Mariam learns to wear the burqa

Rasheed gives Mariam a sky-blue burqa and insists she wear it whenever she leaves the house. He explains that a woman's face is her husband's business only and that he is a different breed of man from the 'soft' men of Kabul. Mariam initially finds the burqa suffocating but later discovers it provides a comforting anonymity. This event establishes Rasheed's controlling nature and the patriarchal restrictions of her new life.