Mariam
Mariam, the first female protagonist, was a quiet, thoughtful child at the start of the book. Born out of wedlock to a rich and married businessman (Jalil) and his former housekeeper (Nana), Mariam's shame for being a "harami" (an illegitimate child) makes her unable to stand up for herself. She resented her mother's strict ways and was sad for the fact that she only got to see her father once weekly.
When her mother commits suicide after Mariam runs away on her 15th birthday, Mariam is plagued by guilt that controls her for much of her life, which contributes to her tolerance at being married to the abusive Rasheed. During her long marriage to Rasheed, Mariam's inability to have children turns her bitter and fearful, as she now understands her own mother better.
Mariam's life changes with the arrival of Laila, Rasheed's second wife. Through her love for Laila and Laila's children, Mariam is able to fulfill her wish to be a mother and to finally give and receive love.
By the end of the book, Mariam makes an ultimate sacrifice by giving up her own life so that the others around her can live free. She is the novel's most powerful example of both the suffering and strength of Afghanistan Women.
Mariam's Timeline in Story:
(because she is quite the major character)
- Mariam lives with her mother in Gul Daman, a small town outside of Herat. She's the illegitimate daughter of Jalil, a local businessman.
- Jalil visits once a week and is very affectionate with Mariam, but he doesn't accept her as a legitimate daughter.
- Mariam asks Jalil to take her to Pinocchio on her birthday. When he doesn't show up, she impulsively decides to go to his home against her mother's wishes.
- Mariam reaches Jalil's home in Herat, but he refuses to let her inside. She spends the night outside of the house.
- Mariam returns home the next day only to make a terrible discovery: her mother has committed suicide.
- Mariam moves in with Jalil. It's not long before Jalil and his wives arrange a marriage between Mariam and a shoemaker named Rasheed. They're married, and Mariam heads to her new home in Kabul.
- Mariam becomes pregnant, but she miscarries the baby. This deeply upsets Rasheed. After several more miscarriages, he becomes abusive towards her.
- One day, Jalil tries to visit Mariam, but she refuses to let him in.
- Rasheed makes Laila his second wife in spite of Mariam's complaints. The two women share a tense relationship, but the birth of Laila's daughter Aziza helps build a strong relationship between them.
- Mariam tries to escape Kabul with Laila and Mariam, but they are caught by the authorities and sent back to Rasheed, who beats Mariam badly.
- Rasheed's shop burns down, and he tells Mariam to contact Jalil and ask for money. She finds out that Jalil passed away many years ago.
- After learning about Tariq's visit, Rasheed attempts to choke Laila to death, so Mariam grabs a shovel and hits him on the head. He dies.
- Laila and the children leave the following day, while Mariam stays to take the punishment for the murder. She's arrested by the Taliban and stoned to death.
Quotes:
"She understood what Nana meant, that a harami was an unwanted thing; that she, Mariam, was an illegitimate person who would never have legitimate claim to the things other people had, things such as love, family, home, acceptance."
(Part 1, Chapter 1, page 4- Mariam understanding herself what's a harami)
"She remembered Nana saying once that each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. That all the sighs drifted up the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. As a reminder of how women like us suffer, she'd said. How quietly we endure all that falls upon us."
(Part 1, Chapter 13, page 91- Mariam thinking about and reminding herself of her mother's words)
"Mariam saw now the sacrifices a mother made. Decency was but one."
(Part 3, Chapter 39, page 287- Mariam's realization on how good Nana was to her and regretting for not being a better daughter)
"When the money ran out, hunger began to cast a pall over their lives. It was stunning to Mariam how quickly alleviating hunger became the crux of their existence."
(Part 3, Chapter 41, page 305- Mariam thinking about how their current poverty and the drought affected them)
"Mariam regretted her foolish, youthful pride now. She wished now that she had let him in. What would have been the harm to let him in, sit with him, let him say what he’d come to say? He was her father."
(Part 3, Chapter 41, page 309- Mariam regretting the fact she didn't meet with Jalil before he died, even though he wasn't that great of a father)
"Had she ever been a deceitful wife? she asked herself. A complacent wife? A dishonorable woman? Discreditable? Vulgar? What harmful thing had she willfully done to this man to warrant his malice, his continual assaults, the relish with which he tormented her?"
(Part 3, Chapter 45, page 346- Mariam trying to understand why Rasheed tortures her and Laila)
"Mariam's face looked thin and drawn in this light, but she did not appear agitated or frighten, merely preoccupied, thoughtful, so self possessed that when a fly landed on her chin, she paid no attention. She just sat there with her bottom lip stuck out, the way she did when she was absorbed in thought."
(Part 3, Chapter 46, page 352- Mariam thinking about what to do with the crime she committed; thinking on to make sure Laila doesn't get a share of the blame)
"She had been afraid that she would make a fool of herself, that she would turn into a pleading, weeping, spectacle. She had feared that she might scream or vomit or even wet herself, that, in her last moments, she would be betrayed by animal instinct or bodily disgrace. But when she descend from the truck, Mariam's legs did not buckle. Her arms did not flail. She did not have to be dragged. And when she did feel herself faltering, she thought of Zalmai, from whom she had taken the love of his life, whose days now would be shaped by the sorrow of his father's disappearance."
(Part 3, Chapter 47, page 369- Mariam about to be executed for murdering Rasheed)
"Mariam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry in this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother."
(Part 3, Chapter 47, page 370- Mariam reflecting on her life before her death)
"It was not so bad, Mariam thought, that she should die this way. Not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings. Mariam's final thoughts were a few words from the Koran, which she muttered under her breath."
(Part 3, Chapter 47, page 370- Mariam strangely feeling somewhat content during her last moments)
(Part 1, Chapter 13, page 91- Mariam thinking about and reminding herself of her mother's words)
"Mariam saw now the sacrifices a mother made. Decency was but one."
(Part 3, Chapter 39, page 287- Mariam's realization on how good Nana was to her and regretting for not being a better daughter)
"When the money ran out, hunger began to cast a pall over their lives. It was stunning to Mariam how quickly alleviating hunger became the crux of their existence."
(Part 3, Chapter 41, page 305- Mariam thinking about how their current poverty and the drought affected them)
"Mariam regretted her foolish, youthful pride now. She wished now that she had let him in. What would have been the harm to let him in, sit with him, let him say what he’d come to say? He was her father."
(Part 3, Chapter 41, page 309- Mariam regretting the fact she didn't meet with Jalil before he died, even though he wasn't that great of a father)
"Had she ever been a deceitful wife? she asked herself. A complacent wife? A dishonorable woman? Discreditable? Vulgar? What harmful thing had she willfully done to this man to warrant his malice, his continual assaults, the relish with which he tormented her?"
(Part 3, Chapter 45, page 346- Mariam trying to understand why Rasheed tortures her and Laila)
"Mariam's face looked thin and drawn in this light, but she did not appear agitated or frighten, merely preoccupied, thoughtful, so self possessed that when a fly landed on her chin, she paid no attention. She just sat there with her bottom lip stuck out, the way she did when she was absorbed in thought."
(Part 3, Chapter 46, page 352- Mariam thinking about what to do with the crime she committed; thinking on to make sure Laila doesn't get a share of the blame)
"She had been afraid that she would make a fool of herself, that she would turn into a pleading, weeping, spectacle. She had feared that she might scream or vomit or even wet herself, that, in her last moments, she would be betrayed by animal instinct or bodily disgrace. But when she descend from the truck, Mariam's legs did not buckle. Her arms did not flail. She did not have to be dragged. And when she did feel herself faltering, she thought of Zalmai, from whom she had taken the love of his life, whose days now would be shaped by the sorrow of his father's disappearance."
(Part 3, Chapter 47, page 369- Mariam about to be executed for murdering Rasheed)
"Mariam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry in this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother."
(Part 3, Chapter 47, page 370- Mariam reflecting on her life before her death)
"It was not so bad, Mariam thought, that she should die this way. Not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings. Mariam's final thoughts were a few words from the Koran, which she muttered under her breath."
(Part 3, Chapter 47, page 370- Mariam strangely feeling somewhat content during her last moments)
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