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Recommended: The kite runner and Afghan culture

Introduction

The national bestselling novel “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, is an inspiring tale revolving around two young boys living in Afghanistan as the narrator describes his past. The first child, the protagonist Amir, is the narrator and talks about his mistakes in his childhood which lead up to him trying to make up for his unatoned sins as an adult. His father Baba, a wealthy businessman, does not approve of Amir as his child which in turn causes him to hurt those close to him, especially Hassan in order to please his father. Hassan was Amir’s best friend; though he and his father Ali were the servants of Baba’s household, they were almost like brothers; they played together, lived together and enjoyed being with each other. Despite the fact they were such good friends, they were separated due to their ethnic backgrounds. Amir was a Pashtun, a Sunni Muslim; the dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan. Hassan was a Hazara, a Shi’a Muslim who are the minorities in the society. This starts the issues between the two children which cause Amir to commit a sin that not even he forgives himself for nearly twenty five years after. Many events in “The Kite Runner”, which take place from the 1970’s to 2001 are similar to the present day Afghanistan; but a lot has changed as well. The aim of this report is to enhance the understanding of life in Afghanistan today and to answer the following questions: How is the Afghan economy doing today when compared to the economy in the novel? What political system changes has the government undergone to create more equality and what is the response of the public? How reliant is Afghanistan on foreign aid and where is the money going? In the beginning of the 21st century, Afghanistan was on...

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...and raising awareness. After the 9/11 twin tower attacks, America declared war or on Taliban, and set a goal to liberate Afghanistan and give them the freedom they needed (“Afghanistan, World Book A1”). The United States “bombed Afghanistan…and the Taliban scurried like rats into the caves” as another era of war began (Hosseini 382). The economy as weak as it is, has improved drastically. The government however is still flawed, there’s corruption and inequality just like it was during the monarchy reign. Afghanistan would not be where it is currently if not for support around the world. Billions of dollars have been given to give the citizens of Afghanistan a future to look forward to. With all these issues surrounding the nation currently, they will soon overcome them and continue to grow as they have been doing for the past 10 years to now, present day Afghanistan.

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