Women’s Trauma In A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns,the second book written by Khale Hosseini,which has gained great reputation all over the world following his first world-renowned The Kite Runner.Based on background of the war turmoil in Afghan society,this time Hosseini attaches vital importance to the representation of wartime Afghanistan and the traumatic experiences of Afghan women.Based on the text analysis of the novel,this thesis will apply trauma-related theories to identify the primary causes of the protagonists’ traumas,such as the influence of war,childhood experience and domestic violence in marriage.Then it explores the symptoms of their traumas,including hyper-arousal,intrusion and constriction after the traumatic events.However,in accord with the theory of three stages of recovery,the two female protagonists,Mariam and Laila start to narrate their traumatic experience verbally after building a safe and secure environment.By doing so,Mariam gradually recovers from trauma through the bond of friendship and intimacy of loved ones while Laila also gets healed by reconnecting with a normal life and being integrated into the society.At the same time,Afghan women’s collective trauma caused by patriarchy,religion and wartime fire are also vividly presented in the tragic stories of female characters,which is not only the pain of Afghanistan but a highly controversial issue in the whole human community.