Conclusion

Khaled Hosseini’s use of imagery and connotation throughout this passage creates strong connections to gender inequality and importance of family in Afghanistan. As shown in the passage, hospitals were limited in space to provide treatment for females which demonstrated the idea of inequality between genders in Afghanistan due to control of the Taliban. All women were sent to Rabia Balkhi, an unsanitary hospital that was lacking in medication. The hospital was filled with “air stank of sweat and unwashed bodies, of feet, urine, cigarette smoke, and antiseptic” (286). Women had less access to their nearby hospitals and were forced to travel far to other hospitals. Men had access to a clean atmosphere environment for treatment while women had to endure the unhygienic surrounding. Using imagery, Hosseini allows the reader to visualize and experience what women were going through. Being use to the fact that hospitals are clean, getting hospitalized at a contaminated hospital is unbearable. Connotation was used by Hosseini in this passage to create a visual of how chaotic the hospital was. Instead of being patient and waiting on line, Mariam “fought her way with impudent resolve to the front of the melee” (287). Instead of using the word, mob, Hosseini uses the word melee to describe that the crowd was desperately fighting for their spots on line to get treatment. The word melee is able to describe the confused crowd that is trying to get assistance from the nurses. Going through the large crowd, Mariam was attacked but she still continued to travel to the front for Laila. This shows that family is more important than the injuries that Mariam had. Mariam was willing to fight for her “grandson” that was soon to be born. Although Laila isn’t her legitimate child, Mariam still cared for her. Throughout the book, Hosseini’s use of imagery and connotation showed readers that Afghanistan’s culture values and social issues can be similar and different from American values. Compare to America, Afghanistan has great amount of inequality socially and culturally. Although there maybe inequality, family seems to be the most important compared to everything.