Symbolism in A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Nkiru Okocha 12th Grade

Symbolism is a powerful tool used to represent key points and messages across in stories. The symbols present in A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini reveal important details in the development of the story. The table, where Mariam sits across from Jalil and his wives represents the barrier between their life and hers, symbolic of family. Similarly, the “Titanic fever” that grips Kabul offers an escape to the Afghan people from the wars revealing the significance of the feeling of hope. Lastly, the burqa symbolizes the oppression and maltreatment of women in Afghanistan. Therefore the existing symbols in A Thousand Splendid Suns reveal motifs in the story such as the value of reputation, the value of hope, and suppression of women.

To begin, the table where Mariam sits across from Jalil’s wives is symbolic of family and separates Mariam from them. After Nana dies Jalil takes in Mariam, but she is treated as an outcast in the household. One of Jalil’s daughters, Nilofaur, even tells Mariam her mom said Mariam was not Nilofaur’s real sister. When Jalil and his wives announce to Mariam she will be marrying a forty-five-year-old man, the table between them not only divides them physically but in reality. The table supports...