A Thousand Splendid Suns: Character Analysis of Mariam

In A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, the main character, Mariam, has many past traumatic experiences that affect her future as she grows older throughout the novel. These experiences both positively and negatively affect her as a character, and through her actions, show her values. She contends with the past in a personal way that is shaped by societal norms and expectations of being a mother in a way that is much different than what she might have ever had in mind for herself.

In the beginning of the novel, Mariam breaks an old sugar bowl that belonged to Nana’s mother. Nana’s response to this incident is to say to Mariam, “‘You are a clumsy little harami. This is my reward for everything I’ve endured. An heirloom-breaking, clumsy little harami’” (Hosseini, 4). Mariam lives with her mother, Nana, who both cares for and loves her, but also considers her a disgrace and a burden. Nana says certain things to purposefully hurt Mariam’s feelings and guilt her into rejecting society and the outside world. Because of this “tough love,” Mariam's relationship towards her mother grew more and more distant, and she gravitates towards her father. His past actions led Mariam to trust and look up to him, but when Mariam returns to the kolba, she realizes things weren't as they seemed. When Mariam left she valued affection and inclusion, her father talked to her and said he would take her to the cinema, while her mother left her alone most of the day. When her mother killed herself, everything changed and Mariam realized that past actions may not have had the motives she thought they did.

When Mariam first married Rasheed, she tried many times to have children. Each time, however, she was unable to, and each time, Rasheed grew more and more frustrated with her. Mariam’s already challenging childhood without any unconditionally loving parents, and now being considered a “disappointment” and “worthless”, destroyed her self esteem and she began to think these things true about herself. When Laila has her child, Azazi, Mariam experiences the “first true connection in her life of false, failed connections” (Hosseini, 252). Because of how precious and rare this is for Mariam, she values it that much more and wants to weep over how impactful it is for her. By taking care of Laila’s children she is making a connection she didn’t have in her past. Her lack of love and connection in her past make this connection even more important and meaningful.

Despite the intricate relationship Mariam developed with motherhood, through Laila’s children, Mariam is able to finally make personal resolutions. Although Aziza and Zalmai aren’t her biological children she is able to take care of them and form a motherly bond. In an attempt to ensure their safety, she turns herself in to the Taliban in order for Laila to escape with the children, culminating her inexperience with motherhood. “She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother” (Hosseini, 370). This sacrifice proves to herself that she is capable of not only being a mother, but being the parental figure she herself never had in her youth.

Mariam’s personal journey in A Thousand Splendid Suns is one with many challenges. Being a nontraditional mother and dealing with many traumatic experiences in her life has negatively as well as positively impacted her character. The result of these experiences strengthen her character and positively sway her actions, allowing her to be the mother she never thought she could be. This relationship she has with the past contributes to the entirety of the story by changing what she values. By experiencing hardship and loneliness, Mariam values companionship much more than she would have originally. The past provides context for the present, and enriches the emotional experience of the novel.