Was Rasheed all bad?

[Monami]

I personally felt that Rasheed was a character with multiple dimensions..he is that one character who, when introduced in the story, gives us a false idea about himself which will be completely shattered by the time he dies in the story. When the question comes that wheather Rasheed was "all bad"..i guess the answer will always be a big YES! There's no doubt about the fact that his treatment of Mariam and Laila was not only brutal but also punishable. He was a man who lacked any sort of respect for men. His act of prefering a boy child over a girl child clearly makes him a representative of the patriarchal society. Some might argue that initially he was good to Mariam..but i feel that it was just an act of camouflaging his inner self so as to allow Mariam form a better image of him in her mind that would automatically make her surrender herself at his feet and make it easier for him to dominate her. However, what must be niticed is that Rasheed was not completely to be blamed for his cruel gestures and inhuman behaviours. He was brought up in a stereotypical patriarchal society that always taught him to objectify women. He held the notion that only men have the proper right to live and women are to be treated as doormat substitutes. He was a grief-stricken fellow who lost his young son who got drowned in a lake but this fact can never really justify the way he behaved with Laila, Mariam and Aziza. His attitude shows that he is an inhuman wretch and i think the way he died was completely well-deserved. According to me, Rasheed was the most impactful character in this entire novel..he was difficult to understand, difficult to tolerate and even more difficult to forget..

[Rolla]

Ayesham561 wrote: "i believe he was "all bad" , he had no respect to his woman or even pity. the society he was brought up in didn't respect women , true . yet, why is Laila's dad very different even though he was br..."

Laila's dad was different because he was educated... the root of all evil is ignorance. Rasheed was not a sophisticated man, he was a shoemaker. Though I agree with you that he had no respect or pity towards women, I don't think that is exclusive TO women, meaning he is naturally violent, we were only shown this violence however towards the women. On a personal level I believe he was all bad (anyone who stands to see suffering or inflicts it unnecessarily without resent is in my opinion) but on a societal and situational level he was not. He was able to provide for them and keep them safe despite the war that was being waged. We forget that he is traditional because we are introduced to the modern characters (Laila, Tariq, etc.) but in reality he was only an average man when compared to others of his country. He provided for them, only abused when provoked, and loved his son. Every story has at least two sides, I don't believe anyone can ever be "all" bad.

[Rasheed'S]

no nigga rasheed was great

[Adna]

Even the most bad characters in our history had some extremely good deeds behind them - so this question brings us back to ourselves and our perception of the world. The truth is life can bring the worst out of everyone, but then again the worst version of every single human being is different. I didn't like the worst version of Rasheed. It put me trough tears and sweat while reading book. More sad and heartbreaking: I'm sure there is still people in the world who would say that she deserved it.

So I'm not gonna qualify him. His worst version pulled every possibility to look on his bright side when it comes to me.

I'm a double Libra and even I can't put this on scale.

[Lonely]

REALLY BAD.
The way that men treat women during that time, ion Afghanistan is indisputable.

[Ruci]

His belief, background and past make him bad . He loves only when its fitting for instance during Miriam's pregnancy. He is like other extreme Muslim men who believe that women are worthless. This is one classic example.

[Binh]

In my opinion, Rasheed was a manipulated and cruel husband to both Mariam and Laila. He deceived Mariam into believing he is her safe haven, only to be beat and forsake her when she could not bear him any children. Soon he lusted after Laila, and manipulated her into marrying him. Though Laila is no exception to his beatings. She later also became victim and subjected to her husband’s assault. It is true such harsh treatment toward his wives is part of his socialization. It is part of his Afghanistan culture. And there were a few moments where he does appeared sympathetic, but his brutal and abusive actions still goes unjustified, nonetheless. However, his ruthless behavior is exceedingly inhuman that it does justified his wives’ decision to steal from him and run away. No living creature should ever live with a monster like Rasheed and endure such diabolical beatings.

[Maha]

Rasheed wasn't bad as much as he was cowered to face his family and society, he should've corrected his mistake no matter what costs .

[Kendra Hedrick]

Definitely a purely evil man in my opinion. Yes, Rasheed was influenced by the cultural norms he was raised in. But as y'all have said, Laila's dad was not that way, Tariq was not that way, even Miriam's dad was nothing like Rasheed. I feel like Miriam's dad is a better example of someone who made decisions based on his cultural influences. He hurt Miriam so much throughout her life but through it all he still loved her deeply and showed as much kindness as he was allowed to show in that society. I can understand why he had to do what he did to spare his other wives and children. Also, other female characters that Miriam and Laila meet throughout the book do not appear to have husbands or fathers nearly as horrible as Rasheed.
All that said, this is my favorite book EVER.

[Anusha]

Rasheed was all bad and any of his anger can never be justified

[Aura]

Yes, I 100% believe Rasheed was all bad. There was nothing at all whatsoever that was redeemable about him. Even if he didn’t abuse Mariam from the get go, he still willingly chose to marry a fifteen year old girl, and then a fourteen year old with Laila. Not to mention his disgusting treatment of both of them and Aziza.

[Tala]

I think Rasheed is a victim to an egg-headed, iggnorant, traditional society. He sees his actions as normal things a husband would do to his wife. He see his wife as an object he owns ( which in so many societies is still true). Yes, he's the character you kind of have to hate and no one would disagree that he is a terrible person. But if he were to be brought up in a different way, I think a lot of things in his personality would have changed.

[Jyoti]

deleted user wrote: "In a country like Afghanistan, as I know it and believe you do too, morals are defined and taught by Muslim clerics who do not believe in our interpretation of morals. As a Muslim, I believe that I..."

His views and treatment of women is deplorable. He views them as objects who can be used and disposed off at his will. Not only that, he actually enjoys Mariam's ignorance and innocence. He takes pride knowing that Laila has to depend on him, knowing her education is all useless now. His concept of manhood is based on looking down upon women, seeing them as helpless creatures at his mercy.
Do all uneducated men necessarily treat women like that? Are all illiterates devoid of compassion? The Nazis were educated, did that stop them from committing heinous acts? Did it make them more human?

[Kriztin]

His wives stole nd tried to run away from him for a reason. He has no respect for them. What he did to both Mariam and Laila were unforgivable. Period.

[Jesse]

We only know someone isn't all bad if there is some sort of redemption for their character. Some type of nuance to their behavior or a moment where they show remorse for bad behaviors. For Rasheed, there was never any redemption, and no indication that he had remorse for his actions, so we can't know there was any good in him. Environment, while sometimes used as an excuse by psychopaths, doesn't excuse a person for lacking all humanity no matter how bad their environment is. People raised in any environment can still have a sense of empathy or compassion, as our other characters in the story demonstrated. So as far as the story is concerned, Rasheed is all bad.

[Jowana]

he's bad his society had an influence but no matter what you can control how to treat humans by being one ...

[Sarah]

In a patriarchal society, both men and women are the victims. Rasheed is a victim of his society's traditions. His environment has shaped him the way he is aggressive and brutal. One can't ignore his upbringing. However, that doesn't exempt him from the responsibility of the inhumane acts and huge discrimination he committed against his wives. He's both a victim AND a victimizer. So is here really entirely bad? Yes, he is bad. He is a grown sane man who's responsible for his choices. Is he really the only one to put the blame on? No, his society is to blame too.

[Midhat]

If one see fairly then Rasheed was not completely bad, his situations made him like that. His previous wife was dead and even his most loving eight year old son. This was the trauma of his life which is the cause of his cruelty. Moreover, the upbringing of men in Afghanistan is also the reason of his savagery personality.

[Susie]

Akankshita wrote: "This book casts Rasheed in an extremely harsh light-it's my belief that he wasn't 'all bad'. He had been brought up that way-not to respect women as human beings, value a son more than a daughter, ..."

After reading such an array of very interesting comments about this wonderful book, I now have my next read. I love A Thousand Splendid Suns, and have read it twice before, but not for a while now, so will read it again. I certainly don't remember having any sympathy whatsoever for Rasheed, but I do remember being intrigued by the warmth that developed between Mariam and Laila. For sure the story is an emotionally challenging read, but it gives wonderful insight into the female characters, and into the issue of domestic violence. As for whether I think Rasheed was a bad man, yes I think he was. As with all perpetrators of domestic violence, irrespective of cultural background, he had no respect for women. Sadly this is an all too common issue which needs to be understood and addressed. Highlighting the issue in fiction is a way of raising awareness, and I think Khaled Housseini does this with wonderful sensitivity. Looking forward to the reread.

[Shlok]

No of course not. We know how he lost his first "son" and wife but still that dos not give him permit to be bad to Mariam. Also, he was insane towards Laila and her daughter.
He had been good only when he needed something or had expectations which could cater his needs. We know this by following instances:
i) Horrible behaviour towards Mariam after her miscarriages.
ii) Giving asylum to Laila.
iii) Bad behaviour towards Laila's daughter.
No doubt he had faced a lot in his own life but his rancourse towards women of his house was unacceptable.