Abstract

A Thousand Splendid Suns is the second novel of Khaled Hosseini which has won him great reputation. Because he is an American Afghan, most of his works are concerned with the painful suffering of ordinary Afghans under such a dog-eat-dog society. The novel is about the dreams of two feminine protagonists---Mariam and Laila, the humiliation they bore, the resistance under great pressure and spiritual salvation. The author narrates respectively from the angle of the two heroines which seems plain but more touching, profoundly revealing the awakening of female self-consciousness and revolt against the inequality.
Women live in the lowest position in the patriarchal Afghan society especially under the control of Taliban. They are not allowed to go outside unless be accompanied by a male relative, and they are not allowed to show their faces under any circumstances. For women, cosmetics are forbidden, jewelry is forbidden, schooling is forbidden, and working is forbidden.
Based on previous researches, this thesis will analyze the awakening of the two heroines and how they rebel against the political repression and distortion of patriarchal society from the feminist perspective in order to reveal women’s tragedy as an inferior group, meantime to call for the global women’s liberation movement and build a gender equality society.

Keywords:  A Thousand Splendid Suns      feminism      awakening      rebellion

摘要

卡勒德·胡赛尼，美国当代畅销作家，其处女座问世以后大获成功，成为近年来国际文坛最大的黑马，获得各项新人奖。《灿烂千阳》是胡塞尼的第二本小说，出版后赢得评论界一致好评，使胡赛尼由新人作家一跃成为受到广泛认同的成熟作家。
胡塞尼的作品多围绕战火下普通阿富汗人民的生活疾苦从而揭露这个人吃人的社会，《灿烂千阳》讲述1964年至2003年间两位阿富汗女性的梦想与破灭，她们的所受的屈辱与隐忍，重压之下的不甘与反抗以及为爱牺牲获得精神救赎。他采用分别从两位女主人公的视角交叉叙述的方式，笔触平实，但感染力却更甚，深刻的为我们揭示了女性自我意识的觉醒及对不平等的反抗。
在前人的研究基础上，本课题拟从女性主义角度出发解读在男权主义盛行和政治压迫人性的社会中，两位女主角的觉醒反抗之路，从而揭示女性作为一个弱势群体悲剧，批判男权社会及其对女性人性的扼杀，同时呼吁女性解放运动在全球范围内的成功，唤醒人们的男女平等意识，从而建立一个男女平等的和谐社会。

关键词: 《灿烂千阳》；女性主义；觉醒；反抗