"Mariam watched them cantering uninhibited down the street, sometimes with a man, sometimes alone, sometimes with rosy cheeked children who wore shiny shoes and watches with leather bands, who walked bicycles with high rise handlebars and gold colored spokes unlike the children in Deh Mazang, who bore sand fly scars on their cheeks and rolled old bicycle tires with sticks."
"They walked in high heels, and quickly, as if on perpetually urgent business. They wore dark sunglasses, and, when they breezed by, Mariam caught a whiff of their perfume. She imagined that they all had university degrees, that they worked in office buildings, behind desks of their own, where they typed and smoked and made important telephone calls to important people."
"They walked in high heels, and quickly, as if on perpetually urgent business. They wore dark sunglasses, and, when they breezed by, Mariam caught a whiff of their perfume. She imagined that they all had university degrees, that they worked in office buildings, behind desks of their own, where they typed and smoked and made important telephone calls to important people."
Here, Hosseini is using imagery to show the differences between this part of Kabul and other parts. Mariam would never be allowed to travel by herself due to Rasheed's beliefs and social issues, but in this area of Kabul, men seem to have no problem with it. The fact that a city could be so divided when it comes to social issues and cultural values shows how being traditional vs. modern can have an impact on a society. This area shows Mariam the freedom that exists and the freedom she could have, but can't, because of where she lives.
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