her bitterness to
However, there is a bright thought in the fact that the two women are now no longer enemies. CHAPTER 35. Summary. From that night on, Mariam and Laila do their