A study of friendship between Mariam and Laila in Khaled Hosseini`s a Thousand Splendid Suns

A STUDY OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN MARIAM AND LAILA

IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

AGATHA WIKAN ADHISTI Student Number: 061214004

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

i

A STUDY OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN MARIAM AND LAILA IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Agatha Wikan Adhisti Student Number: 061214004

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, August 23, 2010 The Writer

Agatha Wikan Adhisti 061214004

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma: Nama : Agatha Wikan Adhisti

Nomor Mahasiswa : 061214004

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

A STUDY OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN MARIAM AND LAILA IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelola dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau di media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal: 23 Agustus 2010 Yang menyatakan,

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to thank and express my gratitude to my savior, Jesus Christ for all He has given me. He protects me and teaches me the real meaning of friendship. He blesses me so that I could finish my thesis. I also thank Him because He has given me so many friends who support me.

I am also very much indebted to Drs. L. Bambang Hendarto Y., M.Hum., my major sponsor who has guided me patiently. I thank him for his advice, suggestions, assistance, and criticisms during the completion of my thesis.

My special thanks go to my belovedparents, FX. Jumakir, BA. and Dra. MR. Kurnia Setiawati for the great support, love, and prayer. I thank them for all their efforts in order to treat and educate me well. I also thank them for understanding me during the completetion of this thesis. Then, I would like to thank my brother, Yohanes Putut Wibhisana for his prayer and care, for all messages which pushed me to finish my thesis soon. I thank him for being my one and only great brother.

Next, I would like to express my gratitude to all lecturers and staff of PBI. I thank them for teaching, guiding and helping me during my study. I thank my academic advisor Caecilia Tutyandari, S.Pd., M.Pd. for her guidance and support. Then, I thank Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd. for many great opportunities she gave during my study in PBI. I also thank Dr. A. Herujiyanto, M.A. and Christina Lhaksmita Anandari, S.Pd., M.Ed. for their suggestions.

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I would like to thank all members of PPM (Pasukan Pantang Menyerah), Christo, Oda, and Vembry. I thank them for giving me much energy to do more and more. My next gratitude goes to Marhen, Ditha, Diyan, Rani, Eva, Fina, Priska, Jati, Dony and all 3G members for our great friendship. I thank all my friends in Puri Kids and Cantus Firmus Choir. I thank all people that have colored my life as my friends. I thank Mbak Bekti and Mbak Rita for helping me.

Then, I thank Narpachers, my big family in Yogyakarta. I thank all the members and the owner of Narpache, Pak Suradi and Ibu who become my second parents. I also thank my grandparents who are in heaven, Engkong and

Emak for supporting me to be a teacher. I thank my aunt, Mama Yuk for inspiring me to be a teacher.

The next gratitude goes to Tatyana Kazantseva (Mbak Tatyk). I thank her for being a nice sister to me and giving the speech that has motivated me during the completion of my study to finish my thesis soon. I thank Ayu Rizqia, an outstanding radio announcer and psychologist who has given free consultations and motivated me. Then, I would like to thank Stacey Symons. I thank her for teaching me pronunciation and for being language consultant.

The last but not least, I thank everyone who cares me and who can not be mentioned one by one. God Bless them all.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ... i

APPROVAL PAGES ... ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI... v

DEDICATION PAGE ... vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... ix

ABSTRACT ... xii

ABSTRAK ... xiii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ... 1

A. Background of the Study ... 1

B. Problem Formulation ... 4

C. Objectives of the Study ... 4

D. Benefit of the Study ... 4

E. Definition of Terms ... 5

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 7

A. Review of Related Studies ... 7

B. Review of Related Theories ... 8

1. Critical Approach ... 8

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3. Characterization ... 10

4. Friendship ... 12

a. Meaning of Friendship ... 13

b. Kinds of Friendship ... 13

5. Feminism ... 15

6. Motivation... . 15

a. Meaning of Motivation ... 15

b. Kinds of Motivation ... 16

c. Causes of Motivation ... 16

C. Sociocultural-Historical Background ... 18

1. Afghanistan ... 18

2. Islamic view of polygamy ... 21

3. Polygamy in Afghanistan ... 23

D. Theoretical Framework ... 24

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ... 25

A. Object of Study ... 25

B. Approach of the Study ... 26

C. Method of the Study ... 27

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS ... 28

A. The Description of Friendship Between Mariam and Laila ... 28

1. The Main Characters ... 28

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B. Maintaining Friendship Between Mariam and Laila .... 42

1. Causes ... 42

2. Maintaining Their Friendship ... 48

CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ... 57

A. Conclusions ... 57

B. Suggestions ... 58

1. Suggestion for the Future Researchers ... 59

2. Suggestion for the Implementation of the Teaching Learning Process ... 59

REFERENCES ... 61

APPENDICES ... 63

Appendix 1 The Summary of A Thousand Splendid Suns ... -1-

Appendix 2 Biography of The Author ... -5-

Appendix 3 Lesson Plan ... -7-

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ABSTRACT

Adhisti, Agatha Wikan. 2010. A Study of Friendship Between Mariam and Laila in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

Friendship is naturally built among several people who know and understand each other. Many people argue that they can not live without friends. Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns tells about a unique friendship between two wives of a man, Mariam and Laila. Mariam and Laila build their friendship naturally. Before being friends, they are rivals. As time goes by, they understand one another. They have a wonderful friendship.

This study is aimed to answer the two problems formulated, namely (1) what kind of friendship do Mariam and Laila develop? and (2) why do they maintain their friendship?

This study used library research. There are two sources of data that are used in this study, namely main source and secondary source. The main source is Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. The secondary sources are psychological books, history books, and some articles from the internet that support the information of the study. This study used the psychological approach, the sociocultural-historical approach, and the feminist approach because the thesis deal with the friendship between two characters, Mariam and Laila that is related to the psychological concepts, socioculural-historical background, and feminism.

Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that the friendship between Mariam and Laila is categorized into the friendship based on goodness. Their friendship’s characterisctics are shared feelings, good to one another without qualifications or requirements, pleasant to one another, and beneficial to one another. Then, their friendship is long lasting or eternal. They maintain their friendship in several ways. They admire one another, get closser one another, care one another, and help one another. It also can be found that there are two big causes why they do maintain the friendship. The first is the family conflicts and the second is the social, cultural and historical background.

This thesis provides some suggestions for the other researchers who want to conduct other research on Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. The future researchers may analyze the Islamic polygamy and regime changes that influence the story of the novel. This thesis also provides some suggestions for English instructors in implementing Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns

xiii ABSTRAK

Adhisti, Agatha Wikan. 2010. A Study of Friendship Between Mariam and Laila in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Persahabatan terjalin secara alami antara orang – orang yang tahu dan memahami satu sama lain. Banyak orang berpendapat bahwa mereka tidak bisa hidup tanpa teman atau sahabat. Novel A Thousans Splendid Suns menceritakan tentang kisah persahabatan unik antara dua istri dari satu pria. Mereka bernama Mariam dan Laila. Mariam dan Laila menjalin persahabatan secara alami. Sebelumnya, mereka bermusuhan. Namun, seiring berjalannya waktu mereka memehami satu sama lain. Mereka mempunyai jalinan persahabatan yang menakjubkan.

Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah untuk menjawab dua pertanyaan, yaitu (1) Apa jenis persahabatan yang dijalin oleh Mariam dan Laila? (2) Mengapa mereka menjalin persahabatan?

Skripsi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka. Ada dua sumber yang digunakan dalam skripsi ini, yaitu sumber utama dan sumber lain tambahan. Sumber utama dari skripsi ini adalah novel A Thousand Splendid Suns yang ditulis oleh Khaled Hosseini. Adapun sumber–sumber tambahan adalah buku-buku psikologi, buku-buku sejarah , dan beberapa artikel yang diambil dari internet. Skripsi ini menggunakan pendekatan psikologis, pendekatan sosial budaya dan sejarah, dan pendekatan feminisme karena skripsi ini menganalisis persahabatan yang dijalin Mariam dan Laila berhubungan dengan konsep psikologis, latar belakang sosial budaya dan sejarah, dan feminisme.

Berdasarkan analisis, dapat disimpulkan bahwa persahabatan antara Mariam dan Laila dikategorikan sebagai persahabatan yang didasarkan pada kebaikan. Persahabatan mereka mempunyai karakteristik saling berbagi. Mereka baik terhadap satu sama lain tanpa syarat atau pamrih. Mereka saling membahagiakan dan menguntungkan. Persahabatan mereka abadi. Adapun beberapa cara yang dilakukan Mariam dan Laila dalam menjalin persahabatan. Mereka saling mengagumi, dekat, saling peduli, dan saling membantu. Dalam skripsi ini juga dapat ditemukan bahwa ada dua penyebab utama dari jalinan persahabatan antara Mariam dan Laila. Penemuan pertama adalah masalah keluarga dan yang kedua adalah latar belakang sosial dan sejarah.

Skripsi ini menyertakan beberapa saran untuk para peneliti yang ingin menggunakan novel A Thousand Splendid Suns sebagai obyek penelitian. Peneliti yang selanjutnya dapat menganalisis pengaruh poligami Islam dan perubahan resim terhadap cerita di dalam novel. Skripsi ini juga menyertakan saran untuk para pengajar Bahasa Inggris yang ingin menggunakan novel A Thousand Splendid Suns untuk mengajar, khususnya dalam kelas Prose II.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter deals with the background of the study, problem formulation, the objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of term. The background of the study gives explanation about the topic and the reason why the writer chooses the novel and the topic. In the problem formulation, the writer presents three formulated questions which guide to the analysis of the novel. The objectives of the study state the focus of this study. The benefits of the study explain the advantages of the study and the definition of some terms related to this study is presented to avoid misunderstanding.

A. Background of the Study

There is no one who can live alone in this world. Everyone needs friends. Friendship is naturally built among several people who know and understand each others. James and Savary (141) state that everyone needs a best friend. A best friend could be male or female. Usually, we share special bond with our best friend. Toward a best friend we build a deeper relationship than toward other friends. Aristotle (214) says “No one would choose to live without friends, even if he had all other goods.”

There are so many reasons for having friends except avoiding loneliness. Beebe (413) says there are three reasons of having friends. First, we need friends to be included in some activities of others or of our own; secondly, we need

friends to control and to be uncontrolled, dealing with the stability and comfort in our interactions with others; thirdly, we need friends to give and receive love, support, warmth and intimacy. Besides, we need them to help us cope with stress and uncertainty, to take care of our physical needs and even to help us in the development of our personality. According to Aristotle (215) friendship is like a concord. When people are friends they have no need of justice, but when they are just, they need friendship in addition.

Friendship also seems to hold states together, and lawgivers apparently devote more attention to it than to justice. For concord seems to be something similar to friendship, and concord is what they most strive to attain, while they do best to expel faction , the enemy of concord. When people are friends, they have no need of justice, but when they are just, they need friendship in addition (Aristotle 215).

Friendship is one of life experiences which can be portrayed in a work of literature like the novel. An author can use a novel to portray real life in the real world in the form of writing. Van de Laar and Schoonderwoerd (163) say “a novel is a work of art in so far as it introduces one into a living world: in some respects resembling the world one lives in.”

Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of the novels which tells about friendship. It portrays the friendship between two young women who live together as the wives of a man. Rasheed is the man, Mariam as the second wife, and Laila as the third wife. The first wife has died.

Rasheed lives in a small house with his two wives, Mariam and Laila. They are jealous of each other. Rasheed does not care about Mariam. However, actually Laila understands what Mariam feels. Rasheed really wants a son. Mariam can not

give him a son. Then, Laila is pregnant which makes Rasheed very happy. Unfortunately, Laila gives him a daughter so Rasheed is very disappointed. He is unhappy, suspicious and becomes more abusive. As the time goes by, Mariam and Laila are like enemies who have signed a peace agreement. Mariam and Laila become close friends. They build a friendship naturally. Everyday they share what they feel. Mariam helps Laila to treat her daughter. Mariam loves her so much. They always sit together and tell about their experiences. They seem like a team. They are like a team of two wives who care each other. They have a great friendship.

One day, Laila meets her first love, Tariq. Laila tells about their daughter, Aziza. Aziza is Tariq’s daughter. Finally, Rasheed knows about their relationship, even the fact that Aziza is not his daughter. Rasheed is very angry. He psychically assaults Laila and Mariam sees them. Spontaneously, she grabs a shovel and kills Rasheed. Mariam sacrifices herself for her friendship. Then, she is punished. She asks Laila to leave Kabul and live happily together with Tariq and her children Aziza and Salmai. Laila always remember Mariam, as her sister, best friend, and also savior.

I chose Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousands of Splendid Suns and focused on Mariam and Laila because their friendship was unique. How could two wives of one man become best friend. Even one of them sacrificed herself to help the other. This novel is interesting because the story is unique. The story is unpredictable. The reader can not guess the end of the story exactly. I am also interested in

studying about friendship because it happens in real life. No one who has no friend in this world.

B. Problem Formulation

Based on the description above, there are two problems which are going to be discussed. The problems are formulated as follows:

1. What kind of friendship do Mariam and Laila develop? 2. Why do they maintain their friendship?

C. Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are the goals of the study related to the problem formulation. The writer tries to find out the answers to the questions that are stated in the problem formulation. There are two objectives to achieve in this study. The first is to find out the kind of friendship between Mariam and Laila. The second is to find out why Mariam and Laila maintain their friendship.

D. Benefits of the Study

There are some benefits from this thesis that can be gained. The first is for the writer. From this study, the writer can answer the questions which have been developed on the problem formulation. The writer can find the meaning of friendship itself. By finding out the answers, the writer can know the meaning of life covered by friendship from two women from Afghanistan. The writer can learn about life experience through Mariam and Laila’s struggle. How they face

their hard life and maintaining friendship, although they are the wives of one man who usually live jealously each other.

The second is for the reader. By reading this study, hopefully the readers can know the meaning of friendship and learn about life experience which is totally awesome. They would be able to reveal the messages from the novel. Moreover, they can also learn many things about friendship. They would realize that friendship gives strong influence to human actions. Friendship is a piece power of doing action in this life

The third is for the teachers and the students. This study will provide the suggestion of studying this novel. It may be helpful because it gives additional information in studying the novel, especially about the major character and her life experiences. Finally, for other researchers who plan on conducting a study on Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, it hopefully can help as a basic reference to write a thesis on literature concerning friendship.

E. Definition of Term

In order to avoid misinterpretation, it is better to know several terms that are used in this discussion.

1. Character

It is very essential to understand what character is because character has an important role in the novel. Character gives descriptions and imaginations about the story for the readers through the actions.

Abrams (24) says that the word character means “a person represented in a dramatic or narrative work who is interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that is expressed in what he says –dialogue- and by what he does –the actions.” So, the readers can imagine the story deeper by understanding the characters of the novel.

2. Friendship

Friendship is a kind of relationships. Baron and Byrne (278) say that friendship is a relationship in which friends spend a great deal of time together, interact in variety of situations, exclude others from the relationship, and provide emotional support to one another. Robert J Morton says that “Friendship is a mutual intimacy of mind which we all naturally crave.” Friendship is built naturally, because it happens uncontrollably. James and Savary (141) say that close friendship require intimacy. They require a candid person-to-person relationship of and trust, without exploitation and without the psychological games that people usually play.

3. Motivation

People have motivation in every action of their life. Motivation directly appears from the thought invisibly. In a friendship, it must be a motivation that becomes the reason of why two people or more have a special relationship. Motivation is the concept we use when we describe the forces acting on or within an organism to initiate and direct behaviour (Petri 3). In this study, motivation refers to Mariam and Laila’s motivation in having friendship.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter is divided into four parts namely review of related studies, review of related theories, socio – historical background, and theoretical framework.

A. Review of Related Studies

Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is a very interesting novel. There are many literature researchers who took that novel as the object of the study. In 2009, Paskalina Widiastuti Ratnaningsih wrote a thesis entitled The Influence of Jalil, Rasheed, and Laila on Mariam’s Personality Changes in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. Based on her study, there are two points that can be drawn. The first point is how Jalil, Raheed and Laila are described. The writer analysed the characters of Jalil, Rasheed and Laila in details. The second point is the influence of Jalil, Rasheed and Laila on Mariam’s personality changes. The writer used psychological approach in her study. The writer also gave some suggestions for the future researchers that give good contributions to this thesis. The writer suggested the future researcher to discuss the women of Afghanistan and social life.

This thesis discusses about friendship that also concern to social life. Paskalina Widiastuti Ratnaningsih gave suggestion for teacher to implement the

novel to teach Intensive Reading II. In this study, the writer gives another example of implementation.

B. Review of Related Theories

This part will present the theories of critical approach, character, characterization, friendship, and motivation. It is important to understand those theories since this study will analyze the friendship between two characters, Mariam and Laila.

1. Critical Approach

There are many ways to know the nature, function, and positive values in a novel. According to Rohrberger and Woods Jr (3-15), there are five critical approaches. Those approaches are the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the sociocultural-historical approach, the mythopoeic approach, and psychological approach. The formalist approach is apprehended to the totality of the literary object. These critics insist on the total integrity of the literary piece. The biographical approach asserts the necessity for appreciation of the ideas and personality of the author to understand a novel. This approach assumes that the life of an author has influenced the novel. The sociocultural-historical approach is the consideration of social, cultural, and historical backgrounds of the literary works are a matter of importance. The mythopoeic approach can be used for explaining the mystical relationship found in a story. The psychological approach

involves the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns; it draws on a different body of knowledge.

Beside those five critical approaches which are mentioned by Rohrberger and Woods, there are some more additional critical approaches to literature. Guerin (17) mentions that feminist criticism is as one of critical approaches that can be used beside those five approaches.

By focusing on friendship of the two characters, Mariam and Laila, this study uses the psychological approach, the sociocultural – historical approach, and the feminist literary approach.

2. Character

a. Definition of Character

Stanton (17) says every story essentially displays actions. To describe actions in a story, of course, people who do those actions are needed. In a story, they are called characters. It is through the knowledge of fictional characters readers can understand their actions and vice versa.

Understanding characters of the novels is very important because characters gives description and imagination through the actions.

b. Types of Character

Henkle (87-97) categorizes two types of character. They are major character and secondary character. The major characters are the characters that are observed most often in the novel and frequently appear in the novel. The secondary

characters are characters that have only limited function and performance in the novel. Usually, the story depends on the major character’s action. Then, the secondary characters give effects to the story.

Further, Abrams (24) states two kinds of characters, namely flat character and round character. A flat character is also called a type character or a dimensional character. It means that the character is built on a single idea or quality. Therefore, he/she is presented in outline and without much individualizing detail, only in a short sentence or phrase. A round character is also called a dynamic character which is complex in temperament and motivation. The author describes the character like a human being in real life who can act unpredictably. The characters may surprise the readers because of the actions. It makes the novel interesting.

3. Characterization

a. Definition of Characterization

The creation of the imaginary person presented to the readers as lifelike is called characterization (Holman and Harmon 81). Characterization is important because the story will not alive and real without any characterization. An author must has a good ability to make characters because the great story must has characters with good characterizations. Rohrberger and Woods Jr (20) state “character must be credible; that is, reader must accept them as believable people.” Hence, the reader can imagine the character not only through physical appearances but also through their behaviors and thoughts.

Rohrberger and Woods Jr (20) define characterization as the process by which an author creates character. It is like the way of the author to describe the characters to the readers.

b. Ways of Characterization

In order to make understandable character for the readers, an author can follow nine ways of characterization which are described by Murphy (161-171). They are the nine ways of characterization.

1) Personal Description

It explains the physical appearance of characters to introduce the characters to the readers. An author may describe personal appearance of the character, such us hair, skin, eyes, and height.

2) Character as seen by another

To understand characterization of the characters, the author uses other characters’ opinion to describe a character. In the novel, a character may give opinion about other characters.

3) Speech

The personality of the characters can be notified through their speech. The reader can know deeper about the characters by understanding speeches which are produced.

4) Past Life

The experience of the characters can be a point of characterization. By giving information about the characters’ past life, an author will give clues about characterization of the characters.

5) Conversation of others

In the novel, there are many conversations. The conversation among characters may refer to the characterization.

6) Reactions

The characters’ reaction in facing a certain event or problem may refer to the personality of the characters and can be hint as the characterization.

7) Direct Comment

Sometimes the author gives comments directly to describe the characterization. However, it will not disturb the story.

8) Thoughts

The author describes the characters’ thought in order to point out the characterization.

9) Mannerism

The author may tell the characters’ mannerism to the readers in order to give information about characterization of the characters

4. Friendship

Friendship is a relationship between two or more persons. This section presents what friendship is and kinds of friendship.

a. Meaning of Friendship

Friendship is a relationship in which friends spend a great deal of time together, interact in variety of situations, exclude others from the relationship, and provide emotional support to one another (Baron and Byrne 278). People need friends because there is no one that could live alone. Friendship becomes the bridge of two people or more to share each other through the actions.

There are three reasons of having friends. Beebe (413) says that first, people need friends to be included in some activities of others or of our own; second, to control and to be uncontrolled, dealing with the stability and comfort in our interactions with others; and third, to give and receive love, support, warmth and intimacy. Other reasons of having friendship are helping one another, coping with stress and uncertainty, taking care of physical needs, and even helping us in the development of our personality.

A moral value of friendship, thus, involves a high level of development and expression of the unselfish emotions of sympathy, care - a deep caring for others and identification with the good of another from whom one clearly knows oneself to be clearly other (Blum 71). So, people who build friendship will be easier to socialize. They have a good emotion in order to keep their friendship. They will not be selfish because friendship needs understanding and caring to each other. b. Kinds of Friendship

Aristotle as translated by Ostwald (218) divides friendship into three kinds. They are friendship based on utility, friendship based on pleasure, and friendship based on goodness.

1) Friendship based on utility

This kind of friendship occurs most frequently between the elderly because at their age what they want is not pleasure but utility. It also occurs in people who are in their middle or early life and are also pursuing their own advantage.

2) Friendship based on pleasure.

This friendship can easily end because the affection changes just as the things that please them and this sort of pleasure changes rapidly. This friendship is based on pleasure or fun, as someone who builds friendship with the other is not because of what he or she is, but for the pleasure and fun he or she gives.

3) Friendship based on goodness.

Friendship of this kind is permanent, reasonably enough, because it is united all the attributes that friends ought to possess. This friendship is based on goodnesses. They are good to each other without qualification. Without qualification means a friend will do a good thing for his or her friend without asking qualifications. They are also beneficial to one another whatever he or she is. This kind of friendship is long lasting. It means the friendship will last for a long time. This friendship are also pleasant to ane another. Moreover, time and familiarity are required. It means one cannot be a friend of another person until each partner has impressed the other that he is worthy of affection, and until each person has won the other’s confidence. Friendship based on goodness needs a long process. It can not be built instantly.

5. Feminism

According to Humm (74) the term feminism means the ideology of women’s liberation. This ideology arises because of the belief that women suffer injustice because of their sex. The feminism incorporates both a doctrine of equal rights for women and in ideology of social transformation aiming to create a world for women beyond social equality.

Humm (7) divides four issues that are addressed by feminist criticism. First, the issue of masculine literary history is addressed by reexamining male texts and showing the way of women in the texts are often represented according to prevailing social, cultural and ideological norms. Second, the invisibility of women writers has been addressed. Third, feminist criticism confronts the problem of the feminist reader by offering readers new methods and a fresh critical practice. Fourth, feminist criticism aims to make us act as feminist readers by creating new writing new writing and reading collectives.

6. Motivation

People have motivation in every action of their life. Friendship may have a motivation that becomes the reason of why two people or more have a special relationship.

a. Meaning of Motivation

In order to reach the goals or ambitions, a person must have something which encourages him/her to keep on moving forward. It is usually called as

motivation. According to Petri (3), motivation is the concept we use when we describe the forces acting on or within an organism to initiate and direct behaviour. Every person has motivation in doing actions. Actions are done to achieve the goals. Motivation is like a strong reasons of doing something. It also like a push of reaching goals

b. Kinds of Motivation

Hunt as cited by Petri (315) points out that there are two kinds of motivation. They are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Staw as cited by Petri defines intrinsic motivation as the value or pleasure associated with an activity as opposed to the goal toward which the activity is directed. However, extrinsic motivation, by contrast, emphasizes the external goals toward which the activity is directed (Petri 315).

c. Causes of Motivation

Maslow as cited by Kasschau (143-144) states human motivation is based on human needs. He believes that a human is motivated by needs. These needs are divided into five levels. The needs on the first and lowest level should be satisfied before a person fulfills and moves on the next and higher level. The five level needs are categorized in three basic needs in human life, which are fundamental needs, psychological needs, and self-actualization needs.

1) The Fundamental Needs

The fundamental needs are the basic needs. If people want to live, they have to satisfy these needs. The fundamental needs are divided into two. They are physiological needs and safety needs.

a) Physiological needs

Physiological needs deal with the physical needs. In order to make the body of a person work, a person needs to be satisfied from hunger, thirst, and sex drives. He/she needs food, water, shelter, and oxygen. When these needs are fulfilled, a person will try to gain the next needs.

b) Safety needs

After fulfilling the needs of physiology, a person will try to gain safety needs. It is the need for being secure, safe and out of danger. A person needs to be safe from anything that is considered harmful.

2) The Psychological Needs

The psychological needs are needs to belong and to give and receive love, and needs to acquire esteem through competence and achievement. It is divided into two namely belongingness and love needs and esteem needs.

a) Belongingness and love needs

After physiological needs and safety needs are satisfied, a person may gain the belongings and love needs. It is a need to affiliate with others and be accepted and to feel a sense of belonging.

b) Esteem needs

Esteem needs are the next needs that require being satisfied after belongings and loving needs are fulfilled. There are two sections in the esteem needs. They are needs for esteem and needs of esteem from others. The needs of self-esteem can be gained through competition. Needs of self-esteem from others deal with

pride. It includes desire of reputation of status, recognitions, appreciation by others and feeling of importance.

3) The Self-actualization Needs

The self-actualization needs are the final needs in the top of Maslow’s hierarchy needs. After someone has satisfied all the needs above, he will be motivated to gain and be more than he is now. The self-actualization is a need for fulfillment of one’s unique potential, for example knowledge and beauty.

C. Sociocultural - Historical Background

This part deals with the sociocultural-historical background of Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. Mann (1969) says that culture is the most pervasive of social context. To understand the importance of human society as a socializing influence on behaviour reference must be made to culture because it is the most significant feature of any society.

1. Afghanistan

The setting of Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a part of South Asia. Saikal and Maley (13) say that Afghanistan has been marked by a strong society and weak state. The strength of society has come from its various characters, in which multiple, largely autonomous, social units, most importantly tribes and their subdivisions, have retained their identity within a political unit.

Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns takes the years of 1960’ – 2003 as the setting of time. A regime change happened in that period. Saikal and Maley (1) state that regime change is a traumatic and disruptive experience in many countries, but few countries have paid to hold traditionally accepted relationship of authority as Afghanistan has experienced since the communist coup of April 1978.

In Afghanistan, ethnic divisions are a major basis of different identity of Afghan micro-societies. Saikal and Maley (14) say “ethnicity is a broad and not particularly satisfactory term, but it captures social homogeneity falling short of the more specific shared norms which may distinguish particular micro-societies.” There are many etnhic groups in Afghanistan. However, there are several big ethnic groups. The Pashtun is the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

Members of the Pashtun ethnic group historically formed possibly the largest single ethnic group in Afghanistan, followed by the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras, Aimaq, Nuristani, Kirghiz, and a considerable number of smaller groups (Saikal and Maley 14).

According to Saykal and Maley (66), the Pashtun is the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan that is relatively high in south and southeast Afghanistan. As the largest ethnic group, the Pashtun has a special authority. Afghanistan is also influenced by the the Pashtun’s culture. Anderson (274) says, the largest ethnic group, the notional ancestor of the Pashtun is defined as the Qays who were inherited directly from the Prophet Muhammad. It is possible for the Pasthun to have an authority.

While Islam connects virtually the entire Afghan population, the society is divided along ethnic and tribal lines. The largest ethnic group, thePashtuns, is also a tribal group. Tribes are formulated through

patrilineal descent, and the notional ancestor of all Pashtuns is Qays, who, it is said, received Islam directly from the Prophet Muhammad. Effectively, Pashtuns deny having any pre-Islamic past or experience of conversion. Being Muslim is thus inextricable from their tribal heritage. (Anderson 274)

It is usual for the majority group to be more powerful than the minority group. The Pashtun as the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan may become more powerful than other ethnic groups. Moreover, the Pashtun argues that their ancestor is inherited directly from Prophet Muhammad.

In the period of time, there is regime change in Afghanistan. It is also stated in Khaled Hosseini’ A Thousand Splendid Suns that there is an existence of Taliban. Taliban is a big community of moslems who have an authority in Afghanistan. Taliban is a guerrila force. Taliban collects young Pashtun men whose families has fled to Pakistan during the war against the Soviets (Hosseini 292).

Afghanistan is an Islamic country. It is stated in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns that Afghanistan develops strict Islamic law. There are many rules, especially for women. Women are not allowed to travel without a male relative. They also must wear burqa, an Islamic clothes which cover all body. They will be punished if they dissobey it.

Since the Mujahiden take over in April 1992, Afghanistan’s name had been changed to the Islamic State of Afghanistan. The Supreme Court under Rabbani was filled now with hardliner mullahs who did away with the communist-era decrees that empowered women and instead passed rulings based on Shari’a, strict Islamic laws that ordered women to cover, forbade their travel without a male relative, punished adultery with stoning. Even if the actual enforcement of these laws was sporadicat best. (Hosseini 277)

So, the position of women in Afghanistan is lower than men. Afghanistan limits women’s movement. Afghanistan gives many rules for women but not for men.

2. Islamic view of polygamy

Polygamy is almost a historical phenomenon in the social life of human beings. Islam permits polygamy. As an islamic country, there are so many polygamy families in Afghanistan. In Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, the readers may find an example of polygamy case between a man, named Rashed and his two wives, Mariam and Laila.

According to Dr. M. Imran Al-Haq in Polygamy in Islam, polygamy means a system of marriage included one person has more than one spouse. Polygamy can be divided into two types. They are polygamy and polyandry. Polygamy is a man marries more than one woman. Polyandry is a woman marries more than one man (http:// park2.itc.tokyo.ac.jp/tuics/ Khotba/Khutbah-070119_Polygyny.doc).

Polygamy in Islam is permitted, but polyandry is completely prohibited. According to Rodwell (50) there is a verse in Koran which says that a man may marry to the orphans or other women. However, he may marry one up to four women, and if he is still fearful that he shall not act fairly, he may marry one woman only. In this verse, it is clearly stated that the polygamy is permitted. Further, polygamy in Islam has limitation. A man may mary up to four women.

In Islam, polyandry is strongly prohibited. Islam believes that men are superior to women. According to Rodwell (54) there is a verse in Koran which says that men are superior.

Men are superior to women on account of the qualities with which God hath gifted the one above the othet, and on account of the outlay they make from their substance for them. Virtous women are obedient, careful, during the husband’s absence, because God hath of them been careful. But chide those for whose refractoriness you have cause to fear; remove them into beds apart, and scourge them: but if they are obedient to you, then seek not occasion against them: verily, God is high, great! (Rodwell 54)

So, Islam believes that men are more powerful than women in all conditions. Women are asked to serve men. When a wife could not serve well, her husband may leave her. It is like what Rodwell (64) says that there is also a verse in Koran that says a man may leave his wife if she refuses his fain. However, men are asked to keep women by asking the orphans or other women to be their wives. Men as the strong God’s creature are asked to be fair. They are not allowed to do polygamy if they are not have a good social and economic condition in order to keep his big family.

Islam allows a man to have more than one wife, in a condition that the husband should be fair with all his wives, and treat them equally. However, in fact, it is very difficult. Dr M. Imran Al-Haq in Polygamy in Islam (http://park2.itc.tokyo.ac.jp/tuics /Khotba/Khutbah070119_Polygyny.doc) also says that Islam does allow polygamy, but the reason is not to satisfy men’s desire. The main purpose is to help women. Another requirement of polygamy is a man who can not be a father because a sterile wife. So, the man may find another wife who gives him a chance of being a father.

The reason for multiple wives in Islam was not to satisfy men’s desire and that's it, but for the welfare of the widows and the orphans of the wars. During war times, many women are unable to find husbands, and they might prefer to be a co-wife than no wife. Allowing multiple marriages is useful in case a man's wife is sterile and can't give him the chance of being a father; here he has the right to marry another wife, and leaving the choice to her whether she wants to continue being his wife if he marries another woman or not. (http://park2.itc.tokyo.ac.jp/tuics/Khotba/Khutbah070119_Polygyny. doc)

Wars and conflicts become one reason of doing polygamy. Many women, widows and orphans have no safe places. In order to be saver, they choose to be the wives of a man who already has had a wife even wives.

3. Polygamy in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is an Islamic country that allows polygamy. However, there is an article in 1355 civil law of Afghanistan that mentions the requirements of having polygamy. Polygamy in 1355 civil law of Afghanistan article 86 says that polygamy is permitted after the following conditions are fulfilled when there is no fear of discrimination between the wives, when the person has a good financial to treat the wives that is when he can provide food, clothes, appropriate houses and medical care, and when there is legal convenience, that is when the first wife is childless or when she suffers from diseases which are hard to be treated(http://www.wclrf.org.af/English/eng_pages/Researches/Polygamy%20In% 20Afghanistan.pdf).

By having a special law for polygamy, it means that Afghanistan accepts polygamy. Many men practice polygamy in Afghanistan. It is usual for a man to have more than one woman. A man would have a pride if he has more than one wife. However, war and conflict become one of the reasons of practicing

polygamy. There are so many orphans and women who need helps and also salvation. Men as the creatures who have strong power are really needed. They are hoped to guide and save women.

D. Theoretical Framework

In this study, I use the psychological approach and the sociocultural – historical background. The psychological approach is necessary for analyzing and answering the formulated problems because it deals with someone’s psychological condition. In this study, I choose friendship of Mariam and Laila in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. The sociocultural – historical background is used to analyse and answer the formulated problems based on the social, culture, and history of the novel’s setting.

I use the theory of character by Stanton and also Henkle and the theory of characterization by Rohrberger and Woods Jr, and also by Murphy. Those theories are used to figure out the character of Mariam and Laila.

Other theories are friendship and motivation. Those theories are used to answer the questions of the problem formulated.

25

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

There are three main parts in this chapter. They are object of the study, approach of the study, and method of the study. The object of study deals with the novel that is analyzed in this study and some sources that support the study. The approach of the study contains the description of the approach that is used in the analysis. In the last part, the method of the study, it is about description of the steps taken in analyzing friendship between Mariam and Laila in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns.

A. Object of Study

The object of this thesis is Khaled Hosseini’s novel entitled A Thousand Splendid Sun. It was originally published in 2007 by Riverhead Books. The novel used in this study was the mass - market international edition, printed on May 2008. The novel consists of 448 pages. It contains 51 chapters in 4 parts. This novel is a best seller novel, according to New York Times.

Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns tells about a family in Kabul, Afghanistan. There are two major characters in this novel. They are Mariam and Laila. The novel tells a friendship between Mariam and Laila. The story starts with the story of Mariam. Mariam is a fifteen–year–old girl who is illegatimate daughter of a rich man named Jalil and his servant, Nana. Mariam is married to Rasheed. Several years later, Rasheed saves a beautiful young girl

named Laila. He falls in love with her. He asks to marry her. Laila becomes Rasheed’s second wife. Mariam and Laila try to get Rasheed’s attention. They try to be the best. As the time goes by, Mariam and Laila are used to live together. They share everything, think deeply and become close friend naturally. Mariam and Laila often share what they feel. They help each other. Since Rasheed becomes unkind, Mariam and Laila always care each other. One day, they face the hardest thing that force Mariam to kill Rasheed for saving Laila. Laila are asked to escape and marry to Tariq, beside Mariam must be responsible to her action. Mariam is punished in the jail. Laila feels so regret but she is proud of Mariam. She loves Mariam. Then, the value of the friendship appears.

B. Approach of The Study

According to Rohrberger and Woods Jr (7-14), there are five approaches concerning the study of literature. They are the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the sociocultural - historical approach, the mythopoeic approach and the psychological approach. One of the theories is applied in order to be able to understand literary work. Guerin (17) mentions that feminist criticism is as one of critical approaches that can be used beside those five approaches.

In this study I use the psychological approach, the sociocultural-historical approach, and the feminist approach. The psychological approach is necessary for analyzing and answering the formulated problems as stated in the problem formulation. By using psychological approach, the study of friendship can be

analyzed through the personalities of both characters, thoughts, and behaviours. The sociocultural – historical background is used to analyse and answer the formulated problems based on the social, culture, and history of the novel’s setting. The feminist approach is used to dig out the two characters that are discussed.

C. Method of the Study

In this thesis, I used library research method. This method requires one to read books as the data and sources, and then apply some parts of them, which are appropriate for the analysis.

I used several sources in this study, namely primary and secondary sources. I used Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns as the primary source and for the secondary source I used several books which are related to the theories used in the study, such as Abrams’ A Glossary in Literary Terms and Van de Laar and Schoonderwoerd’s Approach to English Literature. I also used some books related to this study, such as Lindgren and Harvey’s An Introduction to Social Psychology and Mann’s Social Psychology. Then I used sources from the internet.

The steps that I took in the analysis were firstly, I read the novel Thousand Splendid Suns three times and more in order to fully understand the story. Secondly, I found the topic which is interesting to discuss. Thirdly, I chose the approach of the study. Fourthly, I started to do analysis. Then, finally I tried to find the conclusion of the study.

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CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter divides into two parts. The first part discusses the description of friendship between Mariam and Laila. The second part is the discussion of maintaining friendship between Mariam and Laila.

A. The Description of Friendship Between Mariam and Laila

Friendship is a relationship in which friends spend a great deal of time together, interact in variety of situations, exclude others from the relationship, and provide emotional support to one another (Baron and Byrne 278). As human beings, people need friends. No one can live alone without friends.

This part discusses the description of friendship between Mariam and Laila, two major characters in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. They are wives of Rasheed. Mariam is the second wife and Laila is the third wife. Rasheed’s first wife died.

1. The Main Characters

The main characters are very crucial in a novel. Their actions really picture the story. Stanton (17) says every story essentially displays actions. To describe actions in a story, of course, people who do those actions are needed. In a story, they are called characters. Characters are classified into major and secondary characters. Based on Henkle’s theory of characters (87-97), Mariam and Laila are

the major characters because they are observed most often in the novel and frequently appear in the novel. Further, characters are also categorized into flat and round characters. Based on Abrams’ theory (24), Mariam and Laila are round characters or dynamic characters because their characters are complex in temperament and motivation.

Mariam and Laila are described like human beings in real life who can act unpredictably. Mariam is religous, loving, caring, helpful, brave and fair. In the novel, it is shown that Mariam is a religous woman. When Mariam is young, she has a Koran tutor named Mullah Faizullah (Hosseini 17). Mariam is loving to others. She also loves and cares Laila’s children. Mariam is a helpful woman, she helps Laila when Laila gives a birth (Hosseini 305). Mariam is also brave. She kills Rasheed to save Laila. Mariam is fair. She shares what she has to Laila.

On the other hand. Laila is younger than Mariam. She is smart, energetic, cheerful, brave, loving, and fair. It is stated in the novel that Laila is smart. She gets the awal numra certificate for the last two years. Awal numra is a predicate for the top-ranked student in each grade (Hosseini 123). Laila is energetic and cheerful. She does everything very well and quickly. She never seems tired although she does many things (Hosseini 252). Besides, Laila is brave to steal Rasheed’s money and try to run away from Rasheed (Hosseini 262).

2. Friendship Between Mariam and Laila

There are some kinds of friendship. Aristotle as translated by Ostwald (218) divides friendship into three kinds. They are friendship based on utility, friendship

based on pleasure, and friendship based on goodness. Friendship based on utility is kind of friendship which occurs most frequently between the elderly because what they want is not pleasure but utility in their age. Friendship based on pleasure is kind of friendship which can easily end because the affection changes just as the things that please them and this sort of pleasure changes quickly. The third is friendship based on goodness. Friendship of this kind is permanent, reasonably enough because it is united all the attributes that friends ought to possess. This friendship is based on goodnesses. They are good to each other without any qualification. They are also beneficial to one another whatever he or she is.

Mariam and Laila live in a polygamy marriage as wives of a husband named Rasheed, a Pashtun man. The Pashtun is the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan (Saykal and maley 66). In Afghanistan, a man is allowed to have more than one wife. It is usual for a man to marry a very young girl (Hosseini 228). Freeman (84) describes that men in general have higher status and authority over the women of their families, although older women may have influence, even some authority, over junior men.

Before becoming friends, Mariam and Laila are jealous to one another. As the first wife, Mariam thinks that Laila has stolen her husband. However, as the time goes by, they start to love and care one another (Hosseini 239). Based on Aristotle’s theory, the friendship between Mariam and Laila is the friendship which is based on goodnesses. Their friendship is categorized into the friendship based on goodnesses seen through their relationship. It can be found that they

have shared feelings. They are good to one another without qualifications or requirements which means they are good unconditionally. They please one another. They are beneficial to one another. Then, their friendship is long lasting or eternal.

a. Shared Feelings

Mariam and Laila live in a hard situation. They live in wars which happen in Afghanistan. Unfortunatelly, their husband is not a good man. He is bad tempered and rough. By facing many hard situations together, Mariam and Laila have shared feelings. It relates to the motivation. Based on Petri’s theory of motivation (7) which says that one aspect of motivation development is the need to control or have an effect on our environment, this has been called effectance motivation by some and personal causation by others. It means that the other persons’ actions can support the one’s motivation. In this case, Mariam and Laila support one another in building the friendship. Mariam and Laila have the same problems. They live in the same place and the same situation. They need one another through their shared feeling. It motivates Mariam and Laila to have a friendship.

Related to the theory of motivation about the psychological needs, these needs are divided into three levels. They are belongingness and love needs, the esteem needs, and the self-actualization needs (Kasschau 143-144). As human beings, Mariam and Laila need to give and receive love. They also need to acquire esteem through competence and achievement. When they are satisfied, they move

to the next needs, esteem needs. They need to have appreciation by others and feeling of importance. Through their friendship, Mariam and Laila can gain the two psychological needs. They are belongingness and love needs and the esteem needs.

As the description of their characteristics, Mariam and Laila are fair. It supports them to have shared feelings. Mariam and Laila have the same hard thing that is being Rasheed’s wives. Rasheed is not a good husband for them. Rasheed is very bad tempered. That is why Mariam and Laila are not enemies who try to win the husband’s love like other wives in their polygamy marriages.

As gunfire cracked in the hills, they watched the clouds slide over the moon and the last of the season’s fireflies charting bright yellow arcs in the dark. And when Aziza woke up crying and Rasheed yelled for Laila to come up and shut her up, a look passed between Laila and Mariam. An unguarded, knowing look. And in this fleeting, wordless exchange with Mariam, Laila knew that they were not enemies any longer.” (Hosseini 266)

Friendship which is based on goodnesses is rare. It also needs a long process. Aristotle (220) states that there is a proverb which says that people can not know each other until they have eaten the specified salt together. It means, people will start to have signs of friendship by having the same things and feelings in long period. Mariam and Laila face the same hard things which are family conflicts and also wars. They must do many things together. They are like a team.

From that night on, Mariam and Laila did their chores together. They sat in the kitchen and rolled dough, chopped green onions, minced garlic, offered bits of cucumber to Aziza, who banged spoons nearby and played with carrots. In the yard, Aziza lay in a wicker bassinet, dressed in layers of clothing, a winter muffler wrapped sbugly around her neck. Mariam and Laila kept a watchful eye on her as they did the wash, Mariam’s knuckles bumping Laila’s as they scrubbed shirts and trousers and diapers.

Mariam slowly grew accustomed to this tentative but pleasant companionship.(Hosseini 267)

Mariam feels that Laila has the same destiny like herself. As an illegal daughter, she understands that it is very hard. Illegal children are like rubbish. They are thrown away. They are not admitted. In Afghanistan, an illegal child is called as harami which also means something which must be ignored and thrown away. So, Laila forces herself to decide accepting Rasheed, because of she is pregnant. Her pregnancy is illegal. It means she will face a big problem if she is not married yet. Laila tells her secret to Mariam. She believes that Mariam will not tell to Rasheed. Mariam keeps the secret that Laila’s baby is not Rasheed’s daughter. Mariam loves Laila and her daughter. Mariam feels that Laila gives her a brighter life. She is not alone any longer.

But somehow, over these last months, Laila and Aziza, a harami like herself, as it turned out had become extensions of her, and now, without them, the life Mariam had tolerated for so long suddenly seemed intolerable. “We’re leaving this spring, Aziza and I. Come with us, Mariam”. (Hosseini 272)

Through their shared feelings, Mariam and Laila base their friendship on goodnesses. They become friends and are able to share their feeling. They have same activities as wives. Freeman (84) says that child care, household task and crafts closely connected with the household, tend to be done by women; war, hunting, and government, by men.

b. Good to One Another Unconditionally

One characteristic of the friendship which is based on goodnesses is that the persons are good to one another unconditionally (Aristotle 220). Mariam and

Laila love one another without any qualification. It has been described that Mariam and Laila are loving. Based on Maslows’ theory of motivation as cited by Kasschau (143-144), psychological needs are divided into three needs, namely belongingness, esteem, and the self-actualization. Mariam and Laila are good to one another unconditionally to gain all of that needs. As human beings, they need to love and be loved. They also need to be satisfied. Mariam is older than Laila, but Laila is smarter than Mariam. Laila does not care about Mariam’s age and appearance. She does not care about the background of Mariam. So does Mariam. Mariam does not care about the way of Rasheed loves Laila and Laila’s background. They build their friendship without any qualifications or requirements. Mariam and Laila help one another happily without asking qualification. Mariam helps Laila to take care of Laila’s children. Mariam loves Aziza and Zalmai, Laila’s children. She loves them as her own children.

That was also the summer of Titanic, the summer that Mariam and Aziza were a tangle of limbs, rolling and gigling, 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 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.” Then straddling Mariam’s chest, she’d announce, “Now we must kiss!” Mariam whipped her head side to side, and Aziza, delighted with her own scandalous behaviour, chackled through puckered lips.

Sometimes Zalmai would saunter in and watch this game. What did he get to be, he asked. (Hosseini 323-324)

Mariam is good to Laila and also their children unconditionally. Mariam can throw away her first feeling about Laila. Mariam and Laila become good friend. So does Laila. Laila regards Mariam as the older sister. Laila understands Mariam. She helps Mariam. Laila never lets Mariam be sad. She always be a good friend for Mariam without qualification. When Laila has a plan to have a better situation, she asks Mariam to be with her. She does not want to leave Mariam. Laila says “We’re leaving this spring, Aziza and I. Come with us, Mariam.” (Hosseini 272).

It is described in the novel that Mariam and Laila come from different ethnic groups and backgrounds. Laila ia a Tajik (Hosseini 138). However, Mariam does not have any ethnic group exactly. Mariam’s father is a Pashtun but Mariam is an illegal daughter from a servant so that Mariam is not considered as a

Pashtun. Mariam is considered as a harami. Based on their ethnic groups, Mariam and Laila are minority. However, their husband is a Pashtun. Khadija, Mariam’s step mother says ”His name is Rasheed, Khadija went on. He is a friend of a business acquaintance of your father’s. He is a Pashtun, from Kandahar originally....”(Hosseini 50). According to Saikal and Maley (14), The Pashtun ethnic group is the largest single ethnic group in Afghanistan, followed by the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras, Aimaq, Nuristani, Kirghiz, and a considerable number of smaller groups. Thus, as a Pashtun, Rasheed feels strong. He thinks that he will seem stronger if he has more than one wife (Hosseini 228).

Sometimes people really do aware about the background. It becomes the crucial thing to choose friends. However, that is not important thing for Mariam

and Laila. The most important thing is that they have a husband who is a Pashtun. He is not a nice Pashtun. Mariam and Laila know that Pashtun is the majority. Laila has ever been told by her father that Pashtun is a king and other ethnic groups are slighted (Hosseini 138). That is why Rasheed feels stronger. He disparages Mariam and Laila. It is related to the reality of historical background that the Pashtun is stronger than others. As the majority, the Pashtun has an authority to be the leader and the first one. Mariam and Laila belong to the small ethnic groups.

c. Pleasant to One Another

Laila is an energetic woman. It is described in the novel that she is cheerful and funny (Hosseini 252). Laila always smile and laugh, even in a hard situation. It makes Mariam do aware that Laila is a good woman, a good friend. “Mariam found it exhausting to watch the girl’s lolloping enthusiasm and her admit, if only privately, to a degree of admiration.” (Hosseini 252).

Mariam and Laila are pleasant to one another. They try to forget their problems by having some routinities. They try to please each other. They have been disturbed by many problems. They need entertainments. So, Mariam and Laila are pleased by having their togetherness. One ritual that has pleased them is drinking chai. They love that ritual. They can enjoy their life, even just for ten minutes. Mariam is eager for more cups of chai. Mariam and Laila would share in the yard, a nightly ritual (Hosseini 267). Chai is a traditional beverage from Afghanistan. It is such kind of tea.

Mariam and Laila enjoy their togetherness. At least, some little jokes can release their bad feelings of many problems they have. Aziza, Laila’s daughter entertains them through her actions. Mariam and Laila are pleased. One night, Aziza passes gas in her sleep. Laila begins to laugh, and Mariam joins in. They laugh at each other’s reflection in the mirror seeing their eyes tearing, and the moment is so natural, so effortless (Hosseini 271). As a friend, they try to please one another. No matter how hard the situation they face, they know how to please themselves through simple things. According to Maslows’ theory of motivation as cited by Kasschau (143-144), human beings need to have belongingness and love needs. People need to affiliate with others and be accepted. People need to have a pleasent by having friends.

d. Beneficial to One Another

Aristotle (220) says that one characteristic of friendship which is based on goodnesses is beneficial to one another. Mariam and Laila do not aware that they benefit to one another. It is also described that they are helpful. Even, they do sacrifice to one another. A common friend will not do it. It trully happens in a friendship which is based on goodnesses. As a friend, Laila saves Mariam from Rasheed. So does Mariam. They keep one another. This part discusses how they are beneficial to each other.

1) Laila to Mariam

Laila tries to save Mariam when she is mistreated by Rasheed. Laila does not care about the risk. Laila cares of Mariam by defending her.

Rasheed raised the belt again and this time came at Mariam. Then an astonishing thing happened: The girl lunged at him. She grabbed his arm with both hands and tried to drag him down, but she could do no more than dangle from it. She did succeed in slowing Rasheed’s progress toward Mariam. (Hosseini 255)

Laila is much younger than Mariam. However, she has the same destiny as Mariam. Laila regards Mariam as the older one. Laila can be a good friend for Mariam. Without Laila, Mariam may feel so lonely as Rasheed’s wife. Rasheed is very cruel. Laila wants to escape from Rasheed. She plans everything to escape far away from Rasheed. She wants a new life. She collects money by stealing Rasheed’s money. However, Laila wants Mariam to go with her. She does not want to leave Mariam. Laila says “We’re leaving the spring, Aziza and I. Come with us, Mariam”(Hosseini 272). Unfortunately, Rasheed can find and he is very angry. Rasheed starts to punish Mariam, but Laila states that she has planned it all. As the result, Rasheed is very angry.

At the top of the stairs, Laila turned to him.“She didn’t want to do it,” she said. “I made her do it. She didn’t want to go.”

Laila didn’t see the punch coming. One moment she was talking and the next she was on all fours, wide-eyed and red-faced, trying to draw a breath. It was as if a car had hit her at full speed, in the tender place between the lower tip of the breastbone and the belly button.(Hosseini 286)

It can be concluded that Laila is beneficial to Mariam. Through Laila’s actions, she helps Mariam. Laila gives the proof of being a good friend.

2) Mariam to Laila

One day, Mariam imagines about Mullah Faizullah, her teacher. She pictures that Mullah Faizullah whispers to her. He says that Laila and her children

are destiny which comes from God. Laila and her children are true family for Mariam. Mariam are asked to save and keep them.

...as Mariam watched the snow coming down, she pictured Mullah Faizullah twirling his tasbeh beads, learning in and whispering to her in his soft, tremulous voice, But it is God Who has planted them, Mariam jo. And it is His will that you tend to them. It is His will, my girl. (Hosseini 273)

Mariam is much older than Laila. That is why Mariam protects Laila as her daughter. She cares Laila. Mariam says “My daughter’s water broke and the baby won’t come,” Mariam called (Hosseini 307). Mariam loves Laila. When Laila gives a birth, Mariam is being panic. She does not want something bad happen to Laila. She tries to give affection to Laila. “Mariam positioned herself behind the crown of Laila’s head and lowered her face so their cheeks touched. She could feel Laila’s teeth rattling. Their hands locked together.” (Hosseini 312)

The beneficial of friendship can be seen through Mariam’s action when she saves Laila from Rasheed. She dares to kill Rasheed in order to save Laila. Mariam fights againsts Rasheed. However, after killing Rasheed, Mariam still cares to Laila. Mariam wants to make sure that Laila is already saved.

She was being shaken. Are you all right? Answer me, are you all right?

Mariam’s face, engraved with scratches, heavy with worry, hovered over Laila. Laila tried a breath. It burned her throat. She tried another. It burned even more this time, and not just her throat but her chest too. And then she was coughing, and wheezing. Gasping. But breathing. Her good ear rang. (Hosseini 376)

Mariam has been hurted, but she does worry more about Laila. When she looks at Laila’s wounds, she tries to treat Laila. Mariam shows her affection, her greatest affection for the girl who has stolen her husband. One day, Laila is injured. Mariam says “ Let me tend to your wounds now. You’re all cut up, Laila jo.” (Hosseini 378). Mariam shows her affection to Laila.

Mariam calms Laila down. As an older woman, she has positioned herself to be a wise sister. Mariam faces the hardest thing in this life. She has killed Rasheed, her husband, but she wants Laila to live better. Mariam knows that Laila has a prospectful life. Laila has Tariq, Aziza, and also Zalmai. Mariam is willing to give her life for Laila’s happiness.

Mariam waited patiently until Laila felt better. Then she had Laila lie down, and, as she stroked Laila’s hair in her lap, Mariam said not to worry, that everything woould be fine. She said that they would leave. She, Laila, the children, and Tariq too. They would leave this house, and this unforgiving city. They would leave this despondent country altogether, Mariam said, running her hands through Laila’s hair...(378)

Mariam gives her attention to Laila. Through her actions, Mariam shows her beneficial to Laila. Mariam is older to Laila. That is why Mariam has positioned herself as a good sister for Laila. Mariam cares to Laila.

e. Long Lasting

Many people are quick to start and end their friendship. Aristotle (220) says that time and familiarity are required. The true friendship goes through long proccess. It means, those who show the sign of friendship quickly are not really true friends. The friendship between Mariam and Laila is long lasting. Aristotle (220) says that friendship which is based on goodnesses is long lasting. Mariam’s and Laila’s long lasting frienship can be seen through the proof that they do not end their friendship until the death of Mariam and forever. Mariam sacrifices herself to save Laila from Rasheed. One day, Rasheed knows that Laila’s ex-boyfriend comes. Then, Rasheed knows the secret that Aziza is not his daughter.

He wants to kill Laila at that time. Mariam does not want it. She takes a shovel and kills Rasheed. She lets Laila, Tariq, Aziza, and Zalmai be a happy family. As the result, Mariam is punished by being cut off the head. Mariam positions herself to be Laila’s hero.

In the toolsheed, Mariam grabbed the shovel.

Rasheed didn’t notice her coming back into the room. He was still on top of Laila, his eyes wide and crazy, his hands wrapped around her neck. Laila’s face was turning blue now, and her eyes had rolled back.

Mariam saw that she was no longer struggling. He’s going to kill her, she thought. He really means to. And Mariam could not, would not, allow that to happen. He’d taken so much from her in twenty-seven years of marriage. She would not watch him to take Laila too.(373)

Mariam gives what she has. It is stated in the novel “and, with that, Mariam brought down the shovel. This time, she gave it everything she had”(374). She closes her long journey by saving Laila. She ends her hard life. Then, after being saved by Mariam, Laila starts her new life with Tariq, Aziza, Zalmai. Laila will not forget Mariam. She keeps Mariam as the sacred name in her deep heart. Mariam, the one who have been Laila’s best friend, sister, mother, and also hero.

She wished she could visit Mariam’s grave, to sit with her awhile, leave a flower or two. But Laila sees now that it doesn’t matter. Mariam is never very far. She is here, in these walls they’ve repainted, in the trees they’ve planted, in the blankets they keep the children warm, in the pillows and books and pencils. She is in the children’s laughter. She is in the verses Aziza recites and in the prayers she mutters when she bows westward. But, mostly, Mariam is in Laila’s own heart, where she shines with the bursting radiance of a thousand suns. (442-443)

As what is described before that Mariam and Laila are fair, they develop their friendship fairly. They naturally build the friendship among them. So, it can be concluded that the friendship between Mariam and Laila is long lasting. They keep their friendship forever because they are fair one another.

B. Maintaining Friendship Between Mariam and Laila

This part discusses why Mariam and Laila do maintain their freindship. The reasons behind an action can be seen through the motivations and also the influence of environment. Therefore, this section discusses Mariam’s and Laila’s motivation in establishing their friendship. Since it is important to analyse the environments surrounding Mariam and Laila, so this part also presents the influence of sociocultural-historical background.

1. Causes

Mariam and Laila build their friendship naturally. They do not say much words to establish their friendship. They start their friendship in their pityful condition as wives of one man. They are just rivals who try to be the best wife. As the time goes by, they do aware that their family life is not good. Their husband is not as good as before. He is bad tempered. There are some causes of Mariam and Laila in building their friendship, namely family conflicts and social and historical background.

a. Family Conflicts

Mariam and Laila live in a polygamy family. They are wives of one man. Rasheed, their husband is a bad tempered man. When Rasheed decides to marry Laila, he does not care about Mariam although Mariam refuses to have a polygamy family. Rasheed is partial to Laila. Rasheed mocks Mariam. He says that Mariam is only a harami, an illegal daughter. Rasheed says “Have you told her, Mariam, have you told her that you are a harami? Well, she is”(235).

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lost all of their property in Afghanistan. His father took multiple jobs and managed to get his family off welfare. Hosseini graduated from high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California-San Diego’s School of Medicine, where he earned a Medical Degree in 1993. He completed his residency at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles and began practicing Internal Medicine in 1996. His first love, however, has always been writing.

Hosseini has vivid, and fond, memories of peaceful pre-Soviet era Afghanistan, as well as of his personal experiences with Afghan Hazaras. One Hazara in particular was a thirty-year-old man named Hossein Khan, who worked for the Hosseinis when they were living in Iran. When Hosseini was in the third grade, he taught Khan to read and write. Though his relationship with Hossein Khan was brief and rather formal, Hosseini always remembered the fondness that developed between them - a relationship that is reflected in his first novel, Kite Runner.

He is married to Roya and has two children (a boy and a girl, Haris and Farah). In 2006, Hosseini was named a goodwill envoy to the UNHCR, The United Nations Refugee Agency.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, was published in May 2007. Taken from

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LESSON PLAN TO TEACH PROSE II

Learning Subject : Prose II

Level of Students : Fifth semester students of English Language Education Study Program

Topic : Characters, friendship, life

Material : A novel entitled A Thousand Splendid Suns Standard Competence :

Students have the knowledge on interpreting a novel concerning some literary aspects

Basic Competences :

a. Students are able to analyze characters of the novel

b. Students are able to find out the meaning of characters’ behavior or speech Achievement Indicators :

a. Students are able to describe the characters’ characterization

b. Students are able to give comment of the characters’ behavior or speech Kind of Text : Narrative text

Theme : Social Life and Friendship

Meeting : 2

-8- 1. Learning Objectives :

a. Students are able to improve literal comprehension by reading a novel b. Students are able to develop English vocabulary

c. Students are able to give responses to the ideas or issues of the text 2. Teaching Method :

a. Lecture

b. Group discussion and presentation 3. Teaching Learning Activity :

A. Pre-activities (5’)

1. Teacher’s Activity :

• The teacher greets the students and asks about their readiness

• The teacher remind the students about literary work and the components • The teacher divides class into groups

2. Students Activity : • The students respond the greeting • The students find and form their groups B. Whilst Activity (70’)

1. Teacher’s Activity :

• The teacher gives the questions based on the chapter 1 – 11 • The teacher asks the students to present their answers

• The teacher asks other students to give comments about presentation 2. Students Activity :

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• The students present their findings in a group presentation C. Post Activity (25’)

1. Teacher’s Activity

• The teacher asks the students to give comments and draw conclusions based on the result of the discussion

• The teacher draws a conclusion about the lesson • The teacher asks the student to read chapter 12-22 • The teacher closes the activities

2. Students Activity

• The students give comments and draw conclusion

4. Evaluation

Question for evaluation

1. Mention all characters that appear in chapter 1 – 11! 2. Describe characterizations of those characters! 3. How does Mariam picture herself in Kabul?

4. In your opinion, what is Jalil’s feeling exactly to Mariam? Explain!

5. Reference : Hosseini, Khaled. 2007. A Thousand Splendid Suns. New York: Penguin Group

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Picture of Khaled Hosseini