摘 要

《灿烂千阳》这本书出版于2007年，也是卡勒德·胡塞尼继第一部处女作《追风筝的人》后的又一作品。由于该书描绘了阿富汗女人悲惨的生活，自出版后，很快就风靡全球。书中的两位女主人公玛丽亚姆和莱拉，尽管遭受着男性社会的虐待，仍然向往自由，相信爱的力量，并奋起反抗。目前已经有很多文章从女性主义、成长小说、叙事等角度对其进行分析。但在分析人物的不同命运中，成长教育这一因素往往被忽视，本文故尝试来填补这一空缺。本文主要分为六个部分。第一部分简要介绍这本小说并详细阐明本文写作目的；第二部分详细说明前人对《灿烂千阳》所作的研究，并简要介绍介绍教育的起源、类型以及其重要性；第三部分从不同角度对比两位主人公，分析造成主人公命运差异的原因；第四、五部分详细对比两位主人公成长过程中的经历；最后一部分得出结论：教育对一个人的成长极为重要，其效果是通过塑造他的性格和对外部环境的认知显现出来的。

关键词：玛丽亚姆；莱拉；命运；成长；教育

Introduction

1.1 Research background

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Khaled Hosseini moved to America in 1980. The background of Afghan life gave him access to the deep portrait of those Afghan women. Unlike his first novel, The Kite Runner, which mainly describes men’ redemption process, A Thousand Splendid Suns, published in 2007 in New York, features the miserable life of Afghan women. After its publication, A Thousand Splendid Suns quickly goes viral, grabbing worldwide attention. This book not only marks the maturity of Hosseini’s writing skills, but also further earns him prestigious renown in the contemporary American literary world.

Mariam and Laila, the main characters of the book, are two different stereotypes of those Afghan women, but on account of ruthless war, they meet each other and share one husband, Rasheed. At their meeting, they don’t get on well with one another with legions of misunderstandings. However, with time going on, the same suffering and misfortune draw them to each other. Thus, they become good friends and try to protect each other from Rasheed’s abuse.

Mariam and Laila, both the main characters in the novel, represent the oppressed Afghan women under the patriarchy society, and Mariam’s initiation process, from obedience to struggle, shines like splendid suns for other fellow sufferers. Though they epitomize the same type, they differ from each other greatly even from their childhood since they grow up in different families. Therefore, their own choice of life and understanding of the world have very little in common. That is to say, the environment surrounding each child, especially education background, affects them and plays an essential part in their shaping of value. The main point, “education” is what this paper is going to focus on.

1.2 Need for the study

Thus there remains much space in studying it. From the articles found in CNKI, most researchers have analyzed it from the following perspectives, including feminism, post-colonialism, the analysis on main characters or initiation story. So far as is demonstrated, growth education is often neglected in the analysis. Therefore, this paper tends to write to fix the gap.

This thesis aims at analyzing the different destinies of Mariam and Laila in A Thousand Splendid Suns from the perspective of education. It starts by introducing the current research progress on the novel, then analyzes respective life experience of Mariam and Laila in different stages, and ends by giving a brief conclusion of the significance of education in a child’s growth.

This thesis has great realistic significance: by getting more education and keeping ahead of time, oppressed females can truly liberate their bodies and spirits. By analyzing A Thousand Splendid Suns from the perspective of education, fellow readers can better understand the importance of education so as to cherish the chance of receiving education at home or abroad. In addition, through this paper, people will gain a new perspective in understanding the novel.

Literature Review

2.1 Previous research on the novel

In terms of feminism or ecofeminism, much ink has been spilt over this viewpoint. According to Liu Zhe (2011) and Cao Wangru (2017), nature resembles females in the common qualities, like softness and inclusiveness, and that human dominate nature signifies men’s control over women. In their essay, males’ attempt to dominate over everything is to blame for females’ tragedies in a large part, and female can regain freedom and dignity through relentless fighting. However, females can truly achieve equality with males when they maintain self-dignity and gain economic independence, as it is suggested in the essay by Yang Yanqing (2011).

As for the analysis of the main characters, such as Mariam, Laila and Jalil have been thoroughly discussed. Qin Yukun (2015) analyzes Mariam’s whole life mixed with her initiation process in details. Li Xinmei (2018) gives a deep interpretation of Nana’s abnormal love and coward behavior to unveil the prevailing pressure and oppression over females in Afghan society. Hou Yingying (2018) analyzes Jalil’s behavior thoroughly to show his ambivalent attitude towards Mariam.

As for initiation story, some researchers have shared their findings and understandings of the book. Lu Nongwei (2015) analyzes Mariam’s initiation process since childhood and declares the significance of owning a road leader. According to Li Aiai and Wang Qingyong (2015), A Thousand Splendid Suns is a typical initiation story which owns the basic elements composing an initiation story, with Laila at the center. Duan Lingling (2016) emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in protecting oneself from being squeezed and even hurt for females stuck in a male-dominant society.

Narration is also a widely-researched viewpoint. Fan Jinhong and Zhang Xuemei (2010) explain the unique narration techniques used by Hosseini, such as polyphony, which rivet worldwide attention for the author. Xu Xiaohong and Zhao Qi (2009)

focus on explaining the application of transformational internal focalization, which makes the novel more vivid and impressive.

Other perspectives include new historicism, trauma and post colonialism. Zhang Ling (2010) analyzes the theme of the novel: the redemption of love, using cultural history of Afghan with the author’s own life experience combined, from the perspective of new historicism. Zhang Li (2016) analyzes the background of the novel, thus disclosing the miserable burden of patriarchy and colonialism over Afghan women. Li Aiai and Wang Qingyong (2018) discuss the process of two heroines healing the trauma amid social disorder, domestic violence and ruthless war and then declare the irreplaceability of having unfading faith inside one’s mind. Wang Yingzi (2016) uses a new perspective called existentialism to illustrate the whole plot, which opens a new window to researchers at home and abroad.

2.2 Brief introduction of education

2.2.1 The definition and types of education

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary, Education means the process of teaching, training and learning, especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge and develop skills.

There are mainly two types, namely Chinese education and the Western version in terms of different races. They differ from each other mainly in two aspects.