A thousand splendid suns Essay
Charlene Wu
Mrs. Zachik
World Literature
November 8, 2014
A Thousand Splendid Suns
By
Khaled Hosseini,
Riverhead Books, May 22 2007
Laila, from Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, is a product of her environment. She’s shaped by warfare, by her family and by her education. Laila was born in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan. In the course of time Kabul came under siege and became a war-torn city. “It wasn’t so much the whistling [of the shells] being fired itself, Laila thought later, but the seconds between the start of it and [its] impact, like a defendant about to hear the verdict” (Hosseini. 2.24.1-3). Every day Laila spends in war-torn Kabul she is at risk. The image of herself as a “defendant” symbolizes this. Laila is shaped by fear and by the warfare. Her judge [the shells], in her eyes is a crazy person, handing out punishments indiscriminately and without any regard for human life. Laila also surrounding by her parents.Laila knew that her “Mammy didn’t understand. She [Mammy] didn’t understand that if she looked into a mirror, she would find the one unfailing conviction of Babi’s [her husband] life --looking right back at her” [Hosseini. 2.21.59]. Mammy and [her husband] Babi had a difficult relationship. Mammy blamed him for the death of Ahmad and Noor. But it’s Babi’s unflinching devotion to Mammy that ultimately shown through, as Mammy eventually fell back in love with Babi. This love had an impact on Laila and how she viewed her family.Babi gives Laila a strong foundation,Mammy on the other hand,“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” (Hosseini.2.20.23). Mammy had dedicated her life to the memory of her two sons, Ahmad and Noor. While this might seem heartwarming at first, the result is that she’s unable to be there for Laila in the way a mother
Mrs. Zachik
World Literature
November 8, 2014
A Thousand Splendid Suns
By
Khaled Hosseini,
Riverhead Books, May 22 2007
Laila, from Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, is a product of her environment. She’s shaped by warfare, by her family and by her education. Laila was born in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan. In the course of time Kabul came under siege and became a war-torn city. “It wasn’t so much the whistling [of the shells] being fired itself, Laila thought later, but the seconds between the start of it and [its] impact, like a defendant about to hear the verdict” (Hosseini. 2.24.1-3). Every day Laila spends in war-torn Kabul she is at risk. The image of herself as a “defendant” symbolizes this. Laila is shaped by fear and by the warfare. Her judge [the shells], in her eyes is a crazy person, handing out punishments indiscriminately and without any regard for human life. Laila also surrounding by her parents.Laila knew that her “Mammy didn’t understand. She [Mammy] didn’t understand that if she looked into a mirror, she would find the one unfailing conviction of Babi’s [her husband] life --looking right back at her” [Hosseini. 2.21.59]. Mammy and [her husband] Babi had a difficult relationship. Mammy blamed him for the death of Ahmad and Noor. But it’s Babi’s unflinching devotion to Mammy that ultimately shown through, as Mammy eventually fell back in love with Babi. This love had an impact on Laila and how she viewed her family.Babi gives Laila a strong foundation,Mammy on the other hand,“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” (Hosseini.2.20.23). Mammy had dedicated her life to the memory of her two sons, Ahmad and Noor. While this might seem heartwarming at first, the result is that she’s unable to be there for Laila in the way a mother