If I understand your question correctly, you are asking
about the role of the two primary female characters in the male-dominated Afghan
society.
The women are portrayed both tragically yet
heroically in their attempts to survive the men who dominate them in the novel. Mariam's
mother, Nana, is one of the few women who does not find the desire to carry on; her
daughter, Mariam, never completely loses faith, even after the arranged marriage that is
forced upon her becomes unbearable. Laila, who grew up with educated and loving parents,
refuses to give in to the terrible life she shares with Mariam and their husband,
Rasheed. Their lives as second-class citizens only become worse after the rise of the
Taliban.
Hosseini's male characters are more varied.
Mariam's father, Jalil, is rich but weak; he allows his three wives to dominate him, and
it eventually costs him the love of Mariam. Tariq is a romantic character who overcomes
his physical problems to eventually win his love, Laila. Laila's father is a loving,
former teacher who is idolized by his daughter but who loses the love of his own wife
following the death of their sons. Rasheed is the evil husband who only grows more
intolerable as the story unfolds.
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