The Oppression over Women and the Opposition of Women in A Thousand Splendid Suns

【Abstract】This thesis analyzes the domination over women and womens awakening and resistance in the book A Thousand Splendid Suns.

【Key words】Domination； Patriarchy； Resistance

【作者簡介】张莹，苏州旅游与财经高等职业技术学校。

1. Introduction

A Thousand Splendid Suns unravels the story of two women whose fates are interwoven in a war-torn Afghanistan in those most chaotic decades. Mariam， an illegitimate daughter， fails to ingratiate herself with her father. The turning point of her fate falls on her fifteenth birthday when her humble wish for a movie with her father in his own cinema is deceptively denied by him and her mother Nana hangs herself. Hardly has this trauma of bereavement subsided when she is forced to marry an old widower to avoid inflicting further ignominy. Her husband treats her well at first only because she is perceived as a tool for delivering him a son. However， after several miscarriages and her infertility， she falls into the abyss of domestic violence. Laila， an educated girl， loses all her beloved ones to the wars. She becomes an orphan and has no choice but to marry Mariams husband to protect her unborn baby. In the third part of the novel， the fates of the two heroines， whose life courses have diverged， now converge in their struggle for survival and freedom.

2. Oppression on Women

A Thousand Splendid Suns cracks open a crevice through which people can peep into the appalling living conditions of Afghan women. While feminist movements claim sweeping victories elsewhere， Afghanistan remains the most impregnable place where not even the slightest beam of feminist sunlight can percolate through and warm the women there. The book encompasses too many details about the ordeal facing an Afghan woman. First comes the war， the cruelty of which is a palpable reality they have to live with every day. The vivid depiction just tears your heart apart.

Besides the horrors of wars， the women are nearly suffocated in this patriarchal society. They are forbidden to go out without a man and are compelled to wear a burqa. They have no right to education， work or even healthcare. When Laila gives birth to her son， she has to go through the caesarian operation without anesthetic， because the doctors “have no X-ray， no suction， no oxygen， not even simple antibiotics. When NGOs offer money， the Taliban turn them away. Or they funnel the money to the places that cater to men.”

They are even despised by their husbands. “Like a compass needle that points north， a mans accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.” Once， Rasheed beats Mariam just because she hasnt cooked the rice according to his taste. “His powerful hands clasped her jaw. He shoved two fingers into her mouth and pried it open， then forced the cold， hard pebbles into it. … Then he was gone， leaving Mariam to spit out pebbles， blood， and the fragments of two broken molars.” The scenes arouse tremendous uneasiness from the readers while successfully making their voice heard universally. Its a howl that grits on everyones nerves.

3. Awakening and Resistance

While the tribulation is writ large in the writing， so are the evils of the patriarchal society and Afghan womens dauntless bravery. According to eco-feminism， the oppression over women is related with the domination over nature. Men are incapable of living harmoniously with nature. They are belligerent and inhumane. The masculinity rampant in their veins is of destructive forces and once let loose， will spare nothing. The history of a patriarchal society is a history rife with wars which have devastating impact on mankind and nature. But the lesson will never be learnt by men. Women embody nature giving life. Nana， Mariams mother， could have ditched her daughter and run， but she endures the shame of bearing a “harami”， and shapes her life around the thankless task of raising her. Mariam sacrifices her life to protect Laila and the children. This sisterly and motherly fight teems with love， penance and self-redemption. They can suffer the insufferable and bear the unbearable out of love.

4. Conclusion

The evils of a patriarchal society are so ingrained that for them to be eradicated， a new approach should be taken. Hosseini turns to his potent writing which gives the otherwise voiceless women a hearing. The message conveyed in the book is conspicuous that to stop the spiraling road further down to perdition， we must topple the patriarchal values and stop the social oppression over women.

References：

[1]Hosseini，Khaled.A Thousand Splendid Suns.New York：The Berkley Publishing Group，2007.