Desperation and Subjugation

            A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is an exceedingly powerful and profound novel that was both devastating and inspirational. Its nonfictional qualities are a testament to the entire Middle Eastern conflict, especially the treatment of women within that region. Occasionally in America, you can find a woman proudly wearing a hijab to represent her culture or demonstrate her obedience to her religion. However, in this novel Mariam and Laila, women confined to a suffocating marriage with their pitiless husband Rasheem, are forced to wear burqas whenever they are in public to preserve their purity and show their submission to their husband. This rule is enforced by both the extremist terrorist group the Taliban, who has recently taken control over their city, and their husband who views his wives as property. The burqas cover their entire bodies with only a mesh opening for their face, making it a mobile jail. Laila resists this inhumane treatment but only meets more opposition, including the loss of her daughter and Mariam’s imprisonment. Hosseini captures a significant message in just 415 pages. He describes the very real struggle of women in a backwards and impressed society. He ends his novel with hope, but many women in this area will never meet such a fortunate end. Despite the small improvements in the region, there are still houses, villages, and cities that are physically and mentally abusing and defiling women. This area needs help and resources to elevate and educate women to give them a fighting chance against their male oppressors.

            I have only cried during three books in my life and this was one of them. The message of this novel is so overwhelming. A few weeks ago I found this website, tap.unicef.org/mobile#game-ready that is accessible by phone. The purpose of the website is to access it with your phone and simply put your phone down and do not use it, move it, or even touch it for a period of time. Every 10 minutes that you do not touch your phone, a UNICEF sponsor donates one day of water to someone in need. It has shown me that giving up something that I am privileged with can help someone in desperate need of essential resources. I use it when I am getting ready for school or doing homework and it helps me resist the temptation to use my phone when I do not really need to. Of course this is only a small way to help such a widely suppressed people, but I guess it is better than nothing. I use Hosseini’s message to inspire me to find more ways to help. While real women in Mariam and Laila’s situation are dying of thirst, I am in a privileged home with unbound freedoms. I hope that more Americans and people from other wealthy countries will seek opportunities to make a real impact on the lives of these women.