Marriage in WH and ATSS:
LOAS:
1- Social imperative of marriage- Mariam married off to protect Jalil,
Laila marrying Rasheed, Catherine marrying Edgar
2- Loss of female identity in marriage- Isabella + Catherine (I am
Heathcliff!) + Mariam
3- Escape from such confining marriages is necessary for growth-
Mariam reclaims autonomy, Catherine’s death allows her to
eventually reunite with Heathcliff
In both ‘WH’ and ‘ATSS’, marriage is presented as a pragmatic construct,
as Hosseini and Bronte similarly portray it as a social imperative rather
than a loving affair. In ‘ATSS’, this imperative is displayed to be shared by
both male and female characters. Mariam’s marriage to Rasheed
demonstrates the need for Jalil to cleanse his name of the shame that
Mariam’s ‘harami’ identity garners. In Islam, sex is intended for marriage
only, and therefore Mariam being born out of wedlock would have been
socially frowned upon, which Hosseini points to in describing her as from
‘illegitimate beginnings’- as such, Jalil marries Mariam off to Rasheed to
safeguard his own status ‘for fear of losing face’. Hosseini conflates this
marriage with the notion of transaction by regarding it as a ‘contract’,
signifying its businesslike nature. This is further emphasised by the
curtailed nature of this marriage, which Hosseini reflects structurally in the
speed in which Mariam is married off, to present the need for Jalil and his
family to be rid of Mariam and the burden of her status and definitively
‘erase, once and for all, the last trace of their husband’s scandalous
mistake.’ The social imperative for marriage further manifests in ‘ATSS’
through Laila, who is forced to marry Rasheed for the survival of herself
and her expected child in war-torn Afghanistan. Again, Hosseini presents
this as strictly obligatory in describing it as a ‘muted ceremony’, lacking
the stereotypical vitality and love connoted to marriage, as well as
perhaps mirroring Laila’s own voicelessness and passivity in being
resigned to this unwanted but necessary marriage. Much like Mariam’s
marriage, Hosseini pointedly remarks to ‘The contract. The signing.’ The
use of parataxis in these short, blunt clauses strips the moment of
emotional depth, reducing the union to a legal transaction devoid of
agency or love. This notion is similarly presented by Bronte in ‘WH’, in
Catherine having to marry Edgar for social ascension. Despite
acknowledging the love she has for Heathcliff in noting ‘he’s more myself
than I am.’, Catherine recognises that marrying Heathcliff ‘would degrade
me’ given his status, ultimately forcing her to marry Edgar. The obligatory
LOAS:
1- Social imperative of marriage- Mariam married off to protect Jalil,
Laila marrying Rasheed, Catherine marrying Edgar
2- Loss of female identity in marriage- Isabella + Catherine (I am
Heathcliff!) + Mariam
3- Escape from such confining marriages is necessary for growth-
Mariam reclaims autonomy, Catherine’s death allows her to
eventually reunite with Heathcliff
In both ‘WH’ and ‘ATSS’, marriage is presented as a pragmatic construct,
as Hosseini and Bronte similarly portray it as a social imperative rather
than a loving affair. In ‘ATSS’, this imperative is displayed to be shared by
both male and female characters. Mariam’s marriage to Rasheed
demonstrates the need for Jalil to cleanse his name of the shame that
Mariam’s ‘harami’ identity garners. In Islam, sex is intended for marriage
only, and therefore Mariam being born out of wedlock would have been
socially frowned upon, which Hosseini points to in describing her as from
‘illegitimate beginnings’- as such, Jalil marries Mariam off to Rasheed to
safeguard his own status ‘for fear of losing face’. Hosseini conflates this
marriage with the notion of transaction by regarding it as a ‘contract’,
signifying its businesslike nature. This is further emphasised by the
curtailed nature of this marriage, which Hosseini reflects structurally in the
speed in which Mariam is married off, to present the need for Jalil and his
family to be rid of Mariam and the burden of her status and definitively
‘erase, once and for all, the last trace of their husband’s scandalous
mistake.’ The social imperative for marriage further manifests in ‘ATSS’
through Laila, who is forced to marry Rasheed for the survival of herself
and her expected child in war-torn Afghanistan. Again, Hosseini presents
this as strictly obligatory in describing it as a ‘muted ceremony’, lacking
the stereotypical vitality and love connoted to marriage, as well as
perhaps mirroring Laila’s own voicelessness and passivity in being
resigned to this unwanted but necessary marriage. Much like Mariam’s
marriage, Hosseini pointedly remarks to ‘The contract. The signing.’ The
use of parataxis in these short, blunt clauses strips the moment of
emotional depth, reducing the union to a legal transaction devoid of
agency or love. This notion is similarly presented by Bronte in ‘WH’, in
Catherine having to marry Edgar for social ascension. Despite
acknowledging the love she has for Heathcliff in noting ‘he’s more myself
than I am.’, Catherine recognises that marrying Heathcliff ‘would degrade
me’ given his status, ultimately forcing her to marry Edgar. The obligatory
