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She then was forced to marry Rehashed, but can only find physical shelter in him. Later in the novel, she becomes friends with Leila, Rasher’s second wife, and things start to change for her and she starts to feel wanted when Aziza wants to be held by her. From the beginning of the novel the reader can see how Miriam is unwanted by her mother. “Of all the daughters I could have had, why did God give me an ungrateful one like you?… You treacherous little Hiram! ” (Hussein 27). When Nana says this, it shows how she truly feels about Miriam.
Nana wishes that Miriam was different and had no love for her father. When Nana tells Miriam this, Miriam starts to feel lonely and unwanted by her mother and she fears talking with her. Miriam enjoys visiting her father Jail because he gives her gifts and teachers her things. Miriam eventually decides to go live with him and her mother commits suicide and Miriam sees her dangling from a tree, “A gust of wind blew and parted the drooping branches of the weeping willow like a curtain, and Miriam caught a glimpse of what was beneath the tree: the straight-backed chair, over turned.
The rope dropping from a high branch. Nana dangling at the end of it. ” (Hussein 36) When her mother commits suicide Miriam feels very guilty and it affects her greatly, “But Miriam could not hear comfort in God’s words. Not that day. Not then. All she could hear was Nana saying, I’ll die if you go. I’ll just die. All she could do was cry and cry and let her tears fall on the spotted, paper-thin skin of Mullah Fistula’s hands. ” (Hussein 38) Even though Jail has a nice house, Impair feels uncomfortable and unwanted in his house, she knew that Nana had spoken he truth.
She did not belong here. ” (Hussein 40) Miriam did not eat much and rarely came out of her room in Jail’s house, “Except for when she had to use the bathroom down the hall, Miriam stayed in the room. ” (Hussein 40) She struggles to find any connection with Jail and his family, Jail notices this and becomes worried, so he finds her a husband, Rehashed. Even though she does not agree to this, “I don’t want to,… L don’t want this. Don’t make me. ” (Hussein 47), she is forced to marry him. At first, Merriam felt protected ND significant to Rehashed, “She felt prized by his protectiveness.
Treasured and significant. ” (Hussein 81 ) After a while, Miriam struggles to find connection with Rehashed and becomes uncomfortable because she went through several miscarriages and could not give him a child, “Now Miriam dreaded the sound of him coming home in the evening. … There was always something, some minor thing that would infuriate him, because no matter what she did to please him, no matter how thoroughly she submitted to his wants and demands, it wasn’t enough. She could not give him his son back.
In this most essential way, she had failed him-seven times she had failed him- and now she was nothing but a burden to him. She could see it in the way he looked at her, when he looked at her. She was a burden to him. ” (Hussein 99-100) Rehashed became very abusive with her and treated her poorly. The only shelter she received from him was a roof over her head while she became emotionally distraught. Rehashed takes Leila as his second wife even though Miriam does not agree with him. Rehashed treasures Leila much ore than he treasures Miriam, “If she (Miriam) were a car, she would be a Volta… O (Leila), on the other hand, would be a Benz. A brand-new, first- class, shiny Benz. ” (Hussein 222) One night, Rehashed attempts to beat Miriam with a belt, but Leila stops him, “Stop it, bas!… Rehashed, you can’t do this. … Rehashed raised the belt again and this time came at Miriam. Then an astonishing thing happened: The girl lunged at him. She grabbed his arm with both hands and tried to drag him down, but she could do no more than dangle from it. She did succeed in slowing Rasher’s progress toward Miriam… N the end, Miriam knew that there would be no beating not that night. ” (Hussein 241) The next day Miriam and Leila have tea together outside in the garden and become friends, a look passed between Leila and Miriam. An unguarded, knowing look. And in this fleeting, wordless exchange with Miriam, Leila knew that they were not enemies any longer. ” (Hussein 250) They started doing chores together and became good companions. Miriam finally had someone who she could talk to and Leila gave her some emotional shelter. Leila had a daughter named Aziza.
Aziza always wanted Miriam to hold her, “When Aziza first spotted Miriam in the morning, her eyes always sprung open, and she began mewling and squirming in her mothers grip. She thrust her hands toward Miriam, demanding to be held, her tiny hands opening and closing urgently, on her face a look of both adoration and quivering anxiety. … As soon as she was in Maria’s arms, Assize’s thumb shot into her mouth and she buried her face into Maria’s neck. ” (Hussein 252) Aziza made Miriam finally feel wanted by someone, “Miriam had never before been wanted like this.