I wish I had more snippets from A Thousand Splendid Suns because I’ve never read it before and I really liked the reading. I think after having the article explaining all of the different themes that were in the novel, it was a lot easier to pick out what stood out the most. The gendered oppression and constrained agency theme stood out the most to me during the reading. I always love reading through a feminist lens so it’s naturally what stands out to me the most. Two lines that stuck out to me were: “this is what it means to be a woman in this world” and “a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman.” Both of these quotes are directly correlated to how patriarchy impacts women. These lines show how women are forced to comply with men’s standards.
I also like the comparison between Rosalind and Viola in the two Shakespeare plays. I think these snippets really show how Viola is dragging out her unveiling. Even when her brother is in front of her, she still doesn’t want to change back into Viola again. Rosalind also drags out her disguise by not immediately jumping back into herself. I think that the play could’ve ended a lot sooner if she revealed herself to Orlando when he announces that he is searching for her. Both of these women show that they enjoy and are comfortable in their male disguises which also shows how they can be uncomfortable being a woman in their time. They have certain expectations they are forced to uphold, such as marriage, and they might not quite be ready for that yet. I think that Rosalind essentially spying on Orlando really helps her decide whether or not he is worthy of her and if she really is interested in marrying him.
Leave a Reply