Both Mariam and Emma are abandoned by their mothers at a very young age and are left struggling to obtain a descent life all on their own. In A Thousand Splendid Suns Mariam’s mother commits suicide after her daughter went on a trip to visit Jalil, leaving her daughter helpless. Mariam was forced to marry an abusive husband and became unable to live a happy and free life because no one else was there to take care of her. In The Lying Game Emma Paxton was abandoned by her single mother at age five when her mother left her at a friend’s house and never returned to pick up Emma. Emma had no one to care for her and was forced into the tough life of being a foster child and constantly moving to a different home. Both girls needed a mother to take care of them, but instead they had to struggle to be in unstable homes were they could feel less loved and unwelcomed at times. “Her eyes blurred with tears. This again. Every time a foster family told Emma she had to move on, she invariably thought back to the cold, lonely moment when she’d realized Becky had ditched her for good” (Shepard 24) shows the instability abandonment places on children. Mariam and Emma both suffered due to their mothers abandoning them when they really did need someone to care for them.
Living under some abusive situations caused Mariam and Emma to become determined and brave women. Both Mariam and Emma attempted to run away from their homes even though it was a risky thing to do. “In fact, she’d even run away once, escaping from the violent Mr. Smythe. After a particularly volatile night, she’d packed a bag and took off hoping to get to Los Angeles or San Fran or somewhere far away,” shows how Emma took the courage to run away all on her own to make a better life for herself (Shepard ). Mariam also ran away to attempt to have a better life knowing that she could be killed if caught and even though she was caught Mariam believed it was worth while that she had tried to free herself from her abusive husband. The tough circumstances Emma and Mariam endured due to their abandonment made them both into strong and brave characters.
Living under some abusive situations caused Mariam and Emma to become determined and brave women. Both Mariam and Emma attempted to run away from their homes even though it was a risky thing to do. “In fact, she’d even run away once, escaping from the violent Mr. Smythe. After a particularly volatile night, she’d packed a bag and took off hoping to get to Los Angeles or San Fran or somewhere far away,” shows how Emma took the courage to run away all on her own to make a better life for herself (Shepard ). Mariam also ran away to attempt to have a better life knowing that she could be killed if caught and even though she was caught Mariam believed it was worth while that she had tried to free herself from her abusive husband. The tough circumstances Emma and Mariam endured due to their abandonment made them both into strong and brave characters.