Forced Marriages are Still Too Common.

Specifically in the Middle East, forced marriages are often found in today's society. In the novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, one of the main protagonists was forced into marriage with an older male stranger. The marriage between Laila and Rasheed is organized by her own father. The two even have a 17 year age difference between them. As extreme as this seems to us, it is not uncommon to others. So why are forced marriages still happening? 17-year-old Humaira Taiba lives in the Middle East currently and is attempting to get out of an engagement arranged by her grandfather when she was just 1 month old, which shouldn't have existed in the first place. Most of these marriages start to end a dispute or to acquire money in a family, and are never based off of actual love between a man and a women. In my opinion, a marriage should be between two people who love one another. The United Nations Children's Fund states that around "57 percent of marriages in Afghanistan involve girls below the legal age of 16". A Thousand Splendid Suns addresses this occurrence to call attention to the serious subject.  Recently, in Afghanistan, a woman was forced to marry her rapist and have his baby. She did this to pay for her daughters future. This is unacceptable. Women’s rights activists say that forced marriages deny women any education or any bit of an independent life. This links back to our previously studied topics of independence for women, in stories like The Awakening, Yellow Wallpaper, and A Room of Ones Own. This is a serious issue and should not be taken lightly. By being denied these rights, women are taught to be submissive and obedient to their male or superior counterparts. This teaching can only be changed if these rights that were taken away, are fought for.

Can the Need for Independence be Excessive?

People all around the world are fascinated by the idea of independence. This desired freedom allows someone the right to speak their mind and be themselves, thus this phenomenon is growing larger than ever. When is the need for independence considered to be excessive then? In Kate Chopin's, The Awakening, the main character is driven to erratic behaviors to achieve such independence. Yes, in her case and time, she was repressed by societal expectations also contributing to her desires. Women, in this period, were expected to be "perfect wives"  who cared for their children and were submissive to their husbands. The Cult of Domesticity could be brought into questioning of this novel also. These pillars of domesticity restrained women from receiving simple freedoms. So although I believe Edna was driven to exhibit bizarre and excessive needs for independence, I think society forced her to this insanity. That being said, in my opinion, she did go too far though. She reached a point where she took her own life, leaving her children and responsibilities, instead of facing the need for independence in her own way. I do understand both sides, because she perhaps just realized she did all she could do, but if it was me, I would have handled it differently. So are there examples today that demonstrate this excessive need? I found many examples of what is called co-dependency. The serious disorder of co-dependency focuses on people who've rejected others help when it is needed. This is similar to Edna's conflict, but also very different. Co-dependency is a learned behavior that can be passed down from one generation to another. It affects the quality of friendships, similar to how Edna was unable to sustain a healthy relationship with her husband and Robert. Co-dependent behavior is learned by watching and copying other family members who display this type of behavior. This is where Edna is different because she exhibits co-dependency, but she is focused on independence for different reasons than just imitating others. The need for independence is often addressed in literature and news broadcasts often. Whether it be during the women's suffrage  movement, or other various freedom fighter movements, the right to be free lies within. The need for independence is natural for humans, but it also should have a limit. The way people interact with one another exhibits qualities of reliance, respect, and dependence. I believe there should be a constant balance between these contrasting desires.These qualities are still needed to live a nice and healthy life, so therefore the need of independence can be excessive, and in Edna's case, is sometimes taken too far.