A Thousand Splendid Sunny Suns

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man. Poor women are seen as mere objects compared to wealthy men and mainly used. Nana forbids Mariam from going to school because she believes that the one and only thing Mariam needs to know is how to endure life. Nana wants to keep Mariam in with her in poverty and stay away from the outside world. Nana’s “goals” are not realistic because Mariam doesn’t want to stay in poverty and she want to go to school.

Jalil loves Mariam because he always comes to visit her and Nana. Jalil lacks “Fatherly love” toward Mariam because he has social anxiety when around her.He is afraid to be seen with her that why the only meet at Nana’s house or go fishing. Jalil has no courage and is scared of what people would think if he was seen with her.

Chapter 4: Mariam insomnia-ridden wants to see her father,Jalil, and worrying that a business entanglement would prevent his visit. Fortunately Jalil had arrived and Nana served them tea while surprisingly subdued and nice when he was around. Jalil and Mariam went fishing after tea and Jalil read Mariam some stories from the Herat newspaper.

Chapter 5: At noon on her birthday, Mariam gets dressed up and goes to wait for Jalil. When he doesn’t arrive, Mariam impulsively heads to his home in Herat.Mariam knocks on the door and is met by a young woman who gets confused when Mariam tells her that she is Jalil’s daughter. A man comes out and tells her that Jalil is out of town. Stubbornly, Mariam refuses, and she ends up spending the night in Jalil’s front yard. In the morning, the driver returns and tells Mariam that she has to leave. He tries to bring her to his car, but she slips away and runs through Jalil’s gate. As she runs through the front garden, Mariam sees Jalil watching through the window. He quickly closes the blinds, and the driver is finally able to pull Mariam to the car. The driver brings Mariam home to Gul Daman. A horrible sight awaits them, however: Nana has hanged herself.

Chapter 6: Mariam is sent to live with Jalil after Nana’s funeral. Mariam is given the guest room. She’s visited by Niloufar, one of Jalil’s daughters; Bibi Jo; and Mullah Faizullah. After being there for a week, Mariam is called downstairs because the family has something important to talk to her about.

Chapter 7: Mariam sits at a table with Jalil and his three wives. After some uncomfortable small talk, Khadija (one of the wives) tells Mariam that they want her to marry a man named Rasheed. Mariam resists, but the wives tell her that Rasheed is a good man and a wealthy shoemaker. Mariam protests, but Jalil sides with his wives. They send Mariam to her room and lock the door.

Chapter 9: The next morning, Mariam is given a dress and is brought downstairs, where she finds two men and a local Mullah (not her beloved Mullah Faizullah) preparing for her wedding ceremony. Mariam meets Rasheed, her future husband, and then two are married. Mariam has an emotional goodbye with Jalil after the ceremony. She finally tells him how disappointed she is with him, and this visibly upsets him.

Chapter 10: Mariam doesn’t do much for the first few days and is always sure to be in bed by the time Rasheed gets home from work. Rasheed grows tired of this, telling her that he expects her "to start acting like a wife" . Again, all Mariam can do is cry. The next day, Mariam begins her duties as a wife, soaking lentils and vegetables for Rasheed’s dinner and preparing dough to cook at the village’s communal tandoor baking oven. Mariam follows a group of women and children to the tandoor. One woman named Fariba strikes up a conversation, but they’re rudely interrupted by the other women. Frightened, Mariam runs home without baking the bread.Rasheed is actually pleased with the meal that Mariam prepares for