Monday, January 8, 2007
Soraya and women in general
After Soraya tells Amir about her past, she says, "I'm so lucky to have found you. You're so different from every Afghan guy I've met." (page 157) How do Afghan women fare in America? Are they any better off than they were in Afghanistan before the Taliban seized power? There is a nticeable absence of women in the novel. How is this significant?
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Soraya tells Amir that he is so different than any other Afghan guy she met because most of the other Afghan men would not ask her for her hand in marriage just because of all the rumors spread about Soraya. In America it's a little different than in their home country but not too much. The reason is that girls are still viewed the same way and they are still expected to serve to their fathers, husbands, etc... There is also so many rumors going around about every girl and that is how men decide which girl to marry. Soraya revealed in the novel that she is not a vergin any longer and that is the reason why most guys did not want to marry her. I feel like in the Afghan culture women are viewed as unequal to men just because of the whole verginity thing. It is okay for a man to go out and have pre-marital sex but for a girl, it really ruins her reputation.
There were only two women in the novel, Soraya and Sanaubar, and I feel like they both had something in common. Their reputations were much different than of the perfect Afghan, Muslim woman. We really are not shown by the author the way women were treated and if it was equal or unequal. I noticed that Amir and Hassan did not play with any girls when they were little. This might tell us that boys and girls went to different schools or maybe girls had to stay at home learning how to cook and cleaning and just waiting to go off and get married. This is how I feel please comment if you feel any different...
Although I do not know how women are treated in Afghanistan, I believe they were treated a little better in America than before the Taliban seized power. Just by what Amina said about the virginity issue, I do beleive that it is a big deal in their culture. And Amir being able to see past that makes him alot different than other guys, because they would probally see her as un-pure. Having the absence of women in this novel is really signifigant because we are opened up to the views of men and the world as they see it. Also, the focus being on mostly the men has a higher impact on readers connecting with the characters, rather than using more characters. (women persay)
Did that make sense?
The absence of Soraya in this book has a great deal of significance...I feel that is shows a woman's place in Afghanistan. If you did not marry, you were looked down upon as disgraced and unworthy; if you did not have children, you were seen as a failure, and if you commited adultry (or even dated before being married), you were seen as unpure and outcasted. I feel that Soraya adds a softer touch to the novel, such as when Amir says "All my life, I'd been around men. That night, I discovered the tenderness of a woman" (171). In many parts of this book, there are times that I feel sad for Soraya, like when she wishes to pursue teaching and Padar tells her she is wasting her talent, or when she can't conceive and her mother tells her that is just wasn't meant to be. Even in Afghanistan today, women are meant to be seen, not heard, become wives, have babies, and be exiled from the finer things in life. What is sad is that not only do these women experience extreme double standards in their own countries, but in America as well. If a man is "popular" with more than one girl, he gets a pat on the back. But have a woman do the same thing, and she gets named. Is this fair?
I don't think Sonya is a "lucky" as she thinks. I mean Amir is a good man, but he hasn't told her about Hassan. I think that her secret was a hundred times less horrible than his. He completely betrayed his friend numerous times. All she did was run away,lose her virginity, and she went off on her father. Honestly, I don't think she even meant to say those things to the general. Amir meant to get Hassan and Ali to leave. I think his secret is much more henious than hers. It's hard to say if Afgani women are treated better in America because I don't have any outside knowledge of their treatment in Afganistan and the book really didn't focus much on women in the begining. I would assume that the treatment is a little better but really whose to say. Also I don't know if the fact that he can see past it is a big deal. Well I changed my mind it is, but it is downplayed by the fact that he has a terrible history himself.
I agree with Amina in the fact that women aren't seen as equals, but I think that carried over from the old country. I do know that where ever you go there will be gossip and people aren't going to be understanding, thus the women at the funeral. i think girls were permitted to go to school, it's inferred when the general tells sonya that she has more potential to be a lawyer, or docter, but this could be an affect(effect?) of them coming to America. I don't think thats it though because the general doesn't seem open to changing his ways to fit American customs.
The absence of women in the novel is probably because of the way and place that Amir grew up. Most of the prominent people in Afghanistan were men, and most of the educated people in Afghanistan were men. Also because Amir grew up with only a father, he never knew any of the people his mother would have talked to.
From my knowledge (which is very limited on the subject), Afghan women are treated somewhat better in America, because they have more rights, but at home it is pretty much the same as it was in Afghanistan. The absence of women in the novel is significant because it shows the role of women in Afghanistan, but it also shows how they are seen by men in general.
Much of what I read in the novel about Afghanistan was previously learned. I learned all that I know through mostly a history class I took in juinor year called middle east/ far east. I agree with all that has been said so far especially with amina. I really do not know how to say this but through past experiences I know that men do view women who are virgins 100% more than those who aren't. Like amina said it shows that they [virgins] are pure. It [the sharing of a person's first sexual intercourse] is a symbol for ultimate patience, loyality, and well whether it is right or wrong love.
I feel and believe that women have not been treated equal to men for whatever the reason may be since the begining of time. It is a long hard struggle for women and I believe that we are in America progressing in the right direction with equal treatment of all people. However, in the middle east it is tradition that the women are to serve to the males in her life. I am not quite sure of the total reason why but i do know it has occured quite often in the past. For instance, in the American Indian tribe men were treated less equal because they believed that they did harder and more physical work. The same reason occured when slave owners priced slaves. Men that were strong for manual labor were worth more than women.
I hope this doesn't sound like a rant or is too long, but this is a very passionate subject of mine.
It is a man's world and in this book men are the dominant characters. In Afgahnistan woman have no power or say in their lives. They are there only to please their husband and raise their children, like cattle made for breeding or work horses. For Soraya, who was judged and talked about by the whole community because of her past mistakes, like the drugs and running away with a man when she was so young, meeting a man who loved her despite her flaws was what she was waiting for. Amir proved to her that all men are not the same. Most Afghan men would think she was unsutiable to be a wife because she was not a virgin but Amir loved her despite her shameful past.
Well, Afgan women have it a better here in America then back in Afganistan under the control of the Taliban. The women are insured basic rights, and they will also get to live a free life of choice. That is not to say that many Afgan families have bot brought tradidtion over here to America. As seen in the story when they work in the Market selling used goods and how strict the rules are when Amir tries to "court" Soraya. The lack of female roles in the story shows me this. The women roles that are played out have to be very important, because of the other lacking roles it makes all the mentioned women stand out even more in the book.
I believe that Afghan women have a much better life her in America because many of the cultures that come here adapt to the American lifestyle. They are much better off in America were it’s a democracy with free power and equality to women and men. The was Soraya lives in America is only because her family is traditional and lives in an Afghan community that stays well with their beliefs. The role of women in this book was not that significant because the author was also from Afghanistan himself. I think that his traditions, although he lives in America, reflected a little bit by writing this book. The novel seems to be more non-fiction than fiction when one reads it. Therefore, I think that
Hoissein grew up and witnessed many of these things before coming to America. He was just reflecting of his own representation on how women were viewed in Afghanistan and Afghan communities in America.
Like many of the other students I am not very knowledgable on the subject of Afgahn women. However I do know that here in America the women do have basic rights and many more fredoms than they do in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan I know the women have to wear a sort of turbin around their face and it is considered sinful if they show thier face or hair to any man besides thier husband. Also I know that it is considered "un-pure" if the women are not virgins when they wed with thier husbands and that is looked down upon heavily in the Afghan community. Another piece of information I have picked up is that it is not considered a sin iof the men hit or abuse the women in Afghanistan. So im sure all of us can definatlly say their freedom and rights in America are alot better. The focus of the book mostly being on men I bleieve is to prove a point that women in Afghanistan do not have very impacting roles. Most of the novel takes place in Afghanistan and most of the characters mentioned are men because the women had few rights there and could not par take in most of the events that occured in the story. the only times women are mentioned while the story is in Afghanistan is when there is talk about Amir and Hassan's mother, or when Assef stones the women to death form commiting adultry.
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