A Thousand Splendid Suns Chapters 11-15 Discussion

The burqa See the first paragraph of chapter 11. How does the author convey Mariam’s experience with the burqa? * What does Mariam appreciate about the burqa?

women How are the women described on page 75 different from Mariam: In appearance? In behavior? In education? How does seeing these women make Mariam feel?

Ramadan Do you know anything about it? Ramadan is “the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims observe this as a month of fasting. This annual observance is regarded as one of the five pillars of Islam. The month lasts 29-30 days based on visual sightings of the crescent moon. While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking. Food and drink is served from sunset to sunrise. In this month it is believed that the rewards of fasting are multiplied”

Ramadan, continued Why is Mariam relieved when Ramadan ends?

fariba At this point in the novel, Fariba is a minor character. Who is she? Why does Rasheed want Mariam to stay away from her? (80)

visitors What does Mariam do whenever Rasheed’s friends visit? Why? How does she feel about this? (81)

Discoveries Besides photos, what two items does Mariam find in Rasheed’s dresser? What do these items reveal about Rasheed? How does Mariam justify the magazines? The gun?

Family photos What does Mariam notice about the picture of Rasheed and his wife? By the end of the chapter, Mariam dismisses her interpretation of the photo, but it may be significant. Why? How does Mariam feel about Rasheed at the end of chapter 12?

baby Why would Rasheed allow Mariam to choose the baby’s name if it’s a girl? (87) Contrast the first full paragraph on page 87 with the quotation that follows it. How does this section highlight the differences between Mariam and her husband? How does Mariam feel about becoming a mother? “And here she was now, over those boulders and parched hills, with a home of her own, a husband of her own, heading toward one final, cherished province: Motherhood. How delectable it was to think of this baby, her baby, their baby. How glorious it was to know that her love for it already dwarfed anything she had ever felt as a human being, to know that there was no need any longer for pebble games” (89). What techniques are used in this paragraph, and how to they convey meaning?

Loss Mariam is devastated by the miscarriage. What does she remember as she watches the snow fall at the end of chapter 13? “She remembered Nana saying once that each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. That all the sighs drifted up in the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. As a reminder of how women suffer, she’d said. How quietly we endure all that falls upon us” (91). What has Mariam had to ENDURE throughout the novel so far? Was Nana right in her efforts to “prepare” Mariam for disappointments in life?

Loss, continued Why does Mariam begin to resent other women in her neighborhood? She feels both guilt and anger after the miscarriage. Whom does she blame? (93) How does Rasheed’s attitude toward Mariam change? Why?

Mariam’s marriage Over time, why does Mariam learn to fear Rasheed? How does she try to please him? How many miscarriages has she had? “In this most essential way, she had failed him—seven times she had failed him – and now she was nothing but a burden to him. She could see it in the way he looked at her, when he looked at her. She was a burden to him” (99-100). In what other situation(s) did Mariam feel like a burden to others?

A shift On pages 102-103, the narration shifts from Mariam’s perspective to a description of Fariba and her husband, who live down the street. Let’s reread that short passage. WHY is it included in the novel here?

Pebbles: Partner discussion What kind of husband is Rasheed? What kind of man is he? Why do you think he behaves the way he does? What can Mariam do in the face of such cruelty? What options does she have?