A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini does more than tell the story of two ordinary women struggling in war-torn Afghanistan, but describes what would pass if the gods of Mount Olympus were sent to live in the country during its pre- and post-Taliban years. The purpose of Hosseini's symbolic characters is to show that men and women are both capable of incredible feats. Hosseini wrote a feminist novel with A Thousand Splendid Suns. The characters in Hosseini's novel are representatives of the Olympian gods from Greek mythology to show how these actions have been commonplace for years, but that doesn't mean they should be accepted. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essayHosseini uses the character of Rasheed and his connection to the Greek god Zeus to show how men have historically been given an abundance of power, simply because they were born male, and with this power comes a superiority complex that leads them to believe that all women are beneath them and should be treated accordingly. Rasheed's introduction scares the audience with descriptions of the man's massive and menacing physical appearance. Hosseini writes: “Mariam felt it before she saw it. Cigarette smoke and thick, sweet cologne don't fade like Jalil's... His size made her gasp, and she had to look down, her heart pounding. She felt him lingering in the doorway, then his slow, heavy movement across the room. The bowl of sweets on the table clinked to the rhythm of his footsteps” (Hosseini 52). Suddenly, the reason why Zeus always takes the form of other creatures during his sexual conquests makes more sense. Like Zeus, Rasheed's appearance alone is overwhelming, although in God's case, women burned to death upon seeing his true form. Rasheed seemingly takes up more space in the play than Mariam is allowed to have and Hosseini writes knowing that this detail will make the audience uncomfortable even though it is common for the story he is telling. Rasheed, like Zeus, has the ability to bring together romantic partners without being scorned. The wives of Zeus and Rasheed get upset every time their husbands find other romantic partners, but they never divorce or leave these men because they can't. On the subject of courtship with Laila, Rasheed tells Mariam, “Think of it this way, Mariam. I help you around the house and provide sanctuary. A home and a husband… Well, I would say that’s downright charitable of me… For me, I deserve a medal” (Hosseini 216). Rasheed asks for praise for something Mairam is supposed to do: invite someone else to his house. Hosseini asks Rasheed to exercise his power in this way so that we can see how Rasheed, and their society as a whole, views men as the only sex capable of making a household prosper. Hosseini pushes his audience to understand that this state of mind is old and that society should have moved beyond it by now. Another trademark quality that Rasheed and Zeus share is the way they punish those around them using brute force. Rasheed wears his belt in the same menacing way that Zeus carries his lightning bolt. Hosseini's novel writes: “His powerful hands seized his jaw. He stuck two fingers in his mouth and forced it open, then pushed the cold, hard stones in. Mariam struggled against them, muttering, but he kept pushing the issues, his upper lip curled in a sneer...Through a mouth full of gravel and stones, Mariam muttered a plea. Tears flowed from the corners of his eyes” (Hosseini 104). It is important to note that this occasion is just one of many times Rasheed physically abused his wives (mental and emotional abuse was also present in his relationships) and he received no repercussions for his actions. The world Rasheed lives in has taught him that he is free to treat women as he pleases because, as a man, he is above them. He sees nothing wrong with his behavior, but Hosseini showed his audience that by putting women at the center of his story instead of a character like Rasheed. Mariam was written to be the novel's version of Hera so that Hosseini could show a woman who was born into an unjust society, became aware of the inequalities in place and dedicated her life to trying to be more than that. that society thought she was. Often in Greek mythology, Hera is only known as the wife of Zeus, but Mairam and Hera made names for themselves that went beyond just being decorations for their husbands. Mariam and Hera demonstrate resilience in the face of the daily struggle of being a woman reduced to being her husband's servant and nothing more. Mariam had lost seven of her children and the emotional weight of this affected her throughout her life. The text describes the moment she buries her first child (Hosseini 96) and she cries for months afterward. Mariam is forced to feel this pain of never having her own child while Rasheed is allowed to have children with Laila and does not suffer the same loss. In Greek mythology, Hera remains loyal only to Zeus while Zeus is known to be the playboy of the gods and he is free to do whatever or whoever he wants. Mariam has been a victim of her society's standards, so when she can't seem to meet those standards (by not having a child), she only sees herself as the world tells her she should, pointless . Hosseini, however, would argue that Mariam is extremely important and that the weight of her "usefulness" should not be proportionate to the number of children she can produce. Mariam continues to resemble Hera in the sense that both are victims of their circumstances. Mariam becomes jealous of the way Rasheed treats Laila and retaliates by saying, "'I wouldn't have fed and washed and suckled you if I knew you were going to turn around and steal my husband'" (Hosseini 226). This moment is important for Mariam because she realizes that she must not simply follow the rules that society has put in place for her. Instead, like Hera, she takes matters into her own hands and takes control of her life in a way that was not normal for women at the time. Hosseini uses the moments where Mariam fights back as heroic feats so the audience can see that women having a voice is a good thing. It educates the public in a way that makes them want to see women flourish in a society that treats them as outsiders. Mariam spent much of her youth being labeled a harami, a bastard, despite the fact that she played no role in her own creation. Hosseini writes: “It is the creators of the harami who are guilty, not the harami, whose only sin is to be born” (Hosseini 4). The line directly explains how Mariam is not responsible for the inferior way society views her. This is the first time the public has seen the view that women are not to blame for being seen as objects, but that the community around them should be blamed for thinking that an entire group of people are so low. is similar to the goddess Athena in that Laila grew up being intelligent enough to surrender.