Mariam In A Thousand Splendid Suns

The documentary portrayed the journey of National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry trying to find the young girl with striking eyes whom he had taken a photo of many so years ago. Through a tough trip, they were able to find the Afghan Girl whose name was Sharbat Gula, her story in some ways relates to the story of Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Sharbat lost her daughter who only lived up to eight months before falling ill and passing away, Mariam though lost many babies about seven times with Rasheed. Both women in different ways suffered through their many losses. Sharbat lost both her parents when a bomb dropped near them from the plane above killing them, likewise, Mariam lost her mother through suicide and she lost her father
in a way that she tried to create a relationship with him but failed to. In the novel, Mariam was married at a young age to Rasheed, approximately fifteen years old, While Sharbat was married at the age of thirteen and was happy in her first year of marriage before the loss of her child. All in all, Sharbat Gula and Mariam have similarities based on their past. Personally, I feel sympathetic towards Sharbat Gula’s story. I cannot comprehend what she might have gone through and suffered especially as a refugee escaping war torn Afghanistan. Suffering in many ways from a young age takes toll on your mind and body as you grow older since you have these moments as memories and remember them from time to time. Therefore, the story of Sharbat Gula is very saddening and indicates similarities with the character Mariam from the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns.