Characters and plot
The first main character introduced is Mariam. She is what would be called and "illegitimate" daughter of a very successful businessman. Her and her mother live a little ways out of town in a hut where Mariam longs for a life with her father. After a tragedy at home, she is married off to a man named Rasheed. Her marriage is filled with shame and a lack of love. Laila is our next character. Laila comes from a different background than Mariam. She grew up well educated with both parents around who loved her. She finds herself looking for a good future and takes risks. She also ends up married to Rasheed and learns the value of sticking together during this time in her life. Our last main character I will talk about is the infamous Rasheed. He is a shoe shop owner is Kabul that was doing really well for himself. He was married with children once before but after a terrible day, became a widower. He treated Mariam very well until she "did not meet his needs" and did the same with Laila. As a symbol for men's treatment of women, he did not mind the Taliban and was fine with what they did to his wives.
important themes and symbols
The main theme that takes place during A Thousand Splendid Suns is the idea of suffering but trying to persevere. This idea of suffering comes in many different forms in this book. There is the loss of a loved one to being beaten for no reason other than being a woman. We see different forms of grief come about also. We see Laila's mother hide away in her room at her sons' deaths and not truly coming over that. Laila marries Rasheed because of her parents' death to try and cope. A great example is when Laila lets herself get beat everyday so she can see her daughter in hopes of a better Kabul. A symbol that is subtly portrayed in the book is the Bamiyan Buddha statues. It said earlier in the book that Laila's favorite memory was going with her father and Tariq to visit this place. Later in the book she hears that the Taliban destroyed them. This is a symbol for what was happening to people in Afghanistan. Whatever people cherished was destroyed by those who thought of themselves superior.