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Father And Son Relationship In The Kite Runner

1951 Words8 Pages

CHAPTER THREE Father-Son Relationship Amir is an emotional and brilliant son of a well-known and rich businessman. He grows up with a sense of entitlement due to his ethnic background. He is the son of a Pashtun rich man and he has royal blood from his mother. Pashtuns are considered the superior ethnic group in Afghanistan. They are rich and powerful. They hold most authorities. Amir’s most obvious trait is selfishness. On several incidents, Amir proves to be a selfish person. For example, when he frames Hassan for stealing. Amir “took a couple of the envelopes of cash from the pile of gifts and [his] watch… and entered Ali and Hassan’s living quarters… and lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted [his] new watch and a handful of Afghan bills …show more content…

They live in the same house their whole childhood and they are best friends. However, the class line between these two children can be seen throughout The Kite Runner. Despite of being best friends, the social status difference between them cannot be ignored in Afghan society. The social structure and class/ethnic division of Afghanistan greatly influences these two children and their lives. Children 's ethnic and racial status will have significant impact on their lives, social relationships, access to societal resources, and identities (Phinney, 1996; Steele & Aronson, 1995; Utsey & Ponterotto, 1996). Amir is entitled to many livelihood privelages which are denied from Hassan, such as: being the son of a wealthy businessman, having a mansion to live in, being respected and entitled “agha”, having access to education, having all the toys a boy would want, etc. while Hassan lacks almost all these privileges, such as: being the son of a servant, being disrespected and mocked by everyone around him, living in a mud-shack, being denied of education, etc. Thus, it is clearly seen how their ethnic difference impacts their social status and dominates the course of their lives. One simple example is seen during the kite fighting tournament. Amir is the kite flyer who is in charge of flying the kite and Hassan is the kite runner who retrieves fallen kites at the command of the kite flyer. For Hassan to be a kite flyer is impossible due to his Hazara ethnicity. Thus, through this game, the relationship of the kite flyer and the kite runner can amplify the social and class differences between the Pashtuns and the Hazaras. In addition, Hassan, as a well devoted and loyal servant, says: “For you a thousand times over!” (Hosseini 67). “Pashtuns—saw Hazaras as infidels, animals, other” (Zabriskie 1). They have a reputation for industriousness yet work in the least desirable jobs. Their Asian features-narrow eyes, flat nose, broad

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