* The day of their escape arrives, and they leave in a taxi. In order to get train tickets, the women must find a man to pose as a family member because women legally cannot travel alone. Once in Pakistan they have to find a way across the border, which has been closed to Afghanis due to the vast numbers of refugees fleeing the country. A visa is required, and the women don't have one.
- In April of 1992 the Mujahideen took over, and with the change in power came a tightening over the rights of women. Much of the freedom they had under Soviet rule was revoked (laws based on the Shari'a). ex. women required to cover, cannot travel without a male relative, adultery punishable by stoning
- The man that they chose to help them betrays them, and they are taken to the police station where they are questioned. Laila begs for him to let them go, but the officer refuses and says it is his duty to maintain order and abide by the law. (It is illegal for a woman to run away from her husband, and is punishable by imprisonment)
- The women are taken home by the police.
- Splits the two women up and isolates them in a dark room. Deprives them (including the baby) of food and water. --> examples of Rasheed's extreme cruelty.
- "The dark was total, impenetrable and constant, without layer or texture. Rasheed had filled the cracks between boards with something, put a large and immovable object at the foot of the door so no light came from under it." (269)
- "They would die here, of that Laila was sure now, but what she really dreaded was that she would outlast Aziza, who was young and brittle. [...] Aziza would die in this heat, and Laila would have to lie beside her stiffening little body and wait for her own death." (271)
- Even when close to death, and in one of the worst situations possible, Laila thinks of her child before herself.
- Rasheed: "You try this again and I will find you. I swear on the Prophet's name that I will find you. And, when I do, there isn't a court in this godforsaken country that will hold me accountable for what I do. To Mariam first, then to her, and you last. I'll make you watch." (272)
* Note: it is now September 1996
* Celebration of the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
- "At least the Taliban are pure and incorruptible. At least they're decent Muslim boys. Walla, when they come, they will clean up this place. They'll bring peace and order. People won't get shot anymore going out for milk. No more rockets! Think of it!" (274)
- With the emergence of every new rebel group and opposition, comes new hope for the country. With the changing of every source of power, comes a new feeling of disillusionment.
New laws enforced by Taliban (277): women will stay inside their homes at all times, a female must be accompanied by a male if she goes outside, women cannot show their faces, women will always wear a burqa outside, makeup is forbidden, jewelry is forbidden, women will not speak unless spoken to first, women cannot laugh in public, girls cannot attend school, women cannot work, adulterers (women) will be stoned to death
- Even more oppressive than the previous regime. Women basically have no rights under the Taliban. Those you have jobs, and seats in the government, are confined to the house and stripped of their lives.
- "Mariam heard the answer in his laugh: that in the eyes of the Taliban, being a communist and the leader of the dreaded KHAD made Najibullah only slightly more contemptible than a woman." (279)
* The punishments for breaking the new laws took place on Fridays at the Ghazi stadium for people to watch. (executions, removal of hands and feet, etc.)
* Laila becomes pregnant again, although she feels much different about it this time.
- "What a terrible thing it was, Laila thought now, for a mother to fear that she could not summon love for her own child. What an unnatural thing. And yet she had to wonder, as she lay on the floor, her sweaty hands poised to guide the spoke, if indeed she could ever love Rasheed's child as she had Tariq's." (283)
- Her hatred is so strong for Rasheed, that she almost aborts the baby. However, in the end she does not do it because she cannot bring herself to end the life of an innocent.
* Note: it is now September 1997
* Women and men can no longer go the same hospitals, and the one set aside for women is very poorly accommodated and not sanitary at all. It is literally a fight to be seen as well. Women claw their way to the front in order to be seen. (287)
* "Mariam saw now the sacrifices a mother made. Decency was but one. She thought ruefully of Nana, of the sacrifices that she too had made. Nana, who could have given her away, or tossed her in a ditch somewhere and run. But she hadn't. Instead, Nana had endured the shame of bearing a harami..." (287)
- Having Laila and Aziza in her life has changed Mariam's outlook on the past. She understands what it feels like to be a mother, after all she is in many ways a mother figure for both Aziza and Laila. She also is more understanding and appreciative of her own mother and the sacrifices she had made for Mariam.
* Laila is told that she needs to have a caesarian, and that due to restrictions put in place by the Taliban, it would have to be done with anesthetic.
- Taliban have given all the money and drugs to male hospitals, and women are left with nothing.
* Note: It is now Fall 1999
* Laila had given birth to a little boy, who Rasheed named Zalmai. Her fears about not being able to love a child of Rasheed were unfounded, and she loves the child very much. Nobody dotes on the child as much as Rasheed does though.
- Rasheed treats Zalmai extremely differently than Aziza, and buys him too much stuff despite the lack of sufficient funds. Dichotomy between how men and women are treated, even at the age of infancy.
* Aziza is now six, and has become a "calm, pensive little girl" (297). Her hair is the same blond as her mother's. She has also taken on a matronly role and does many of the things required to take care of Zalmai.
* Rasheed informs Laila that Aziza will have to start begging on the streets in order to bring in more income (even though he has just bought a TV for the two year old Zalmai). Laila refuses, but Rasheed does not give any heed to her objections.
- Laila proceeds to punch Rasheed (for the first time) --> she is still strong willed and relatively "untamed" despite all of the oppression she has endured. She will also do anything for the sake of her child, and will not allow either to be hurt or put in the way of danger. Sometimes, this being an example of such an occasion, Laila acts without thinking.
- Rasheed proceeds to go get his gun, slam her against the wall, and place the barrel of the gun in her mouth.
Much time passes during this section. The Taliban have come into power, restricting women's rights to the point that they really no longer have any. Although this change is troublesome to Laila and Mariam, it does not have a large effect on them since Rasheed had already basically implemented the same rules in his house long ago. Mariam and Laila's failed escape attempt did not help their position or freedom in the home either.
The only female character that goes through much development in this section is Aziza, and little is said about it. She seems to have taken on a matronly role quite naturally. Nothing is said about how she thinks of Rasheed, but she seems to avoid him as much as he avoids her. There is very little interaction between the two. However, the bond between her and Maraim has grown, and Mariam has very much become a mother figure for her as well. In a way, Mariam is also a mother figure, as well as a companion, to Laila too. The experience that they go through after their escape attempt only serves to strengthen their bond.
Laila continues to be the strong and courageous woman she has always been. She does not hesitate to have the caesarian without anesthetic. As always, she continues to put the well-being of her children above her own. The only time that she seems to lose control is when they are threatened in some way or another. This would explain why she punches Rasheed in the first place. Although she will not stand up for herself, she will do what she feels is necessary to protect Aziza and Zalmai.
Again, the women, despite their unorthodox ways, continue to be portrayed in a positive way, while Rasheed and the oppressive male figures are portrayed negatively. The way in which they are treated makes the reader feel pity and remorse for the women, and in turn hate Rasheed and the Taliban. Times are hard, especially for women, but Mariam and Laila endure.
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