A Thousand Splendid Suns

what is the main conflict?

i have an essay and i need to do research on the main conflict, I'm guessing it's either the cold war or the taliban

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Last updated by Annabel A #768501
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One of the main conflicts in the story Miriam's inner conflict and the way she believes herself to be rejected by the rest of the world. The Taliban is also a conflict.

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A Thousand Splendid Suns

There is also a conflict between the modern, more Western-influenced Afghanistan, and the older, more traditional Afghanistan. We can see this within the city of Kabul, where the 'modern women' were a 'different breed' to Mariam. Instead of burqas, like she wears, they wear makeup and high heels and short skirts, sometimes without even covering their heads. Being a 'different breed' suggests that they are so different, they come from a different species. Rasheed speaks of 'modern' Kabul residents with deep contempt and resentment, and the Taliban's ruthless outlawing of the media and schools for women (two modern, West-based institutions) also shows this conflict between the old and the new.