Why does Mariam blame Laila for marrying Rasheed, and why does she see Laila as a competitor in A Thousand Splendid Suns?
Although the women eventually become fierce allies, things certainly don't begin that way. This is thanks in large part to Rasheed, who is an arrogant and abusive man and seemingly wants the women to be rivals from the very beginning.
Rasheed is an old man when he decides to marry Laila. In Chapter 29, we are told that
. . . his hair had gone white . . . there was a sag now to his eyelids and the skin of his neck, which was wrinkled and leathery.
Shockingly, Laila is a mere fourteen at the time of their marriage. Mariam has been Rasheed's only wife for eighteen years and "has never asked [Rasheed] for one thing," but she does beg him not to take this incredibly young wife after all these years. Rasheed counters that if he turns Laila into the streets, she will die. He says,
How many...
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days do you suppose she'll last before she's abducted, raped, or tossed into some roadside ditch with her throat slit?
Rasheed doesn't really give Mariam a choice, anyway; he never has.
He sells Mariam's wedding ring to purchase one for Laila, further insulting his first wife. Mariam tries to spare what remains of her own dignity by dictating the cleaning and household schedule to Laila. Laila, very much alone and scared, seeks to establish some sort of relationship with the only other woman in her life; she thanks Mariam for caring for her when she was injured. Mariam replies,
I wouldn't have . . . if I'd known you were going to turn around and steal my husband.
Soon after the union, Laila becomes pregnant. Since Mariam has no children, this is especially painful.
As the women (and Laila's children) suffer at Rasheed's hands, they forge a bond that will carry them to the end—and provide the hope that they desperately need to survive ongoing abuse.
It is simple feminine jealousy that creates the chasm between Mariam and Laila in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Following the death of her parents, Laila is nursed back to health in Rasheed's home. Rasheed's motive soon becomes obvious: He is smitten with the fourteen year old girl, and he wants to make her his second wife. Laila could have turned him down; after all, there was at least a 35 year difference in their ages. But Laila has no money and nowhere else to go. When she discovers that Tariq is dead, there is nothing left to do but accept Rasheed's proposal. To Laila, Rasheed seems sincere, as he previously appeared to Mariam. Mariam sees that Rasheed is enamored with the young girl, and she recognizes that her new position will be that of the second wife: She is the sturdy Volga (a Russian auto), while Laila will become the Mercedes Benz. Rasheed will now spend his nights with Laila, and Mariam will become an outcast in her own home. Her jealousy borders on hatred, and she tells Laila that she will neither be her servant nor her friend.
"I wouldn't have fed you and washed you and nursed you if I'd known you were going to turn around and steal my husband."
Why does Laila defend Mariam from Rasheed's beating in A Thousand Splendid Suns?
Laila defends Mariam for several reasons. First, she feels pity for Mariam. As horrible as Laila's situation is (losing her family and her lover), she realizes that Mariam's life with Rasheed has not been any better. Secondly, Laila knows that she needs an ally. Although Mariam treats her harshly, Laila must be able to form an alliance with Mariam simply for survival's sake, if nothing else. Finally, Laila--unlike Mariam--grew up in a loving family with a father who was kind and gentle. She instantly recognizes that Rasheed's treatment of Mariam is not acceptable, whereas Mariam is used to not being treated well.