A Thousand Splendid Suns And Water For Elephants Comparison Essay

The triumph of love over death and destruction is at once an inspiring and timeless theme. This theme is thoroughly examined in both Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns and Sarah Gruen’s Water for Elephants. Despite their subtle differences in writing style, both novels have protagonists who undergo similar experiences and have similar settings. The authors of both novels succeed in telling a moving story through their different writing styles. The writing in Water for Elephants is replete with colloquial language. The workers at the circus use broken English and common slang. Camel, for example, pleads with Blackie to let go of Jacob by saying, “Blackie, I’m tellin’ ya! We don’t need no trouble. Let ‘im go!” This vernacular lends much credence to the setting and the characters. Although the story is written from the first person point of view, the author’s use of dialogue
allows the reader a glimpse of other characters’ perspectives. The reader can, for example, understand and empathize with Walter’s character after hearing his story of how he was abandoned by his parents as a child. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, the author’s use of Farsi in his writing lends credibility to the setting, as Farsi is the spoken language of Afghanistan. Aziza calls Mariam khala, which means aunt in Farsi, and when talking about his father’s recovery, Tariq says, “ Yes, but he’s fine now, shookr e Khoda, thanks to God.(115)” The use and integration of Farsi in the diction remind the reader of the setting. In addition, the writing familiarizes the reader with Afghan culture by explaining various traditions, and makes the setting less distant and more tangible. In contrast to Water for Elephants the diction of this novel is less colloquial and more formal. The author’s choice of words creates a solemn mood and sets a serious atmosphere. The serious and sombre mood is congruent with the turbulent backdrop of the story. In both novels, love and friendship provide the protagonists with the strength to overcome daunting obstacles in their lives. In Water for Elephants, Jacob loses his parents in a car accident and is forced to give up his studies to work at a circus. Jacob is overwhelmed with grief and feels lost and confused. As he notes, “I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. And I can’t study. I stare at a single paragraph for a quarter of an hour but can’t absorb it. How can I, when behind the words on the white background of the paper, I’m watching an endless loop of my parents’ deaths.(21)”. However, after becoming friends with Camel and Walter, Jacob learns that he is not alone in his suffering and accepts his painful reality. Furthermore, Jacob’s love for Marlena eases his pain by giving him the strength to move on and be happy again. The prospect of starting a life with Marlena give him the courage to confront and move on from his adversity. In a Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam is only fifteen when she loses her mother.
Mariam never thinks she’ll be able to love or be loved again. Two decades later, tragedy strikes Laila, when she loses her parents to a local bombing. Laila is crestfallen and miserable as she watches her life fall into shambles, first with her parents’ death and later with that of Tariq’s. The two women also face an abusive husband together. However, they find solace in each other and learn to deal with their pain through friendship and love. Mariam and Laila’s friendship leads them to endure unimaginable brutalities and gives them the strength to overcome their adversities with startling heroism. When Rasheed threatens to kill Laila, Mariam accepts the fate of being his murderer. After killing Rashid, Mariam notes to Laila, “For me, it ends here. There’s nothing more I want, everything I’d ever wished for as a little girl, you’ve given me. You and your children have made me so very happy. It’s alright Laila jo. This is alright. ( 319)”. Mariam’s sacrifice for Laila shows how devoted she is to
Laila. Both novels are set against the backdrop of a tumultuous time that shapes and torments the protagonists. In Water for Elephants, the story takes place in America at the height of the Depression. Life is a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Jacob is left penniless and has to give up his studies to earn money working at a circus. The grim setting of this novel is one of the obstacles Jacob overcomes and underscores his endurance and strength faced with adversity. “The country’s fallen on hard times and that’s a fact, ” answers the lawyer when Jacob asks him why his parents had not left him money. A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in Afghanistan from 1975 to the present. From the Communist regime to the advent of the Taliban regime, the streets of Kabul are loud with sound of gunfire. The story takes place in a time that is unforgiving and prejudiced against women. The setting is in many ways an antagonist. Rashid’s brutal treatment of Laila and Maryam is deemed acceptable by the society and thus Rashid is not held accountable to any of his actions. Rashid himself explains, “If the fancy should strike me and I’m not saying it will, but it could, I would be within my rights to take Aziza away. How would you like that? Or I go to the Taliban one day just walk in and say that I have my suspicions about you. That’s all it would take. Whose word do you think they would take? What do you think they’d do to you, 252)” In a society cruel to women, Laila and Mariam find themselves oppressed by the men in their lives and struggle to find happiness. In conclusion, although the authors of Water for Elephants and A Thousand Splendid Suns each have their unique writing style, they both portray protagonists who undergo similar experiences and set their stories against turbulent times. Life in both novels is hard and painful. But, in the end, it is love that triumphs over death and destruction.