Discrimination is accurately depicted in the novel The Kite Runner through the relationships between social classes within Afghanistan, in America, and through the gender inequality within Afghani culture. These forms of discrimination are very significant because it is usually one of the main factors in most wars, and set off the main conflict of the story. To begin, the Pashtuns are at the top of the hierarchy in Afghan society and consistently show their prejudice towards the Hazaras through their authority, harassment and alienation of those people. It is shown that the Pashtuns have more power through the role of the Hazaras in Amir and Baba’s life. Although Baba never specifically mistreats Ali and his son, they are still servants …show more content…
Men are typically viewed as more powerful and intelligent, while the women are seen as weak, and their only purpose for living is to please men. It is shown at the beginning at the novel that only males talk about politics and work. Baba and Rahim talk about business, and “…” All the political leaders mentioned are also male. Also, women are portrayed as feeble, and it is shown when Hassan’s mother is discussed near the beginning of the novel. She is known to sleep with many men and a guard who spoke to Hassan said that she “…”. It is clear that her character is seen as someone who cannot control herself. Moreover, when there are no females to please the men, males are forced to dress as woman and perform sexual acts on whoever is forcing them to do so. An example of this is when Taliban soldiers make Sohrab wear a dress, makeup and fancy jewelry. Through Amir’s description of the situation, Sohrab looked “…” which assumes that Sohrab is raped regularly. All of this shows that women do not have any personal worth, and it is another form of discrimination seen in the novel that contribute to the oppression of the people. It is another ugly element of war and
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.
The similarities and differences: Cultural Settings In novels, cultural and social setting can affect characters and the story in many ways. The social period of a story usually influences characters’ features, social and family roles, as well as sensibilities. In The Kite Runner, the story compiled of a mixture of Western culture and Afghan traditions while in Pride and Prejudice, the author displays the late eighteenth-century Britain and the Regency culture. Both of the novels, Kite Runner and Pride and Prejudice do correspond on certain things despite the differences they have in cultural context.
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 Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, undoubtedly there is more than one type of discrimination displayed. Before we get into that, what exactly is discrimination? Well, to discriminate means to treat someone differently based on what they believe, their age, gender, who they love, even their appearance. The forms that I will be talking about are Sexism, (Prejudice actions based on gender) Racism, (Prejudice actions based on race) classism, (Prejudice actions on those of a different social class) and discrimination on those with a disability.
In Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns , Nana tells Mariam that a man always finds a way to blame a woman. This mistreatment of women is depicted in the novel by utilizing multiple examples. Throughout the novel, men were able to use women as scapegoats in the Afghani society that deemed women as unequal to men.
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
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.
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.”
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 Kite Runner describes the life of Amir. Before the war, he lived in Kabul with his father Baba, their servant Ali and Ali’s son Hassan. Hassan and Ali are from a lower class than Amir and Baba, but Amir and Hassan are best friends regardless. In this essay the assertion ‘Amir is selfish and
In The Kite Runner during the twentieth century, there is a great divide between the muslim citizens of Kabul. The Hazaras are considered inferior to the respectable majority of Pashtuns. Hazaras are persecuted and oppressed, simply because they are Shi’a muslims and Pashtuns are Sunni muslims. Throughout the novel, Hazaras are called various derogatory names such as “[...] mice eating, flat-nosed, load-carrying donkeys.” (Hosseini 10) Because of his cultural background, Hassan becomes a victim of racism, as he has run-ins with bullies, is raped and is constantly told that he is not nor ever will be an equal to Amir.
In To Kill a Mockingbird there are lots of racial, gender, and religious, discrimination. Which is shown a multiple amount of times throughout the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee which takes place in Maycomb Alabama, where there is a lot of racial discrimination. But there is also some gender, and religious, discrimination.
Taliban’s Influence in Afghani in The Kite Runner Every since September 27, 1996 , the Taliban have started putting fear in the Afghan women and men heart by ruling in horror and terror. When the Taliban took over, Afghanistan became one of the most poorest and most troubled places in the world. In Khaled Hosseini 's novel, The Kite Runner, the Taliban influence on Afghani culture is affected by the Taliban Laws, The Mistreatment of Hazaras and The Mistreatment of women. The Taliban Laws was forced on women and men.
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.