Women of Afghanistan Mirrored through Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns

Abstract

Literature forms the backbone as well as the mouthpiece of almost all historical events and consequently presents the readers with a clear representation of the problems associated with the foretold incidents. Gender has been a powerful topic, capable enough of grasping the attention of the society in every age. Women have been considered as subordinate, invaluable and minority citizens. This has been constructed by the societal norms wherein women have always been dragged to the pedestal of all sorts of discussions. Women have been deliberately suppressed to an extent that their lives turned out to be miserable in the so-called patriarchal society. The Feminist theory focuses on the understanding of the gender inequality by highlighting the most prominent themes such as sexual objectification, oppression, patriarchy and so on. Afghanistan has the same root problems. The deteriorated condition of women still persists with the passing years without any considerable change. The novel is a very clear and crisp depiction of the sufferings of female characters namely Nana, Maryam and Laila who suffer mercilessly at the hands of their male dominants. These women are tortured and threatened sexually, psychologically and mentally. The agony and anxiety involved in such practices shape the female characters of the novel and provides the readers with an overview of the gender inequality through lack of education, exemption from their rights, marital problems, unhealthy medical conditions and so on.