Hosseini, Khaled: *1965

A Thousand Splendid Suns, 2007 - Thematic Parallels: Oppression of Women

Hosseini, Khaled: A Thousand Splendid Suns, 2007
The nove'sl topic is the intersection of personal lives—especially women’s lives—with the broader backdrop of Afghanistan’s decades of war, violence, and social change.
The following books are thematically similar. They lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Adichie, Chimamanda: Purple Hibiscus, 2003, ~300pp
  This novel centers on the struggle for personal and political freedom in the face of authoritarian control.
  - Both novels expose how patriarchal systems (reinforced by culture, religion, or law) silence women and children. They use intimate family dramas to explore larger issues of patriarchy, silence, resilience, and the search for freedom. Despite their different settings, they echo each other in their portrayal of women resisting oppression and finding solidarity.
- Angelou, Maya: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969, ~290pp
  This is a memoir that examines how a Black girl overcomes racism, sexual abuse, and trauma to find her voice and inner strength.
  - Both novels depict how women are caged — by racism, sexism, culture, or politics — but strive to survive and find freedom. Central to both texts is the journey from silence to self-expression. So, while one is memoir (Angelou) and the other is fiction (Adichie), they converge on themes of oppression, resilience, female solidarity, and the fight to reclaim voice and freedom.
- Lessing, Doris: The Grass Is Singing, 1950, ~240pp
  This novel centers on a woman’s emotional struggles in rural, colonial Africa, with personal trauma, social injustice, and cultural tension at the core.
  - In both novels, women’s suffering is portrayed not as personal failure but as systemic oppression. They are concerned with how oppressive systems—patriarchy, poverty, colonialism/war—restrict women’s lives. They mirror each other in themes of forced marriage, domestic violence, and women’s suffering, but differ in tone: Lessing emphasizes despair and entrapment, while Hosseini leaves room for resilience, love, and hope.
- Plath, Sylvia: The Bell Jar, 1963, ~250pp
  This novel is an account of a woman’s struggles with mental health and oppressive societal expectations, mirroring themes of endurance, isolation, and the quest for autonomy found in "A Thousand Splendid Suns."
  - Both texts expose how patriarchal societies trap women and suffocate their ambitions. They show how women, in very different times and places, are constrained by oppressive systems — whether psychological, cultural, or political — but also how they resist, endure, and search for identity and freedom.
List of general discussion questions on Oppression of Women (pdf)
List of essay prompts on Oppression of Women (pdf)