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The Kite Runner Analysis

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Different cultural backgrounds cause an audience to respond differently on the themes and events presented in texts. This is clear in the novel “The Kite Runner” (2003) by Khaled Hosseini as it highlights many issues relevant to the world. The novel follows the lives of two young boys whom live in Afghanistan and the struggles within their lives as they grow older. The plot thickens with betrayals, broken relationships and injustice which in turn shape the way people in the novel are represented. The novel is told from the point of view of Amir, a rich Pashtun, and focuses on his friendship with a poor Hazara named Hassan spanning over 26 years. Hosseini brings forward the issues of rape, women in society and relationships between fathers and sons within the novel which shapes different responses from the audience due to context, specifically in regards to culture.

One of the themes and motifs within the novel is rape. Hassan was raped, at the age of twelve, by Assef, who was a teenager at the time and after Hassan’s son becomes involved in Bacha Bazi, in which he performs/dances for Assef and Assef sexually abuses Sohrab (Hassan’s son). This issue would create a variety of responses due to different cultural contexts. In India, there 23, 582 rapes that were reported, yet the police did nothing to help and in turn continued to abuse the victims. As a result, in India, the people do not view rape as a problem and continue to practice this barbaric act. In Saudi Arabia,
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