Life is not easy whatsoever, but eventually it will end. Live life to the fullest, persevere through every trial and never give up. All people endure their earthly existence differently, some have an easier time enduring life, while other people have an exceedingly tough time. Women in the middle east go through life experiencing problematic and painful trials everyday. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, tells us the story of the suffering and day to day life of two struggling women. Mariam and Laila the women referred to in the book, have little to no freedom in their lives.
The reasoning behind that is they reside within a male dominant community in the middle east. Mariam and Laila are both beaten constantly, but the culture believes that women should be seen and not heard. To endure life it takes love, hope, and fortitude. The love between Mariam and Laila provides strength for those who simply strive for a better world. For Mariam and Laila, a connection of love was not present, but as time went on, their bond began to be visible and grew from then on. “They have three cups of tea while they sit there, and then Aziza awakens and begins to cry.
Rasheed yells for Laila to come upstairs and shut her up. That’s when a look passes between Laila and Mariam. An unguarded, knowing look. And in this fleeting, wordless exchange with Mariam, Laila knows that they are not enemies any longer. ” (Hosseini 224). During this time those two women realized that they needed to be friends in order to survive. Everyone needs love and compassion to fully endure life. We learn in Hosseini’s words how Mariam never experienced compassion until having an intimate moment with Laila’s baby Aziza.
As soon as she was in Mariam’s arms, Aziza’s thumb shot into her mouth and she buried her face in Mariam’s neck… Mariam had never before been wanted like this. Love had never been declared to her so guilelessly, so unreserved”. (Hosseini 252). This moment makes Mariam want to cry because she did not understand why Aziza would have an interest in her. Mariam suffers from low self esteem due to being tossed around and constantly beat by Rasheed for so long she had no faith in herself, but this moment made an indispensable impact in Mariam’s exceedingly trivial life.
While love is a key point in surviving life, hope in knowing that some day, the difficult struggles will depart, is equally important. The hope and faith of a better tomorrow was the only things Laila had positive in her life at that point. “Behind every trial and sorrow that he makes us shoulder, God has a reason” (Hosseini 27). Laila withstood a lot of abuse from Rasheed, equivalent to what Mariam went through. Moreover Laila always had the hope that her God would always be with her through everything. Mariam, like Laila, also depended a great deal on her faith.
Mariam had no other choice in the matter because hope was one of the only things she did have. “God’s words will never betray you, my girl” (Hosseini 16). Mariam has a lot of comfort in knowing that her God would always be there for her to keep peace and health and would invariably forgive her for her wrongdoings. Even with the vivacity of being hopeful in life’s endeavors, having fortitude in one’s life is a necessity and cornerstone to keep the demands of the world sturdy and upright. In the novel Laila was experiencing a loss because of Tariq’s departer.
She knows Tariq is the only man that would ever listen to her, treat her with respect, and actually love her. “Laila came to believe that of all the hardships a person had to face none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting” (Hosseini 113). At this point in the book Laila had not yet experienced domestic abuse yet, but she did know what it felt like to be aware of a loss. In the writing of Hosseini, Laila is listening to the taxi driver tell a story about a violent attack in Pakistan by the Hamshira.
I’m sorry,’ Laila says, marveling at how every Afghan story is marked by death and loss and unimaginable grief. And yet, she sees, people find a way to survive, to go on. ” (Hosseini 350). Laila was utterly astonished by how she was still alive and was blessed to even be listening to that taxi driver speak. Laila believes she has the fortitude to endure all of her life’s trials. The difficulties faced by the average female in the middle east are vast; little freedom and stability creates absolutely no structure to push through what we view as life.
Nevertheless, enduring life with love, hope, and fortitude does pave the way for happiness and joy in future circumstances. Live life to the fullest, it will improve and tomorrow is only a day away. Laila and Mariam, with their coincidentally, similar abusive situations endure every last second of them, but eventually are able to overcome their problems. Soaking up a thousand or more trials a day is what happens to women living in middle east. It is unquestionable that being a female in Afghanistan is not a splendid one single bit.