This research explores the representations of feminine suffering in Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, through a critical approach that analyzes the forms of social oppression, domestic violence, and patriarchal dominance faced by female characters. The study focuses on how the novel’s discourse constructs women's suffering not as a state of passive submission, but as a space where resistance, resilience, and feminist solidarity take shape. Utilizing Feminist Criticism supported by narrative analysis, the research aims to uncover the relationship between the textual structure and the socio-political context framing the female experience in Afghanistan, specifically during the country's major political shifts.
The research problem lies in questioning the mechanisms of the narrative representation of pain: does the text merely record suffering as an imposed reality, or does it employ it to expose patriarchal systems? By tracing the trajectories of the characters Mariam and Laila, the study highlights the "female body" as a battlefield for socio-political conflict. The research concludes that suffering in the text functions as a catalyst for forming a new identity that transcends the traditional frameworks imposed by patriarchal authority. This transforms the narrative from a mere document of historical pain into a discourse of human resistance, where the cries of victims intersect with the will for change. Consequently, the novel serves as a model of feminist narrative that rehabilitates the marginalized voice and grants it existential agency.