In his novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini masterfully crafts a heartbreaking tale of misogyny and war. It covers historical events in Afghanistan such as the rise of the Taliban through the lens of two women, Mariam and Laila. While the novel was published two decades ago and the book is set even further back in time, the themes of the novel are still topical today.
The novel follows Mariam, an illegitimate child who is forced into a marriage with Rasheed, a man thrice her age. The abusive Rasheed makes her life a living hell . Laila, a bright young girl with noble ambitions, watches her life turn upside down when war claims her home city of Kabul. Just like Mariam, she marries Rasheed to protect herself and her baby Aziza. Despite some initial animosity, Aziza acts as a doorway for both women to open their hearts to each other.
The novel portrays very specific historical events, yet the issues it highlights are strikingly relevant today. The devastating impact of war and the brutality of misogyny are two of the book’s central themes. And these themes are still very much visible in current global conflicts.
The reality of war: from Afghanistan to Ukraine
War is not just a backdrop for history books or an assembly of data. It’s very real, tangible, and unfortunately still active. It tears apart families like an unrelenting force of nature and only leaves misery for the victims.
The leagues of war in Afghanistan broke generations of families in Hosseini’s book, and now it’s doing the same for the people of Ukraine. The devastating reality persists as families are being torn apart.
Modern conflicts in the Ukraine war have caused untold suffering. Beginning February 2022, the conflict has been going on for three years. Yet, there are still no concrete signs of resolution. It marks one of the largest refugee crises in Europe since WWII.
Khaled Hosseini’s heartbreaking novel is not just a reflection of Afghanistan’s past. It’s not just a book to be forgotten after one read, either. It is a tribute to those who struggle in war — and also a warning for the future.
The silent suffering of women
One of, if not the most hauntingly well-written parts of A Thousand Splendid Suns pertains to the suffering of women in war zones. Of course, men are mistreated as well. But what about their female counterparts left behind to suffer? Who speaks for them?
Hosseini’s novel does not hold back while describing the brutality that women suffered in the wars. Just as Laila and Mariam endured brutality and oppression, so do the women in Ukraine who are forced to abandon their homes with their young children. With no one to protect them, this vulnerable group is taken advantage of in the most unspeakable ways.
Yet A Thousand Splendid Suns doesn’t just portray women as vulnerable victims; it show their resistance and strength, too. They secretly fight against the Taliban by teaching little girls. And that’s what makes the novel so endearing. It illuminates the cruel reality that women must face, but it also gives them hope to fight back.
The unseen psychological damages
The bullets in war don’t just pierce the flesh of men. They also pierce the minds of families, leaving a scar more haunting than any physical one. This scar of trauma shapes the lives of others and mutates into something unrecognizable as time passes by. It did for the characters in Hosseini’s novel, and it has been doing the same for the people suffering in the Ukraine war.
The impact of war — the killing of men drafted and the scars survivors are forced to bear — transcends the initial killings. No one deserves such trauma.
It left Laila’s mother unable to properly care for her daughter as she mourns her son’s death in the war. Leagues of real-life mothers encounter similar struggles. Thousands are mourning their children in Ukraine, while thousands of children are waiting for their fathers. In this way, the bullets claim two victims: the men who are killed, and the families who lose a loved one.
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Plenty of war media touches on the subject of physical damage — the injuries caused by bullets. But so many others discuss Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and A Thousand Splendid Suns is unique among those. Instead of the PTSD of soldiers, it focuses on the PTSD of other war victims. It depicts Aziza fearing to return to her home in Kabul. It’s not just some fictional story — it is a reality for little children in Ukraine who now wait in refugee camps.
Literature’s significance
Understanding literature such as A Thousand Splendid Suns is crucial. It reminds us that behind every statistic, behind every fact written in history books, are the stories of real people. Real people just like us, who once had dreams and aspirations that were torn away by circumstances out of their control.
It reminds us that war is not and should not be viewed as a mere chapter in history books. War should not be seen as battles and lost/gained territories, but rather, as a horrifying tale of suffering for all involved. No gained resources and no gained land will ever make up for the trauma inflicted.
No textbook or news report will ever make war feel so real and haunting as literature, and that includes A Thousand Splendid Suns. Reading the news reports of Ukraine will never be able to compare. Mariam and Laila’s journeys may differ from those of the people in Ukraine. But their pain and suffering reflects the truth of all wars.
We should not let war ever reach the intensity seen in A Thousand Splendid Suns. We should not let the people of Ukraine suffer. And most of all, we should always keep the themes from Hosseini’s novel alive in our hearts.
