Escaping “a Thousand Memories”: A Character Analysis of Hashimi’s Fereiba

Escaping “a Thousand Memories”: A Character Analysis of Hashimi’s Fereiba

Fereiba’s character within the novel is demonstrative of the resiliency existing in many displaced people. Although she has lost her husband she assumes a necessary leadership role of her remaining family in order to survive.

            We are introduced to the cultural differences between East and West throughout the novel. They are sometimes foreign to us. For example, Fereiba’s arranged marriage leaves her vulnerable and increasingly isolated. She states, “…I was lonely. Not one person in my family knew how I felt. Not one person knew why. My distress was trapped in my throat like something I could neither choke down nor spit out” (Hashimi, 45). Through the use of simile and emotive prose, the author is able to convey the very personal experiences of such arrangements to an outside audience that may not fully understand the practice and its effects upon women.

            Fereiba represents a bridge between pre and post-Taliban life in Afghanistan. She can remember how different life was before the new regime where they “insisted that women dress more modestly and men grow their beards in accordance with Islamic tradition” (92). She laments the loss of educational opportunities for girls under the oppressive religious codes. She recounts, “I was sick at the thought of so many empty classrooms” (93). It is through her eyes that we can envision how it must have felt to come face to face with such oppression.

            The dichotomy of being both strong and simultaneously weak is evident within Fereiba. She draws from a deep inner resolve to help her family escape, yet is not without internal doubts and fears. While at the Iranian border, she wonders “I hope I’m making the right decision” (120). She is buoyed towards her cause by the haunting voice of her dead husband, “Fate will make things right in the end, though only after the work has been done, the tears have been shed and the sleepless nights have been endured” (132). She is willing to perform her part. She is willing to endure the tears and sleepless nights in order to survive, aware that he is watching over them.