Throughout the novel, social issues such as discrimination and war are prevalent, leaving many individuals faced with tough decisions. Essentially, there are two main ways in which the characters in the novel deal with these difficult situations. For the most part, the individuals that are religious tend to be more optimistic, faithful, and peaceful in the way that they deal with these social issues. The Hazara’s are heavily discriminated against in society: “mice-eating, flat-nosed, load-carrying donkeys," hence, they turn to god and rely on prayers to solve their problems. (Hosseini, 8) Perhaps the most devastating example of the Hazara’s poor treatment is when Rahim Khan comes home to find Hassan listening to the radio: “‘God help the Hazaras …show more content…
A few weeks later, the Taliban banned kite fighting. And two years later, in 1998, they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif.” (Hosseini 213) Hassan’s religious values are what got him through the tough times in his life, such as this occurrence. On the other hand, the ones who are not as religious such as Baba, often tend to take matters into their own hands and in some ways, have a more hostile method of handling a situation. Baba’s hostility is evident when he said: “What’ll save us is eight cylinders and a good carburetor.” (Hosseini, 120) This, moreover, implies that the only way to stop the war was to retaliate against the Soviets, in Baba’s secular opinion. Furthermore, Baba displays his secular nature through his heroic acts in saving a young woman from rape. Unlike the Sharia population, Baba does not resort to prayers and god for resolutions, instead, he takes matters into his own hands: “Tell him [Russian soldier] I’ll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place.” (Hosseini, 116) Ultimately, he believes that dealing with issues head-on is more effective and realistic as opposed to waiting for issues to resolve
... have felt safe. “…people called Hazaras mice-eating, flat-nosed, load-carrying donkeys. I had heard some of the kids in the neighborhood yell those names to Hassan” (Hosseini 9). Hazaras were called names, murdered, and discriminated against everywhere they went, but Hazaras like Hassan and Ali always kept their morals and didn’t let the choices of others run their lives.
Social and ethnic tensions: The Kite Runner allows us a look at Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion and then after. The peaceful Afghanistan that Amir was born into is no longer in existence; rival groups now fight amongst each other. “There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood”. Throughout The Kite Runner, there is tension on account of religious, ethnic, and economic factors. Amir, a privileged Sunni, struggles to understand his relationship with his Shi’a servant, Hassan. The boys grew up together, but “in the end, [Amir] was a Pashtun and [Hassan] was a Hazara, [Amir] was a Sunni and [Hassan] was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing”(Hosseini 25). Hassan and his father, Ali, are discriminated against because of their religious beliefs and physical features. He is bullied because some believe “Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns…the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan. They dirty our blood”(Hosseini 40). The relationship between Amir and Hassan is complicated because of the social pressures. The boys are as close as brot...
Page 2 - “I sat on a park bench near a willow tree. I thought about something Rahim Khan said just before he hung up, almost as an afterthought. I looked up at those twin kites.”
“Earlier that morning, when I was certain no one was looking I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier: I planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress.” (Hosseini 242) He also tries to find Hassan himself. But upon arriving, Rahim Khan tells him that Hassan and his wife have been murdered by the Taliban. “Hassan protested.
Hazaras tend to be on the bottom of what we would call the Afghanistan “food chain”. This means that these certain people are not well respected or liked in Afghan society. Most Hazaras like to live in Hazarajat and Hazaristan where they will be more respected than their relations from Afghanistan. Hazaras are said to come from many different backgrounds but the one that makes the most sense is they tend to be “direct descendents of Mongolian soldiers that previously came to Afghanistan with Genghis Khan’s expeditionist army” (Emadi Par. 3) This particular theory is always under critics thought, but most support this theory. However, some think that the Hazaras are half Mongolian and Half Turk. The religion of the Hazaras are scattered depending on where you find the tribe. Most are apt to be Shiite, but some are known to be Sunni Muslims. The population of this ethnic group is 6-7 million. Even though Hazaras are low in the social scale of Afghan society, they can hold quite respected positions in their tribes. The H...
In the novel “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini, Hassan is a loyal, selfless and compassionate young boy. Hassan is a small, dark haired, green eyed Hazara who has a cleft lip. Hassan and his father are servants to Amir and his father, Baba. Hassan’s mother abandoned him when he was newborn and since he has lived in a mud shack at the back of Amir and Baba’s mansion with his father, Ali. Hassan is illiterate, but smart and is also the best kite runner in Kabul. Hassan’s world is Amir! He loves and worships him; his first word was Amir. Although Hassan has many notable qualities, he lives a hard and sad life.
Khaled Hosseini 's novel, The Kite Runner uses lots of literary techniques. The authors use of craft reveals how Amir’s childish psychological state results in his betrayal of hassan and his irrational behavior afterwards. The main elements used are setting, conflict, and point of view.
In Khaled Hosseini’s novel “The Kite Runner,” he illustrates a fine line between what is defined as moral good and evil. During their lives as kids, Amir and Hassan had always been close, but there had always been one problem. Amir was the son of a rich and powerful Pashtun man who was almost always given everything he wanted, while Hassan was a Hazara boy who had spent his life serving Amir and his family with his father. Although the two of them seemed to always be inseparable when they played games or flew kites, there was always the defining factor of who they really are, a servant and his master. Being a Muslim and living in Afghanistan, there are certain rules and morals that you must live up to.
There are many oversimplifications and stereotypes, even if they may be from a reality-based ideology. The ethnic group of the Hazara and the Pashtun is not entirely developed. Amir was always referred to as a Pashtun but the background of the Pashtun isn't fully touched upon. The narrator only focuses on the Mongolian-like physical features of the Hazara's, and because of this diversity, they are considered a more lowly class than Pashtuns.
Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, grew up in prejudiced Afghanistan during the 1960’s as a middle-class Pashtun living with Hazaras working for his family. His move to America after the Communist Coup proved difficult for his family, especially his father. In his novel, Hosseini writes through a young boy, Amir, very similar to himself, who grows up with his father and two Hazara servants in Afghanistan at the time of the Taliban attacks. Both Amir and his father, Baba, treat their servants, Hassan and Ali, like family. Society, however, does not approve of such relationships between Pashtuns and Hazaras. As Amir hides and watches horrified, another Pashtun boy rapes Hassan. This leads to the continuation of Amir’s internal conflict about the treatment of Hazaras by the public, and also makes him feel guilty and self-conscious throughout his entire life. In addition, Amir strives for affection and attention from his rather indifferent father. Amir’s outward conformity to societal values in his relationships with both Hassan and Baba, as a result of his inner struggle and guilt, contribute greatly to the significance of The Kite Runner.
What is it that makes us human and what does it mean to be human? These questions should be frequently and relentlessly contemplated by all members of society. What makes us human is the notion that we have complex thoughts and emotions. No two individuals are exactly alike in every way who share the same opinions, tastes, thoughts, ideas, or feelings. Which is quite fortunate, because it would be a complete bore if everyone acted completely identical to one another. So, what is it that makes us abhor another based on their uniqueness as an individual or as a group? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is about a friendship between two boys set in Afghanistan. The story spans over the last thirty years. Amir is the son of a wealthy business man, Baba. Ali is a longtime childhood friend of Baba’s and works as a servant for him. Hassan is the son of Ali and spends time with Amir. Hassan and Amir one day run into Assef—who has a superiority complex—and threatens to beat Amir for being friends with a Hazara. Later on in the story, Hassan is cornered by Assef and his two friends and Assef rapes Hassan. Amir witnessed the event concealed in the shadows, and is tormented for the rest of his life with his decision for not standing up for Hassan. The author,
The movie The Kite Runner is based on the book and it contains both subtle and explicit differences as all books and movies do. Both the book and the movie have very compelling and moralistic themes though at times the movie’s themes seem limited. The themes presented throughout the movie and the book are penance, loyalty, prejudice, religion and growing up. The characterization, overall plot of the movie and the setting of the book seem to be consistent with each other though at times they both may vary both slightly and drastically.
Throughout Afghanistan, the variety of ethnicities combined with the personal beliefs of each ethnic group, has lead to ethnic tensions and as a result ethnic discrimination. In The Kite Runner, ethnic cleansing is seen as Hazara characters are discriminated against by Pashtuns, who constitute the majority in Afghanistan. In one occasion we see this ethnic discrimination take place, in an assault committed by Assef, a Pashtun, against Hassan, a Hazara. Not only was it demoralizing for Hassan, but it was Assef’s way to make Hassan feel inferior. As seen in The Kite Runner, with the persecution of Hazaras, ethnic cleansing and discrimination occur throughout the Afghan world, as a way to target ethnic groups, who are deemed inferior by social,
Everybody in this world has a talent. He or she can use his talent to express about himself or herself. Also, the writers can explain some themes from their societies in their articles, novels, and books. The artistic works can treat some problems and face the society with it. For an example, Khaled Hosseini on his novel The Kite Runner, explains some themes from the society like, how the children affected by their parents, how the society and the religious matter effect on the people, and the value of having someone by your side supports you.
Baba once said that stealing is the worst possible crime and, yet it is revealed that Baba kept the biggest secret he had from two of the most important people in his life, stealing their right to the truth. In the fictional novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, atonement is influenced by two factors: socioeconomic status and guilt. These factors impacted Baba and Amir’s decisions to atone for their shameful acts of neglect, which affected the people they love.