Comparison of Memoirs of a Geisha & a Thousand Splendid Suns

English Essay Presented to: Ms. Sengupta Presented by: Kiran Chouhan Date: May 7, 2012

An individual’s upbringing and surroundings play an integral part of in shaping them. The theme that social influences determine a person’s final destiny is strongly shown throughout both Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha and Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. The female protagonists Sayuri, Mariam and Laila’s final destiny is determined by the actions done by them and the people around them. The main characters’ lives are greatly influenced by acts of betrayal and through family, friends and individuals of high status. Firstly, family is an aspect of a person’s life that tremendously shapes their outcome. In Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, Sayuri’s initial dramatic change in the course of her life is due to her family. Her mother’s death and her family’s low income played an integral part in the decision to give Sayuri away. Her being displaced and in a new setting in the geisha district allows for her to be exposed to new ways of life and new people that she would otherwise not have been exposed to if she had stayed in the small village. Another opportunity that she experiences is that her Mother, in the Nitta Okiya, in her new house enrols her in classes for dancing and playing instruments. Because of this, she becomes more attractive to men as a geisha later on in the story. This illustrates that Sayuri’s life style and her experience growing up depended on her surroundings and the people around her. In Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, sudden changes are also put into effect for Mariam and Laila due to family and friends. Mariam’s one decision changes her course of destiny. After going against her mother’s wishes and visiting her father, Jalil, Mariam’s mother commits suicide. Due to his shame of having an illegitimate child, Jalil forces Mariam to get married and move in with a man named Rasheed. Similar to Memoirs of a Geisha, the characters’ father...