A Thousand Splendid Suns Context

When is the book set

In Afghanistan over the course of 4 decades - set between 1960s and early 2000s

What is Hosseini's writing deeply influenced by

Afghanistan's history, the impact of war, oppression, and the struggles of women under Taliban rule

What job did Hosseini's mother have

Professor at a secondary school in Afghanistan

Where was Hosseini born

Kabul, Afghanistan

When was the book published?

2007

Who is in power during Mariam's upbringing

Mohammed Daoud Khan

What happens to Daoud Khan

He is overthrown and killed in a pro-soviet coup and is replaced by the PDPA.

What was the PDPA

People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan

When was Daoud khan in power

1953-1963

(Resigns)

1973 - 1978

Why was Daoud Khan overthrown

The soviets did not see him as effective enough

When was Daoud Khan overthrown

1978

Who opposes the PDPA

US-backed mujahideen groups

When does the soviet afghan war begin

1979

Which war does Laila's brothers die in

Soviet-afghan war

When does the soviet-afghan war end

1988

How long was the Soviet afghan war

1979 - 1988

Who led the soviet-backed government

Najibullah

What happens after the afghan-soviet war

The soviet-backed government collapses and the civil war begins as there is a power vacuum within the mujahideen.

What war does Giti die in

The civil war

When was the civil war

1992 - 1996

Who was Massoud

A warlord who took power over part of Kabul. Leader of the main opposition to the Taliban

What happens to massoud

He is assassinated in 2001

How does the civil war end

The Taliban emerge and seize control of Kabul

What do the Taliban introduce

A hard-line version of Islam, banning women from work, and introducing Islamic punishments including stoning to death and amputations

What happens at the end of the book

Parliament opens again and the majority of the seats are held by warlords from the civil war

Name a warlord who becomes a key parliamentary figure at the end

Hekmatyar - his rocket killed Giti

What were women's rights like under Daoud khan and the PDPA

- Women's rights expansion: communist government promoted education and employment for women, granting them rights that were later stripped away under the Taliban

- Urban vs Rural divide

What was the urban vs rural divide

While women in cities like Kabul experienced more freedom, traditional conservative values persisted in rural areas, showing the tension between progress and deeply rooted patriarchal traditions

2007 interview quote from Hosseini on urban rural divide

"The real oppression of women in Afghanistan occurs in deeply tribal, conservative rural areas"

When was the Taliban regime

1996-2001

Women's rights under the Taliban regime

- extreme oppression

- brutal punishments

- restricted medical care

Extreme oppression of women

Women were banned from working, attending school, or even leaving the house without a male guardian.

Brutal punishments

Women faced public executions for perceived moral transgressions.

Restricted medical care

Women could only be treated by female doctors, yet female doctors were barred from working - leading to inadequate healthcare, as illustrated in Laila's difficult birth.

What was maternal mortality like at the time

Highest in the world - 1450/100 000

What % of women had trained medical personnel at their births

6%

How many beds did the single medical facility in Kabul have (reference when laila gives birth to Zalmai)

35

What is the main religion

Islam

What is Islam

A monotheistic religion that teaches belief in one God and follows the teachings of the prophet Muhammad

How does Hosseini present Islam

A source of comfort but also a tool for oppression

Teachings of the Quran

Premarital sex and adultery are sins. Babies born from illegitimate unions are called 'haramis'

Why was it not uncommon for girls to be married to men twice their age

they were frequently seen as subordinate to males due to the patriarchal and sexist society of the time

What were the Bamiyan Buddhas?

Sculptures representing Afghanistan's diverse culture and history of different religions.

Women + marraige

Women were viewed more as possessions that companions and it was not uncommon for men to have multiple wives, as Jalil did.

Women + education

Women were not encouraged to seek an education; it was not deemed necessary as they main role would be to care for their husband and children.

Who is Mariam's childhood teacher

Mullah Faizullah

What does Mullah Faizullah teach

Islam is meant to provide solace and guidance, showing its potential for compassion and strength

How does rasheed use Islamic teachings

He uses them to justify his control over Mariam and Laila, using religion as a means to enforce his dominance and mistreat them.

How does the Taliban use Islamic teachings

They impose a strict and extremest interpretation of Islam, using it to strip women of their rights and limit their freedom and dignity

Mariam and religion

Her faith remains a source of inner strength, ultimately helping her face her fate with peace and dignity, showing how Islam can also serve as a means of resilience and liberation

What does Sayeed ask laila and Tariq to do when they move back to Kabul

Walk under his Quran - ritual intended to provide safety and security

Why is this ritual of walking under the Quran significant

Ritual intended to provide safety and security. Happened after 9/11 attacks, which caused the world to view Islam as a tool for the opposite of this

Where does Mariam grow up

Gul Daman

How is setting used in the book

- contrast between rural and urban: modernity vs traditional views

Where does the title "a thousand splendid suns" come from

17th century poem 'Kabul' by Saib-e-Tabrizi

What is the title a metaphor for

The beauty and resilience that endures despite the city's and the people's suffering. Beauty of Afghanistan

What may the walls symbolise

The restrictions women must face - they are the thousand suns. Keep rising

Who holds the Quran over laila and Tariq

Sayeed

Why do laila and Mariam suffer

As a result of the politically volatile situation in Afghanistan as well as at the hands of their abusive husband, Rasheed

What does Hosseini's conclusion reinforce

The idea of education as the key to escaping from cycles of suffering. The ultimate prevailing hope of the human condition despite suffering

Intro sentence on suffering being caused by social status

Both protagonists endure profound suffering as a result of their social status and economic hardships, which exacerbate the gender-based injustices they face

Impact of the term 'harami'

Loaded with shame and stigma, marking Mariam as an outcast before she even has the agency to shape her own identity

What is a kolba

A small mud house - underscores the deprivation they endure and sharply contrasts the opulence of Jalil. 'she could touch the ceiling of the kolba with her fingertips'

Impact of Jalil's wealth

Through this disparity, Hosseini highlights the entrenched patriarchal norms that allow Jalil, as a man, to escape the consequences of their shared sin, while Nana and Mariam bear the brunt of society's judgment

Analyse "he knew she had no authority over him"

Zalmai has an intently higher status than both Mariam and laila. The family acts as a microcosm for Afghan society, perhaps explaining the toxic and male learned behaviours presented in the book

analyse "you'd shoved the barrel of your gun into your wife's mouth"

Reminds us of seemingly insurmountable power imbalance. The polyptoton forces the reader to put themselves in Rasheed's shoes - an uncomfortable place to be. Phallic shape of gun has sexual connotations

The burqa

once worn as a aymbol of wealth but become mandatory by the taliban which meant poor families had to share one burqa between women.

Women leaving the house

In traditional households women have to ask for permission to leave anbs then go in groups for safety or be accompanied by a close male relative.

However, this became mandatory for everyone during thw taliban reign and the civil war in which it wasn't safe.

Family

society revolves around family (qaum) and afghans see themselves ad one unit rther than embracing individuality.

decision making

- lies with senior males (younger = less power)

- decisions are made based on how it will enhance the quam's social, financial or political status.

marriage

- arranged by agreement between families based on future rank, good income and sometimes good treatment for the wife.

- families allow supervised visits but never alone.

- during the wedding, women should nto laugh or smile as it is seen as being happy to leave your parents.

women in the family

- senior women gain status by having babies (esp boys), managing household affairs and providing food for family and guests.

- women nurture the children and discuss their marriage alliances.

Shame and honour

- Honour can be ascribed by blood and historic honour or achieved by generosity, hospitality, being a good muslim.

- Shame can come from public disgrace etc

- Honour is competitive and always costs someone else's shame.

- If a woman breaks things like sexual taboos, she brings shame on herself and her qaum, even being put to death by a close male relative.

drought in afghanistan

- there is little rain from may to september, often creating drought.

Herat

- where mariam's father lives whilst she lives on the outskirts.

- over the centuries it has been invaded many times and its opulation slaughtered

- in 1405, it was refined with many mosques, shrines and secular buildings. sufism was introduced too, giving way to the artists and poets

kabul

- it is a sprawling city with more than 4.6m people living there.

- kabul's unctontrollef growth is due to a nationwide shift to urbanisation. much of the architecture is inadequate.

Polygamy

- Polygamy is allowed in Afghanistan, but men may only marry four wives as this is iterated in the Quran.

- A man must treat all wives eqally, althought this is not often obliged by.

- Accepted reasons for polygamy: a wife's infertility, acquiring wealth, increasing status.

- Civil law stats that mean mus tell all his wives about each other and must approve new wives.

-'It is ethical and Virtuous to marry a second time' -Mohammed.

-Anti-soviet Mujaheddin guerrillas and the Taliban collected wives as a symbol of power and wealth

-Groom pays dowry for wives; 10,000 Afghanis or livestock

Adv and Disadv of polygamy for women

adv

- shared chores,

- less obligation for sex,

- shared childcare,

- sense of community

disadv

- jealousy,

- lack of self esteem,

- competition,

- disliking other wives.

Islamic weddings

- Usually multiple stages before the wedding, e.g khina night where they have fun and do mehndi. Laila and Mariam never do this in the novel, only wedding for the essential purpose of survival and protection, rather than indulging in fun and sacredness. This proves the ironic betrayal of tradition for the sake of abiding by afghan traditions of honour etc.

- mirror tradition: the couple is given a mirror and a shawl to cover themselves with. They see themselves as a couple for the first time, as a union. For mariam, this ritual is a facade. For laila and tariq, this ritual is meaningful and important.

Funeral codes

Mourning for the deceased is observed for three days except for the widow who mourns for 4 months and 10 days. (Sunni) Fariba mourns for far more than three days and Laila and Mariam don't really mourn Rasheed.

Sunni Islam expects expressions of grief to remain dignified, prohibiting loud wailing or mourning in a loud voice, shrieking, beating the chest and cheeks, tearing hair or clothes, breaking objects, scratching faces. Fariba defies this norm.

Women's wear in the Koran

- dress modestly as God will see them.

- Cover cleavage

- hijabs not in the Quran: invented as a 'barrier of evil'.

What is the genre of bildungsroman?

a bildungsroman is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth and change of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood.

this is clearly applicable to suns through the growth of both mariam and laila thorughout the book.

austere rule

- taliban Promise to restore peace and security and instill Sharia, the Islamic law

-Introduced and supported Islam punishments

- public execution and amputations for those guilty of theft-Supported by ethnic Pashtuns

-Disapproved of girls over 10 going to school

hosseini biographical context

- Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965

- His father was a diplomat in the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and history at a high school in Kabul

- Relocated to Paris, and when ready to return in 1980, their homeland had witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet army

- The Hosseini's granted political asylum in the US, and they moved to California, where Khaled Hosseini studied to become a doctor

- Later established the Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a non-profit organisation, which provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan

tajiks and pashtuns

- In Afghanistan the ethnic class or tribal group that a person is born into largely determines the person's destiny. The two primary ethnic groups in A Thousand Splendid Suns are Pashtuns and Tajiks.

- Pashtuns speak a language called Pashto, and Tajiks speak a dialect of Farsi, also called Persian.

- Tariq and his family are Pashtun, and Rasheed is Pashtun. Laila and her family are Tajik, and while Mariam's ethnicity is not directly stated, she comes from an area where Farsi is spoken and the population is mostly Tajik.

- Pashtuns make up about two-fifths of the Afghan population, and Tajiks comprise more than one-fourth of the population. Most Tajiks are Sunni Muslims, as most Pashtuns are, though a few are Shia Muslim. Pashtuns, being the largest population group, usually have employment that provides more wealth than the minority population can attain, which affords Pashtuns more access to educational opportunities—and more power. However, in Pashtun communities, most women are not afforded these opportunities, while in Tajik communities, women have more freedom to be in public alone, work, and be educated. Mariam would have been able to go to school if her mother had allowed it, and Laila attended school until the rule of the Taliban.

- urban v rural divide

sunni vs shia

The two major factions are Sunni Islam, the largest group, and Shia Islam. Sunni Muslims believe that anyone who follows the ways of Islam can lead people in the religion. Shia Muslims believe that to be a religious leader, a person must be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. In both groups the central belief is that Allah is omniscient, and their views on God's involvement in the affairs of humans and their fate are complex.

five pillars of islam

- Shahadah (Profession of Faith): The declaration that "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah". It is the foundation of Islamic belief and identity.

- Salah (Prayer): Compulsory prayer five times a day—dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night—performed facing Makkah to maintain a connection with God.

- Zakat (Alms-giving): The obligatory giving of a set portion of one's wealth (usually 2.5% of savings) to charity, intended to purify wealth and help the needy.

- Sawm (Fasting): Abstaining from food, drink, and other pleasures from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan to practice self-discipline and empathy for the poor.

- Hajj (Pilgrimage): The pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah that every able-bodied and financially capable Muslim must perform at least once in their lifetime.

gul daman

gul daman is a fictional place, which contrasts the realism thoughout the rest of the novel and its real settings. this ungrounding in reality emphasises mariam's outcasting, making her seem out of place in her c hildhood even to the audience, also emphasising how isolated and unkown she and her village is

urban v rural divide

hosseini inspo

- 'their incredible stories of survival were always with me...part of my inspiration for this novel came from their collective spirit'

- ''their life stories were truly heartbreaking...found myself thinking about those resilient women over and over.'

alan marshall

'this novel is a view from inside the burqa of the nightmare of Afghanistan's history over 30 years'

hosseini UN

He is also a UN goodwill ambassador, and has established a nonprofit providing humanitarian assistance to Afghans.

also runs the khaled hosseini foundation, helping women and children in Afghanistan by providing funding for shelter, education, healthcare, and women's empowerment opportunities.