Approach to Risk by Mariam and Laila-An - Essay Example

Approach to Risk by Mariam and Laila-An Analysis Both decisions and circumstances play an important role in deciding how life goes. At times, those who take big decisions gain success in life, and it does not always matter if the decision is right or wrong. What matters is people’s willingness to take a risk. In his novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini writes about two Afghan women named Laila and Mariam who are made to marry Rasheed, a rude, elderly shoemaker, due to circumstances. Mariam has a miserable childhood as she is the illegitimate child of a rich man. Her mother reminds her relentlessly that no man can be trusted and she commits suicide when Mariam goes in search of her father on her fifteenth birthday. However, soon, Mariam realizes that the love her father has shown her is fake and that he wants to get rid of her. Eventually, she is forced to marry Rasheed. The marital life has stored more pains for her. Rasheed is too rude and arrogant and her inability to give birth to a child makes things worse. Physical and mental violence becomes an inseparable part of their family life. Laila-the second wife of Rasheed- has a totally different childhood. She is the beautiful and beloved daughter of an educated man. She is loved by everyone and is encouraged to study. The violence has its impact on her life when her parents get killed in a rocket attack. When Rasheed proposes to marry her, she has to agree because she is pregnant and there is no information about her lover Tariq. Thereafter, both the ladies face war, poverty, and the brutality of Rasheed together. Admittedly, both Laila and Mariam are strong characters and they do not hesitate to take important decisions when necessary. However, Mariam fails to take the kind of decisions which are capable of securing her own life. Thus, while Laila decides to escape Rasheed, Mariam is unable to make this kind of decision. The first reason which hinders Mariam from leaving Rasheed is her lack of knowledge about the greater world. Mariam has never been to school because Nana always tells Mariam that she is a harami-bastard, and does not allow Mariam to visit Herat. Therefore, Mariam hesitates to go inside the town of Herat because she fears that other people will laugh at her. The only people in her small and isolated world are Nana, Mullah Faizullah-the elderly village Koran tutor, and Jalil-her father. Thus, the only thing she learns other than cooking is the lesson taught by Nana that women are supposed to endure everything and that every man is bad. Admittedly, the treatment from Jalil is not better. He brings different stories to Mariam every time but he does not teach her anything about the outside world. The picture does not change even after getting married to Rasheed. Mariam stays at home and does household chores most of the time. Sometimes Rasheed will tell some news when they have dinner, but he never explains it for Mariam. For Mariam, she has never seen the world or had a dream about being part of the wider society. Thus, Mariam’s lack of worldly knowledge is the first reason why she fails to decide to leave Rasheed. Moreover, the risks she took earlier in her life made her lose the only person who loved her. To illustrate, she decides to go in search of her father against the warning of her mother. The consequence is terrible; her mother commits suicide and Mariam is forced to marry Rasheed, resulting in a violent and unhappy marital life. Thus, the single risk she took has resulted in a series of adversities, and the fear of falling into more trouble stops her from taking more risks. Unlike Mariam, Laila has reasons to leave Rasheed. She lives in Kabul, a big city in Afghanistan with modern people and things. She observes new things and gains knowledge from school. Laila and her three best friends discuss various subjects on the way to home after school. Laila’s father teaches Laila that women are more powerful than ever before. It becomes evident from the novel that her father thinks Laila is capable of becoming a great woman in future. Thus, he instills the belief in Laila’s mind that she is strong enough to take wise and independent decisions. Therefore, Laila believes strongly that the world will get better and she is capable of clinging to this optimism even in the midst of extreme adversity. Thus, she decides to leave Rasheed in the hope that everything will be fine ahead. Unlike Mariam, Laila has to take very few decisions in her life on her own, and the ones she took were not fatal. Firstly, she decides not to destroy her pregnancy. She manages to raise the child, though through a lot of trouble, and is not made to repent the decision later on. This gives her the courage to believe in her own decision-making abilities. The third important reason behind the inability can be found in the kind of early education Mariam receives. She has been taught to be dependent. Nana has said, “It’s our lot in life, Mariam. Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have (19).” Thus, Mariam learns to be totally dependent on others; Jalil, Nana, and Rasheed. Admittedly, Mariam hesitates to fall prey to this teaching initially. However, the adverse effects of her own decisions make her think the other way. She slowly starts showing endurance and indifference. Thus, she thinks it is necessary to endure everything Rasheed inflicts upon her. In sharp contrast, Laila is able to make a life-changing decision because she has learned to be independent. To fill the time, Laila fixes the screen door that Babi still have not got around to. She takes down Babi’s books, dusted and alphabetized them. She went to Chicken Street with Hasina, a sometime sewing partner of Mammy (126). Laila volunteers to help her family do housework. She can do almost everything if she wants. When Tariq comes back from his uncle, Laila goes to visit him and his parents. At the time of dinner, she can make a choice whether to leave or stay by herself. This sense of freedom makes her think about an escape when Rasheed imposed serious restrictions on her freedom. Since Laila wants to have an independent future, she decides to take a risk. Yet another vital reason that makes Laila take the decision is her motherhood. She has a daughter Aziza, from Tariq. This baby is an important reason for comfort and happiness in her life and it is the safety of this baby that has made her agree to marry Rasheed. Laila is afraid how Rasheed will treat Aziza in future, especially when he doubts the paternity of the girl. These are sufficient reasons to make her leave Rasheed. On the other hand, Mariam has been pregnant several times but is unable to give birth to a baby. This further worsens her self confidence and she starts believing that endurance is the only thing left with her. In addition, there is no one in the world she has to care for. Admittedly, it is not cowardice which holds her back because she readily surrenders her life for the safety of Laila and children. Instead, it is this lack of hope that makes her indifferent towards her own safety. To sum up, one can find a number of reasons behind Mariam’s hesitation to leave Rasheed. Lack of knowledge about the world, improper education in childhood, adverse effects of independent decisions resulting in self-doubt, hopelessness, and altruism all result in her inability to take this important decision. In contrast, Laila makes an escaping plan because she has knowledge about the world, independence, and motherhood. After reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, I feel Laila is a better heroine because she has noble purpose, talent, courage, and unconventional lifestyle. While Mariam understands ‘endurance’ as silently accepting all the tortures, Laila understands the same as relentlessly fighting against odds. Learning from Laila, I think humans should not get disheartened on the face of adversities and continue striving hard, and should not doubt their own capabilities. Read More