Discussion Topic C

In A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, the character Mariam is a woman who lives her life full of regret.  At the decision of going to visit her father Mariam's mother warns her, "I'll die if you go."  Mariam comes home to find that her mother committed suicide.  The warning that Mariam heard from her mother carries on with her throughout her life, tormenting her and making her feel guilty for her mother's death.  Hosseini shows how Mariam's past negatively affects her as she constantly remembers that if she hadn't left she wouldn't have the life she has.  Also, as Mariam grows up, she lives with the memory of the "first time she heard the word harami."  Hosseini's use of diction of the word "harami" reminds Mariam of her mother's indifference to her.  Nana, Mariam's mother, fills Mariam's childhood with a feeling of bieng unwanted.  These feelings follow Mariam and eventually make her feel unworthy and self-pity.  The negative ideas that hr mother fed her made Mariam feel that there was no hope for happiness for her.  She remembers her mother telling her that snowflakes were, "a reminder of how women like us suffer."  Mariam believes that she is forced to live suffering, without any opportunity for a better life.  Hosseini ironically compares a snowflake to suffering.  Snowflakes are all unique and usually described as beautiful, however Hosseini does not embrace the beauty of the snowflake.  The neglet Mariam received from both parents led her to believe she would never find someone to appreciate her.  For this reason Mariam is surprised when she wins the affection of Laila and her daughter.  The connection that she makes with them helps Mariam learn that she is worthy of love and happiness.