Swallows Of Kabul Essay

974 Words4 Pages

Kabul, a mysterious city with darkness lurking in its streets. The Taliban are in power. The people are slowly going insane, and with no one to fix their city, the demons will be driven to madness. One man who intends to leave Kabul. Something is driving him back. The question is, what is it that's holding him back? Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra tells a story of 2 couples in Kabul, a city in Afghanistan. The story features two protagonists and their wives, whom change over time due to events and/or actions in Kabul. One of the characters changes to a person with feelings, which in this culture is not applied. Thesis: Nazeesh has a desire to leave Kabul because he believes he can change his life for the better and does not want to go …show more content…

He is forced outside to prevent upsetting God. In Afghan culture, religion is very important. To not follow it means you destroy your very soul. This is something that drives people to retreat, or leave Kabul. To prevent upsetting God, Nazeesh wants to leave Kabul so those interferences will escape his life. Nazeesh’s actions refer to his everyday life. Upsetting God is like spitting in his face. To prevent dishonoring religion, people think to run away from their problems so they are not shamed upon. Since religion is top priority for most dwellers of Kabul, interests are not common. For example, Kabul does not have music, Nazeesh wants to leave Kabul because it does not have any music, in which he wants to find a place where there are not regulated laws. It's not definite Nazeesh would leave for only one reason. No entertainment is boring, “I’d like to hear a song, you can’t imagine how much I’d like to hear a song. A song with instrumental accompaniment, sung in a voice that shakes you from head to foot. Do you think one day or one night we’ll be able to turn on the radio and listen to the bands getting together again and playing until they pass out?”(Khadra