Although more and more people begin to give much more concentration and interests on A Thousand Splendid Suns since it first has been translated into Chinese by Li Jihong in 2008, fewer people draw their attention to the exploration of the causes of the tragedies of the two main female characters from the perspective of patriarchy. As a result, the author would like to reveal the real deep factors which cause the miserable and tragic experiences and fates of the two main female characters in A Thousand Splendid Suns from the angle of patriarchy and hope to provide a new direction for more people to further explore the meaning and theme of this novel.

2.2 The Introduction of Patriarchy

According to Wikipedia “Patriarchy is a social system in which males hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. In the domain of the family, fathers or father-figures hold authority over women and children. Some patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the male lineage.”(Net.1) 

Patriarchy is the anthropological term used to define the sociological condition in which male members of a society predominate in positions of power: the more powerful the position is, the more likely it is that a male will hold that position. The term "patriarchy" is also used in systems of ranking male leadership in certain hierarchical churches or religious bodies, such as the Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox churches. Societies have developed out of patriarchal cultures. Institutions of religion, education, and commerce retain patriarchal practices. Patriarchy in the form of pided roles between women and men into domestic and social spheres is distinctly visible in modern Muslim countries. In Europe and America, whose cultures are based on a Christian model, political and religious power continues to exert a strong influence. The ideas of Enlightenment philosophy and revolutionary movements including Feminism have brought about changes creating wider possibilities for both women and men. Religious, social, political, and familial models demonstrate the inherent flaws and advantages of a patriarchal system. Although modern society remains predominately patriarchal, trends seem to suggest a movement toward a more equitable model in which men and women (as couples or as cooperative inpiduals) share power and responsibility over all realms of society. (Net.1)来!自~吹冰论-文|网www.chuibin.com

The author of Sexual Politics Kite Millett (2000) argues that “sex has a frequently neglected political aspect”. Gender almost determines everything especially in Afghan which has typical and obvious feature of patriarchy. In this country, gender not only determines political rights but also directly influences one’s social hierarchy and social status to a large extent. Simone de Beauvoir(1949), the founder of the feminist movement also points out “marriage is women’s fate which is arranged by the traditional society.” Although the times is always evolving and developing and the social status of Afghan women may have being improved over time, there is no doubt that Afghanistan women still live in a lower social status from the perspective of A Thousand Splendid Suns in that women often adhere to men for living more than themselves in Afghan. In Hosseini’s description of Nana’s teaching of Mariam, it provides a clear illustration of the difficult situation of Afghan women in such a men-dominated society: “Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam” (Hosseini, 2007:7).