Laila’s wedding ring Once Laila tells Rasheed that she will marry him, he goes out and buys her a ring. In order to get the money to buy Laila’s ring, Rasheed sells Mariam’s wedding ring. This is a symbol of how Rasheed has forgotten about Mariam, and now only cares about Laila, because she will in chance give him children, unlike Mariam. “Rasheed sat on the bed beside her, made a great show of slowly undoing the ribbon, of opening the box and plucking out the ring delicately. He let on that he’d traded in Mariam’s old wedding ring for it” (Pg. 194)
Mariam’s Burqa Once Mariam and Rasheed are married, Rasheed gives Mariam a burqa. What this is, is almost a piece of cloth that some Muslim women wear to hide their entire faces. Rasheed giving this to Mariam, shows how he is very overprotective and controlling because, he doesn’t want other men to be able to see Mariam’s face. “Where I come from, a woman’s face is her husband’s business only” (Pg. 63) The burqa also shows how some other men living in Afghanistan at the time, mistreated their wives and considered them property.
Kolba This is where Mariam and her mother live before her mother decides to commit suicide. It is a symbol of her old life and how she never return because she is now married to Rasheed. “The space of it suffocated Mariam. Pangs of longing bore into her, for Nana, for Mullah Faizullah, for her old life.” (Pg. 54)
Jalil’s walls When Mariam goes to visit her father Jalil’s house, he doesn’t let her in and the walls around his house, keep her out. This is a symbol of how Jalil wants to keep Mariam out of his life. The reason is, is that he is embarrassed of her, because the reason for her existence, is because he had an affair with her mother. “He closed the gates. Mariam sat, and drew her knees to her chest.” (Pg. 31)
Rasheed’s belt What Rasheed uses his belt mostly for, is to hit either Mariam or Laila. He does it to instill fear in them so that they will do whatever he pleases and never go against his wishes. It symbolizes his willingness to hurt either one of them, and how he truly doesn’t care about them. “The fake brass buckle dragged behind him, bouncing on the steps. She went to stop him, but he shoved her back and blew by her. Without saying a word, he swung the belt at Laila.” (Pg 308)
The box that Jalil leaves for Mariam Before Jalil dies, he gives Mullah Faizullah a box with a letter, a tape of Pinocchio , and money. This is a symbol of how Jalil truly did care about Mariam, but didn’t realize it until he almost lost everything. “I regret that I did not make you a daughter to me, that I let you live in that place for all those years.” (Pg. 359)
Mariam’s suitcase When Mariam first arrives in Kabul, she doesn’t unpack her suitcase in Rasheed’s house until she has been living there for a week. This is a symbol of Mariam doesn’t want to her life to change, and that she still can’t fully let go of her old life. “Are you ever going to unpack that thing? He said, motioning with his head toward her suitcase. He crossed his arms. I figured you might need some time. But this is absurd. A week’s gone by and… Well, then as of tomorrow morning I expect you to start behaving like a wife. Fahmidi?” (Pg. 58)
Cigarette Throughout the novel, Rasheed continuously smokes cigarettes. These are a symbol of how Rasheed is a dirty and unkind person. Because like cigarettes, he is bad for Mariam and Laila because he beats them, and also like cigarettes, he smells bad. “Rasheed sighed irritably. A puff of his smoky breath hit Mariam’s face. I won’t take that personally. This time.” (Pg.54)
Television When the Taliban take over in the novel, they impose many laws taking away peoples freedom. One of these laws includes not being allowed to own a television. This is a symbol of what Mariam, Laila, and Rasheed can’t have. It also shows how their freedom is taken away by the Taliban. “Writing book, watching films, and painting pictures are forbidden” (Pg. 248)
Shed Mariam is locked in When Mariam and Laila try to run away, they are caught and are sent back to Rasheed. Rasheed is furious and he locks Mariam the shed in the backyard, without any food or water. This symbolizes how Mariam is almost in a prison throughout her marriage with Rasheed, because she always has to do what he tells her. “She watched him shove Mariam into the tool shed. He went in, came out with a hammer and several long planks of wood. He shut the double doors to the shed, took a key from his pocket, worked the padlock.” (Pg. 241)
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