Happiness by definition is being content with what is given to you. I am content with what I have so by definition I am happy. The characters in the texts that I have read were content with what they had, but they were not always happy. The true definition of happiness would be having freedom. In the text A Thousand Splendid Suns one of the main characters of the novel was Mariam she lived with a mother who was resentful for having her and a father who treated her as an unwanted bother, Mariam was unhappy with her life. In Sold Lakshmi was born into a poor family who lived in the mountain side, she had a mother and little brother who she loved and a future that she looked forward to which made her feel content and happy. In Sunset limited White…show more content… The restrictions that were faced in A Thousand Splendid Suns were by people onto the women, Laila was one of them the restrictions she was constricted by were placed on by the Taliban. “And with that Mariam brought down the shovel. This time with everything she had.”(Page, 349). Laila was constricted by Rasheed to live in a life of fear and denial. When Mariam killed Rasheed it rid her of the restrictions that didn’t allow her to be with the one that she loved, Tariq. Once those restrictions were lifted from her she was able to be with the one that she cared for without fear of Rasheed finding out that she wanted to be with Tariq that father of her first born. Being free brought her happiness from the enslavement of a loveless marriage. When you are in a certain places you are restricted to act a certain way and that restriction could be at school or at work. For me that restriction is while I am with distant relatives I have to be extremely courteous and prioritize their needs over mine. Laila was freed from the constriction of obeying laws in life that she did not want. In the novel the sunset limited the character White was constricted by life to continue going through hardships, when White was able to go on the Sunset Limited he attained the freedom he wanted which let me be