Titanic

That was also the summer of Titanic, the summer that Mariam and Aziza were a tangle of limbs, rolling and giggling, Aziza insisting she get to be Jack.
"Quiet, Aziza jo."
"Jack! Say my name, Khala Mariam. Say it. Jack!"
"Your father will be angry if you wake him."
"Jack! and you're Rose."
It would end up with Mariam on her back, Surrendering, agreeing again to be Rose. "Fine, you be Jack," she relented. "You die young, and I get to live to a ripe old age."
"Yes, but I die a hero," said Aziza, "while you, Rose, you spend your entire, miserable life longing for me." p. 269-270

The last sentence that is in bold, basically describes who Mariam is. She connects with Rose in a way. She has suffered her entire childhood waiting for her dad, then being forced to marry a man who sh does not love. She is not exactly like Rose who is longing for a man but she is longing for happiness, freedom, and acceptence.