THE DESCRIPTION OF SUFFERINGS EXPERIENCED
BY MARYAM AND LAILA IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S
NOVEL: A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
A PAPER
WRITTEN
BY
FEBRI WULANDARI
REG.NO: 1122O2O24
DIPLOMA-III ENGLISH STUDY PROGRAM
FACULTY OF CULTURE STUDY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH SUMATERA
MEDAN
APRIL 2014
It has been proved by
Supervisor,
Dr. Matius C.A. Sembiring. M.A
NIP: 19521126198112 1 001
Submitted to Faculty of culture Studies, University of Sumatra Utara in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for DIPLOMA (D-III) in English
Approved by
Head of Diploma III English Study Program,
Dr. Matius C.A. Sembiring. M.A
NIP: 19521126198112 1 001
Approved by the Diploma III of English Study Program Faculty of Culture Studies, University of Sumatera Utara
Accepted by the Board of examiners in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the D-III Examination of the Diploma-III of English Study Program, Faculty of Culture Studies, University of Sumatera Utara
The examination is held on june 2014
Faculty of Culture Studies, University of Sumatra Utara
Dean,
Dr. Syahron Lubis, M.A
NIP: 19511013197603 1 001
Board of Examiners: Signature 1. Dr. Matius C.A Sembiring, M.A (Head of ESP) _____________
2. Dr. Matius C.A Sembiring, M.A (Supervisor) _____________
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION
I, FEBRI WULANDARI, declare that I am the sole author this paper. Except where the reference is made in the text of this paper, this paper contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a paper by which I have qualified for or awarded another degree.
No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of this paper. This paper has not been submitted for the award of another degree in any tertiary education.
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Name : FEBRI WULANDARI
Title of paper : The Description of Sufferings Experienced by Maryam and Laila in Khaled Hosseini’s Novel: A Thousand
Splendid Suns
Qualification : D-III / Ahli Madya
Study program : English
I am willing that my paper should be available for reproduction at the discretion of the Librarian of the Diploma III English Department Faculty of Culture studies USU on the understanding that users are made aware of their obligation under law of the Republic of Indonesia.
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ABSTRACT
ABSTRAK
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
First of all, I would like to thank and praise the Almighty God, Allah SWT for blessing and giving me health, strength, and ease to accomplish this paper as one of the requirements to get Diploma III certificate from English Department Faculty of Culture Study, University of North Sumatera.
Then, I would like to express a deep gratitude, love, and appreciation to:
• My beloved parents, Isdianto and Epiana Br. Sembiring. Thank for all
your motivations, advices, loves, prays, and finances for me. I will not able to do anything without the supports from both of you. Thanks for anything. I present this paper for you.
• My beloved sibling, Sarah Ispiana, thank for all of your helps . Do not be a
fussy girl again. I love you.
• My lovely cousin, Nova Sesarina, thanks sist for your support.
• Dr. Matius C.A Sembiring, M.A, as the Head of English Diploma Study
Program and also as my supervisor too, who gives me a lot of knowledge and advice. Thank for the valuable time for giving the correction in completing this paper.
• Drs. Bahagia Tarigan, M.A, as my reader. Thank for who helps me to read
and check my paper.
• Dr. Syahron Lubis, M.A, as the Dean of Faculty of Culture Studies,
• All lecturers in English Diploma Study Program for giving me motivation,
inspiration, and knowledge. I really appreciate them.
• My dear ANURA, Amelia Septya Rini (Amel), Annisa Risma K Lubis
(Nisa), Febri Wulandari ( I ), Rahma Yuliani Piliang (Rahma), Alemina Kaban (Ina). Thank you guys for your loves, supports, helps, and everything. Thanks for great moment. All of you so awesome. I love and miss you so much.
• My lovely someone, Dede Suryanta Tarigan, who always make me smile
and make my world alive. And also thanks for your attention, helps, and spirit. You are the best.
• My best senior, Yenni Triana Sembiring, thank you my sist, because you
do not ever feel bored and always give me advices and supports.
• All of my friends in Diploma III English Study Program, thanks for
happiness and sadness. I love you guys.
Finally, I do realize that this paper is still far from being perfect. Therefore, I welcome any constructive critics and suggestions toward this paper.
Medan, 30 April 2014
The Writer,
Febri Wulandari
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.5 Reason for Choosing the Topic………..4
1.6 Method of the Study………...5
ABSTRACT
ABSTRAK
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
There have been various ways to define what literature is. Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly, "literature" is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. It provides an objective base for knowledge and understanding. It also exercises our emotion through interest, concern, excitement, hope, fear, regret, laughter, and sympathy.
Roberts and Jacobs (1995:2) say, “literature may be classified into four categories or genre: (1) prose fiction, (2) poetry, (3) drama, (4) nonfiction prose.” From the four categories of literature, the writer chooses to discuss the prose fiction, especially on novel. Fiction is a name for stories not entirely factual, but at least partially shaped, made up, imagined. Novel is one of the prose fictions. It reflects a move away from an essentially religious view of life towards a new interest in the complexities of everyday experience. Sometimes, novels present a documentary picture of life. In fact, novels look at people, individual, society in which they live, and presenting characters who are at odds with the society.
informs about something more than human nature: it explains how to deal with a shipwrecked vessel if cast away on a desert islands, cook a meal or hunt whales. Today, novel has attracted interest and attention for many people, especially in teenagers, and other young generation. Novel is very entertaining to read.
The novel which discuss in this paper is written by Khaled Hosseini with title A Thousand Splendid Suns. Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. In 1976, the Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then their homeland had witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet Army. Hosseini sought and were granted political asylum in the United States, and in September 1980 moved to San Jose, California. Hosseini graduated from high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1988. The following year he entered the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, where he earned a medical degree in 1993. He completed his residency at Cedars-Sinai medical center in Los Angeles and was a practicing internist between 1996 and 2004. In March 2001, while practicing medicine, Hosseini began writing his first novel, The Kite Runner. And a thousand splendid suns is his second novel that success to be one of international best seller novel in the world
extraordinary evil and is remembered for the terrible things to do. Character has an important role in a story. Character make a story become interesting and real. In novel, we can know whether a novel deserve to read or no is from character. Without character, the novel is not special and nothing.
This novel tells about the sufferings experienced by Maryam and Laila. Mariam is the scorned illegitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman, forced at age fifteen into marrying Rasheed, who grows increasingly brutal when she fails to produce a child. Eighteen years later, Rasheed takes another wife, fourteen year-old Laila, a smart and spirited girl who only other options, after her parents are killed by rocket fire, are prostitution or starvation. Mariam and Laila become allies in a battle with Rasheed, whose violent abuse is endorsed by custom and law. This novel gives a forceful portrait of despotism where women are dependent on fathers, husbands and especially sons, the bearing of male children being their only path to an accepted social status. Each woman in the end is forced to accept a path that will never be completely happy for them: Mariam will have to sacrifice her life to save Laila after she murders their husband while Laila, even though marrying her childhood love, must find a way to keep the sacrifice Mariam has made from not becoming an act done in vain.
1.2Problems of the Study
In a novel, the author tries to write the events on each plot rapidly and clearly. The events can be happily or sadness. In this paper, the writer wants to see any sufferings experienced by Maryam and Laila. The main problems: What kinds of sufferings are experienced by Maryam and Laila.
1.3Scope of the Study
When we want to talk about the analysis or description of a novel, there can be many aspects to discussed, therefore, the writer of this paper wants to give the limitation of the writing. The sufferings will describe on this paper is the sufferings that experienced by Maryam and Laila two victimized women that give battered heart even physic.
1.4 Purpose of Study
The purpose of writing this paper is to give any sufferings experienced by Maryam and Laila.
1.5 Reasons for Choosing the Topic
1.6 Method of the Study
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Novel
Novel is an extended fictional work in prose and usually in the form of story. The novel was originally developed in the region from other forms of narrative nonfiction, such as letters, biographies, and history. But with a shift in society and development time, the novel is not only based on data nonfiction, author of novel can change according to desire imagination. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition novel. The construction of the narrative, the plot, the way reality is created in the works of fiction, the fascination of the character study, and the use of language are usually discussed to show a novel’s artistic merit. Most of these requirements were introduced in the 17th century in order to give fiction a justification outside the field of factual story. The individualism of the presentation makes the personal memoir and the autobiography the two closest relatives among the genders of the modern histories.
attention to an imaginative relationship between the subject matter or theme of the work and the real world in which we actually live.
Reeve (1785) says, “The novel is a picture of life and manners, and of the time in which is written. The romance, in lofty and elevated language, describes what never happened nor is likely to happen.”
Watson (1979:4) says, “A novel is a way learning about how things were or are-cognitive instrument; and those who distrust stories as evidence should consider how often in conversation we use them to make a points or answer questions.” It means novel has many function to inform or make a points or in some subjects of distrust stories. A work of fiction with fewer than 30,000 to 40,000 words is usually considered a short story, novelette, or a tale, but the novel has no actual maximum length. The novel is a literary prose shaped like a short story. Both novel and short story tell all events or problems that occur in human life. The difference takes place is historian. Short story kinds to be single plot and limited in member but novel is longer.
Good novels stay in the mind days after one has completed reading it. In other words, good novels give food for thought in every reader. In example, they stimulate one’s thinking, or the ‘feel good’ element in the novel makes the reader play it out many, many times in their mind so they can relieve the ‘feel good’ moments again and again.
2.2 Character
In fiction, a character may be defined as a verbal representation of a human being. We can conclude characters are the persons presented in works of narrative such as novel, drama, or film who convey their personal through dialogues and action by which the reader or audience understand their thoughts, feelings, intentions, and motives.Through action, speech, description, and commentary, author portray character that are worth caring about, rooting for, and even loving. Although, there are also characters you may laugh at, dislike, or even hate.
Bonazza and Roy (1982:3) say, “Character and characterization are closely related but essentially different concepts. Character refers to one of the persons in the story-the end results of the author’s effort to create a fictional personality. On the other hands, characterizations refers to the means by which the writer creates the sum of traits, thoughts, and action which, taken together, constitute a character. Literary characters may belong to a number of stock types: a euphoric, a romantically, a frivolous and shallow sophisticate, a mild-mannered, self-effacing office worker, a diffident but resourceful and brave, an impractically gallant adolescent, and so on.
Foster (1927) says, “There are two basic major types of character “round character” and “flat character”
of previous decisions, the acceptance of new condition, or the discovery of unrecognized truths
The round character usually plays a major role in a story. Round characters are often called the hero or heroine. Many main characters are anything but heroic, however, and it is therefore preferable to use the more neutral word protagonist. The protagonist is the central of the action, moves against an antagonist, and exhibits the ability to adapt to new circumstances.
Stock characters stay flat as long as they merely perform their roles and exhibit conventional and unindividual traits. When they posses no attitudes except those of their class, they are labeled stereotype, because they all seem to be cast from the same mold or printing matrix.
Other concept relating to characters are static character and dynamic character or developing. The concept of static suggests the opposite with dynamic. Static character never changes. A loud, obnoxious “background” character who remains the same throughout the story is static. A boring character that is never changed b y events is also static. The concept of developing or dynamic character suggest that the character achieves a different view of life as a result of some insight gained from conflict and is no longer quite the same person as before. Dynamic character is unlike a static characters, a dynamic character does change and grow as the story unfolds. Dynamic characters respond to events and experience a change in attitude or outlook.
There are two other important terms to keep in mind for describing people:
protagonist and antagonist. The protagonist is the major character with whom we generally sympathize. The main character in a story is generally known as the protagonist. The character who opposed him or her is the antagonist. The antagonist is the character with who the protagonist is in the conflict. The antagonist is generally not sympathize. The character who opposed him or her is the antagonist.
Motivation in this term is the reason or reasons that cause a character to think, act, or speak in a certain way. Character is revealed by how a character responds to conflict, by his or her dialogues, and through descriptions. Every character have different purpose such as: telling a story, as an example of a conviction, in support of certain symbols in the novel and to facilitate the development of the plot in novel. In novel, a character doesn’t need many characters.
Stories, like plays, are about characters. A character that though is not real people, are drawn life. A Story is usually concerned with a major problem that character must face. This may be involved interaction with another character, with a difficult situation, or with an idea or general circumstance that force action. The character may win, lose, or tie. He or she may learn and be the better for the experience or may miss the point and be unchanged.
Peck and Coyle (1986:105) says that the definition of character in literary work or not like real life people for they have been specially created by authors. When authors create characters, they select some aspects of ordinary people, develop some of those aspects while playing down others and put them together as they please. The result is an ordinary person, but a fictional character who only exist in the words of literary work.
generally find that its character act in a reasonably consistent manner and that the author has provided them with motivation, sufficient reason to behave as they do.
Roberts and Jacobs (1995) say,” A Character is a reasonable facsimile of a human being, with all the good and bad traits of being human.
Taylor (1981:62) says that a character in a novel or play is not real human being and has no life outside the literary compositions; however well the illusion of reality has been created by the author.
Richard (1981:62) says that a character is a mere construction of words meant to express an idea or view of experience and must be considered in relation to other features of the compositions.
Reader and woods (1987) say,” The character in a good novel are interesting, interesting, intriguing consistent, convincing, complex and realistic. If the author has created a particularly vivid or individualistic character, then we, as readers, will find that character interesting regardless of whether or not symphatize with him or her.” They also explain about the way to express a character with some points that consist of:
1. What they say about themselves 2. What others say about their character
3. What is said by the narrator or the author of their 4. The reaction of another character
5. The figures reaction to a particular situation 6. The character reactions to their environment
8. How to dress them
9. Accent or their social position 10. The attitude of their lives 11. Their education
12. Habits and their mental condition
2.3 Plot
Plot is a simple account of what happens in a story. Another definition of plot is the arrangement of the events in a story into a causal sequence. The plot is based on the interactions of causes and effects as they develop sequentially or chronologically.
Peck and coyle (1986:88) says, “Plot, however, is a more inclusive term: it could be said to be the fully-developed version of the story.” It means, plot takes account of the nature of the characters, the way in which events are related to each other and their dramatic effect.
Kennedy (1991:7) says that plot is the artistic arrangement of those events. It means the most important element among other elements of fictions because a structure events arising out of the conflict. Plot is the logical interactions of the various thematic elements of a text which lead to a change of the original situation as presented at the outset of the narrative. One of the most important elements in shaping a work of fiction is plot.
means the parts of the story, the various stages of the protagonist’s conflict leading to some climax and following denouement or conclusion. Some modern “plotless” narratives still have story parts, but the design of their arrangement differs radically from the old chronological order.”
Bonazza and Roy (1982:3) say that among the formal elements of plot are: exposition, background; conflict, the opposition of forces, internal or external; complication, the development of predictable or unforeseen contingencies in the action; foreshadowing, a hint of what is to come; reversal, a change in fortune experienced by the protagonist; denouement, the final outcome of the sequence of events; and insight, recognition by the protagonist of his or her nature or fate. The technical competence on the part of an author in manipulating plot does not make a literary work great, or even worth a second reading. What does make a work great and worthy of repeated reading is its power to engage the reader’s intellect and emotions. This power is achieved by the author’s creative imagination working through the skillful manipulation of all the elements that go into the making of a story.
2.4 Setting
Stanford (2003: 44) says that setting is the time and place of a literary work. Setting includes social, political, and economic background as well as geographic and physical locations. Two kinds of aspect in setting are exterior setting and interior setting. The exterior setting is aspects of setting that exist outside the character. Likewise, the interior setting is aspects of setting that exist inside the minds and hearts of the characters.
Taylor (1981:69) says that setting is a major factor in the formulation of subject matter and a directed influence on the expression theme. As in the case of the other factors, however, setting needs to be realistic, nor, in fact, even physical. Historical time (past, present or future) is very effective for certain narratives and an accurate geographical location advisable, but it is also possible to set a fiction in some vague undetermined time, omitting historical references altogether in order to achieve a sense of timelessness and universality. Physical setting may be localized in a particular and known place or an unspecified and unfamiliar region, depending on the author’s particular need.
Gwynn (2002:17) says that setting is simply the time and the place of a story, and in most cases the details of descriptions are given to the reader directly by the narrator.
conformity and correlation between behavior and temperament with the community leaders, social, situation, and opinion of society.
2.4 Point of View
Point of view is the position from which the details of the work are reported or described. The concept of point of view introduced in the discussion on character and characterization requires a more detailed explanation because of its importance to the structure of a story.
Roberts and Jacobs (1995:180) say “Point of view refers to the position and stance of the voice, or speaker that authors adopt for their work.
Every story has a narrator, a voice or character that tells about a work of a fiction. Kennedy (1991:19) says that to identify the narrator of a story, describing any part he or she plays in the events and any limits placed upon his knowledge, is to identify the story’s point of view. This way is very important to do.
Taylor (1981:72) says that point of view actually operates on two different levels within a narrative. The first is structural and has a direct influence on the action by determining the degree of knowledge or understanding given to the reader. The second level is stylistic or textural, and therefore indirect. Its aim is to give an indication of values or judgements which may stem from the fictional narrator, the author, or both.
first pronoun, I. If the narrator is the main character, the point of view is the first person protagonist. If the narrator is the secondary character, the point of view is first person observe. In the third point of view or nonparticipant narrator, the story is not told by a character but by an “invisible author.” It means the story is using the third person pronoun (he, she, and it) to tell the chronology of a story. If the third person narrator gives us the thoughts of characters (He wondered where he’d lost his baseball glove), then he is a third person dramatic narrator.
Different points of view can emphasize different things. A first person protagonist narrator would give us access to the thought and characteristic of the main character. If the author does not want us to have that access, he could use the first person observe, for example, or the third person dramatic.
2.5 Theme
Theme is one of the fundamental components in a story or fiction. Broadly, a theme is central of idea or basic story which is become food for thought. A theme of the story relates to the practice of human life, human experience, i impressive. Themes can be divided into two categories: a work thematic concept is what readers “think the work is about the subject.”
Bonazza and Roy (1982:10) say, “The theme of a story is the generalization about human life that can be drawn from the outcome of the conflict and from the support provided by tone, attitude, atmosphere, setting, and symbolism, or allegory.” It means a theme like a complete expression and necessarily accurate in a story.
Stanford (2003:53) says that theme is the central idea you seek as you read a work and think about it. The theme of a work is generalization: an idea that can be broadly applied both to the work itself and to real-life situation outside the work.
For conclusion, we also get the definition of them. The theme is overall meaning the readers derive from a story. Theme is one of very important part in a story.
2.6. Suffering
Every human being has ever experienced problems and sufferings in their live. The world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming. Sufferings are feelings of pain in human mental that caused by illness, injury, or emotions. People who have suffers usually frustrate and loss experience in their live.
Gibran (1923) says that out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. God created the problem to test his people to be a strong human, patient, faithful, and always obey for him. Obey all of his rules and shun all of his bans.
3. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SUFFERINGS
3.1 Life of maryam
Maryam was born as a Harami, bastard of a mother named Nana, a servant to his master, who was a businessman named Jalil. Jalil has three wives. They are Afson, Nargis, and Khadija. They did not want the presence of Nana in Herat, especially in their big house. To cover the shame of his family, Jalil move Nana to a kolba (hovel) in Gul Daman, Afghanistan which is located farthest from their homes and away from the city. Finally, she gave birth to Maryam in kolba. Jalil visited their kolba only once a week on Thursday. The happy moment that is always eagerly awaited by Maryam. Because at that time, the longing to his father will be alleviated. Her father would bring souvenirs, talked about many things, invited him to play, or fishing in the river. While Nana, after Jalil returned, she always told the evil about Jalil and subverts all the words on Maryam, and also told Maryam that Jalil would never think of Maryam as his child.
“Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Maryam.” (A Thousand Splendid suns, p. 07)
Nana had repeatedly warned Maryam and said something serious case of what would happen to him.
“A man’s heart is a wretched, wretched thing, Maryam. It isn’t like a mother womb. It won’t bleed, it won’t stretch to make room for you. I’m the only one who loves you. I’m all you have in this world, Maryam, and when I’m gone you’ll have nothing. You’ll are nothing. You are nothing!”(A Thousand Splendid suns, p.27)
The next day, Maryam decided for coming to the Jalil’s home, because Jalil did not come to pick him up. Maryam did not care about all the words of his mother, she just thought that everything is just a lie to say her mother because her mother, Nana, did not want Maryam to live happily and Maryam also have to bear the misery of his mother 's life. However, when she got Jalil’s home, Maryam met with resistance and was not at all acceptable that require sleeping outside at the gates in magnificent Jalil’s home only to find her father. In the reality, her departure to jalil’s home bring disaster for him. After she returned to Gul Daman to be escorted by one of Jalil’s driver, she had seen his mother's tragic death, hanged himself on a tree limb and in the end, left her alone in this world.
disappointment. Maryam said to Jalil that Jalil is needless to visit her, and she did not want to hear anything about his father again.
Her marriage with Rasheed brought new suffering and torture to Maryam. In addition, Maryam had a miscarriage and made Rasheed became very rough to him. The days passed very chastisement of Maryam and made her like being in hell. Rasheed began to torture her soul neither insulting words nor physical punishment.
“Get up,” he said. “come here. Get up”
He snatched her hand, opened it, and dropped a handful of pebbles into it.
“Put these in your mouth.” “What?”
“Put these. In your mouth.” “Stop it, rasheed, i’m–
His powerful hands clasped her jaw. He shoved two fingers into her mouth and pried it open, then forced the cold, hard pebbles into it. Maryam struggled against him, numbling, but he kept pushing the pebbles in, his upper lip curled in a snair.
“Now chew,” he said.
Through the mouthful of grit and pebbles, mumbled a plea. Tears were leaking out of the corners of her eyes…” (A Thousand Splendid suns, pp. 102-103)
Wars in Afghanistan made many victims who died, suffered serious injuries as a result of the rocket falling and leveled by the Taliban-taliban. Every day a lot of the lives of innocent became victims. It was also experienced by a girl, Maryam’s neighbor, Laila.
Rasheed otherwise. Rasheed intended to marry that girl who is 15 years old and almost the same as when Rasheed married Maryam.
The marriage of Laila and Rasheed also bring new suffering for Maryam. Maryam was not received by Rasheed act to polygamy himself with laila, and finally she could not do anything about it.
“For you, after all these years, to make me an ambagh.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. It’s a common thing and you know it. I have friends who have two, three, four wives. Your own father had three. Besides, what I’m doing now most men. I know would have done long ago. You know it’s true.” (A Thousand Splendid suns, pp. 208-209)
With patience, Maryam willingly accept the situation. Broken hearts because of the sacrifice of betrayal by laila is too shortchanged and made him shock. In the fact, this situation actually made Maryam hate her and hostile with Laila. Maryam thought that Laila was a slut who likes to seize her husband and do not knew how to thank you. Rasheed treatment to Maryam is so bad than Laila. Laila became malika (queen) and is always protected by Rasheed while Maryam became dehati (servant) in the house.
Aziza’s birth, the first daughter of Laila brought them in a friendship between Maryam and Laila. Maryam was very fond of Aziza, so did Aziza contrary, she was very fond of Maryam. Life of Maryam changed in happiness since she had and met them.
Maryam was wondering how to separate Rasheed to Laila did not know what to do anything. While Rasheed strangle Laila, Maryam who did not have the heart and is willing to see Laila tortured by Rasheed, finally took the fight to defend Laila. Maryam took the spade and struck him on the Rasheed head and make Rasheed died.
In the midst of anxiety and fear, Maryam finally took the wise decision. Maryam will bear the brunt of the Rasheed murder had done by himself. Maryam insists and thought that this is the only way for solving their problem.
“It is fair,” Maryam said. “I’ve killed our husband. I’ve deprived your son of his father. It isn’t right that I run. I can’t. Even if they never catch us, I’ll never…. Her lips trembled. I’ll never escape your son’s grief. How do I look at him? How do I ever bring myself to look at him, Laila jo?”
Maryam twiddled a strand of Laila’s hair, untangled a stubborn curl.
“For me, it ends here. There’s nothing more I want. Everything I’d ever wished for as a little girl you’ve already given me. You and your children have made me so very happy. It’s all right, Laila jo.This is all right. Don’t be sad.” (A Thousand Splendid suns, p.350)
3.2 Life of Laila
Laila was one of Maryam’s neighbors in Kabul. Laila's father was a teacher named Hakim and his mother named Fariba. Both of his older brothers, Ahmad and Noor, jihad in war, thus making Fariba lived in darkness without the spirit waiting for both his sons return from war. Fortunately, Laila has a strong father and a friend named Tariq, one-legged boy who lost his leg as a result of landmines that required him to wear a prosthetic. Tariq has always been a patron for Laila when dealing with children who are ignorant. They intertwine their friendship when they were very small, very tight strong and beautiful, so bring them on a more distant relationship. They became lovers, although they lived in secretly.
The war that happened in Afghanistan makes many deaths and many residents flee to Pakistan or other neighboring countries. It will also be carried out by the Tariq’s family for his Tariq’s father for reasons of deteriorating health, his heart was not strong and the weak accept all the happenings around him. When Tariq said goodbye to Laila, Laila felt very sad and did not want Tariq to go away from her life. Tariq is one of the most valuable in life of Laila. The news departure planning of Tariq and his family from Kabul made her very sad and disappointed
Everyone has leaving. And now Tariq too.
“and my mother is not a young woman anymore,” he was saying,“ they’re so afraid all the time. Laila, look at me.”
“you should have told me.” “please look at me.”
In the midst of both sadness and therefore carried away, a something big happened. An action that they should not do, for violating religious norms. They both have sex in a movie theater that has been vacated by the Mojahedin. However, Tariq still have to go to the state of both parents who are dying. Tariq took Laila to join with him and take responsibility for their actions by marrying Laila. But Laila refuse his invitation because he thought for Mammy and her Babi being shrouded in confusion and sadness. Laila asked him to promise that someday Tariq would be back to pick Laila.
After losing both of their sons in war, Ahmad and Noor , and did not want to lose their daughters by the ongoing war again, Laila’s family decided for preparing to evacuate and leave from Kabul. However, another disaster comes. Rocket hit their house, made her father and mother died, and it made Laila lived alone. Laila life was saved but she suffered very severe injuries.
“… Something hot and powerful slammed into her from behind. It knocked her out of her sandals. Lifted her up. And now she was flying, twisting, rotating, in the air, seeing sky, then earth, then sky, then earth.
… Babi and she, perched somewhere high up. He is pointing to a field of barley. A generator comes to life.” (A Thousand Splendid suns, pp.188-189)
Especially, after she got the news that Tariq has been killed while trying to sneak into Pakistan. Rasheed treatment Laila is so well than Maryam. Laila became Malika (queen) in their house. And it made Laila and Maryam often fight in many times. But that was gone on temporarily, since Laila gave birth to a daughter named Aziza. Maryam was very fond with Aziza. Otherwise, the sweet gesture of Rasheed to Laila also only temporary, immediate direct instantaneous changed when Laila gave a birth a daughter not a son. The plight of their domestic circumstance were running, and Laila was finally blessed with second child, a boy named Zalmai who highly cherished by Rasheed. Rasheed treatment to Aziza and Zalmai is contradictory. Zalmai was his favorite child.
Situation is more uncertain because of the war. Domestic circumstances also did not get better. In the midst of suffering, Laila and Maryam tried to find a thousand suns of heaven which will give light in the darkness of their world. Again and again they tried to escape from Rasheed when Laila did not have Zalmai, unfortunately, their efforts failed. They even had to get cruel treatment of Rasheed when knowing their plot, especially for Laila.
“She didn’t want to do it. She didn’t want to go–“ Laila didn’t see the punch coming. One moment she was talking and the next she was on all fours, wide-eyed, and red-faced, trying to draw a breath. She realized she had dropped Aziza, that Aziza was screaming. She tried to breath again and could only make a husky, choking sound. Dribble hung from her mouth. (A Thousand Splendid suns, p.261)
Rasheed about the death of Tariq are a rotten sense to make Laila became his wife. At night after the arrival of Tariq, their son, Zalmai told Rasheed that his Mammy, Laila, has a new boy friend. Rasheed became angry and began torturing Laila rough and cruel. Maryam was wondering how to separate Rasheed to Laila did not know what to do anything. And she took the spade and struck him on the Rasheed head and make Rasheed died. Maryam told that Laila had to get out of this country with Tariq and her children. While Maryam who will bear the brunt of the Rasheed murder had done by himself. At the first, Laila refusing Maryam, and she wants Maryam to participate with them, but Maryam insists and thought that this is the only way for making Laila lives happy. Laila relented.
In the end, Mariam was died, and on other hand, Laila continued her life with her new family, her husband, Tariq and their children. Laila went to the outside of Afghanistan. They lived in Murree and live happily there. After a few years, after the war subsided, finally, Laila was missing in his native land to make a decision to invite Tariq return to Kabul. Tariq was agreed. So they set out to return to Kabul with the aim of re-arrange their lives there.
Laila tried to trace the background of Maryam, she came to Herat and visit Maryam’s kolba. Suddenly, Hamza, son of Mullah Faizullah, Maryam tutor, gave Jalil’s parcel or present to Maryam. Laila opened the parcel and get a cartoon video tapes “Pinnochio”, a letter and some money inside the folds of the sack.
addition, his wife and three children who died as a result of illness and a victim of the war at the time, it makes Jalil was frustrated and aware that all that is going on in her karmic given by Allah SWT. The letter is sent by Jalil just before his death.
4.
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
4.1 Conclusion
There are three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have government people life: the longing for love, the search of knowledge and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. Suffering is physical or mental pain that caused by disease, pain, sadness, even unpleasant experience. Suffering is also an examination that should be passed for everybody. God creates and gives any sufferings for human in order to make them become strong and patient in every condition and situation at their life. In fact, the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.
After doing the description in this novel, the sufferings of Maryam and Laila is showed in the novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns” that the experience of their life is full of intricacies. Maryam and Laila come from different background, different age, and different character. The poignancy of war that happened in Afghanistan and the domestic violence become main problems and sufferings of their life.
4.2 Suggestion
REFERENCES
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Bonazza, Blaze O and Emil Roy. 1982. Studies in Fiction. New York: Harper and Row, Publisher, Inc.
Foster, E.M. 1970. Aspect of the Novel. London: Macmillan Education Limited Gwynn, R.S. 2002. Fiction: A pocket Anthology, Third Edition. New York:
Penguin Academics
Hosseini, Khaled. 2007. A Thousand Splendid Suns. London: Bloomsburry Publishing, Plc.
Hosseini, Khaled. 2007. A Thousand Splendid Suns. Jakarta: Qanita
Kennedy, X.J. 1983. An introduction to fiction, Poetry, and drama. Canada: Little, Brown & Company Limited
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Sembiring, Matius C.A. 2012. Buku Pedoman Program Study D-3 Studi Bahasa Inggris. Medan: Unpublished
Stanford, Judith A. 2003. Responding to Literature: Stories, Poems, Plays, And Essays. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.
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APPENDICES
a. The Biography of Khaled Hosseini
In March 2001, while practicing medicine, Hosseini began writing his first novel, The Kite Runner. Published by Riverhead Books in 2003, that debut went on to become an international bestseller and beloved classic, sold in at least seventy countries and spending more than a hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. In May 2007, his second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, remaining in that spot for fifteen weeks and nearly an entire year on the bestseller list. Together, the two books have sold more than 10 million copies in the United States and more than 38 million copies worldwide. The Kite Runner was adapted into a graphic novel of the same name in 2011. Hosseini’s much-awaited third novel, And the Mountains Echoed, will be published on May 21, 2013.
2. The Summary of A Thousand Splendid Suns
A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the story of two women who suffered from war and forced marriage. Just like The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini 's second novel is set in an Afghanistan war that is going on .
The first figure, named Maryam .She is a Harami - the result of an affair Nana and Jalil. Jalil, is an entrepreneur and has had three wives. Meanwhile, Nana, is a maid in the home Jalil . To conceal this disgrace, Jalil ' move ' Nana to a house that is secluded and away from the city. Many years, regularly Jalil visited Nana and Maryam kolba every Thursday. In the Thursday, Maryam would hear wonderful stories of his father, and after that, Nana will distort all the words Jalil, and always said that Jalil would never acknowledge her as his daughter Maryam . A head of his thirteenth birthday, Maryam asked a special gift from Jalil, but it is anticipated that in the day, Jalil did not come, and make reckless Maryam went to Herat, to luxury homes Jalil, in which he was not accepted. Maryam's departure to home Jalil would bring disaster. Nana killed himself and Maryam left alone.
Jalil forced Maryam to bring her to his home. Finally, Maryam was forced to marry a man much older age, Rasheed and taken to move to the city of Kabul. Marriage brings new misery to Maryam, especially when she had a miscarriage and Rasheed started making rude to him.
Both brothers Laila jihad and make Fariba live in darkness awaits the return of her two sons. Fortunately Babbi Laila has a strong and a good friend named Tariq. Laila Tariq always protects children from tampering men ignorant. A Friendship that brings them to be a more distant relationship.
The battle makes many residents who fled to Pakistan, including Tariq family. Laila family was preparing to evacuate when another disaster comes. This situation is making Laila alone.
The couple of Maryam and Rasheed care of Laila. Rasheed was the one who saved Laila disaster when it comes. But, it turns out, it is not genuine. Rasheed intends to marry Laila that age when it is almost the same as when Rasheed married Maryam.
Laila agrees, but, instead making Maryam hostile . Laila becomes malika (princess) in the house and is always protected by Rasheed. But, it's also just a sweet gesture while, which instantly changed when Laila gave birth to a daughter.
This is the beginning of friendship Laila and Maryam. They both defend and protect the face roughness Rasheed.
Situation is more uncertain because of the war. Domestic circumstances also do not get better.
In the midst of suffering, Laila and Maryam tried to find a thousand splendid suns of heaven which will give light in the darkness of their world.
