Critique of Political Violence in Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns

Abstract

This study analyzes Khaled Husseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns making a critique of Political violence. This novel is written in the context of Afghanistan. So, the study is concerned with how Afghan people have been hegemonized, suppressed and killed by Russia, Taliban, America and other ethnic groups. In the novel, many characters have been involved in the politics of Afghanistan directly or indirectly. First of all, they were exploited by Soviet Union in the name of communism and later on they faced terrible violence by different religious and ethnic groups like Taliban and Mujahidin. In the last phase of the event as shown in the novel, Afghans are facing the domination of America that has promoted terrorism and violence. Laila, Mariam, Giti are the subjects of double victimization. Laila loses her family and is forced to marry an old man. Similarly, Tariq, too, has become homeless and jobless. He loses his leg at the age of five, loving family and flees the home country to escape the terrible war. Rasheed becomes jobless and is killed by his wife. Through the presentation of such characters, the writer has become able to reflect the political violence in Afghanistan. The above- mentioned events are the war triggered consequences that are backed by political violence in various forms making people homeless, jobless and even putting their existence under question. The issue of humanity becomes fragile in the war torn country. So, the characters like Tariq, Laila and Mariam are the victims of the same situation in one way or another.