III.

Part Three Chapters 27-47

1.
Rasheed digs Laila out of the rubble of the explosion that kills
her mother and father and takes her into his home. Does his
behavior seem unusual? What are
his motives for taking care of Laila?
Digging Laila out of the rubble seems very peculiar and unusual
for Rasheed looking back at his past behavior throughout the book.
While at first it may seem out of character for him, it is soon revealed
that Rasheed had an ulterior motive for saving Lailas life.
Rasheed recognizes that he is getting older and still doesnt have
any sons to call his own. Seeing young, pretty, and helpless Laila in the
rubble, Rasheed realizes that Laila is now an orphan with no one to
take care of her. He thinks that if he nurses Laila back to health, he will
be her only lifeline and therefore she can easily be forced into a
marriage with him. With marriage, she will be able to bear him with the
son that he has always wanted and aging Mariam was unable to
supply.
So while this behavior may seem strange for Rasheed, having an
underhanded ulterior motive in mind is exactly something that
Rasheed would and ultimately did end up doing. He didnt do it as
some grand heroic act, or even to help Laila. It was all a part of his
striking plan to help himself and himself only.
2.
How has U.S. foreign policy led to the continuing chaos in
Afghanistan?
When the U.S. forced the Soviets to leave Afghanistan, the
people of Kabul rejoiced. Citizens of Afghanistan believed that the
Soviet withdrawal would bring peace, tranquility, happiness, and order
back throughout the land. However, this does not happen at all. While
the Soviet exile solved one problem, it opened the door for another.
Once the Soviets were gone, the jihad took over as the official
government. Eventually, the jihad turns on itself and individual
warlords within the jihad start wars with one another. While all this was
happening in Afghanistan, the United States did nothing to help, but
rather just sat back and watched as Afghanistan was once again
brought back into a state of utter chaos. In the end, when one war
ended with the Soviets, another war started within the jihad.
3.
Why does Laila agree to marry Rasheed, a sixty-year-old man,
even when she considered the act dishonorable?
Laila definitely does not want to marry Rasheed although she
ends up agreeing. This is because she realizes she is pregnant with
Tariqs child. She is so devastated by the death of Tariq that she cant

bear the thought of losing her last connection to him, their child. She
knows that if she doesnt agree to marry Rasheed, he will send her off
on her own in the warring city Kabul where she will surely die by
herself. She feels as if there is no way she could make it to the safety
of Pakistan on her own. Laila feels like marrying Rasheed is
dishonorable because she will be marrying him while she is fully aware
of being pregnant with a child from a different man, but she feels that
virtue and integrity are sacrifices she must make to protect her unborn
child.
4.
Why does Rasheed demand total submission from the two
women?
Rasheed demands complete submission from both Laila and
Mariam because of the culture he lives in. The Taliban has set such
strict regulations on women and their roles in society. The rules pretty
much give all power to men creating a complete patriarchal society
where women are treated like they are worthless and have no rights.
At the same time, I feel as though Rasheed lets all this power go to his
head and makes him feel superior over his wives.
5.
Why does Mariam blame Laila for marrying Rasheed?
Why does she see Laila as a competitor for Rasheed?
In Mariams eyes, Laila is a major competitor for Rasheed
because Laila is younger and prettier than Mariam. Laila is also able to
bear children for Rasheed which Mariam is unable to do. The ability to
bear children makes Laila Rasheeds prized possession. He starts
calling her his flower of the palace and compares Laila to a shiny
new Benz while he compares Mariam to a Volga. This makes Mariam
extremely jealous and resentful towards Laila. It also makes Mariam
feel like Laila came in and stole her husband. This is why she ends up
blaming Laila for marrying Rasheed.
6.How has the death of his son affected Rasheed?
The death of Rasheeds son makes Rasheed bitter. It also makes
him determined to have another son at any cost. This is why he
becomes so angry when Mariam is found to be infertile and it is also
what drives him to save Laila and marry her. I think he wants to have
another son so bad to somehow fix the past and prove that he can be a
great father. This obsession with having another son ends up
consuming his life and makes him a sad, miserable person.
7.
Why does Rasheed continue to taunt Mariam when he has
absolute control over her?

Rasheed continues to taunt Mariam even though he has

complete control over her. He does this because he wants to torture
Mariam for her inability to supply him with a child. Mariams infertility
causes Rasheed to see her as a worthless burden upon him. Because
of this, he decides to torture Mariam even though none of this is
Mariams fault.
8.
What is the effect of wearing a burqa on Laila?
Even though Laila was afraid of falling and tripping over the
burqa, she ends up liking the anonymity it brings her. On page 208,
Laila describes her first experience in the burqa like this, She found
some comfort in the anonymity that the burqa provided. She wouldnt
be recognized this way if she ran into an old acquaintance of hers. She
wouldnt have to watch the surprise in their eyes, or the pity or the
glee, at how far she had fallen, at how her lofty aspirations had been
dashed. This passage shows that the burqua provides Laila with a
welcomed shield against the shame and humiliation of being spotted in
pubic with Rasheed by old friends.
9.
What are Mariams changing feelings as Rasheed becomes
more upset with Laila?
To Mariams surprise, she finds herself unhappy and unsatisfied
by Rasheeds growing anger towards Laila. Instead of the satisfaction
she thought this would bring, Mariam begins to feel remorse and
sympathy for Laila. Mariam feels very guilty for the way she has
treated Laila in the past. She also begins to reflect on the fact that
Rasheed treats Mariam in a very similar way, creating sympathy for
Laila. Eventually all these feelings come together to create a longlasting and loving mother-daughter relationship between Laila and
Mariam.
10.
What is the significance of Mariam and Laila having tea
together?
Having tea together was a major turning point in Laila and
Mariams connection. It caused them to become closer together and
ultimately creates that loving mother-daughter relationship. On page
224, Laila even says this, And when Aziza woke up crying and
Rasheed yelled for Laila to come up and shut her up, a look passed
between Laila and Mariam. An unguarded, knowing look. And in this
fleeting, wordless exchange with Mariam, Laila knew that they were
not enemies any longer. This passage displays that this one event
changes the entire course of Laila and Mariams relationship for the
better. Eventually, every night after working together to complete their

daily chores, having tea together becomes a tradition, which further

proves this event to be superbly significant.
11.
How is the violence in the streets of Kabul parallel to the
violence in Rasheeds home?
At this point in the novel, war is a part of the daily life in Kabul.
Weapons such as tanks, rockets, and missiles are wreaking havoc on
the once stunning city. They are causing mass destruction and
exceptionally dangerous living conditions for the citys inhabitants. The
civilians become prisoners, hostages, and captives of their own city,
becoming afraid to even leave their houses in fear of the dangers
outside their doors. At the same time, the Taliban is setting a plethora
of strict laws that are heavily monitored and enforced.
The chaos occurring on the streets on Kabul is extremely similar
to the violence occurring inside Rasheeds own home. Rasheeds
violence is a part of the daily lives of Mariam and Laila. His physical
abuse such as punches, kicks, and lashes are wearing Mariam and
Laila down. They are causing devastating damage and creating a
dangerous living environment for the houses inhabitants. Mariam and
Laila become prisoners, hostages, and captives in their own home,
living in constant terror of Rasheeds next move. At the same time,
Rasheed is setting a plethora of strict rules within his household that
he expects Mariam and Laila to follow.
12.
Mariam and Laila ask a young man for help when they are
trying to leave Kabul. Why does he betray them to the
soldiers?
When Mariam and Laila are trying to escape Kabul, they
ask a young man for help. At first, it seems as though he is going to
help them escape, but when everyone goes to board the bus, he rats
them out to a nearby solider. I think he does this in fear of the safety of
himself and his family. Maybe at first he truly wanted to help Mariam
and Laila, but while waiting for the bus to arrive he had plenty of time
to reflect on this decision. I think he realized that Mariam and Laila are
both complete strangers to him. He doesnt know who they are, what
they have done in their past, or really anything about them. He could
be helping escapee murder convicts for all he knows. He might have
also came to the realization that if he got caught lying and helping
transport women against the Talibans strict rules, he and his family
could go to jail. I think after thinking through everything, he decides
that he doesnt want to jeopardize his own familys safety for two
strangers he has just met.

13.
Why has Rasheed become so cruel to Mariam and Laila? How
has the breakdown of society, as a result of the war, allowed
this to happen?
After the birth of Aziza, Rasheed ends up being horrifically cruel
to both Mariam and Laila. This is due to the fact that Azizas birth
reminds Rasheed of everything he went through with Mariam and how
she could not bear him children. In a way, Azizas birth re-sparks
Rasheeds anger towards Mariam. At the same time, he becomes filled
with rage that Laila did not supply him with his dream child, a son, but
rather a worthless daughter. In Rasheeds eyes, Laila providing him
with a girl instead of boy is even more despicable than Mariam not
being able to provide him with any children. All this anger begins to
unify into a terrifying fury that he begins to take out on both of his
innocent and helpless wives.
The culture and government structure of this time both
completely pave the way for this to occur. The Talibans strict rules and
regulations create an extremely patriarchal society by giving all power
to men and leaving women utterly unprotected, helpless, and generally
perceived as insignificant or valueless. Even when Laila tries to tell the
authorities how wicked and brutal Rasheed is, the officer replies with,
what a man does in his home is his business, and we do not
interfere with private family matters (page 238).
14.
How does the presence of the Taliban in Kabul affect Rasheed
differently from Laila?
The presence of Taliban barely affects Rasheed. All he had to do
was grow a beard, which he did, and visit the mosque, which he also
did. (Page 251) On the other hand, women, like Lailas, lives were
turned upside down with the arrival of the Taliban. They could not use
cosmetics, wear jewelry, wear charming clothes, paint their nails, laugh
in public, speak unless spoken to, make any sort of eye contact with
men, attend school, or leave their home under any circumstances
unless accompanied by a male relative. They also had to wear burqas
anytime they went outside, for any reason. This made womens lives
considerably more difficult and depressing. These new rules also
further enforced the idea of a patriarchal society by supporting the
Talibans goal of making women seem insignificant and worthless.
15.
Why does Laila not go through with aborting Rasheeds baby?
Laila almost aborts Rasheeds child, Zalmai, because she fears
that she can not summon love for her own child and doesnt know if
she could ever love Rasheeds child as much as she loves Tariqs child,

Aziza. In the end Laila cannot go through with the abortion. Laila
dropped the spoke because she could not accept what the Majahideen
readily had: that sometimes in war innocent life had to be taken. Her
war was against Rasheed. The baby was blameless. And there had
been enough killing already. Laila had seen enough killing of innocents
caught in the cross fire of enemies. (page 253) Amidst all of her
darkest fears, Laila found the will inside her to not kill an innocent
baby. Life was already so cruel to her. With the appalling war, that
unjustly took away her mother, father, brothers, friends, and Tariq,
playing out around her, she just couldnt bear the thought of murdering
another innocent victim.
16.
What does Mariam come to understand about motherhood?
Throughout the novel, Mariam learns a lot about motherhood.
She begins to comprehend how to love. She wants to protect Laila,
Aziza, and Zalmai at all costs. Eventually Mariam also begins to
understand that motherhood consists of constant sacrifices. In the end,
she makes the ultimate motherly sacrifice by giving up her own life in
return for the safety and happiness of her family.
17.
How is Lailas son being educated in the male-dominated
culture of the Taliban? How does Zalmai show that he is
following his fathers example in how he responds to Laila and
Mariam? How is Lailas daughter taught to conform to the role
laid out for women?
Even at such a young age, Zalmai is already starting to follow in
his fathers footsteps. On page 263, Laila describes the consequences
of Zalmai idolizing his father. She says, But Zalmai worshipped his
father, and, because he did, he was transformed when his father was
around to dote on him. Zalmai was quick then with a defiant cackle or
an impudent grin. In his fathers presence, he was easily offended. He
held grudges. He persisted in mischief in spite of Lailas scolding,
which he never did when Rasheed was away.
On the other hand, Laila is also taught at a young age to conform
to societys idea of what a woman should be. She is similar to young
Mariam in the way that she is very quiet and just simply takes
whatever is given to her, even if she doesnt deserve it. She follows
orders without question and never resists the rules or stands up for
herself like Laila does.
18.
What is it about the movie, Titanic, that is so interesting to the
people of Kabul?

In 2000, the city of Kabul becomes obsessed with the movie

Titanic. Citizens began selling Titanic cloths, rugs, burqas, toothpaste,
perfume, and even Titanic deodorant. Everyone tries guessing at what
makes the movie so interesting to the Kabul residents. Some people
say its the song, others say its the luxury. I think that their obsession
could have something to do with the ocean. The fact that people in the
movie Titanic are drowning in an abundant amount of water, while
Kabul is in its third, and worst, year of a devastating drought. However,
on page 270, Laila says, Everyone wants JackThats what it is.
Everybody wants Jack to rescue them from disaster. But there is no
Jack. Jack is not coming back. Jack is dead.
19.
Why does Laila confront Rasheed with his inability to keep a
job when she risks being beaten by him?
In chapter 41, Laila confronts Rasheed about his inability to keep
a job despite the risk of being beaten by him. I think she does this
because she realizes that they are losing everything. They are having
to sell all of their possessions and they can still barely make ends
meet. She understands that soon they will have nothing left. If Rasheed
doesnt get and keep a job they will lose everything and might even
starve to death. Laila recognizes that she needs to get through to
Rasheed so that he will start to provide for the family again.
I think by provoking him and making him angry she was hoping
to use something similar to reverse psychology. By basically saying
that Rasheed is lazy and cant keep a job, she hopes he will get
aggravated enough to change and prove her wrong. In the end, she is
willing to risk getting beaten by Rasheed to try to get Rasheed to keep
a job so that her children, Mariam, and herself wont lose everything or
starve to death.
20.
How does Mariam feel when she finds out that her father tried
to visit her when he was dying and she refused to see him?
When Mariam finds out that her Father, Jalil, was on his death
bed when he came to visit, every memory they shared together comes
rushing back to her all at once. She starts weeping and feels incredibly
guilty for refusing to see him and destroying his letter. She deeply
regrets her foolish, youthful pride and longs to talk to him just one
last time. Mariam wishes that she would have let Jalil in and sat and
talked with him. Mariam also now realizes that Jalil was indeed a good
father and sees how trivial his act of betrayal was compared to
Rasheeds malevolence.
21.

What does the suffering that Laila endures to visit her

daughter in the orphanage say about the Talibans effect on
society?
In chapter 42, Laila describes the extremely difficultly obstacles
and challenges she must face in order to go to the orphanage and visit
Aziza. Since Rasheed has abandoned taking Mariam and Laila on their
routine visits to the orphanage, Laila must travel there alone, which is
against the Talibans extremely strict rules. Because she is breaking
the Talibans regulations, Laila often gets caught and gets kicked,
lashed, shoved, slapped and hit with tree branches, wooden clubs,
short whips, and fists. This goes to show just how strict the Talibans
guidelines are and proves how serious the Taliban is about civilians
submission to the government. Their punishments are so severe that
most people, with the exception of Laila, try to follow the rules as
closely as they possibly can in fear of the consequences of their
defiance.
22.
How is Aziza changing in the orphanage?
While Aziza is in the orphanage, she undergoes some serious and
somewhat scary changes not only in her personality but also in her
physical appearance and the way she reacts to things. First, Aziza
wouldnt allow silence during Mariam and Lailas visits. She talks in a
high, ringing voice and her hands gesticulated wildly, flying up with
nervousness that wasnt like her at all. (page 288) She also starts to
stammer ever so slightly. At the same time, Aziza became very
conscious of her surroundings during her mothers visits. She became
quick to come up with explanations for everything that was wrong with
the orphanage and would hide her dirt incrusted fingernails from her
mother. Aziza also obtained a new laugh, or nervous punctuation,
that Aziza seemed to use as a source of reassurance to Laila. I think
Aziza does all these new things to protect her mother. Aziza knows that
none of this is Lailas fault and she doesnt want Laila to worry about
her, therefore she tries to reassure her mother and hide the truth from
her.
23.
Is Mariam justified in killing Rasheed? How is the act of murder
a kind of fulfillment for Mariam?
In my opinion, murder of any kind is unacceptable and
disgraceful. However, I have to admit that due to his appalling and
deplorable behavior, I was actually kind of happy when Rasheed died.
He was such a wicked person and so terrible to his wives and children
that I really think he had it coming for him. I was also proud of Mariam
for following through with this slightly murderous act, because she has
been so obedient and silently taken all of Rasheeds garbage for years.

In a sense, this event was a fulfillment for Mariam in this way. For the
first time ever she is standing up for herself and is deciding the
course of her own life.
24.
After the murder of Rasheed, how has the relationship
between Mariam and Laila changed?
After Mariam murdered Rasheed, Mariam and Lailas relationship
changed drastically. Before this point, Laila was more of the protector
of Mariam despite being younger. Laila was the one that tried to stop
Rasheed from abusing Mariam, while Mariam just put up with and
suffered from Rasheeds violence for all the years before Laila showed
up. Laila is also the one that came up with all the plans of escape, such
as saving up money and running away to Pakistan. After the murder,
Mariam steps up and becomes more of the mother figure. This time
she is the one who takes action to save them both by killing Rasheed
so that he doesnt kill Laila. Mariam also becomes the sole protector by
telling Laila to take the children and run away to Pakistan with Tariq.
Mariam says she will stay behind and take the blame to protect Laila
and so that Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai will have a better life.
25.
How will Lailas lying to her son affect him when he realizes
the truth?
After Rasheed is brutally murdered, Laila tells Zalmai that
Rasheed has gone away and that she doesnt know where he has
gone. As Zalmai grows older, he will eventually find out the truth and
come to the realization that Laila has been lying to his face all these
years. I think this will cause a great tension between Zalmai and his
mother. He will start to cultivate a deep resentment towards Laila and
will hate her for everything she has done in the past. With this new
resentment and hatred, there is no telling what Zalmai will do.
Depending on his level of fury, he could disown his mother or possibly
even alert the authorities about her role in the murder case.
26.
What enables Mariam to have the courage to bring about
Lailas escape from Rasheeds home?
After murdering Rasheed, Mariam makes a bold and courageous
decision. She makes Laila take Aziza and Zalmai to escape Afghanistan
with Tariq without her. Mariam is able to muster up the courage to
make this decision through her unconditional love for Laila and the
children. She wants the absolute best for their future. Mariam knows
that if she leaves with Laila and the children, the authorities will try to
hunt them all down upon discovering Rasheeds dead body. If she
stays, she can take full blame for Rasheeds murder. Then Laila, the

children, and Tariq can live a happy life together without living in
constant fear of being hunted down by the police. She knows this is the
best decision for the people she loves.
27.
Why does Mariam request no visitors when she is put in
prison?
When Mariam is in prison she makes a request to have no
visitors. I think she does this to protect Laila once again. On page 320,
before Laila leaves with Zalmai to go get Aziza and escape Kabul, Laila
says, When will I see you, Mariam? I want to see you before I testify.
Ill tell them what happened. Ill explain that it wasnt your fault. That
you had to do it. Theyll understand, wont they, Mariam? Theyll
understand. Mariam does not want Laila to come to try and help her.
Mariam knows that if Laila tries to testify, it will only put Laila at the
scene of the murder and will ultimately get Laila killed too. Mariam just
wants to protect Laila and the children at all costs, even if it means
certain death.
28.
What is ironic in what the judge says to Mariam about carrying
out Gods laws?
When Mariam faces the judge during her trial for the murder of
Rasheed, the judge seems to be having an internal conflict. On page
325 he says this, I believe you when you say that your husband was a
man of disagreeable temperament.I am tired and dying, and I want
to be merciful. I want to forgive you. But when God summons me and
says, But it wasnt for you to forgive, Mullah, what shall I
say?...Something tells me you are not a wicked women, hamshiraI
must send you where I will soon join you myself. This man displays
such irony in the way that even though he believes Mariam and wants
to forgive her, he rules her guilty because he is afraid of the verdict in
his own trial with his God, Muhammad.
29.
How does Mariam show that she has grown into a woman of
strong character before her death?
Mariam proves to have grown into a women of strong character
before her death. She does this in a variety of ways. First, she finally
stood up for herself and took control of her own life by killing Rasheed.
Secondly, she made sure Laila and the children would have a bright
future even though it meant sacrificing her own life. If the sacrifice of
ones life for their loved ones doesnt show strong character, I dont
know what does. It is the ultimate display of love and sacrifice. In my
eyes, Mariam died as a noble and courageous hero that deserves so
much respect and admiration.

30.
How does Mariam find peace before she dies?
Before Mariams noble death, she is consumed with grief and
regret that is soon entirely replaced with peace. This peace comes
along with the reflection upon her life. She remembers growing up
being a harami and feeling unloved and unwanted. Yet here she was
leaving the world differently. Leaving as a women who had loved
unconditionally and been abundantly loved back. She was leaving as
a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence
a last. (Page 329) She realizes that while most of her life was cruel to
her, this was a good way to die. It was a legitimate end to a life of
illegitimate beginnings.
Discussion Quotations
I have friends who have two, three, four wives. ... what Im
doing now most men I know would have done long ago. (p.
215)
She knew that what she was doing was dishonorable.
Dishonorable, disingenuous, and shameful. And spectacularly
unfair to Mariam. ... Laila already saw the sacrifices
a mother had to make. Virtue was only the first. (p. 219)
...I am your husband now, and it falls on me to guard
not only your honor but ours .... That is the husbands
burden. (p. 223)
... for the first time, it was not an adversarys face Laila saw
but a face of grievances unspoken, burdens gone unprotested,
a destiny submitted to and endured. (p. 249)
...she [Mariam] marveled at how, after all these years of
rattling loose, she had found in this little creature [Aziza] the
first true connection in her life of false, failed connections. (p.
252)
What a man does in his home is his business. (p. 266)
It seemed worthwhile, if absurdly so, to have endured all
theyd endured for this one crowning moment, for this act of
defiance that would end the suffering of all indignities. (300)

Hed not been a good father, it was true, but how ordinary his
faults seemed now, how forgivable, when compared to
Rasheeds malice, or to the brutality and violence
that she had seen men inflict on one another. (p. 309)