Kite Runner Relationships

While the two are having fun the infamous bullies of the neighbourhood show up: Assef, Wali and Kamal. Assef has fascist features and truly believes Afghanistan is for the Pashtuns, the true Afghan race, and not for the Hazaras. He wants to punish Hassan for being a Hazara and beat Amir for being a Hazara’s friend. At this moment Amir freezes and the only thing he can think about is saying that Hassan is his servant, not his friend. He doesn’t say it but he doesn’t have the courage to stand up for him and Hassan either. Hassan however, takes his slingshot when Assef puts on his brass knuckles and fends off the bullies. Amir is aware that if Baba will know about this incident, he would have been proud of Hassan, but be ashamed of Amir for not protecting Hassan and

Comparatively, ‘The kite runner’, explores the disparity created by differences in cultural backgrounds. This connection manifests in the relationship between Amir and Hassan, though Amir is true to Hassan in private, he feels the need to relate to Hassan according to the prevailing social hierarchy in public. “Afghanistan is the land of the Pashtun’s…not the flat-nosed Hazara’s, these people pollute our homeland. They dirty our blood.” The inclusive language at the beginning of the quote is aimed at the Pashtun’s whereas the negative connotations of ‘pollute’ and ‘dirty’ emphasise the subservient position of the Hazara’s in the Afghani society and thus losing their sense of placement within society. Amir has to face that fact he is disloyal to his relationship with Hassan and begins personal growth. “He’s my servant! Had I really though that?” “Everywhere I turned I saw signs of his loyalty, his goddamn unwavering loyalty.” the absence of conjunction emphasises his thorough regrets that act as a barrier preventing him from

Violence in the kite runner is one of the biggest factors that shapes Amir’s life. The discrimination of Hassan causes violence as he gets raped solely because he was a Hazara. Amir’s decision to do nothing has major consequences that he must deal with. Even in America, Amir tries to bury his past, but he is always reminded of it. The social hierarchy that declares the Hazara people below Amir, shows how the long history of discrimination is hard to overcome. Later in the book, Hassan and his wife are staying at Baba’s old house. The Taliban find out and don’t believe they are living there because they are Hazara. The Taliban, just because they believe they are a higher class then Hazara, kill Hassan like it was routine. The violence that stems from discrimination is seen throughout the book. The caste system played a major part in the violence Amir experienced in this story. In Kabul, the people have accepted the social classes and are not afraid to be violent with the Hazaras to get what they want. As a result of this discrimination, the violence experienced in Kabul, shape the rest of Amir’s

The Taliban had ruled Afghanistan from between 1996 to 2001. The primary act the world didn't like about Afghanistan was their treatment to the woman and their involvement in terrorism. They are represented by a huge forces of armed men. In 1994, a group of well-trained men were chosen by Pakistan and sent to Taliban.Their role was to Protect a fleet of men who were trying to open a trade route from Pakistan to central

Hosseini incorporation of cultural conventions and hierarchy introduces the complex relationship between Hassan and Amir. Hassan was a member of the Hazara caste; a historically socially, politically and economically oppressed group. In contrast, Amir was a Pashtun, a historically dominant, richer and overall higher caste. The conflict between Hazaras and Pashtuns stems from a difference in religious beliefs. The Hazaras were Shi’a Muslims, whereas Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims. Their conflict regarding the successor to Prophet Muhammed, translated into social, and economic oppression and persecution. “Throughout Afghan History, the Pashtuns [held] the highest influential rank above other ethnic groups, specifically the Hazaras”. Hosseini directly infuses this historical context into the text when Amir found a history book, wherein he learned that “…the Pashtuns…had persecuted and oppressed the

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.

Clearly the Taliban did not value the lives of the Hazaras (www.Sparknotes.com). Assef was one of the cruelest of all the Taliban. He told Amir this “Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage" (Hosseini 284). Taliban influence in Afghanistan heightened discrimination and did not unite the country.

It seems like everywhere, Amir, the protagonist, looks society seems into two parts. From his childhood in Kabul ,Afghanistan, to living in America, there has been an invisible border restricting two parties from establishing into one. The disparity between social classes is evident in The Kite Runner between Amir and Hassan. Amir is a Pashtun, with a higher status and his servant , Hassan, is a Hazara. Hazaras are looked down upon due to their differences in appearance and beliefs. They are racially and socially inferior. If there was a Hazara residing in Kabul, the rumour was that he was either a beggar, servant or even both. The dreadful social division between the two groups led to the Pashtuns gaining higher social rankings than the Hazaras and were able to receive

An individual tends to treat another inadequately when they believe they are more superior than the other. This is sometimes caused by the act of influence. In this book, Amir being a Pashtun makes him “superior” compared to Hassan as he is a Hazara; this causes Amir to do and say uncivil things. However despite all the bad behavior Amir has portrayed, throughout the book he has shown love and care for Hassan, Amir specifies that “history isn't easy to overcome -- “I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara,” (Hosseini C4) Prior to this Amir was talking about how Baba and his relationship with Ali.. He is implying that “history” is referring to Baba, as he never referred Ali as his friend. Amir may have gotten influenced to not consider Hassan a friend

There was an extreme group called Afghanistan’s government, Also known as The Taliban. They were protecting

When Amir is confronted by Assef, who has possession of Hassan’s son, he challenges him to a fight. When Assef brutally abuses him, “[Amir] for the first time since the winter of 1975 felt at peace” (Hosseini 303). This portrays a pivotal moment in Amir’s life as it proves that Amir is willing to sacrifice his life for Sohrab just as Hassan sacrificed his life for him. Also, the guilt that has haunted him since his childhood is finally lifted, and his mind is at peace. On top of that, Amir has redeemed himself as he has compensated for the pain he caused Hassan. On his arrival back to America, General Sahib asks Amir, why he has brought this Hazara boy back with him. Amir responds by telling him “that he should never again refer to him as a Hazara in [his] presence” (Hosseini 380). This displays that Amir is once again redeeming himself to Hassan by finally standing up for Sohrab. For Amir, he believes that he is proving his loyalty and faithfulness to Hassan. Furthermore, this displays that Amir is once again redeeming himself to Hassan by finally standing up for

In Afghanistan, there is a divide between the Pashtuns and the Hazaras; the Pashtuns are upper class citizens who are treated with respect while the Hazaras are lower class, minority citizens who are treated poorly. Because of the contrasting history of the two groups, their responses to the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul were complete opposites. The Pashtuns “danced on [the] street,” (Hosseini 200) while the Hazaras cried “God help the Hazaras now” (Hosseini 213). The conflict between the Pashtuns and Hazaras in “The Kite Runner” directly reflects the real life issues in Afghanistan starting in the late 70’s and continuing on past 2001.

First, Amir’s relationship with his father, Baba, helped create Amir’s identity. Their intricate relationship often left Amir feeling worthless as if he could not live up to the standards of a Pashtun. This negatively impacted Amir growing up; his values constantly changed as he tried to form a close bond with his father. Baba raised Amir to believe that everyone in Afghanistan had a certain role to play in life, but they should all be treated with respect. Baba’s values made Amir think he had disappointed his father. The high expectations that Baba had for Amir showed that he cared about their reputation. Being the child Amir was, he translated Baba’s hardness as though his father were unhappy to have a child such as Amir. Amir recounts the emotion displayed on his father’s face after an afternoon together; he laments, “Mostly I will never forget Baba’s valiant efforts to conceal the disgusted

This was the event that changed Amir’s life forever. However, was Amir decision of not doing anything justifiable? Many readers would argue that it was not. However, looking at social classes, social structures, and beliefs could of have prevented Amir to take any action. Amir grew up knowing that Hazaras are lower class people with no privileges. Even their education system and Amir’s teacher despise the existence of Hazara. Only thing Amir knew about Hazaras was “That they were Mogul descendants, and that they looked a little like Chinese people. School textbooks barely