The Symbolism of the Burqa

Nowadays, many women wear burqas and hijabs for personal reasons, because they want to respect and practice Islam to the full extent. They choose to wear because they want to express themselves. 

In a Thousand Splendid Suns, the burqa evokes a very different message. Both Mariam and Laila were originally forced to wear burqas by Rasheed because he claimed to be a very traditional man he wanted his women "protected and respected" or so he said. 

The burqas made Laila and Mariam faceless to the outside world. They walked about the streets of Kabul with a certain level anonymity, a facelessness that neither of them had ever before experienced. It was almost as if they lacked identity all together when they were outside. 

Once the Taliban took over, burqas were required, and while it did not change Mariam and Laila's life drastically, it made the women of Afghanistan rather oppressed. 

So what was once just a article of clothing worn out of respect for one's culture rapidly turned into a symbol of female oppression. 

It is painful for Laila and Mariam, because they cannot see each other. Their facial expressions are hidden from view when they're outside, making it difficult for them to communicate non-verbally, which is how the two would commonly relate when they could not say something out loud.