A Thousand Splendid Suns

"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls"

A piece of fiction can take you places that you have never been to even in your wildest imaginations. You meet different people, walk along with them listening to their stories, their deepest darkest secrets, their dreams that never really found its way and much more. The moment you finish reading, when you take out all those bookmarks, you just stare at the wall thinking how can you strip of that identity you are currently in. You have become the protagonist, the essence is still there. Some characters can even cause changes in the readers. They alter their perspectives, their way of thinking and even make them a better person.

                 ( Khaled Hosseini)

A woman character that has been clinging to my heart since 2019 is Maryam of A thousand spendid suns (2007) written by Khaled Hosseini who is an Afghan-American writer. This particular character has changed my entire life in ways that I cant even describe. Maryam jo lived a life no one can possibly even imagine. Every human being deserves a happy childhood but Maryam's childhood really was the binary opposite of it. Being an illegitimate daughter of a wealthy merchant had its cons. She used to wake up hearing her own mother's cuss words and Maryam was too young to handle her mentally unstable mother's suicide. The part where Maryam recognizes her father's true colours is heartbreaking. A little girl waiting for her father to come take her to a movie, eyes filled with hope turning dark with realization. Her misery doesnt end there, watching her father getting rid of her by getting her married to an "eligible" man while his other daughters had a bright future in stock. The second phase of Maryam's misery begins through her horrible marriage. Her husband Rasheed turned out to be a hypocrite, misogynistic nympho who went on advising and ordering Mariam to be a modest woman while he spends his free time gawking at porn magazines. Maryam felt herself so weak and vulnerable and she even feared looking him in the eye without shivering. A woman's identity, her voice her character and hopes were crushed like an eggshell. But still Maryam held on to herself and gathered all the emotions that were all over the place. Maryam was a warrior, she seemed soft and easily broken but no human being could have gone through what she faced. Later, Rasheed married a second woman named Laila and Maryam badly wanted to warn her about how Rasheed actually is and she was telepathically asking Laila to run away from there as soon as possible. The jealousy weighed less compared to the sympathy Maryam had for Laila. Maryan was treated like a stray dog, Rasheed always felt proud of himself as he fed and clothed Maryam even if she was of no use to him. Maryam still managed to move on and silently suffer all this. Maryam was always abused and blamed for her 7 miscarriages and later he abused Laila the same way. Like a Phoenix reborn from ashes Maryam plucks out that venomous tree from ground and murders the man who made her life a living hell. Maryam surrenders and ends up executed. Maryam was no ordinary woman. No man can ever take her place and go through all of it without ending up with a blade close to their veins. Maryam gives that aura which no other characters had and every single time I spot the novel somewhere, all the memories of spending some quality time with her rushes back into my mind.

- Bahsha Kalayath

  BA English

  PSMO College

  Tirurangaadi

Bahsha Kalayath won the second prize in the national level competition 'A Woman Character who Matters' organised by Women Development Cell, PSMO College, Tirurangadi.