I am writing a paper on influences on the protagonists, Mariam and Laila. Religion is one of my influences, and I am having a hard time finding more instances of religious discussions, actions, etc.. Quotes from the characters or narratations would be awesome.
Religion affects everyone in this novel. The females, especially must live with the constant doctrines of Islam interpreted by the males in their life. Afghanistan is governed by Islamic Law. There is no separation between church and state; the church is the state. Mariam, as a young girl, sees how her mother is treated. Religious scripture allows men to have more than one wife. Her mother, not married to Jalil (a wealthy theatre owner) is thrown out after she becomes pregnant. Married women seem barely protected under religious law, mistresses have completely no protection. Miriam is born and from a very young age discovers that the only choice a woman has is to survive in Afghanistan's Islamic theocracy. When the Taliban come to power things for women, believe it or not, get worse. All the women protagonists, except for Laila, meet some kind of terrible ending. Their deaths are directly related to the cruelty of men. These men, weather individuals or the state, interpret Islamic law for their own gratification. Once you add specific details to the info I have given you, your paper should come together. Also take a look at GradeSaver for details as well. I'll list it in the source link. Good Luck!
http://www.gradesaver.com/a-thousand-splendid-suns/study-guide/short-summary/
Thank you so much! That definitely helped a lot.
You are welcome!
