Endurance: Hidden in A Thousand Splendid Suns

Indulging the plot into the political and social situation of Afghanistan at the time, Hosseini profoundly incorporates a strikingly realistic theme into the novel and expands the outreach of his ideas to the extent that they can be applied to the present-day state of affairs. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, the lives of the women, men, and children presented are derived and driven by the customs and traditions that root from the country’s political and cultural backdrop. Centering the many twists of the story on the political and cultural influences in Afghanistan, Hosseini develops the novel in close parallel to reality and presents a story that motivates to endure and always be optimistic. The influence of the political and cultural backdrop on the novel signifies the harsh reality of life in developing nations that persists even today and presents the hardships that life poses, along with the inequality that accompanies it.

The instability in Afghanistan’s political affairs conveys the imbalance and inequality in the society. The life of Laila in A Thousand Splendid Suns could not have been aligned in the way it is had it not been for the drastic changes in authority in the country and the implementation of new policies with each, bringing new tensions to the citizens and new challenges to face. Establishing Laila’s later life, her brothers’ involvement in the war is brought upon by the Soviets taking control of Afghanistan. The importance of the cultural heritage of the novel is signified in the conversation between Babi and Fariba where he states that “all these people know is war” (Hosseini 114) but Fariba shoots back "Did you fight jihad? Did you abandon everything you had and risk your life? If not for the Mujahideen, we'd ...

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...ability of Hosseini’s message.

If Hosseini aims to convey a message that women are tantalizing and provide warmth to society but are hidden and masked, evidently there must be an issue causing this suppression of women in society; thus the political and cultural backdrop plays in to the impression the reader takes away from the novel. Hosseini conveys his message of enduring and optimism profoundly through these two characters. If not for the political and cultural backdrop of the novel, the story could not have been developed with the significance and comprehensiveness that it currently has, which essentially are the backbone of the impact this novel has on the reader through a striking presentation of reality that has never been seen in this light, sending a motivational message to fight for the right cause and endure when necessary to achieve the ultimate target.