This passage from pp 173-174- from Khalid Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns is significant because Hosseini displays many different literary devices, such as symbolism, imagery and allusions which describes the social issues in the novel that Laila faces and describes how Laila and the citizens in Afghanistan live during the Soviet violation in Afghanistan, as this was an important part in this novel. Furthermore, this passage is also important because it allows the reader to understand how hard it is to live in an area where war develops and explains how to act, surrounded by war. Secondly, Hosseini conveys the social issues, chaos and anxiety due to political rivalry. A literary device used by Hosseini is allusion. Hosseini uses allusion when illustrating the war when he addresses: "Then the carpets were folded, the mountains fired upon Kabul, and Kabul, fired back at the mountains, while Laila and the rest of the city watched helplessly as old Santiago watched the sharks bite from his prize fish" (A Thousand Splendid Suns p.174). Khaled Hosseini refers to The Old Man and the Sea, describing the old man's lack of talent in doing anything while the sharks eat the fish, and how destitute and vulnerable the citizens of Kabul feel. This demonstrates the cultural values ​​of Afghanistan because the people living there are not willing to move. On the other hand, part of the reason people want to stay is their desire to get closer to the Middle East, where their religion, Islam, originated. Another example of a literary device used by Hosseini in this passage is imagery. Hosseini uses imagery to allow the reader to distinctly understand and visualize what is happening in the passage. A context consisting of images often contains rich words that... in the middle of the paper... suspended" (A Thousand Splendid Suns p.173). Hosseini uses the symbol of the whistle to present the image of Laila and Tariq's fear and disappointment , as citizens experience numerous bombings occurring day and night. The citizens of Kabul city, including Laila, are distressed and scared by the booing because this is the time when people have to wait and wonder where a rocket will land without knowing if it could be their last breath. It could kill them, their relatives or maybe even their friends. Thus, this passage is symbolic and significant use of imagery, symbolism and allusions, which help the reader understand social issues and. the conditions during the war and create an image in the reader's mind of the horror that Laila faces every day.