After years of abuse, Mariam, the protagonist of A Thousand Splendid Suns, looks back and examines herself: “What wrong thing had she intentionally done to this man to justify his wickedness, his continuous assaults, the pleasure with which he tormented her? (Hosseini 346). At the time of this novel and the film Osama, a woman's life in Afghanistan was completely shaped by oppression. In this quote, Mariam demonstrates this pervasive feeling of subjugation by blaming herself for her own abuse, a weakness that has been with her since birth. The childhoods of the central characters in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns and the film Osama determine how they each respond to oppression. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayMariam's upbringing shaped her in ways that led her to accept her own oppression, until which she realizes she didn't have to respond that way. Throughout her childhood, Mariam is ambitious and dreams of a life outside of her small cabin, but grows up ashamed of her existence. His mother, Nana, encourages this shame with phrases like: “You are a clumsy little harami. This is my reward for everything I've endured. A clumsy little harami and breaker of inheritance” (Hosseini 4). Nana also uses the frightening and difficult circumstances of Mariam's birth to manipulate her and make her feel guilty. Despite Nana's bitterness, the two women generally get along well. Mariam and Nana work together every morning to collect eggs, feed the animals, and make bread (Hosseini 15). Although Mariam's childhood was by no means privileged, it was a simple, routine lifestyle that brought her joy. However, the shame of being illegitimate, combined with the guilt she feels after her mother's suicide, will accompany her throughout her life. This contributes to his tolerance of Rasheed's abuse. Having never had the feeling of being wanted and of being the cause of her mother's death, Mariam is practically incapable of defending herself. For example, the first time she confronts Rasheed, Mariam says, “Eighteen years […] And I never asked you anything. Not a thing” (214). She continually endures physical and verbal abuse from Rasheed and, as her mother taught her, she endures it and survives. As the story draws to a close, Mariam realizes that she has done nothing wrong and that her mother's judgments and Rasheed's abuse were completely undeserved. It is this realization that allows her to sacrifice her life to save Laila, whom Mariam loves like her own daughter. Laila, another central character in A Thousand Splendid Suns, would never blame herself for the actions of others. She grew up with a much more privileged lifestyle than Mariam's, a lifestyle that impacted her response to oppression. Throughout Laila's childhood, her parents, especially her father, encouraged her education. Babi, her father, proves this in statements such as: "Marriage can wait, education cannot [...] You can be anything you want, Laila" (Hosseini 114). Like Mariam, Laila grows up with big dreams, but unlike Mariam, she has the support and ability to actually work towards them. When her parents are killed by a rocket, Laila must marry Rasheed to hide that she is pregnant with Tariq's child. In the midst of all this turmoil, Laila's life changes dramatically. She is forced to wear the burqa, abandon all her values ​​and accept the role of mother and wife at fifteen. When she becomes a mother, Laila puts her children first and never loses hope for a lifebest. Shortly after marrying Rasheed, Laila begins to understand the effect her decisions have on her life: "even though the baby inside her was no bigger than a blackberry, Laila already saw the sacrifices a mother makes had to do” (Hosseini 218). Despite family tragedies and difficult times, Laila's childhood was not as bad as the childhoods of those around her. Because of this gap, she is not resigned to Rasheed's abuse and knows that there is a better life for her. In the novel, Laila's initial escape plans are compromised by her pregnancy. Later, when her daughter is older, she starts stealing money from Rasheed and plans her escape again. The reader discovers this when she says: “We are leaving this spring, Aziza and I. Come with us, Mariam” (Hosseini 256). Although the escape plan doesn't work, Laila remains hopeful that she will survive thanks to her education, which gave her the tools she needed to get through this period of oppression. This set of circumstances also makes Laila very different from Mariam, who lacks these tools and therefore accepts her oppression rather than attempting to change it. In terms of childhood, Laila and Osama are almost complete opposites. Osama, the main character in Siddiq Barmak's 2003 film Osama, lives with his mother and grandmother in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Osama's response to oppression is very different from that of Mariam and Laila, due to the circumstances of his childhood. As described in A Thousand Splendid Suns, some of the Taliban's rules seem strange and ridiculous: “You shall not paint your nails. If you do, you will lose a finger” (Hosseini 278), but some affect women more seriously, such as “Women are forbidden to work” (Hosseini 278). Osama's father and uncle were both killed in battle, leaving his loved ones with no one to support them. Eventually, Osama's mother and grandmother decide that their only way to survive is to send Osama to work disguised as a boy. This puts his life in danger, and it is clear in the film that Osama is afraid of being caught (Barmak). Osama's childhood strongly affects how she reacts to and understands oppression, as she grows up in a time when she knows nothing else. Osama grew up fighting and risking his life, and therefore has no understanding of the concept of a better life. This lack of knowledge leaves her without the ability to maintain hope throughout a period of oppression. If Osama's whole life is a struggle and that's all she knows, she has no reason to expect change. Towards the end of the film, Osama is shown skipping rope in her prison cell (Barmak), demonstrating that she was too young to have any knowledge or understanding of a life without the type of oppression to which she is regularly subjected. Additionally, once Osama is revealed to be a girl, she runs away and when she is caught, a man immediately puts a burqa on her head (Barmak). When this happens, Osama stops resisting, because she knows that women must wear the burqa in public; now that she has officially identified as a woman, she feels there is no escape. In Osama's mind, a woman's life is synonymous with oppression. To draw a final parallel between the two works, Osama is described as closest to Mariam as they both do not understand the concept of a lifestyle that makes women free to go and do as they please. want. Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a custom essayOverall, if any of the characters had a different childhood than theirs,.