Overcoming the Ultimate Tragedy: Understanding 'Life Is Beautiful' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' Anonymous College

As a victimized African-American man living in America during a time of discrimination, Martin Luther King, Jr’s influential words are still repeated fifty years later: “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” There is truth in this message, as although a target cannot control what a tormentor does, he can change his position and perspective on the circumstance. Khaled Hosseini and Roberto Benigni tell the story of protagonists who have to endure opposition from entire societies. In turn, they realize that they need to overcome the criticism in order to escape from the negativity. Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns and Benigni’s Life is Beautiful reveal that people rely on their own bravery as well as reassurance from those they love in times of oppression, seen through Laila and Guido’s courage to take action on a situation and support received from others during harsh conditions.

Laila’s boldness in trying to escape from Rasheed with Mariam and the kids as well as Guido’s daring move to sneak into the women’s camp prove that a human will take matters into their own hands in search of a positive outcome. After enduring abusive effects of her...