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To Mariam the burqa was a new experience. She had to have "help [putting] it on" (72) and it "felt right and heavy on her skull". The burqa had to worn in public Rasheed told Mariam, it was on demand that he wanted his women to follow explicitly. In the burqa Mariam had "loss of peripheral vision " (72) and felt like she was "suffocating " all the time. The burqa symbolizes a women being trapped into a marriage that was not healthy. It also symbolized women's appearance in Afghanistan by keeping them covered from all eyes and only allowing the husband to see their appearances at home where no one was around.

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Mariam had mad Aziza a doll when they lived in Kabul. At first Mariam was confused when Aziza showed fondness for Mariam but she soon learned to appreciated and give back the love. Mariam had "hand-stitched" (255) a doll for Aziza that was "stuffed with beans" and dressed like a girl. Aziza loved the doll she would sleep with it, travel with it, and consoled in it when she was upset. It was a doll that would keep keep Mariam's memory alive and would be with Azusa until she died. It symbolized Marian love that she shared with Aziza through handy-stitching the entire doll. With the doll Mariam was never to far for comfort and love.

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The "unfinished crib" (92) in the tool shed "unleashed" (92) Mariam's grief for many days. The crib signified the death of her unborn child that "she had never even seen" (92). It also represented Maraim as a women and not being able to provide the main thing a women was put on the world for. Mariam did not want the child but it brought her "[happiness]" (93) for a while because Rasheed was treating her kindly. Mariam later found out that sh was unable to carry which then represent again an unfinished crib that would never be used. But, if was put to use when Laila came into their lives and brought two children with her. From that point on the crib symbolized a complete a complete and finished love for Aziza and Zalmai who Mariam would learn to love with all her heart.

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Mariam father, Jalil, owned many cinema in Herat. Jalil told Mariam about "a cartoon" (25) he was showing about a puppet who "magically comes to life" (25). Mariam wanted her father to take her to the "Walt Disney's movie" movie "Pinocchio" (404). Jalil told Mariam that it was a bad decisions to take her into town. Mariam was upset when her father would not take her. Many years later Laila received a box from Mullah Faizallah son that in it had childhood items that Jalil had kept in remembrance of Mariam. The movie symbolized and unforgivable. It was another thing Mariam was denied to do with her father due to family reputation begin to jeopardize. The movie appearing in the box confused Laila but when Mariam would have seen it, it would symbolize her father not forgetting the movie that started the end to a relationship[ between a father and a daughter.

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Once Laila and Mariam sits down and talked over tea their issues they had became distant and they became friends. Mariam would transform to a mother figures for Laila and her children. Mariam loved Laila, Zalmai, and Aziza unconditional and would protect them like a mother would do for her children. Laila had given Mariam "everything [she] ever wished for as a little girl" and her children made Mariam "very happy" (358). They were her children that she could never have in life even though they weren't blood the love she shared with each of them would never end. Mariam was Laila best friend, a tremendous aunt to Aziza and Zalmai and a life saver for Laila and her children by giving them a safe environment to grow up in. Tariq also protects Laila form a neighborhood bully who squirted urine an her. Tariq protected the women he loved by throwing "fists and kicks" (134) towards Khadim who from that point on never bothered Laila again. The love Mariam ad Tarig showed their protective side to the ones they love that no obstacle is to big to defeat.

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Everyone in the world there are gender differences and what is acceptable for a women and male to do. Afghanistan was a third world country at the time, and still is. The way women were treated would be looked on as harsh abuse and jail time for the abuser. During 1900 in Afghanistan women where beaten and verbally abused for not following the rules of the husband. Women were "like a compass needle" that always points north and a "mans accusing finger" always points north to the women (364). Mariam was talked down to and ignored for days when she wasn't able to do the one task a women was meant for at the time. But some people saw that gender has no effect on what a person should be allowed to do. The men and women who weren't against what was known as the right way of living, was scorned and dismissed by ones who believed that their way of living was not right. Throughout the novel womens thoughts and actions were ignored an beater for them trying to speak their opinions. Women were treated as property not as a loved one.

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Growing up in a place like Afghanistan is hard for everyone. People who live there have to have hope that something will change and end up good. Laila wished that Tariq was still alive and that they could be together and be a family. So when she saw Tariq learning against the house she was filed with emotion. Laila had to stand "perfectly still and look at Tariq" (327) until she was for certain it wasn't a dream that he was standing there in the flesh waiting for her. Another case of hope is in Laila life when she arrived back to Kabul to live with Tariq and her kids. In Kabul the drought was over and people were "planting saplings, painting old house" (410) and making them look brand new. She heard "music" for the first time in years and was filled with joy with the sights she was seeing as she walked down the streets. Many terrible incidents happened to Mariam and Laila while growing hope but they always thought that it will get better just wait. And it did get better, Mariam was out of a abusive relationship and Laila ended up with the only mom she loved. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.

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Throughout the novel there are many deaths that surround Mariams and Lailas life. A emotional and foreshadowed death that effected Mariams life changed her way of living. Mariam mother told her before she left into town is that if Mariam left she'll "die", and when Mariam arrived back home she found her "Nana dangling at the end" (36) off a branch. She blamed herself for the death of her mother and the future she gave herself. Laila tragic and surprising death around her was of her parents. When a rocket hit thier house an brought it to rumble her parents dies inside and Laila was "struck [to] the wall" and was covered with "dirt and pebbles an glass" (194). She was fortunate to live the tragedy but she was then taken in by a family that all the husband wanted was a baby. These are just three deaths out of many lives that helped to shape how Mariam and Laila lived and how they saw the world. The deaths show the hardships people face when losing a love one and how hard it is to overcome and change a way of living.

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The orphanage is significant to Laila and to Mariam because it was a place that they had to send Aziza to so that it would help monthly cost go down for the family. Laila remembers the day that she had to "pry Aziza's fingers" (412) from her wrist and how it left Mariam an Laila in tears when they had to leaver Aziza. The orphanage then shaped Mariam and Laila that time is precious and that every minute counts. Once Laila arrives back to the orphanage years later she was determined to reshape the orphanage into a place that children would run too and enjoy being allowed to learn no matter what gender you are. Laila wanted to turn the place her daughter "high-[spirit]" (360) personality turn to a sorrow emotion on her face to a place where children were excited to learn everyday. The orphanage influenced Laila by giving her a job were she could give back to her community by showing them that change is healthy and good. Mariam disliked the orphanage, and that is another influence that motivated Laila to remodel and provide a better environment for the children. She wanted something that would represents Mariam and what she would have done if she was still with them.

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Laila childhood house was filled with happiness and laughter until it was brought down by war. She had many lovely memories in the house for instance, having parents that allow education and her and Tariq moments they shared. The house soon felt "lonely" and "exhausting" (187) to live in. She had no one since one friend left, one friend died, and Tarqi had left with his family. The house gave her the realization of the good and evil in the world. Once her house was destroyed by a rocket it changed her future being in the hands of tow strangers who lived down the street. She felt lost once she had no physical property left with memories soon to be forgotten. It influenced Laila to marry Rasheeds because she thought everything she knew was gone. This action shaped Laila by putting her into a abusive relationship were she would learn that actions had to be taken for loved ones safety.

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Mariam lived in the clearing for fifteen years before she left to live Rasheed. The clearing was on top of a hill where you had to walk up "a rough, winding, and dim" path for "two hundred miles or more" (398). They were isolated from the world and that was exactly what Jalil wanted. Jalil seemed like he cared for Mariam and her mother by building the house and putting in a "new cast-iron stove" (10). Mariam grew up to what she though was love from her father, but when he did not show up to take her into town she was devastated and found out who Jalil really is. She waled straight into town for an explanation form him, even though her mother told her that would die if Mariam ever left her. Mariam found no luck with Jalil because he din not want to speak to her. Once she arrived home she found matter died. Her mother death shaped her to not second guess her decisions. Therefore, when Jalil was older he came to see her in his last few days of life to apologize and give Mariam a childhood box he made for her. But Mariam had resentment towards him and was unable to see her father before his death.

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Rasheed house in Deh-Mazang was a small two story house that was once "painted blue". It had an "unkenpt yard", "yellow grass" coming up in patches. It had on the side of the house "dying saplings" and a "tool shed" (158). The house represents a small hear of Rasheed because he has no more space in his heart for loss. The two story house represents Mariam and Laila and them being trapped into a brutal marriage of blue tears that never stopped flowing. Mariam and Laila have experienced many deaths in their life time and thought about their death by Rasheed. Mariam learned that she needs to stick up for herself and others, and that is exactly what she did when she went into the tool shed and grabbed and shovel that would be used to kill Rasheed. To Laila the house represents what a marriage should not look like. Mariam and Laila grew into women who would show their children that they should never let someone treat them like trash and that a healthy environment is safer to be in. It influences them to take risk so that they are not stuck living a terrible life that causes mental and physical pain.

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Laila thoughts and actions give her a beautiful trait of being empathetic. She has the ability to understand and share the feelings of Mariam when she was younger. When Laila visits the clearing were Mariam lived in for fifteen years she images the house coming back to life, Mariam "sitting at the table making a doll" and seeing how happy she was with her mom. Then the little girl looks up and smiles and says "Laila Jo", Laila wakes from her day dream with tears on coming down her face. She walks outside the house feeling pleasure that she was able to see the house that shaped the women Mariam became. Before running back down the hill Laila turns around and says "Good-bye Mariam" (401-402). Laila was able to feel the happiness and Mariam presents in the house and was overwhelmed with sadness and love for the deed Mariam did to give Laila family full of love. Laila was so understanding of Mariam and thankful that she wanted to see how she was brought up to the beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted person and it all started from being in the clearing on the hill.

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Rasheed is many different things; he is rude, disrespectful, bossy, harsh, but he was especially thoughtless to 'his daughter' feelings. When Aziza had family time outside of the orphanage they went to a riverbed in Titanic City that had small flee markets on the small dry banks of the river. Rasheed told the children, Aziza and Zalmai, to pick an item they would want. Rasheed didn't have enough money to pay for both toys therefore he told Aziza to "give it back" because he couldn't "afford both" (326). He acted like Aziza "haggled him" contentiously and picked her to give back to toy not Zalmai. Rasheed words and actions towards Aziza is so thoughtless and rude to only make one child give back a toy. If one child can't have something then both children should not be able to get a toy. He was favoritism the boy because he would rather have just Zalmai not Aziza.

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Tariq and Laila relationship was different and confusing. They were not outright honest of their feelings for each other, but Tarqi cared deeply for Laila. He was very protective of her and how people treated her. When Khadim and his friends squirted Laila with urine in a water gun; Tariq was quick to come to her honor. Tariq "went to work"  undoing his prosthetic leg, Khadim friends stepped aside, while Tariq "unstrapped his leg [raising] high over his shoulders like a sword" 'walking' towards Khadim. "Then it was all dust and fists and kicks and yelps" (134) and Tariq coming out telling Laila that she did not have to worry about Khadim bulling her again. Tariq actions were brutal and harsh but he would do anything for the women who would care his child and who he loved deeply.

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As a young girl, Mariam, was a determined child who would do anything she sets her mind too. She expressed her determination when she left the clearing of were she lived to find out why her father never showed up to the stream. Mariam "rolled up the legs on her trousers" took a deep breath and for the first time every "crossed the stream" down the hill and into Herat (30). When she arrived in Herat in front of Jalil house she showed determination by sleeping outside her fathers house when she was denied the privilege to go inside and visit with her Jalil. When Laila was getting beat by Rasheed, husband to both, she killed him to protect Laila and her children from the harsh environment Rasheed creates around the family. Mariam determination to protect her family to never give in gave her a trait that no other character showed. She did not let the time period effect how a women should live life.