How do Laila and Mariam try to escape?

In the spring of 1994 Laila and Mariam try to make their escape. They take a taxi to Lahore Gate bus station. To get on the bus, they have to find a man willing to pose as a relative. The Mujahideen are everywhere with their guns, and the bus station is only the first obstacle to leaving.

Why does Rasheed marry Laila?

Laila agrees to marry Rasheed because she is pregnant with Tariq's child and knows she would be shunned for having a child out of wedlock. She also knows her child, and she, will need to be cared for. ... Rasheed is focused on having a son and doesn't appreciate having a healthy child.

Is Mariam jealous of Laila?

Both Mariam and Laila proved to be extremely strong characters in the book. This was one of the best books I've ever read.

Why is Rasheed abusive?

Mariam needed someone to love and to love her back. Why does Rasheed become abusive? Rasheed becomes abuse because she can't have children.

Does Mariam have a child?

Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 33 - Mariam

Laila names her daughter Aziza, which means the Cherished One. Laila is obsessed with motherhood and finds everything the baby does to be astounding and wonderful. Mariam reluctantly admits to herself that she admires Laila's devotion to her daughter.

What does Laila do after Mariam is taken away?

When she's recovered, Laila sits up and sees Rasheed's dead body on the floor and wails. Once the gravity of what's happened has sunk in, Laila paces the floor, agitated by what Mariam's done. Mariam remains calm and contemplative and lets Laila get her jitters out.

What is Laila shocked by at Tariq's house?

After returning home from one of these visits, Laila is shocked to find Tariq standing at her doorstep. Laila learns that Rasheed had hired Abdul Sharif to convince her that Tariq had died. She tells Tariq about Aziza, and he promises to come back for her the following day.

What happened to Ahmad and Noor?

The man at the door is a comrade of Ahmad and Noor. He announces that the two brothers have died in battle.

How does the deep friendship between Mariam and Laila help them overcome their situations in A Thousand Splendid Suns?

Aziza's love strengthens the bond between Mariam and Laila. This bond helps Mariam recognize that she is worthy of love. The affection she shares with Aziza and her mother is rooted in respect and dignity, something that both women use to challenge their situation.

What was the secret that Laila confided to Mariam?

Mariam shares her troubled history; Laila confesses not only Aziza's true father, but also her plan to escape. Through this moment of intimacy, the women unite fully against Rasheed and begin to envision a different life, without him.

How are Mariam and Laila similar to each other?

Mariam was quite, reserved, and took everything that came her way and never stood up for herself. Laila was very intelligent and open. She stood up for herself and was extremely independent. The only similar thing they both had in common was their marriages to Rasheed and the beatings they received from him.

How many miscarriages did Mariam have in A Thousand Splendid Suns?

Summary and Analysis Part 1: Chapter 15 - April 1978. Four years pass between chapters 14 and 15; it is now April 1978. Mariam is 19 years old and has been married to Rasheed for four years, during which time she's suffered six more miscarriages.

Does Mariam have a miscarriage?

Rasheed suggests he and Mariam go to the haman, or bathhouse, where Mariam suffers a miscarriage. ... At the bathhouse, Mariam, surrounded by hot water and steam, suffers a miscarriage.

Why did Nana not get married when she was 15?

Nana reveals that she refused to live in Herat because she did not want to have Jalil's legitimate life paraded around her constantly, so Jalil and two of his sons built the small, simple house Mariam inhabits until she is fifteen years old.

When Laila found out she was pregnant for the second time what was her reaction?

When Laila found out she was pregnant for the second time, what was her reation? She was upset and thought about injuring herself to abort the pregnancy.

What do Mariam and Laila bury in order to hide it from the Taliban?

In fact, Laila and Mariam are digging a hole in the backyard to bury the TV until those raids die down. That night, Laila has a dream that she is burying Aziza alive in the backyard. She tells Aziza that she only needs to keep her hidden away until the Taliban stop the raids.

Why was Mariam so strongly opposed to Rasheed marrying Laila?

It is simple feminine jealousy that creates the chasm between Mariam and Laila in A Thousand Splendid Suns. ... Her jealousy borders on hatred, and she tells Laila that she will neither be her servant nor her friend.

How old was Laila when Rasheed married?

In the name of shelter and “preserving” Laila's reputation in the society, 60-year-old Rasheed marries 15-year-old Laila to satisfy his lust. The lives of Mariam and Laila are intertwined from then on as the country drifts into a state of turmoil, forming the heart of the novel.

What happened to Rasheed's first wife?

Character List and Analysis Rasheed. Rasheed is a widowed shoemaker whose first wife and son died many years before his marriage to 15-year-old Mariam. ... However, Rasheed's affection for Zalmai does not extend to Laila's daughter, Aziza, or to his two wives.

What does Mariam find in Rasheed's room?

On the last day of Eid, Mariam feels sick to her stomach, and makes tea while she cleans up the mess from the men last night. She finds herself in Rasheed's room, where she slides open the top drawer of his dresser, feeling guilty. She finds his gun, and then a magazine filled with pictures of naked women.