Even today, women struggle. It's part of life. In Khaled Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, two young girls; Mariam and Laila live an unbearable life as women in Afghanistan. Women are often seen as vulnerable, weak and sometimes worthless. All this is perfectly illustrated by the story of Mariam. She grew up with a mother who told her she was a huge mistake and her little harami, which means bastard. Not only did she live in a home where she was constantly belittled, but she also lived without a father. Her father visited her once a week to share stories with Mariam and tell her that Nana, her mother, was wrong and constantly lying. Mariam was constantly fed lies by her mother. Once Nana died, Mariam moved in with Jalil until it was time for her to get married. Rasheed, her new husband has not made her life easy. Things became more difficult for Mariam when Laila, a young girl who lost her family, moves in and marries Rasheed. Their lives with Rasheed were tragic times. To survive, women must endure and persevere to survive their struggle. Not a day goes by without Mariam enduring as a woman. Her mother told her that education is not important and will take a woman nowhere in life. To be a woman is to have endurance: “There is only one, only one skill that a woman like you and me needs in life, and it is not taught in school …A single skill. And that’s it: tahamul. To endure... It's rare in life, Mariam. Women love us. We endure. This is all we have…” (Hosseini, 2007). To endure means to suffer patiently. This is what women had to do to survive, according to Nana. Women are not considered or accepted as equals, so they struggle and fail to find a place for themselves in society. In Nana's mind she feels n...... middle of paper...... Laila and trying to save her life. In the end, Mariam confesses to Rasheed's murder and she was killed for her act. Now, if Rasheed had confessed to killing Laila or Mariam in an act of self-defense, he would have little to no punishment. The women in this novel had a hard time. They never lived a full and righteous life. They were constantly being told what to do. They were threatened by the Taliban and their husbands in the comfort of their homes. They hid in burqas and stayed inside the house. Mariam grew up being told and believing she was worthless, but she died for the better life of a friend. Mariam was killed for performing a heroic act in saving Laila. Women were the weak and vulnerable people who were not allowed to defend themselves, fearing the consequences. Laila and Mariam proved that women must stick together to be stronger.