In The Color Purple and A Thousand Splendid Suns, it is evident that the thoughts, actions and personal growth of Celie and Mariam, the protagonists novels are influenced by those around them, in addition to other factors such as the setting of each novel and the major events that take place leading to their personal contentment and happiness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay A Thousand Splendid Suns set in Afghanistan from the early 1960s to the early 2000s, which examines the limited role of women in an Afghan society and the difficulties they face through the protagonist of Mariam. She has a lot of shame about being an illegitimate child, which makes her unable to defend herself, which contributes to her tolerance of being married to her controlling and dominant husband. While women of this era in Afghanistan had minimal rights and disobeyed their husbands' orders, which most likely led to abuse, an important symbol at the beginning of this novel that emphasizes the patriarchy of this book, for Mariam in particular, is the burqa she obeys. Rasheed's order to wear it despite the fact that she doesn't like it at all. For Mariam, Rasheed will feel as “imposing and still as the Safid-koh mountains that tower over Gul Daman.” These inner thoughts of Mariam highlight the obvious domination of men over women in Afghanistan during this hopeless era. The comparison between Rasheed's "will" and the "mountains" shows that Mariam believes that it would be pointless to try to fight back, because no change, no matter how small, will happen due to her gender in a country controlled by men . Furthermore, the idea of ​​the mountains “dominating” the village where Mariam grew up shows to what extent the culture that the Afghan man possesses in this setting is like the mountains, it will always be there. “The suffocating way in which the pleated fabric pressed against her mouth” shows how a real object is personified and physically silences women when, as in The Color Purple, it is rather male blackmail and abuse that dominates and control women, seen through Celia's relationship and The Color Purple novel is also set in a discriminatory environment of early 90s America, where women's rights and patriarchal control are minimal. Celie, the protagonist and narrator of The Color Purple, is a poor, uneducated fourteen-year-old black girl living in Georgia. As a young girl, Célie was constantly abused and told "she's not fresh." So she decides that she can best ensure her survival by making herself silent and somewhat invisible by following the instructions of the "superior" men around her and tolerating their abuse. Celie has been silenced for so long that she has become accustomed to not having a voice with her natural reaction of saying nothing. Like Mariam, Célie often expresses in her mind her discontent, fury or rebellion in all of these situations; However, Mariam and Célie only gain confidence to express themselves and actively rebel when they can no longer handle the pressure due to the influence of those around them respectively and other major events. At the beginning of the novel, Célie does not speak out against her. abuse, no matter how serious; she must first gain self-confidence, through her evolution in the novel, to finally take a stand. Instead, she turns to the idea of ​​writing letters to God which are her only outlet for emotions. However, what is its only means of expression isstill controlled by men, with Celie recognizing that “the God to whom she prays and writes is a man.” Her sense of worthlessness, much like Mariam's, victim of abuse and control, is evident in the fact that she does not even sign her letters to God due to her lack of self-esteem. Normally, most people take pride in signing their names but that doesn't show in Célie. But despite this backdrop of overwhelming domination that hinders her development, Celie, much like Mariam, shows great character growth throughout the novel due to a combination of major events occurring and the strong influence of the people who enter their lives. her life, both from her father-in-law, who continually rapes her and asks her to "shut up and get used to it", to the abuse from her new husband in which he believes he has the right to mistreat her by declaring “because she is my wife”. ", she is exposed to various violent events where she does not fight back because "what's the point?. However, there is one major event that brings about a change in Celie: Nettie's long-lost letters, which Celie discovers with the help of Shug hidden in Mr. Trunk. These letters strengthen Célie's self-esteem by informing her of her personal history and the fate of her children whom she thought were lost forever. This allows Célie to feel a sense of belonging to life and she stops considering herself as a mistake and unworthy: “I am porous, I am black, I am perhaps ugly and I do not know how to cook, a voice said to all. listen. But I'm here. » As the progression of her letters shows, Célie gradually acquires the ability to combine her thoughts and feelings in a voice that is entirely her own: “The more I wonder, the more I love. » This shows a major evolution on the part of the shy and nervous child we met who refused to have his own opinion. Celie's process of finding her own voice comes to a head with her angry outburst against Mr., in which she curses him for his years of abuse and humiliation. M. responds insultingly, but this does not affect Celie since she now possesses the sense of self-worth that she previously lacked. This is similar to the events that occur with Mariam, as she finally realizes her worth when she stands up to Rasheed and ultimately kills him to protect those she loves. As in Mariam's case, this shows a growth in their confidence and therefore character development. Throughout Mariam's life, multiple events occur that cause her to become the shy, timid, nervous character we see and affect her character growth. Throughout the novel, we see the dark cloud that hangs over Mariam: the shame she feels at being a harami, "an unwanted thing, an illegitimate person who would never have a legitimate right to things except others had, things like love, family.” , home, acceptance,” in addition to the greater guilt she feels for having contributed to her mother’s suicide. These feelings of lack of self-esteem or self-confidence are brought into her forced and loveless marriage where Mariam struggles to have a child with Rasheed, leading to seven miscarriages and feeling that she is "a burden for him.” This key event led to his disgrace. -growth as a character and causes Rasheed's abuse to erupt where Mariam becomes the object of her, her frustration forcing her to chew rocks and explains how useless she is by just giving him "bad food and nothing else” in their marriage. This lack of love and belonging is a constant theme throughout Mariam's life and a trigger for the desire for change, but hopeis introduced into her life as evidenced by the arrival of Laila where they are able to form a sister-like bond and soon after Aziza's arrival she questions Aziza's love by asking her “Why have you set your heart on an old, ugly witch like me?” . It’s clear that Mariam has finally found love and a sense of belonging. Ultimately, the culmination of Mariam's growth as a character is seen in her ultimate sacrifice, giving up her own life so those she loves can be free after killing Rasheed. This turning point in Rasheed's murder is an accumulation of the pain Rasheed caused him. , as well as the immense love she feels for Laila. At first, Mariam is motivated by anger and a thirst for justice. Throughout her marriage, Mariam has accepted what destiny and fate have brought to her, without asking anything of Rasheed and doing what is expected of a woman who never fights back, but there's a moment in the battle with Rasheed where she realizes "what a fool she was." has been". As the person she loves most is threatened, Mariam realizes her worth and believes that she never deserved the violence she endured. The powerful motivation to save life in danger of Laila is where the real growth is evident in Mariam as she "couldn't, wouldn't let this happen" and lose the person she loved most without the experiences and events that happened. are produced up to this point, Mariam would not have had the confidence and willpower to finally stand up for herself Celie, like Mariam, currently reaches the peak of her development Once she leaves M. Celie is suddenly free as she moves into her own home with Shug Avery, allowing this home to be a space where Celie finally has the opportunity to grow in independence, self-confidence, and true happiness. the act of sewing and turned it into a way to express her inner creativity and she eventually turned it into a successful business. This shows a major progression in her growth in herself. When Nettie, Olivia, and Adam return to Georgia from Africa, Celie's circle of friends and family are finally reunited. Even though Celie has endured many years of hardship, she says, “Don't think at all that we feel old. In fact, I think it's the youngest we've ever felt. This happiness indicates that she has developed from the timid and miserable protagonist we are introduced to at the beginning of the novel. The climax of Celie's development is marked by his words: "It took me long enough to notice your good company," he said. And he laughs. He's not Shug, but he's starting to be someone I can talk to. this shows that she has more self-esteem, forgiveness, and trust, as she even uses these words to forgive Mr. after all the pain and abuse she endured from him. Ultimately, the character growth of the two protagonists is to a large extent responsible. to strong women who influence them and encourage them to stand up and have confidence in themselves. For much of the novel, Celie is completely submissive and gives in to the constant abuse she faces. She meets other women who are much stronger than Celie, like Sofia who tells Celie that she should stand up for herself and fight, but Celie thinks that it is better to survive than to fight and risk not surviving. When Mr. abuses her, she simply says, "Well, sometimes Mr. picks on me pretty hard." I need to talk to Old Maker. But he's my husband. I shrug. This life will soon be over, I say. Heaven lasts in every way. However, certain triggers and influencers push Célie to get up. A trigger.