Kite Runner
Being an immigrant is about leaving one’s native country; but it is also, more importantly, about adapting and assimilating to a new culture. Relocating to a new country could sometimes cause a life-transforming moment. In 2003, when Khaled Hosseini published the mainstream fiction story, “The Kite Runner,” he was an extremely successful M.D. (Medical Doctor) who was practicing internal medicine. Throughout his novel, he describes different characters which possess different characteristics and personalities. As illustrated in the book, Baba and his family moved to the United States to get a better life, and they quickly started to assimilate the American culture. The Kite Runner is incredibly valuable for high school students because it illustrates the hardships and difficulties that immigrants face when they move to a new place. It also demonstrates how cultural differences could change one 's life. Furthermore, it outlines the perplexity of religious discrimination. Although they bear some minor similarities, the differences between Sunni and Shia are pronounced. 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
The setting of The Kite Runner was already set to describe the inhumane nature of people and the author did not fail to do so. The Kite Runner took place in Afghanistan, a country that had a very complicated and violent history. Afghanistan is also a country that contained various ethnic groups such as the Uzbeks, Tajiks, Pashtuns, Hazaras, etc. Two of many mentioned in the book were the Pashtuns and the Hazaras. The Pashtuns were the “superiors” whereas the Hazaras were the “inferiors”.
Throughout Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, there are muliptle scenes where the reader witnesses racial tension. The Hazara and the Pashtuns are constently fighting throught the novel. A friendship like Amir and Hassana was very unlikey. In the begining of the novel the reader views Amir and Hassan’s friendship as a normal childhood friendship.
Controversial Favoritism Throughout the first half of Kite Runner, there is controversy about Baba’s preference between Hassan and Amir. Contrary to the belief that Hassan and Amir are treated equally, it is crystal clear that Baba favors Hassan. First and most important, Hassan is a Hashara and should be nothing more than a servant to Baba. In Afghanistan, a country that overwhelmingly values social standings, the class difference dictates a person's whole life.
Throughout The Kite Runner, racism and discrimination are shown by the treatment of Hazaras, specifically Hassan and Ali. They are servants to Amir and Baba but believe their relationship to be more of a friendship. However, Amir struggles to treat Hassan as a true friend due to their power dynamic created through Afghanistan society’s pressure to uphold a reputation of high class. Amir views Hassan as lesser because of his ethnicity and doesn’t return the kindness Hassan displays. Due to this inequality, it is easier for Amir to betray Hassan early in the novel, similar to Baba’s betrayal of Ali, since “no one was going to risk anything for a pair of Hazara servants” (Hosseini 220).
Immigration is a common sacrifice many parents give for their children. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini takes place in Afghanistan when peace turns into turmoil and chaos after the Soviet Invansion and evuntaully the takeover of the Taliban. Fleeing the war, Amir and Baba arrive in America, a country presented as free of oppession and inequality. Amir and Baba’s journey to America adds to the overall meaning of the story because it represents the common immigrant struggle, adjusting to a new environment , and sets in motion the the difficult choice Amir has to make of choosing to stand up for what is right to protect family. Baba’s new life in America represents the common struggle of refugees to adjust to life in a unknown country.
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).
In the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, there are many different important conflicts throughout the story. These conflicts are brought upon by the recurring motifs, such as redemption and loyalty. The different dissensions support the ideas of characterization by how they react to the sudden adversity in their lives. Amir attempts to redeem himself through Hassan’s son, Sohrab, by saving him and giving him a better life. Further developing the meaning of the story, connoting the mental struggle and the way priorities change over time, keeping readers mindful of the motifs and how they impact each character.
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.”
THE KITE RUNNER, Khaled Hosseini’s debut novel, is one the bestselling novels of our time. The fact that it has sold over four million copies, only in the US, is a hint of how successful it is. The first chapter of the book takes place in San Francisco, the year 2001. A man in his fifties sits in a café, reflecting upon his childhood in Kabul.
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.
The themes of shame and courage are extremely dominant throughout the novel, the Kite Runner. Most of the characters in this story seem to possess qualities of shame and courage. Particularly the main character Amir, who appears to identify with the theme of shame and struggles with being courageous. Because of this, Amir can not relate to his father very well, who is the total opposite of who he is. He also becomes envious of his servant Hassan, who has the same brave quality his father has.
The Kite Runner is a story that depicts the unique friendship between Amir and Hassan while they are currently living during a turbulent time in Afghanistan's history. Amir is the son of a wealthy Pashtun man while Hassan is his servant. The novel shows their odd friendship go through betrayal, lies, regret, and forgiveness. The Kite Runner also exhibits the struggles between father and son relationships. This thrilling novel shows the journey amid family and friends during a rough time in the history of Afghanistan.
The idea that Hazaras are of a lower class is a source of the persecution of the Hazara people. The belief that Hazaras are below Pashtuns also trickles into The Kite Runner and is one of the main reasons Amir treats Hassan poorly and tells himself that Hassan is a servant, not a friend. After Hassan is sexually assaulted by Assef, Amir reasons to himself about his inaction, thinking ”Was it a fair price? The answer floated to my conscious mind before I could thwart it: He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he” (77). Amir’s struggle with how to justify his actions ultimately results in him
At the heart of a person‘s life lies the struggle to define his self, to make sense of who he is? Diaspora represents the settling as well as unsettling process. While redesigning the geopolitical boundaries, cultural patterns, it has also reshaped the identities of the immigrants with new challenges confronting the immigrant in negotiating his identity. Diaspora becomes a site where past is given a new meaning and is preserved out of intense nostalgia and longing. The novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid is significant in its treatment of the issues faced by immigrants in the diaspora.