A note to Mr.Hosseini and some commentary on this awesome novel of yours

In honor of the catharsis I feel while reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, I would like express some words to the author:

Dear Mr.Hosseini,

Although you probably do not read my blog, this is my way of showing gratitude towards your writing and the purpose of the novel. To me this novel is more than just a commentary of the subordinate of women and the Afghani lifestyle that is so harsh and somewhat corrupt, rather it is a questioning about life and the loyalty or duty one holds while also saying true to their self. The charecters of the novel- especially the women enlighten me by showing how important they are to the family and the future generations. Hence to me, the women within this society are loyal not only to their families, but to themseleves- if they do not believe, then that does not translate to future generations. Also, while reading your novel, I kept track of 2 types of themes- that is the generation gap and the gender gap that is heavily touched upon.  Firstly, I will extrapolate on the gender gap. The gender gap between men and women lies in the difference of hierarchy. Men in the Afghan society were perceived to be the dominating force and the women their possession, almost doll like. Due to such oppression on the women, they face a much more mental strain resulting in an emotionally depressing lifestyle (as seen with Mariam). This emotional living is what separates the two genders. Although, when they shares a common suffering or adversity, they can once again be reunited; in other words, the adversity mends the gaps between husband and wife within a house hold. This can been seen with Mariam and her husband: "it pained her considerably- to picture Rasheed panic-sticken and helpless, pacing the banks of the lake and pleading with it to spit his sons back onto dry land. And she felt for the first time a kinship with her husband. She told herself that they would make a good companion after all" (77).  This basically states that the only reason she feels comfortable with Rasheed now is because they hold the same adversities- they have something in common that they can dread together about. Now for the discussion on the generation gap which is seen between Mariam and Laila. Note that previously women and education did not go hand in hand, in the part of the novel, that changes. In fact, "marriage can wait, education cannot" (103). The Afghan society has changed- they are now starting to understand the failure in marriage at a young age due to naiveness. Once a girl gains education, they have the ability to hold a relationship within society. Nonetheless, thus far in the book, I find this a social commentary on the life of the Afghan women and their oppression within society, perhaps even the struggle to rise to the top.