A Postcolonial-feminist Interpretation Of A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns is the second book of a best-selling author Khaled · Hosseini. As a Afghan-American writer, Khaled’s first semi-autobiographical novel The Kite Runner tells the story of two Afghan teenagers of different ethnic and class story. The story is of light strokes, with real delicate, once available has sold 6 million worldwide. The book has been translated into several languages and was adapted into a movie. A Thousand Splendid Suns is still concerned about the overall state of Afghan society, adopts another perspective to tell the story of Afghan women. Mariam who was an unacknowledged illegitimate child, after her mother committed suicide and her father had abandoned her, married a shoemaker Rasheed. Another heroine Laila lost her relatives and loved ones in the war, and was also forced to marry Rasheed becoming his third wife. In the process of enduring endless domestic violence, the two heroines gradually established a profound friendship, achieved self-awareness, and ultimately chose brave resistance. Khaled shows deep sympathy to the suffering women, while the novel also demonstrates the imperialist invasion in the Third World, exacerbating the plight of women to survive.The misfortunes of two female characters are typical of the situations of women in the third world. This thesis tries to complete an interpretation of the novel from the perspective of postcolonial feminism. Also it tries to show the oppression on women in a patriarchy society as a weak power, the postcolonial feminist consciousness in the book, and the author’s deep heartfelt sympathy for Afghan women through presenting their difficult life.This thesis is composed of five parts:The first chapter is introduction and the last one is conclusion.The second chapter is introduction of the theory of postcolonial-feminism, and the feasibility of analyzing the book with the theory.The third chapter discusses the double oppression that confronts Afghan women—patriarchal society and imperialism influence in A Thousand Splendid Suns.The fourth chapter discusses the awakening process and brave struggle of the heroines reflected in the novel.