A Thousand Splendid Suns - Mariam & Laila
Set in Afghanistan from the 1970s to 2000s with political conflicts, war and gender discrimination, the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by author Khaled Hosseini recreates the lives of Mariam and Laila - two people with completely different backgrounds but both suffering the same pain caused by society.
An illegitimate child, forced to marry a stranger at the age of 15 and grew up under the beatings of her husband. A girl with a beautiful childhood in a modern and happy family but lost everything in the fire of bombs and bullets, and then life pushed her to become the concubine of that violent and patriarchal man. Fate brought them together, together experiencing both physical and mental abuse. They were not only victims of domestic violence, but also “prey” of a rotten and misogynistic society.
The play is adapted from the novel "A Thousand Splendid Suns"
But Mariam and Laila’s story is not one of continued pain. They supported each other through hardships, lifted each other up when pain weighed them down, and raised their children with love and care. Their resilience to stand up and free themselves came not only from their own inner strength but also from the strength, empathy, and inspiration shared by the woman beside them.
A Thousand Splendid Suns explores and celebrates the brave women who stand up for themselves and what they believe in, and women who dare to love and care for each other in the darkest prisons to dream of a brighter future.
Little Women - Jo March
Little Women is one of the most important classic novels in American literature about the growing up process of four sisters. Among them, Jo March is the one with the most special personality and is also the character that receives the most attention from readers.
Illustration of Jo March (Frank T Merrill)
Jo March's appeal comes from her strong, independent personality and her burning passion for literature. Refusing to conform to feminine norms, Jo March is free to express her frankness, sometimes a bit explosive, and is firm in her views on everything, including love. However, although Jo March's individuality is pushed to the extreme, people still see the image of a girl who loves wholeheartedly and is willing to do everything for her family.
Jo March in the film adaptation of Little Women
Jo March is not only a representative of a new generation of women, nurturing her own passions and ambitions, but also a girl who grew up with her own concerns about career, family, love and life purpose. An independent and strong woman, but also very close and ordinary, with a journey of maturity that perhaps all of us can find a part of ourselves in - perhaps that is the reason why this character is so loved.
Anne of Green Gables - Anne Shirley
Anne Shirley is a name that is hard to ignore when mentioning inspirational female characters in literary works. As the main character of the Anne of Green Gables series, Anne Shirley impresses readers with her open-minded, optimistic, brave and extremely dreamy personality, despite a difficult childhood before coming to Avonlea village.
Anne Shirley - the main character in the novel
The little girl with neatly braided red hair, a soaring imagination, always using “big words” learned from her favorite books and always full of enthusiasm - that is the typical image of Anne in the minds of readers. She is strong, kind, never backing down from challenges, whether it is convincing her parents to adopt her, integrating into school, or facing family difficulties, emotional setbacks. Anne is not only loved by everyone but also an inspiration for everyone to find beauty and small joys in this world, even when facing difficult challenges.
The character Anne Shirley in the film adaptation Anne with an E
Anne Shirley’s journey is not simply a personal story of a girl on the road to adulthood, but in which she also faces and fights against social injustices such as the right to education or gender discrimination. Thanks to that, Anne is also a symbol of women, daring to stand up for what is right and constantly striving to make the world a better place.
