Katie Ayers

Mrs. Damalos
Pre-IB Inquiry Skills- Period 3
12/8/14
Part One Chapters 1-15
1.
The novel opens with a curse word, uttered in frustration by
Mariams mother, when Mariam breaks a treasured heirloom. What
does Mariams memory of
this suggest about her sense of herself and her relationship with
her mother? How does this opening set the tone for the novel?
I think that Mariams memory immediately sets up a solemn and
serious tone for the book. This particular memory is extremely important to
the reader as it gives crucial insight on Mariams history and her life. It
suggests that Mariam and Nanas relationship is rocky. It also suggests that
in Nanas eyes Mariam is a burden and is unwanted, but later on in the novel
certain events lead me to conclude that Nana does indeed truly love Mariam
in her own little way. However, because Nana seems to portray Mariam as a
burden and unwanted, this make Mariam feel bad and insecure about herself.
At the same time, this seems to make Mariam resent her mother in some
ways. For example, Mariam listens to and believes anything her father
says ,while she takes her mothers words with a grain of salt.
2.
Based on Nanas and Mariams experiences, what can you infer
about the lives of women in Afghanistan in the sixties? Why does
Nana forbid Mariam to go to
school? What does Nana want for her and Mariam? Is Nanas goal
realistic?
Mariam and Nanas experiences throughout this novel lead me to
believe that Afghani women in the sixities had absolutely no rights. They

were completely in the hand s of men, who could do anything they wanted to
women.
Nana forbids Mariam to go to school because she believes that school
has nothing to offer Mariam. According to Nana, there is no sense in
schooling a girl like Mariam. She says that the only thing women like
them need to learn is something that cant be taught in school-endure.
Nana wants Mariam to continue living at home with her forever. I think
this goal is unrealistic in the way that it enables Mariam considerably. When
Nana were to eventually die, Mariam would be even more under-prepared for
the world and everything in it than she already is. I think Nana just wants
Mariam to stay because Mariam is all Nana has in her own gloomy world. She
couldnt bear that thought of her one joy in life leaving her forever.
3.
Jalil, Mariams father, is a complex character. Does he love his
daughter? How does he show his love? How does he show that he
does not fully recognize her as his daughter? Why does he treat her
as he does?
I think Jalil truly does love Mariam, although he doesnt fully recognize
her as his own. I feel as if the only reason that he doesnt fully accept
Mariam, is due to the fear of what would happen to his precious reputation if
his secret got out. His reputation is more important to him, and perhaps this
is partly due to the influence of his wives and family. This is displayed when
he lets Mariam sleep outside and when he lets his wives arrange Mariams
wedding. Maybe he feels as if he made the mistake so he has no room to
defend Mariam to his wives, and he also doesnt want to lose all his respect,
dignity, and possessions.
However, if Jalil didnt really love Mariam, he wouldnt have kept her
and her mother close enough to visit often. He also wouldnt constantly send
them food and make sure their needs were always met. In addition, he
wouldnt take the time out of his day to regularly visit and spend time Miriam

for a few hours every single Thursday. If he really didnt love her he would
simply act as if she didnt even exist. He wouldnt have been upset or ran
after the bus when Mariam left with her new husband. He also wouldnt have
been so quiet and been barley able to look into Mariams eyes when his
wives were telling Mariam about her marriage proposal.
I think he pretends to accept Mariam as his own when he is around her,
because he desperately wants to accept her. He loves her, but in his mind it
is impossible to accept her publically due to the pressure of his wives and of
society at this point in time. Therefore, when he is alone with Mariam, and
no one else is around to see, it is his opportunity to spend time with her and
fully accept her as he wishes so badly to do.
4.
Why does Mariam ask her father to take her to the cinema for her
fifteenth birthday present? What does she want?
Mariam asks Jalil to take her to the cinema for her birthday because
she wants to see the place her father owns and constantly talks so fondly of.
She also wants all her siblings to come as well, so that she can meet and
mingle with them all. She hopes this will make Jalil see that they would all
get along and that she could fit in with the entire family. She thought this
would somehow make Jalil change his mind and allow Mariam to come live
with him at his house.
5.
Is Mariam right to feel guilt about the suicide death of her mother?
Nana did warn Mariam that if she left Nana would die. At the same
time, Mariam thought her mother was just being dramatic. Nana was
unstable and had her own mental and physical problems that also
contributed to her death. I also think it is like Mullah Faizullah said, The seed
for what she did was planted long ago. She was indeed a troubled and
unhappy women, yet I think she kept herself going because of Mariam.

Mariam was her only light in her otherwise dark world, therefore I think
Mariam is partly responsible for her mothers death but cannot take on full
responsibility for what was done.
6.
What is the motive of Jalils wives in finding a suitor for Mariam?
Why does Jalil go along with them in this plan?
7.
Why does Mariam finally say yes in the marriage ceremony to
Rasheed? What does Mariam realize about her father? How does
that make her feel? Does this explain why she goes along with the
marriage to Rasheed?
I think that when Jalil says Mariams name at the marriage ceremony,
prompting her to say yes to Rasheed, Mariam realizes that her father isnt
going to save her from this marriage. He is going to make her go through
with it. At this point, she realizes to the full extent that her father isnt who
she thinks he is. He is not on her side. He is ashamed of her because she is a
reminder of his mistake and she knows he will be disgraced if she continues
to stay at his house because everyone will know his secret. This overwhelms
her and makes her so upset that she accepts the marriage because she
knows she doesnt belong with her father and never will. This makes her so
angry and resentful towards her father that she never wants to see him
again. Therefore she accepts the fact that she must follow through with the
marriage against her will.
8.
The beginning of Mariams marriage to Rasheed seems to promise
happiness. What are signs that this may be short lived?
The fact that Rasheed always tells Mariam to stop crying is one early
indication that their marriage will not be a happy one. Another indicator

includes when he forces Mariam to wear the burqa. Also how he always
makes Mariam leave when company comes over and dictates who she can
talk to. Lastly, the fact that Rasheed doesnt even notice all of Mariams
cleaning the first day indicated that this relationship might go downhill
quickly.

9.
How does Rasheed feel about the westernization of Afghanistan?
What shows his ambivalence?
According to what Rasheed says, I feel as though Rasheed does not like
the westernization of Afghanistan. I say this because he is completely against
the way modern women are portrayed. He says that he hates when
modern women walk around in heels, makeup, and skirts above their
knees. He says he is also disgusted by the fact that some women let him
touch their feet for measurements at his shoe shop and go around with no
face covering talking to men with no shame.
At the same, I cant help but wonder if these are actually his beliefs
due to the magazines Mariam found in Rasheeds drawers. I think he
pretends to be a very traditional and respectable Islamic man on the
exterior, but in all reality, he is a perverted old man on the inside. Because of
these conflicting bits of information, I cannot say for sure how Rasheed feels
about the westernization of Afghanistan.
10.
What are Rasheeds reasons for making Mariam wear a burqa and
what do they tell us about his ideas about his role as a husband and
man and his expectations for Mariam?
Rasheed makes Mariam wear a burqa because he believes that a
womans face is her husbands business only. He very traditional in his

beliefs and despises men who let their wives walk around freely with
makeup, heels, and skirts that show their knees. He also believes that men
own their wives in a way and that women are below men. He expects
Mariam to meet every demand of his without resistance or question.
11.
Mariam learns some of her husbands history when she looks inside
the drawers in his room. Why does she rationalize about what she
sees?
When going through her husbands drawers, Mariam finds pictures of
Rasheeds former wife and son. She also finds some very graphic magazines
full of naked women posing for the camera. In her mind she makes herself
believe that Rasheed had the needs of a man after being alone for so many
years after the deaths of his wife and son. I think she did this because she
always tries to assume the best in people.
12.
Why does Rasheed want a boy? How might life have been different
for the family if Mariam could have had a baby?
I think Rasheed wanted a boy so desperately to somehow replace his
son that had died. If Mariam could have had the baby and it turned out to be
a boy, I think that their lives would have been much happier and Mariam
wouldnt have had to endure all the pain and heartache she goes through on
a daily basis.
13.
Why does Rasheed become abusive?
I think Rasheed becomes abusive because he comes to blame Mariam
for being unable to provide him with a replacement son, even though that is
not her fault at all. I think he is just so overcome with grief and
discontentment that he takes it all out on Mariam.