Weakness is a disease caused by division and the only cure is to unite for strength Strength in a harsh environment can be found in numbers and within those numbers bonds between people can form from compassion In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini a mother daughter bond formed between Mariam and Laila whilst in the grasp of their abusive husband Rasheed Compassion being the main foundation of the relationship caused Mariam and Laila to reveal their strength as people Exposure to a harsh environment causes strong bonds to form stemmed from compassion ultimately revealing strength in a person When Laila births Aziza Rasheed is displeased with her because Aziza is not a boy Rasheed refuses to be involved with the baby and will not buy Laila clothes for the baby Despite Rasheed s disapproval Laila is in love with Aziza Laila and Rasheed s channels his anger about the baby and begins an argument because Laila refuses to have sex with Rasheed Rasheed blames the incident on Mariam As Rasheed prepares to strike Mariam with his belt Laila does the unthinkable 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
