Words: 1051
Miriam was a young girl who adored both her mother and her father. Unfortunately, Jail, Maria’s father, was a rich man who did not play a big part in Maria’s life as a child. Miriam praised her father when he came over with presents for her. Later in the novel, Miriam makes a request to watch a movie in her fathers’ cinema with all her brothers and sisters for her birthday; her fathers’ vow ultimately fails. When her father never shows to pick Miriam up for the movie, Miriam takes matters into her own hands.
Miriam sets on a adventure later that afternoon to not only find her father, UT the cold conscience stricken expression of Jail when he denies his daughter from his mansion. Miriam is not only perturbed by the actions of her father, but seeks comfort from her mother as she is taken back to her home. Within a quick second, her emotions change from puzzled to apprehension as her mother was dangling from a branch, dead. Consequently, not only did Miriam witness her mother dead and her dads embarrassment for her, but also Nana saying “I’ll die if you go, just die. (Hussein, Pig. 38). Now at Maria’s roughest time in her life, she has nobody o seek emotional shelter to. Miriam is eventually forced to marry Rehashed and moves into a house with an abuser as a husband and still has not overcome the death of Nana. Miriam blames the death and the embarrassment all on herself, which causes her to be an emotional wreck throughout the Miriam finally seeks a small ambit of lightheartedness when she conceives a baby with Rehashed.
Unfortunately, during a fatal happening Miriam lost her baby in a miscarriage. Before the incident, Rehashed showed Miriam fondness and benevolence and was passionate about the newborn being apart of his life. After the abominable occurrence, Rehashed refused to show sorrow for the miscarriage. “I’ve been thinking, that maybe we should have a proper burial. For the baby, mean. Just us, a few prayers, nothing more. ” (Hussein, pig. 95) Rehashed response is not only bitter but also merciless, “What for? It’s Idiotic. ” (Hussein, Pig. 6) When in the time of tribulation, Rehashed corrupted behavior quickly resumes after the death of his son, while Miriam suffers trauma of her sons mortality and is still stuck incriminating herself for her unlucky recurrences. Miriam, yet again wows to be another example of being abandoned when in need of emotional shelter. After a bomb blows Laic’s house to ruins along with her family, Rehashed found her in an assortment of debris. Leila was still astounded by the circumstance that changed her whole life, “l shouldn’t be here. ” (Hussein, pig. 203) Rehashed took Leila in to be apart of their family.
When Rehashed thinks that it would ruin their reputation if they had a young girl staying inside their house without being married. Rehashed, proposes to marry Leila. Leila knows that if she does leave the bloodthirsty men that were nothing but a wreath, would kill her without second thought. Leila also jumped the gun when Rehashed proposes to her. Leila aspired to have relations with Rehashed soon, considering it would be the only way to mask her pregnancy of Tarsi’s baby. Leila was aware of her doings and that it would be inhumane to undertake in such deceitful behavior. But even though the baby inside her was no bigger than a Mulberry, Leila already saw the sacrifices a mother had to make. Virtue was only the first. ” (Hussein, pig. 21 9) The sacrifices that Leila had to make were tormenting. Rehashed made it clear that Leila was not allowed to leave the house without him nor without a Burma to hide her face. Leila did anything and everything to keep the secret about her baby that was not Rehashed. Leila had emotional support from Rehashed for only a small amount of time, until the baby was born and his unhappiness was made known.
Earlier in the morning of 1 993, Rehashed led Leila out of the house because she was going into labor. Rehashed softly told Leila “Watch your step now, my flower, my gull. ” (Hussein, Pig. 235) After the birth of the baby, Rehashed attitude towards Leila did a complete 360. “.. He let the gate go armature’s, it almost hit the girl on the face.. ” (Hussein, Pig. 235) Leila needed a husband to emotionally support her through the times of a newborn baby; also she needed help, which he failed to provide.
When a financial crisis strikes the family, Rehashed refuses to go out and get a job to maintain a steady income for his wife and children. Leila watched as her son and daughter suffered from starvation before her eyes. “Aziza ribs began to push through the skin… Salami lay around the house, eyes dulled and half closed, or on his fathers lap, limp as a rag. ” (Hussein, Pig. 06) Leila is forced to make the decision that her eldest child Aziza will be sent to an orphanage because of their lack of money to support two children.
Leila assures Aziza that it is not an orphanage, but a special school. She makes the promise to Aziza that no matter what she will visit Aziza, “.. I’ll come and see you. I’m your mother. If it kills me, I’ll come and see you. ” (Hussein, pig. 31 5) Even though this is shown as an example of physical shelter, Leila is giving up a part of her to ensure that her child will be well fed. Leila and Aziza both seek emotional shelter within catheter. While Leila is back home, Rehashed still abuses her both physically and emotionally.
Aziza begins a life in a place where she is oblivious to her aberrant surroundings. A mother figure is also absent in Aziza childhood years. With the downgrading of women in Afghanistan and the ruthless times women had to endure, Young females were constantly being terrorized by either older or superior male figures. Ultimately, it had Leila and Miriam being emotionally and physically defamed, and it caused for women to search for not only physical but emotional shelter in their child or in a close friend like Leila and Miriam.