Patel 1 Tanvi Patel English 1 Ms.

Boughton 2A 11/16/10 Indirect Characterization Essay A Thousand Splendid Suns is a story of suffering, overcoming and unexpected friendships. This story starts with a young girl names Mariam, throughout the story Mariam gets older, and life treats her with problems after problems. She gets married young to an abusive man. Later her husband marries another girl, who has no other choice. Mariam and Laila, Rasheeds wives, eventually build a strong friendship. They try to escape but it does not work. They are brought back and both are beaten by Rasheed. Finally, when Rasheed is close to killing Laila, Mariam kills him. Mariam tells Laila to run away with her to two children and her love. Mariam is killed for her act, but Laila and her family are given a chance. To a certain extent Tariq, Laila, and their two children, Aziza and Zalmai lived happily. Mariam is a vital character in this story. Throughout the story, she put through test after test, and each on alters her character. The author, Khaled Hosseini, uses indirect characterization to reveal personality growth and change of the protagonist. Through Mariams thoughts and actions, she reveals how different situations change her. She changes from being nave to trusting people realistically. The situations that Mariam has dealt with, lead her to become hostile, but as the story progresses, she does become loving. Mariam was brought up in a place where women did as their husbands desired, no questions asked, so when she first married she was a devoted wife. Slowly she became rebellious and fought against Rasheed, her husband. Throughout the story Mariam develops and changes, Hosseini shows this through indirect characterization. Most children are nave but as they grow up they slowly learn the ways of the world. Unfortunately, Mariam did not have the option of learning this as she grew up because she had to

Patel 2 grow up very quickly. She was forced to learn the ways of the world very early in her life. Before that though, she was very trusting of her father. Her mother would always put her father in bad light, saying that he did not love Mariam because she is illegitimate. Mariam would listen to her mother but she never believed her. This was because When Jalil came to see her, all smiles and gifts and endearments, Mariam felt deserving of all the beauty and bounty that has to give. And, for this, Mariam loved Jalil.(pg, 5) In Mariams eyes, Jalil could do not bad. Mariams trust in her father may also have to do with the fact that he was kind to her where her mother was always angry and upset with her. Her mother called her a harami but Jalil never called Mariam this name. (pg 4) Mariams trust in Jalil was not eternal. Mariams mother killed herself and Mariam was left with Jalil. Jalils other family did not like her and so they married her off at the age of fifteen. This is how Mariam came to hate the man she adored. I used to worship you.(pg 50) Mariam uttered these words while telling Jalil to never interfere in her life ever again. When she was on the bus leaving with her new husband Rasheed, She did not turn to look when Jalils palms pressed on the glass, where his knuckles rapped and rapped. (pg 51) This is how Mariam had to learn the lesson most children learn, much later in their lives. Her experience with Jalil was not enough for Mariam. She came to trust Rasheed in that way as well. She had done well maybe even better than good, even and I surprised her, this thrill she felt over a small compliment. (pg 65) This thought clearly depicts how Mariam was ready to trust Rasheed, and felt complimented by something that could have easily been taken as an insult. Mariam is navely unaware of the fact that Rasheed is only using her. Thankfully, it did not take that long for her to understand this, but once she did there was nothing she was able to do about it. Rasheed was kind to Mariam until she lost her first child and then every child after that. Mariams life had become very hard. It wasnt easy tolerating him talking to her, to bear

Patel 3 his scorn, his ridicule, his insults, his walking past her like she was nothing but a house cat. But after four years of marriage, Mariam saw clearly how much a woman could tolerate when she was afraid. (pg 89) Clearly we can see that Mariam is afraid of her husband, and is no longer overly trusting. The unfortunate thing is that to learn this lesson, Mariam had to endure ridicule, and abuse, from the man she was supposed to love. Due to her surroundings, Mariam had become hostile. Rasheed saved Laila from the rubble so he could have the son, he wanted. Laila is beautiful, and young. Any wife would become jealous and hostile when her husband becomes attracted to another woman or girl. Mariam could not show her feelings when Rasheed was around or she would be beat. When she did get the chance she did not let it go. You may be the palace malika and me a dehati, but I wont take orders from you. You can complain to him and he can slit my throat, but I wont do it. (pg 202) This is how Mariam reacted when Laila tried to form a friendship with her. The situation did not get any better when Rasheed told Mariam that Laila was pregnant. After dinner that night Mariam said I hope you dont think that this excuses you from chores. (pg 205) Mariam even felt happy when Laila and Rasheed came home with the baby, Aziza. Mariam knew that Rasheed wanted a boy and still she had no sympathy for the girl. Slowly, Rasheeds temper and circumstances brought the two women together. One night the two women were both awake and decided to have tea. They started with one cup but sat until they had, had three cups. And in a fleeting, wordless exchange with Mariam, Laila knew that they were not enemies any longer. (pg 224) There was another thing that helped bring the girls together, Aziza. Mariam had never before been wanted like this. Love had never been declared to her so guilelessly, so unreservedly. Azizas love warmed Mariam and made Mariam thankful to Laila. Eventually the women became close enough to tell each other their secrets. Laila also

Patel 4 revealed to her that Aziza was not Rasheed, but Tariqs daughter. Pretty soon the three girls became part of one another. Laila and Aziza had become extensions of her, and now without them, the life Mariam had tolerated for so long suddenly seemed intolerable. Although it took some time, Mariam did end up losing her hostility for love. The final, large change, which Mariam went through, was from being a devoted wife to a rebellious wife who fights for her rights. Throughout the story we see this hidden change occur. When she first arrives to Rasheeds house, she did everything she thought would please Rasheed. Mariam was disappointed that he [Rasheed] did not notice the clean windows, swept floors, the missing cobwebs. But he did look pleased that she had already set his dinner plate. Then she even agreed to where a burka when she left the house. She would do whatever Rasheed said because she thought of him as a good, kind man. She even let him into her bed, for a few minutes before he left to his own room. Mariams devotion to being a good wife to Rasheed quickly became a requirement rather than a choice. Although she did not want to Mariam continued to stay devoted to her husband. After a certain point she had no choice because he was afraid of him. Then slowly, after her friendship with Laila, she gained some hope. There were two of them and they had a real reason to want to get away, Aziza. They decided to leave when Rasheed was at work one day. They got to the bus stop but were held there and eventually sent back. When they got back Rasheed beat them both, starved them for days, and then finally he threatened Laila. Laila had a son, Rasheeds son, Zalmai. Rasheed really loved that boy and he would do everything for him. Soon they lost most of their money and Rasheed made them put Aziza in an orphanage. Then one day Tariq came and shocked Laila, but Zalmai told Rasheed everything. Rasheed locked Zalmai in his room. Then he came down and began to beat them. When he was almost suffocating Laila, Mariam had

Patel 5 enough. She got a shovel and hit Rasheed in the head, and then again, until she was sure that he was dead. This experience gave Mariam, for the first time, the chance to do something on her own. it occurred to her [Mariam] that this was the first time she was deciding the course of her own life. After this Mariams courage grew and she sent Laila, with her kids to Tariq. She would take the blame all on her own. During her trial she said, I admit to what I did, brother, Mariam said But if I hadnt, he would have killed her. Without a doubt, Mariam lost her devotedness and thought for herself. She became a rebel. Throughout the story Mariam grew as a character. She was a shy, trusting, devoted. Circumstances made her hostile and at times frightened for her life. In the end though, she overcame it all to become a loving person, but more importantly her own person. The author never wrote out these changes, they needed to be interpreted by the reader. There were also many lessons to be learnt by this novel. The most might just be that no matter what life hands to you, there is some way that it will make you a better person. Each part of her life was affected by the circumstances she encountered but in the end, she left the world better than she had lived. She left knowing that there were people out there that loved her, and that she was no ones puppet. Mariam is a symbol, and she stands for all the people out that who have gone through similar situations. More importantly she stands for those people who made lemonade when life gave them very sour lemons.