In trying not to be too redundant, I skipped some of the questions. :o)
What did A Thousand Splendid Suns teach you about the history of Afghanistan? Did anything surprise you?
I had a hard time reminding myself that this story was relatively contemporary, not something from years and years ago. It stunned me to think that there are still people living this way today. I knew NOTHING about Afghanistan prior to reading this book, so everything I learned was new.
Mariam’s mother says: "Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have." In what ways is this true? How do Mariam and Laila endure? How is their endurance different from the ways their mothers faced their trials?
The women of this story only had two choices – endure or end their life. With little to no power in their society, they couldn’t make their lives better in any way but to learn to take what they had and make the best of it.
Mariam makes the best of her situation by being the best wife she can be, even though her husband gets progressively crueler when she doesn’t produce an heir. All she had was the security of knowing she had a place to live, food to eat and a man to guard over her. When everything falls apart in Laila’s life, she takes what chances are offered her and does the best she can with them – providing a home for herself and her baby. Both of their mothers chose to cling to bitterness.
Were you surprised when Tariq returned? Had you suspected the depth of Rasheed's deceit?
I had no idea the lengths that Rasheed would go to get what he wanted. I assumed that the story brought to Laila about Tariq was true and that he had died. Rasheed did a good job putting together something believable – he had to, because otherwise Laila would have never stopped trying to reunite with Tariq. She absolutely would never have agreed to marry Rasheed! And I’m surprised that Rasheed figured she was pregnant, too, and wonder why he would be willing to claim another man’s child as his own.
Why does Mariam refuse to call witnesses at her trial? Why didn't she try to escape with Laila and Tariq? Do you think Mariam made the right decision? Even though her life was hard, Mariam wishes for more of it in the end. Why do you think that is?
Mariam wanted to do everything in her power to make sure that Laila and Tariq had a chance at happiness. They would have had to live on the run for the rest of their lives had they attempted to take her with them. I’m not sure if it was the right decision, but I have a narrow, privileged American brain to wrap around it. I assume that they could have run away to someplace far enough that they could have lived all together okay. I guess I’m an optimist through and through and think it was a waste of Mariam’s life not to at least try to get away. Of course she wished for more of life in the end! She’d finally found a family to love and be loved by!
Do you think Laila and Tariq can be happy?
Yes, I believe they are both resourceful enough to make their way in the world. They love each other and their children, and that covers over a multitude of things that might be lacking. I didn’t know why Laila felt such a need to go back to her home town, though, when life could be so much easier if they’d stayed away.
Rate A Thousand Splendid Suns on a scale of 1 to 5.
I would give it a 3. Definitely not a re-read and it made me pretty depressed. I’m sure it’s an amazing literary work, but I’m not the best one to judge that.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Keri's Review
1. What did A Thousand Splendid Suns teach you about the history of Afghanistan? Did anything surprise you?
I really didn’t know anything about Afghanistan prior to reading this book, so pretty much everything I read was something new. I was surprised to read how different women were treated culturally and how in many ways it is very old-fashioned. I also had not realized how much the people in control had changed over the years and how that affected the people.
2. Mariam’s mother says: "Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have." In what ways is this true? How do Mariam and Laila endure? How is their endurance different from the ways their mothers faced their trials?
In a way there was no other choice for Mariam and Laila but to endure. Neither of them would have been willing to just give up and so they kept on going and tried to make the best of the situations they faced. They tried to be as positive as possible in a life that seemed to have little joy, but once they looked it was there in a cup of tea together in the evening, in cooking and cleaning together, in working together to make a life out of a terrible situation. Laila’s mother was never able to let go of the past and allow herself to move on from her son’s deaths. She was unable or unwilling to see her daughter and her husband as a way to make a happier future. Mariam’s mother became a bitter woman – perhaps many would say she had no choice, but we all have a choice in how we react and behave. She chose to give up once her daughter left because she felt she had nothing left to live for. These choices were something that Mariam and Laila would have never made…not because they were better than their mothers, but simply because they chose to never give up and never lose hope.
3. Several times Mariam passes herself off as Laila's mother. In what way is their relationship like mother-daughter? How did their own relationships with their mothers shape how they treated each other and their family?
I believe there was a significant age difference between the two of them which allowed them to physically create this illusion. But I believe it was a more emotional decision – Laila still wanted and needed a mothering figure due to the lack of attention and love that she received from her own mother; and Mariam craved the ability to be a mother and take care of someone even though she was initially unhappy with Laila’s position in the house (though who could blame her?). I think they both craved the same kind of family life and they both were denied it or lost the little bit that they had been born with. By the time they became friends they were able to create the loving family life they wanted.
4. What is the significance of Laila's childhood trip to see the giant stone Buddhas above the Bamiyan Valley? Why did her father take her on this trip? How did his influence shape the way Laila would cope with her future?
Her father wanted her to see something positive that her country had contributed that had also lasted for over 2000 years. It was a way to see a different perspective of their war-torn country – something peaceful, something beautiful, something awe-inspiring and something not related to war or power or corruption. And by actually bringing her their to see them with her own eyes, feel them with her own hands as they climbed, and listen to their silence, Laila was able to have a deeper connection with her heritage and story. Laila was blessed with a wonderful father who loved her and his family completely. Though he had hopes and dreams about a new life in America, he was willing to stay in Afghanistan to please and accommodate his beloved wife. He gave Laila the ability to see the future for the hopeful place it could be and he encouraged her to be more than her country thought she could be – to have hope, to laugh, to cry, to see and feel beauty and to love and be loved.
“It’s what I always remember about being up here…The silence. The peace of it. I wanted you to experience it. But I also wanted you to see your country’s heritage, children, to learn of its rich past. You see, some things I can teach you. Some you learn from books. But there are things that, well, you just have to see and feel.”
5. Afghanistan changes rulers several times in the story. During the Soviet occupation, the people felt life would be better once the foreigners were defeated. Why do you think the quality of life deteriorated after the occupation rather than returning to the way it was in the pre-communist era?
I think perhaps it was because going from strict regulations to freedom was too much for some people. With little rule, the corrupt and criminal were able to take over and cause the quality of life to deteriorate. And because the ones in control had created a new and much more regulated religious environment it had caused the situation to become worse. The few had everything, and the many had little or nothing.
6. When the Taliban first enter the city, Laila does not believe women will tolerate being forced out of jobs and treated with such indignity. Why do the educated women of Kabul endure such treatment? Why are the Taliban accepted?
I think they endured such treatment because they ultimately had no other choice. While they may have wanted to same freedoms that had existed prior to the Taliban taking control, they realized that in order to survive they had to adapt or face punishment. I think people accepted the Taliban at first because it seemed like they were taking back control of their own country and it would be a good thing. But as their freedoms slipped away and the problems multiplied they quickly discovered that there was no turning back time and nothing they could do to achieve the lives they truly wanted. They had to adjust, just as they had to adjust every time any other ruler took over control of their country.
7. The Taliban forbid "writing books, watching films, and painting pictures;" yet the film Titanic becomes a sensation on the black market. Why would people risk the Taliban’s violence to watch the film? Why do you think this particular film became so popular? How does Hosseini use films throughout the novel to symbolize relationships between people and the state of the country (i.e. Jalil's theater, Tariq & Laila's outings to the movies)?
I think people needed something to escape the reality of their current life and movies have always provided that outlet. Perhaps the hope and love in the story of Titanic and the characters’ ability to rise above what life dealt them gave them joy and made it worth the effort and risk of doing something not allowed. Plus, anything that is forbidden is ultimately more desired and the story of Titanic is also full of forbidden desire which probably made it doubly attractive. I really hadn’t noticed the recurring movie theme, but it is true that it was there. I think as I mentioned before it has to do with the hope and escape that movies provide and that sense of something unobtained. For Mariam, it was never being allowed to watch a film in her father’s theater, and Laila discovering that he had left Mariam a videotape of the film Pinocchio at his death in an act of regret and hope for forgiveness. For Laila and Tariq it was an opportunity to spend time together and helped create the hopes and desires that they grew to have for each other.
8. Were you surprised when Tariq returned? Had you suspected the depth of Rasheed's deceit?
I was very surprised and so happy at Tariq’s return and wondered why I hadn’t even entertained the thought that Rasheed had arranged for his perfect timing reveal of Tariq’s ”death”. Once it was revealed it made perfect sense that he would have wanted to keep Laila from hoping for Tariq’s return because he knew if she had any hope she would have never agreed to marry him instead.
9. Why does Mariam refuse to call witnesses at her trial? Why didn't she try to escape with Laila and Tariq? Do you think Mariam made the right decision? Even though her life was hard, Mariam wishes for more of it in the end. Why do you think that is?
I think that Mariam realized that by choosing to take all the blame for Rasheed’s death she was allowing Laila, Tariq and the children the opportunity to truly be free. Any inquiries or witnesses would have brought them into more attention and possibly would have resulted in their capture and or death. She loved them enough to sacrifice so they could be free, and she knew that trying to escape with them would mean they would always be on the run and never able to feel safe. I think that she made the right choice. It wasn’t the happiest choice or the one anyone really wanted, but it was the right one. By this point in her life, Mariam had finally found people to love her truly and completely and while she of course wanted more time with them, she could at least let them go and let herself be killed knowing that she had lived a life where she had loved and been loved in return.
10. Do you think Laila and Tariq can be happy?
I think that they can be happy because not only will they work hard to make their lives better and the lives of those around them better, but also because they both felt hope and could visualize a positive future for themselves and Afghanistan. And because of their deep love for each other and all they had gone through together and apart, they were able to focus on the good things in life and not sink into depression or anger.
11. Afghanistan is still in the news a lot. Do you think the situation will truly improve there?
I have hope that the situation will improve. I think that this book gave me a deeper understanding of their culture and way of life and more importantly, the ability to feel more personally attached to how their way of life is being affected.
12. Rate A Thousand Splendid Suns on a scale of 1 to 5.
I think I would rate it between a 3 and 4. It’s not necessarily a book that I want to read over and over, but it was a book that touched me and opened my eyes to something I had not really been exposed to previously.
A few meaningful quotes:
· “But Laila knew that her future was no match for her brothers’ past. They had overshadowed her in life. They would obliterate her in death. Mammy was now the curator of their lives’ museum and she, Laila, a mere visitor. A receptacle for their myths. The parchment on which Mammy meant to ink their legends.”
· “…leaving Laila with dueling emotions: reassured that Mammy meant to live on, stung that she was not the reason. She would never leave her mark on Mammy’s heart the way her brothers had, because Mammy’s heart was like a pallid beach where Laila’s footprints would forever wash away beneath the waves of sorrow that swelled and crashed, swelled and crashed.”
· “And that, my young friends, is the story of our country, one invader after another…Macedonians. Sassanians. Arabs. Mongols. Now the Soviets. But we’re like those walls up there. Battered, and nothing pretty to look at, but still standing.”
· “With your mother, both her joy and sadness are extreme. She can’t hide either. She never could. Me, I suppose I’m different. I tend to...But it broke me too, the boys dying. I miss them too. Not a day passes that I…it’s very hard, Laila. So very hard…But I’m glad I have you. I thank God for you. Every single day. Sometimes, when your mother’s having one of her really dark days, I feel like you’re all I have, Laila.”
· “They knew that Mammy wasn’t going anywhere. Leaving Afghanistan had been unthinkable to her while Ahmad and Noor were still alive. Now that they were shaheed, packing up and running was an even worse affront, a betrayal, a disavowal of the sacrifice her sons had made…And Babi would never leave without her…For Mammy, he would brush aside this daydream of his the way he flicked specks of flour from his coat when he got home from work. And so they would stay. They would stay until the war ended. And they would stay for whatever came after war. Laila remembered Mammy telling Babi once that she had married a man who had no convictions. Mammy didn’t understand. She didn’t understand that if she looked into a mirror, she would find the one unfailing conviction of his life looking right back at her.”
· Though there had been moments of beauty in it, Mariam knew that life for the most part had been unkind to her. But…she could not help but wish for more of it. She wished she could see Laila again…She mourned that she would never see Aziza grow up…She would never play with Aziza’s children…Mariam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving this world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last. No. It was not so bad, Mariam thought, that she should die this way. Not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings…One last time, Mariam did as she was told.”
· “But it isn’t mere homesickness or nostalgia that has Laila thinking of Kabul so much these days. She has become plagued by restlessness...Of late, she has started hearing Babi’s voice in her head. You can be anything you want, Laila…I know this about you. And I also know that when this war is over, Afghanistan is going to need you…She remembers Mammy’s response…I want to see my sons’ dreams come true. I want to be there when it happens, when Afghanistan is free, so the boys will see it too. They’ll see it through my eyes. There is a part of Laila now that wants to return to Kabul, for Mammy and Babi, for them to see it through her eyes…then, most compellingly for Laila, there is Mariam. Did Mariam die for this? Did she sacrifice herself so she, Laila, could be a maid in a foreign land?”
· (Laila)”…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. Laila thinks of her own life and all that has happened to her, and she is astonished that she too has survived, that she is alive and sitting in this taxi listening to this man’s story.”
· “When they first came back to Kabul, it distressed Laila that she didn’t know where the Taliban had buried Mariam. She wished she could visit Mariam’s grave, to sit with her awhile, leave a flower or two. But Laila sees now that it doesn’t matter. Mariam is never far. She is here…but mostly, Mariam is in Laila’s own heart, where she shines with the bursting radiance of a thousand suns.”
I really didn’t know anything about Afghanistan prior to reading this book, so pretty much everything I read was something new. I was surprised to read how different women were treated culturally and how in many ways it is very old-fashioned. I also had not realized how much the people in control had changed over the years and how that affected the people.
2. Mariam’s mother says: "Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have." In what ways is this true? How do Mariam and Laila endure? How is their endurance different from the ways their mothers faced their trials?
In a way there was no other choice for Mariam and Laila but to endure. Neither of them would have been willing to just give up and so they kept on going and tried to make the best of the situations they faced. They tried to be as positive as possible in a life that seemed to have little joy, but once they looked it was there in a cup of tea together in the evening, in cooking and cleaning together, in working together to make a life out of a terrible situation. Laila’s mother was never able to let go of the past and allow herself to move on from her son’s deaths. She was unable or unwilling to see her daughter and her husband as a way to make a happier future. Mariam’s mother became a bitter woman – perhaps many would say she had no choice, but we all have a choice in how we react and behave. She chose to give up once her daughter left because she felt she had nothing left to live for. These choices were something that Mariam and Laila would have never made…not because they were better than their mothers, but simply because they chose to never give up and never lose hope.
3. Several times Mariam passes herself off as Laila's mother. In what way is their relationship like mother-daughter? How did their own relationships with their mothers shape how they treated each other and their family?
I believe there was a significant age difference between the two of them which allowed them to physically create this illusion. But I believe it was a more emotional decision – Laila still wanted and needed a mothering figure due to the lack of attention and love that she received from her own mother; and Mariam craved the ability to be a mother and take care of someone even though she was initially unhappy with Laila’s position in the house (though who could blame her?). I think they both craved the same kind of family life and they both were denied it or lost the little bit that they had been born with. By the time they became friends they were able to create the loving family life they wanted.
4. What is the significance of Laila's childhood trip to see the giant stone Buddhas above the Bamiyan Valley? Why did her father take her on this trip? How did his influence shape the way Laila would cope with her future?
Her father wanted her to see something positive that her country had contributed that had also lasted for over 2000 years. It was a way to see a different perspective of their war-torn country – something peaceful, something beautiful, something awe-inspiring and something not related to war or power or corruption. And by actually bringing her their to see them with her own eyes, feel them with her own hands as they climbed, and listen to their silence, Laila was able to have a deeper connection with her heritage and story. Laila was blessed with a wonderful father who loved her and his family completely. Though he had hopes and dreams about a new life in America, he was willing to stay in Afghanistan to please and accommodate his beloved wife. He gave Laila the ability to see the future for the hopeful place it could be and he encouraged her to be more than her country thought she could be – to have hope, to laugh, to cry, to see and feel beauty and to love and be loved.
“It’s what I always remember about being up here…The silence. The peace of it. I wanted you to experience it. But I also wanted you to see your country’s heritage, children, to learn of its rich past. You see, some things I can teach you. Some you learn from books. But there are things that, well, you just have to see and feel.”
5. Afghanistan changes rulers several times in the story. During the Soviet occupation, the people felt life would be better once the foreigners were defeated. Why do you think the quality of life deteriorated after the occupation rather than returning to the way it was in the pre-communist era?
I think perhaps it was because going from strict regulations to freedom was too much for some people. With little rule, the corrupt and criminal were able to take over and cause the quality of life to deteriorate. And because the ones in control had created a new and much more regulated religious environment it had caused the situation to become worse. The few had everything, and the many had little or nothing.
6. When the Taliban first enter the city, Laila does not believe women will tolerate being forced out of jobs and treated with such indignity. Why do the educated women of Kabul endure such treatment? Why are the Taliban accepted?
I think they endured such treatment because they ultimately had no other choice. While they may have wanted to same freedoms that had existed prior to the Taliban taking control, they realized that in order to survive they had to adapt or face punishment. I think people accepted the Taliban at first because it seemed like they were taking back control of their own country and it would be a good thing. But as their freedoms slipped away and the problems multiplied they quickly discovered that there was no turning back time and nothing they could do to achieve the lives they truly wanted. They had to adjust, just as they had to adjust every time any other ruler took over control of their country.
7. The Taliban forbid "writing books, watching films, and painting pictures;" yet the film Titanic becomes a sensation on the black market. Why would people risk the Taliban’s violence to watch the film? Why do you think this particular film became so popular? How does Hosseini use films throughout the novel to symbolize relationships between people and the state of the country (i.e. Jalil's theater, Tariq & Laila's outings to the movies)?
I think people needed something to escape the reality of their current life and movies have always provided that outlet. Perhaps the hope and love in the story of Titanic and the characters’ ability to rise above what life dealt them gave them joy and made it worth the effort and risk of doing something not allowed. Plus, anything that is forbidden is ultimately more desired and the story of Titanic is also full of forbidden desire which probably made it doubly attractive. I really hadn’t noticed the recurring movie theme, but it is true that it was there. I think as I mentioned before it has to do with the hope and escape that movies provide and that sense of something unobtained. For Mariam, it was never being allowed to watch a film in her father’s theater, and Laila discovering that he had left Mariam a videotape of the film Pinocchio at his death in an act of regret and hope for forgiveness. For Laila and Tariq it was an opportunity to spend time together and helped create the hopes and desires that they grew to have for each other.
8. Were you surprised when Tariq returned? Had you suspected the depth of Rasheed's deceit?
I was very surprised and so happy at Tariq’s return and wondered why I hadn’t even entertained the thought that Rasheed had arranged for his perfect timing reveal of Tariq’s ”death”. Once it was revealed it made perfect sense that he would have wanted to keep Laila from hoping for Tariq’s return because he knew if she had any hope she would have never agreed to marry him instead.
9. Why does Mariam refuse to call witnesses at her trial? Why didn't she try to escape with Laila and Tariq? Do you think Mariam made the right decision? Even though her life was hard, Mariam wishes for more of it in the end. Why do you think that is?
I think that Mariam realized that by choosing to take all the blame for Rasheed’s death she was allowing Laila, Tariq and the children the opportunity to truly be free. Any inquiries or witnesses would have brought them into more attention and possibly would have resulted in their capture and or death. She loved them enough to sacrifice so they could be free, and she knew that trying to escape with them would mean they would always be on the run and never able to feel safe. I think that she made the right choice. It wasn’t the happiest choice or the one anyone really wanted, but it was the right one. By this point in her life, Mariam had finally found people to love her truly and completely and while she of course wanted more time with them, she could at least let them go and let herself be killed knowing that she had lived a life where she had loved and been loved in return.
10. Do you think Laila and Tariq can be happy?
I think that they can be happy because not only will they work hard to make their lives better and the lives of those around them better, but also because they both felt hope and could visualize a positive future for themselves and Afghanistan. And because of their deep love for each other and all they had gone through together and apart, they were able to focus on the good things in life and not sink into depression or anger.
11. Afghanistan is still in the news a lot. Do you think the situation will truly improve there?
I have hope that the situation will improve. I think that this book gave me a deeper understanding of their culture and way of life and more importantly, the ability to feel more personally attached to how their way of life is being affected.
12. Rate A Thousand Splendid Suns on a scale of 1 to 5.
I think I would rate it between a 3 and 4. It’s not necessarily a book that I want to read over and over, but it was a book that touched me and opened my eyes to something I had not really been exposed to previously.
A few meaningful quotes:
· “But Laila knew that her future was no match for her brothers’ past. They had overshadowed her in life. They would obliterate her in death. Mammy was now the curator of their lives’ museum and she, Laila, a mere visitor. A receptacle for their myths. The parchment on which Mammy meant to ink their legends.”
· “…leaving Laila with dueling emotions: reassured that Mammy meant to live on, stung that she was not the reason. She would never leave her mark on Mammy’s heart the way her brothers had, because Mammy’s heart was like a pallid beach where Laila’s footprints would forever wash away beneath the waves of sorrow that swelled and crashed, swelled and crashed.”
· “And that, my young friends, is the story of our country, one invader after another…Macedonians. Sassanians. Arabs. Mongols. Now the Soviets. But we’re like those walls up there. Battered, and nothing pretty to look at, but still standing.”
· “With your mother, both her joy and sadness are extreme. She can’t hide either. She never could. Me, I suppose I’m different. I tend to...But it broke me too, the boys dying. I miss them too. Not a day passes that I…it’s very hard, Laila. So very hard…But I’m glad I have you. I thank God for you. Every single day. Sometimes, when your mother’s having one of her really dark days, I feel like you’re all I have, Laila.”
· “They knew that Mammy wasn’t going anywhere. Leaving Afghanistan had been unthinkable to her while Ahmad and Noor were still alive. Now that they were shaheed, packing up and running was an even worse affront, a betrayal, a disavowal of the sacrifice her sons had made…And Babi would never leave without her…For Mammy, he would brush aside this daydream of his the way he flicked specks of flour from his coat when he got home from work. And so they would stay. They would stay until the war ended. And they would stay for whatever came after war. Laila remembered Mammy telling Babi once that she had married a man who had no convictions. Mammy didn’t understand. She didn’t understand that if she looked into a mirror, she would find the one unfailing conviction of his life looking right back at her.”
· Though there had been moments of beauty in it, Mariam knew that life for the most part had been unkind to her. But…she could not help but wish for more of it. She wished she could see Laila again…She mourned that she would never see Aziza grow up…She would never play with Aziza’s children…Mariam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving this world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last. No. It was not so bad, Mariam thought, that she should die this way. Not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings…One last time, Mariam did as she was told.”
· “But it isn’t mere homesickness or nostalgia that has Laila thinking of Kabul so much these days. She has become plagued by restlessness...Of late, she has started hearing Babi’s voice in her head. You can be anything you want, Laila…I know this about you. And I also know that when this war is over, Afghanistan is going to need you…She remembers Mammy’s response…I want to see my sons’ dreams come true. I want to be there when it happens, when Afghanistan is free, so the boys will see it too. They’ll see it through my eyes. There is a part of Laila now that wants to return to Kabul, for Mammy and Babi, for them to see it through her eyes…then, most compellingly for Laila, there is Mariam. Did Mariam die for this? Did she sacrifice herself so she, Laila, could be a maid in a foreign land?”
· (Laila)”…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. Laila thinks of her own life and all that has happened to her, and she is astonished that she too has survived, that she is alive and sitting in this taxi listening to this man’s story.”
· “When they first came back to Kabul, it distressed Laila that she didn’t know where the Taliban had buried Mariam. She wished she could visit Mariam’s grave, to sit with her awhile, leave a flower or two. But Laila sees now that it doesn’t matter. Mariam is never far. She is here…but mostly, Mariam is in Laila’s own heart, where she shines with the bursting radiance of a thousand suns.”
Sunday, August 9, 2009
time for discussion - 1000 Splendid Suns
I know you guys are up to your ears in stuff going how between Mom, Dad, moving, kids etc. So I don't know if you've finished the book or not. I just did. I'm going to post questions tonight. Later this week, I'll do my "review". But a hint: I liked the book and am still thinking about it.
- What did A Thousand Splendid Suns teach you about the history of Afghanistan? Did anything surprise you?
- Mariam’s mother says: "Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have." In what ways is this true? How do Mariam and Laila endure? How is their endurance different from the ways their mothers faced their trials?
- Several times Mariam passes herself off as Laila's mother. In what way is their relationship like mother-daughter? How did their own relationships with their mothers shape how they treated each other and their family?
- What is the significance of Laila's childhood trip to see the giant stone Buddhas above the Bamiyan Valley? Why did her father take her on this trip? How did his influence shape the way Laila would cope with her future?
- Afghanistan changes rulers several times in the story. During the Soviet occupation, the people felt life would be better once the foreigners were defeated. Why do you think the quality of life deteriorated after the occupation rather than returning to the way it was in the pre-communist era?
- When the Taliban first enter the city, Laila does not believe women will tolerate being forced out of jobs and treated with such indignity. Why do the educated women of Kabul endure such treatment? Why are the Taliban accepted?
- The Taliban forbid "writing books, watching films, and painting pictures;" yet the filmTitanic becomes a sensation on the black market. Why would people risk the Taliban’s violence to watch the film? Why do you think this particular film became so popular? How does Hosseini use films throughout the novel to symbolize relationships between people and the state of the country (i.e. Jalil's theater, Tariq & Laila's outings to the movies)?
- Were you surprised when Tariq returned? Had you suspected the depth of Rasheed's deceit?
- Why does Mariam refuse to call witnesses at her trial? Why didn't she try to escape with Laila and Tariq? Do you think Mariam made the right decision? Even though her life was hard, Mariam wishes for more of it in the end. Why do you think that is?
- Do you think Laila and Tariq can be happy?
- Afghanistan is still in the news a lot. Do you think the situation will truly improve there?
- Rate A Thousand Splendid Suns on a scale of 1 to 5.
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