VICTIMIZATION OF FEMALES IN KHALID HOSSEINI’S “A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS”

Abstract

The primary source of this research paper is “A Thousand Splendid suns”. The rights of women were seriously examined in this book, especially in the Taliban region. In Afghanistan, women are always considered second sex and brutal victim of patriarchy. Women are “East”, and “orient” through the lens of Orientalism. They are “others”, colonized and suppressed creatures of the planet Earth. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, women are portrayed as subjugated in a patriarchal society. Hosseini presented two types of women in the novel; traditional and modern. Laila represents contemporary “ladies”, whereas Mariam represents traditional women. Despite the difference in representation, both women struggle to end patriarchal tyranny. This piece critically analyses the status of women as "Subalterns" in the book, as well as how the voices of the subaltern are reflected by the novel's characters, and how the term Islam is used to enslave women in the story. Through content analysis and textual analysis, the lens of Spivak and Islamic feminism are used to explore the different types
of gender discrimination that women faced in the novel and how this oppression and discrimination affects voiceless women's psychology. Moreover, the resistance of female characters against patriarchy is also explored thoroughly in the paper.