Arranged marriages forced on women

After reading half way through part one of A Thousand and Splendid Suns we start to see so much happening to our main character Mariam. Mariam is a walking "shame" for her father and the rest of his family. So, her father arranges a marriage for her to be married to a man who is forty to forty five years old. Mariam doesn't want to marry the guy but is basically forced into the marraige. We see this on page 48 in part one of the novel: Everyone at the marriage ceramony are answering for Mariam but the Mullah tells them no that Mariam has to answer because the man is seeking her not the other way around. The Mullah told them that he was going to ask Mariam three times if she did not answer there was no marriage. After the Mullah asked her twice all Mariam heard was fidgeting in the room and then her father whispers her name. So, Mariam just says yes because it was like her father begging her to marry him. He was begging her to leave because he did not want her around only because of the fear of what others might say.

It is sad because this story relates to society. There are probably a lot of women who marry a man they don't even know. Who they don't even want to marry. This is all because the parents force their childs into it only because this is what they want and not what their daughter wants. These women then end up living unhappy lives that they never asked for or wanted. This is truely upsetting, and this part of the story almost brought me to tears. I was half angry at her for saying yes and giving into what they wanted. She had a chance to say no and end it right there but instead she gave in like most women who let men have power over them. The other half, I was angry at Jalil for being such a selfish individual. He only cares about what others in society might say and think, instead of just following his heart.