Khaled Hosseini represents the life experiences and positioning of women in Afghanistan through the main female characters in his novels. The main female characters in Khaled Hosseini’s three novels The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and The Mountains Echoed present the topic of physical and sexual oppression of women as this issue seems common in Afghan society. His female characters are portrayed as victims and oppressed and some female characters show resistance under patriarchal power.

The novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini revolves around the two main male characters namely Amir and Hassan who were living in a patriarchal Afghan society. And throughout the story, the appearance of female characters is very low. This may reflect how women are not given equal importance in Afghan society. The lack of the experiences of the women characters in the novel shows how women and their feelings are not much taken into consideration with the absence of women’s rights and equality. This novel concentrates more on the positioning of female characters and their roles in Afghan society. The female characters are Jamila Taheri, Soraya and Sanaubar. Jamila Taheri represents the typical Afghan women who adhere to the societal norms of Afghan Culture. Despite living in the UK, she believes that every Afghan woman should follow the rules and practices of Afghan society. Jamila was restricted to doing domestic roles and expected to devote her entire life to the family. She has this talent where she sings traditional songs, and she sings in public. But after marriage, General Taheri forced her to stop singing. She is portrayed as a submissive woman who is discriminated against by her husband. The alternative female character to Jamila is her daughter Soaraya Taheri who represents the modern Afghan woman who rejects the conventions of traditional Afghan culture. Her appearance is described as she has velvety coal-black hair. This represents the idea that she won't wear a burqa, unlike the other traditional Afghan women. And throughout her life, she can adapt and has the right to make her own decisions. She chooses to speak with Amir in the market despite knowing that the Afghan culture never allows women to speak with a stranger which is considered a promiscuous act. Since she is a well-educated woman, she is aware of gender equality and fights against female oppression. She shows resistance against the cultural rules of Afghan society which tends to subjugate women. Sanaubar is another female character who is not much presented in the novel. She is portrayed as a poor, uneducated woman who belongs to a minor ethnicity called Hazara which is the lowest of the Afghan social order. She represents the women who were doubly oppressed both by the Afghan society and colonizers. And she was forced by her father to marry his uncle, Ali, to restore honour. And the young woman in the truck is the victim of oppression by colonizers. When Amir and Baba flee to Pakistan, the Russian soldier stares at her and increases the price of passing through. This signifies how women are objectified and discriminated against by men and they use power against them.

Whereas, Khaled Hosseini in his following novel A Thousand Splendid Suns explicitly focused on the plight of Afghan women in the male-dominated society. This novel revolves around two female characters namely Mariam and Laila. Khaled Hosseini describes in greater detail the conditions of women living in Afghan society. That is, the novel presents how Afghan women live their lives during the harsh time when the country is ruled by the Taliban. And these female characters also show resilience and cope with their oppression throughout their lives. Like Sanubar in the Kite Runner novel Mariam and Laila were treated differently because of their difference in ethnicity, family background and social status. And Mariam is forced by her father; Jalil to marry Rasheed like Jamila Taheri married General Taheri in the novel, The Kite Runner. Mariam has no choice but to accept because her options are very restricted and she must depend on her protector. Thus, Mariam is portrayed as a woman who is always dependent on men. Both Jamila and Mariam were restricted by men because Jamila was forced to stop her talent of singing and Mariam, her body, was restricted through dress codes. Rasheed always reminds Mariam to wear a burqa. Afghan women need to wear a burqa as it shows the honour and pride of women. Mariam feels uncomfortable wearing a burqa since she never worn it before. Rasheed commands her to stay in her room which also reflects how men expect women to be a subordinate class who are inferior to men. Mariam endures not only sexual violence but also psychological violence. All of these actions finally result in psychological distress for Mariam. In the novel, Rasheed often insults, mocks, and threatens her after they are married. But in the end, Mariam’s killing Rasheed can be considered as the way to stop the oppression under which Mariam has kept her feelings bottled up. This situation suggests Mariam’s character development, that she has a strong determination to liberate herself. According to this situation, Mariam, a representative of Afghan women, is not always passive, weak, and victimized. Mariam is no longer oppressed by anyone. In Laila’s case, the forced marriage completely takes away her independence. That is, the forced marriage becomes the beginning of Laila’s severe life with a very domestically violent husband, forcing her not to have any power to make her own decisions. For example, she does not have an opportunity to continue her education because Rasheed does not allow her to do so. She wants to be financially independent but Rasheed continues to keep her dependent on him. Under the Taliban regime, as a married woman, Laila is not allowed to go outside, unless a mahram or a male guardian or Rasheed goes with her. Despite all this oppression, in the end, Laila becomes a teacher in an orphanage. The act of Laila’s starting to teach students in class can be seen as a symbol of hope and resilience. She chooses education over Afghan cultural practices. Rather than being a typical Afghan woman Laila decides to be an empowered woman with freedom and independence.

The female characters in And the Mountain Echoed represent the status of women. And through the characters, Hosseini describes how these Afghan women resist and cope with the restrictions and subjugation in their society. Nila Wahdati and Pari Wahdati are the two female characters in the novel. In this story, Pari was sold to Nila by his father because of extreme poverty. Women are considered an object, the embodiment of honour and absolute servitude where they are sold and used by the men. Saboor could have sold his son, Abdullah to a wealthy family but he decided to sell his daughter because the daughters are considered less valuable than the sons. Because of the financial crisis of the family, Pari was forced to sacrifice herself for her dreams and her deep relationship with his brother. Nila was also portrayed as an ideal daughter who was in control of her father. But, as the story moves, she understands and copes with the situation and becomes an educated, independent woman in the end. Since her marriage life was ruined by her husband, she decided to move to France with her lover and her adopted child, Pari. And she pursued her career as a professional poet.

Thus these female characters represent the Afghan women who were restricted and subjugated through the conventional rules and patriarchal ideologies of Afghan Culture. They are doubly oppressed by the Afghan society and the colonizers. Some female characters like Sanaubar, Jamila Taheri, and Pari Wahdati are portrayed as submissive, passive women who couldn't cope with the subjugation where they are victimized throughout their lives. Alternatives were the other female characters like Soraya, Mariam, Laila, and Nila show resistance to the expectations of absolute servitude from the male-dominated society. They use education as a tool to cope with oppression.

.    .    .

References:

• Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013. Print. Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2008. Print.
• Hosseini, Khaled. And the Mountains Echoed. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2014. Print.
• Imran, Muhammad. “Courageous Women: A Study of Resilience of Women in Khaled Hosseini's Novel A Thousand Splendid Suns.” Language in India. 17.1 (2017): 98-108. Print.
• Representations of Afghan Women in Khaled Hosseini’s Novels: The Kite Runner www.researchgate.net/publication.