Rishab Singh
Ms.Kanika Dang
Thesis Paper
8thNovember 2015
The Kite Runner
“No human race is superior; no religion faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong only racists make them.”(Elie Wisel).In the novel The Kite Runner the major theme discussed throughout the novel is of religion and racial discrimination, the novel revolves around “a society built around a misguided, religion and morals, which are expressed through the mistreatment of Hazara’s and the malevolent actions of the Taliban.”(Gradesaver) Religion and racial discrimination highly influence our decisions and character; they often introduce a feeling of alienation and spark rivalry among communities.
Hassan Belonged to the Hazara community, he had to face religion as a barrier in his everyday life, and most importantly he was well aware of the fact that he would never be treated equally and would have to face discrimination. Kids called him and Ali, Boogeyman and flat-nosed because of their Hazara Mangoloid features (Hosseini 8).Hazaras follow the Shia Muslim religion whereas Pashtuns follow Sunni Muslim religion. Pashtuns dominated Afghanistan and Hazaras were considered inferior. Majority of Hazaras were illiterate and were highly oppressed .They weren’t
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They were afraid to exhibit their true identity and had to come up with a virtual identity. In the long run there restrictions only lead to conflicts and separation whether between communities and individuals. The real concerns and issues weren't addressed. A great man once said that, “Our true nationality is mankind” he believed that people have forgotten that god created humanity and humans created nations, so even god wants humans to be supreme than the nations and care for each other. (H.G
Hassan is a victim of discrimination, bigotry, and class structure in Afghan society. Hassan and Ali are members of the Hazaras, a minority group of Afghanis. Amir and his father are Pashtuns, the majority, who believes they are a better class than the Hazara. Religion was all that separated Amir and Hassan, as did tribe and class. Amir learned from his father that the Harara tribe to which Ali and Hassan belonged, were inferior people. Because of this bigotry and basic class structure, Hazaras are often victims of physical, emotional and psychological abuse. Thus when a crisis comes and Hassan is being attack, Amir not only doesn't come to Hassan's aid, but also allows him to be brutally abused. Morality lacks because of this class structure, which allows people to be treated as second-class citizens. Considerations towards morality and religion helps the reader to broaden there understanding of the novel and it would be impossible to appreciated the book lacking them.
In his novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini depicts his homeland Afghanistan as a host to many different cultures and classes, such as Pashtun and Hazara, Sunni and Shiite, with this dichotomy of beliefs and attributes being powerful enough to shape diverse, sometimes negative relationships amongst the characters of the novel and their behavior to each other, as well as establish that individual’s identity. Each person interprets the impact of the role of belief and social status differently, while all living in the same setting, adding to their complexity and depth as a character in the novel with many different figures tied together by the same geographical and cultural conditions.
The illegitimate son of Baba and Amir’s half-brother (which he didn’t knew until after Hassan’s death), Hassan was a truly good and beautiful person even though he's had his fair share of hard times. In my opinion, Hassan has it tougher than Amir from the beginning. Not only did Hassan lose his mother (like Amir), his mother flat-out rejected him But Hassan, unlike Amir, is a selfless and joy-filled creature. They spent most their childhood together playing games, reading books and flying kites until that fateful day where he was deprived of his pride. Hassan had a very good relation with Baba as it would later prove out to be his father as well. After the war stricken years, Rahim Khan asked him to come back to the house in Kabul and agrees after thinking about it. He felt that he was near Amir by living in that house and that he’s loyal. His loyalty and integrity are the essence of his character. He and his wife were slaughtered by the Talibans in the earlier part of 2000, thus ending the life on an inspiring individual.
Different people have various beliefs and their own way of doing things. Hassan was one exceptional character whose loyalty overruled all betrayals in the novel. Just as any other individuals Hassan dealt with hardships in life however
“ ‘Your father won’t find out,’ Assef said. And there’s nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey.’ ... ‘It’s just a Hazara,’ Assef said. But Kamal kept looking away. ‘Fine,’ Assef snapped. ‘All I want you weaklings to do is hold him down. Can you manage that’? “ (Hosseini, 75) Assef and his friends not only dehumanized Hassan by calling him a disrespectful donkey but they also treated his body as an object that they could do anything they want with solely because he is a Hazara. People who are just born as a Hazara are already considered second class citizens just because they are considered to be an impure Afghan. "Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always
The second member of the middle generation Hassan also grew into an adult in Afghanistan. Although, his situation was completely different from the one that Assef had. All his life Hassan was pushed around and humiliated by others due to the fact that he is one of the Hazara descendants, who in Afghanistan are treated like none-humans. The constant fright helped him to become a strong man able to defend himself. However, in the end he was not able to defend himself and was killed
People are different in many ways. Ranging from colour of their skin to their ethnic backgrounds. How society copes with these differences is what defines prejudice and discrimination. Racism, social class and ethnicity have become a never ending cycle that begins to shape the opinions of how people treat one another. The novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini revolves around a society constructed around two socially diverse ethnic groups the Pashtuns who practice Sunni Islam and the Hazaras who follow Shia Islam. Throughout the novel The Kite Runner, a variety of characters have made decisions that affect the overall outcome of the novel which base around ethnicity, race and social class.
The root of discrimination founds on the lack of similarities. Everyone is different in some ways, but dehumanization allows exploitation of the differences for self interest and satisfaction. Human history is littered with tainted footprints of prejudice and discrimination, and they all contain one thing in common: dehumanization.Dehumanization is a psychological process that makes individuals and groups seem to not deserve moral consideration by viewing them as less than human. All human have fundamental rights that should not be violated, and innocent people should not be subjects to violence and brutality. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, excessive violence and ethnic conflicts question moralities. Hosseini is able to reflect how these real-world issues are revolved around dehumanization. The novel highlights genocide, violence, and violation of human rights, and most importantly, how these terrible deeds originates from one psychological process: Dehumanization. Dehumanization is the cause of violence and discrimination because it asserts superiority, assuages guilt, and denies individuality; ultimately, it is the cause of human rights violations.
In “The Kite Runner,” the main character, Amir, is a Pashtun and his best friend Hassan, who is also one of his family’s servants, is a Hazara. Amir grew up very privileged due to his family being Pashtun. Hassan, however, grew up in a family of poor, lower class servants because they are Hazara. Because of the class system in Afghanistan, none of the characters in the book were able to choose or change their social class and instead were born into one which essentially predestined their future and how they were treated by others. Amir constantly took advantage of Hassan throughout the novel because of his social class and illiteracy, neither of which he had control over. Amir saw himself as superior to Hassan because Pashtuns were seen as superior to Hazaras. This belief led to the various different responses to the Taliban’s takeover of
Islam is a common subject throughout the story. It is represented in the novel because each character views their religion differently. Some characters, like Baba don’t prioritize their religion as much a Amir and Hassan. Amir and Hassan frequently visit the mosque numerous times throughout the course of the book. “Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sun is a variation of theft” (Hosseini 17). In this quote it shows that Baba was not involved and practicing his religion unlike most pashtuns. Because the characters views on their religion are primarily different, Islam tends to either bring together or apart relationships of characters in the novel.
In the novel, Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist, Amir, is torn between two truths as he lived associated with different kinds of religious groups in Afghan society: Pashtuns and Hazaras. Each identity played a unique part in Amir’s life. Whether they had a positive or negative effect, both changed his values and beliefs. Individuals also shaped Amir’s character. Baba, Assef, and Hassan were major influences upon Amir’s growth throughout the book; their differences shaped Amir into the man he later became as all three represented a different side of Afghan society.
Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is a remarkable coming-of-age novel describing and revealing the thoughts and actions of Amir, a compunctious adult in the United States and his memories of his affluent childhood in the unstable political environment of Afghanistan. The novel showcases the simplistic yet powerful ability of guilt to influence decisions and cause conflict which arises between Amir’s childhood friend and half-brother, Hassan; Amir’s father, Baba; and importantly, himself. Difference in class The quest to become “good again” causes a reflection in Amir to atone for his sins and transform into the person of which he chooses to be.
Hassan’s inferior character is presented by the way he serves Amir, ‘While I ate and complained about homework, Hassan made my bed’, which implies that no matter how close they may be, Hassan remains the servant which he accepts and is content with, ‘I’d hear him singing to himself in the foyer as he ironed’. Also, Hassan addresses Amir as ‘Amir agha’ which highlights his respect to Amir. However, despite their divisions, when they are alone together they consider themselves equal, ‘”Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul”’, creating irony as they are both aspiring the same hopes and dreams but we know that it is unattainable.
Throughout most of human history, humans have had a tendency to judge people on the basis of clearly defined qualities, in an attempt to characterize and classify society into more easily understood “black and white” groups. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the characters, representative of the surrounding cultures portrayed, frequently participate in acts of inclusion and exclusion on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and lifestyle as a means of dividing the population into clearly defined, mutually exclusive groups. This underlying expression of discrimination serves as a modern critical analysis against society’s prevalent tenets of inequality.
incomprehensible extent. In Afghanistan, Hazaras–the ethnic minority–have experienced ethnic discrimination by Pashtuns–the ethnic majority–because of a revolt dating back to the 18th century.Another form of discrimination in Afghanistan arises from the distinct religious groups–Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims. Shi’ite Muslims correspond with the Hazara ethnic group, but the Sunni Muslims correspond with the Pashtun ethnic group. This discrimination affects every age group in Afghanistan, and affects each of those individuals, “mental and physical health” (Pascoe). In his 2003 novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini exposes and discusses the ethnic and religious discrimination found in past and present day Afghanistan. By creating tense situations that originate, whether consciously or subconsciously within the characters, the author uses these conflicts to illustrate the impacts that stem from the masculine stereotypes associated with Afghan culture, the dire need for a father’s approval, and the ongoing effects of a child’s jealousy. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses these intense conflicts to develop characters’ relationships and forces the reader to consider how the main character’s loss of innocence stems from a need of approval and ethnic and religious discrimination.