In “The Kite Runner” a narrative told through the eyes of a young boy, the reader may stray from the true culture and moral beliefs of Afghanistan.Throughout, the narrative the reader needs/should pick up symbols and cultural meanings to fully understand the differences between their culture and culture here in America.Therefore, without understanding the diversity of social class and how the religion relates to the Afghan culture the reader will not fully comprehend “The Kite Runner”. The reader needs to understand the social classes in Afghanistan such as the Hazaras and Pashtuns and how the Hazaras are treated poorly and the Pashtuns overpowering them, which is essential to the overall narrative. In “The Kite Runner” it states, “The Pashtuns, had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras. It said the Hazaras had tried to rise …show more content…
Throughout the “The Kite Runner” one character that displayed high levels of honor was Baba. For example,” The room fell silent. Less than two hours ago, Baba had volunteered to take a bullet for the honor of a woman he didn’t even know. Now he’d almost choked a man to death, would have done it cheerfully if not for the pleas of that same woman”(Hosseini, 2001, p. 118). This kind of honor shown by Baba was very courageous and as a result of his heroic act, the husband of the wife that begged Baba to stop kissed Baba’s hand. Which in the Afghanistan culture shows great honor, respect, and gratitude. In relation, people in the Afghan culture obtain culture by marrying within the family. For example, “Like Ali, she was a Shi’a Muslim and an ethnic Hazara. She was also his first cousin and therefore a natural choice for a spouse”(Hosseini, 2001, p.8). In this culture marrying within your family is very common and brings honor to one’s family name. Also, that they honor their culture and are
The Kite Runner scrutinizes the whole scope of racism: blatant hatred, religious rationale of racism, nonviolent but still nasty racism, racism which coincides with charity and thoughtfulness, and internalized racism which reveals itself as self-loathing. Hassan is a Hazara, an ethnic group that the majority of Afghans (who are Pashtun) deem inferior, though Hosseini makes it coherent that Hassan is Amir’s equivalent and in numerous ways morally and intellectually superior. Despite racial tensions, the plot proposes, the very ethnicity that Pashtuns treat so poorly is closer to them than they may think- Amir finds out that Hassan, a member of the ethnic minority, is his half-brother. When Amir spots Assef violate Hassan in the alleyway, he dwells on if he really needs to save Hassan from the immediate danger because “He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?”
One of the most notable conflicts throughout The Kite Runner would be the long history between Pashtuns and the Hazaras. While Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, Hazaras were Shi’a, and that was “part of the reason” Pashtuns had oppressed the Hazaras(9). In the beginning of the novel, while readers are walked through Amir’s childhood, the cultural ideology that Hazaras are beneath Pashtuns is clear. Amir, on multiple occasions, would tease or make fun of Hassan and justify it with the fact that he was “just a Hazara”(77) and it didn’t matter that he was being teased. Along with the cultural differences, Amir and Hassan are in opposite social classes.
Amir exploits Hassan’s loyalty in order to feel superior. Assef uses sexual abuse to give himself power over Hassan and Sohrab. The Taliban use religion and terror to enforce their rule over the people of Afghanistan. Although all of these people employ different means to maintain power, the root of their strength is the guilt and shame of their victims: Hassan’s need to be a good friend, Sohrab’s sinful feelings, and the people’s guilt of not adhering to their religion. The Kite Runner illustrates how power changes people and relationships, and exhibits the extremes a person will go to into order to keep a firm grasp on
In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, Hosseini portrays the dark downfall of Afghanistan through the eyes of a young Pashtun boy named Amir. The Kite runner brings the audience alongside Amir as he grows up, experiencing many life-changing events, ultimately rewriting his own unique character. Hosseini chooses to highlight the concept of betrayal and loyalty within his novel with characters such as Amir, for his actions of betrayal, Baba for his double-crossing history, and Hassan for his loyalty. By giving these characters such lively traits, Hosseini helps bring life to the story and helps the audience understand what is going through the mind of the characters with the consequences of their actions. To start, Amir’s development of
Henry Louis Gates said “censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.” The banning of books has become increasingly prevalent in the United States, there is an entire week dedicated to it. The Kite Runner is at the top of the list of books parents do not approve of in high schools. Although some believe The Kite Runner has graphic scenes inappropriate for students, the lessons that can be learned from the book outweigh “damage” students may face from reading it. There are several themes and lessons in The Kite Runner that prove beneficial to high school students.
In The Kite Runner, the author tells a story of the close friendship of two boys who come from different social classes, Amir being the wealthy boy and Hassan the servant. It takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1978, a time where the separation of Hazara Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims took place. A part in the book where we witness betrayal of their friendship and this division of culture is after the yearly kite tournament where Hassan goes after the kite Amir won and promises to bring it back to him. During his search for the kite, Hassan encounters Assef and his friends, who constantly bullied Amir, threatened Hassan to give up the kite or pay the price. Being that Hassan was loyal and wanted to keep his promise to Amir, he decided to pay the price which was rape.
Afghanistan is a country full of social expectations and boundaries influenced by both class and ethnicity. Amir and Hassan come from polar opposite social backgrounds: Amir, a wealthy member of the dominant Pashtuns, and Hassan, a child servant to Amir and member of the minority Hazaras. Yet, as young children, it seems as though this difference is a mere annoyance rather than a serious blockade to their friendship. This all changes, though, when Amir makes a split second decision, a decision shaped by his unconscious desire to uphold their class difference. Hassan does everything for Amir, most specifically, he runs his kites, and when the town bully wants to steal that kite, Hassan resists even in the face of unspeakable violence.
It is apparent that both novels are in tune with the theme of division of social class in the society. The Kite Runner examines the whole spectrum of racism; Hassan who was treated disrespectfully by his peers who are the majority, Sunni Muslims because he is the minority, the Hazara (Shi’a Muslims). This leads to nasty discrimination based on physical features and religious beliefs. Significantly, Hosseini mentions in the novel that Amir is reading, "the Pashtuns had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras” from his mother’s history book which can be found on page 9. Additionally, Ali, who is a Hazara, is ridiculed by the neighborhood people on page 10 coupled with Assef’s mocking, calling Hassan flat nose.
Social Injustice is a situation when some unfair practices are being carried in society. Everyday someone is beat, raped, or crying for help in Afghanistan. This is what life has become in Afghanistan after the government has been overtaken. Social injustice is a major problem in Afghanistan. According to Farooq, “Social Injustice is a situation when some unfair practices are being carried in society.”
Novels can augment our perspective on the nature of mankind. One such book is Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner. The book follows a character named Amir as he goes through life as a child as well as his deep friendship with a boy named Hassan. A series of unfortunate events escalate a conflict prompting Amir with the need to resolve them. The book begins in medias res, until a phone call prompts the book to start back in the years of his youth.
This discrimination has become built into society and effects everyday life. As Pashtuns, Amir and Baba have the opportunities to receive an education and start their own business. While the Hazaras, Hassan and Ali, may only work as servants. This discrimination brought on by social hierarchy causes isolation, violence, and guilt, to those surrounded by it throughout the book. These ideas are caused by discrimination and are explored through Amir’s experiences in the book.
The story ‘The Kite Runner’, written by Khaled Hosseini, takes place mainly during the war in Afghanistan. After the country became a republic instead of a monarchy, the former Soviet Union invaded the country. Many years later, the Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist movement , seized power in Afghanistan. This was accompanied by intense violence and the consequences were immense. Not only was Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, almost entirely destroyed, but the cost to human life was also huge.
Hazaras were the less powerful race known as “weaker” race, no education or learning so they were used as servants, live either on the street or in servant’s house and have little in the way of belongings due to the lack of money. Hazara’s in the story were Hassan, Ali, Farzana, and Sohrab. The abuse of the Hazara in the book was the rape of Hassan by Assef, the stoning of Hazaras, shooting of Hassan and Farzana by the Taliban, and capturing, torture, abuse, and rape of Sohrab by Assef. “ Afghanistan is the land of the Pashtuns. It always has been , always will be.
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, tells the story of a boy named Amir and his story and journey throughout his life. In Afghanistan there are two major ethnic groups. These two ethnic groups are very different. The Pashtuns are the upper class and the Hazaras were much lower than them. Most Hazaras worked for Pashtuns, in this case, Amir is a Pashtun and Hassan is a Hazara that works for him and his father.
In the Kite Runner, Afghanistan is divided into Pashtuns and Hazaras. Pashtuns are the Sunni Muslim while the Hazaras are Shia Muslim. According to the book, Shai 's are minorities and they don’t have the freedom and ability to express their feelings and voices. At the beginning of chapter four, Amir unceremoniously began a diatribe against Hazaras. Amir states as a child he never viewed of Hassan