Why Is Culture Important In The Kite Runner

All through the novel Kite Runner there are various references to Muslim tradition and beliefs, there is an instrumental role of Islam on the story and its characters. Religion seems to be many things to many people in this book. Baba is celebrated in part for his exceptionally secular ways in a traditional society. Amir exercises it in an entirely private way, as if his faith were more repentance than conversion. Hassan is a victim of discrimination and bigotry and in Assef's Taliban rendition, Islam is essentially just a pretext for his pathological cruelty. It would be impossible to completely appreciate Kite Runner without reference and understand of the characters religious values and morality.

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.

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, he depicts the oppression the Hazara people face in Afghanistan through his main characters, Ali and Hassan. His vivid illustration of the demeaning behavior towards the Hazara people (Ali) set the underlying tone of this novel.

The first section mentions the Winter and why “winter is every kids favourite season in Kabul” (pg 42). The reason is “they shut down schools for the icy season” and “kites, of course. Flying Kites. And running them” , and according to Amir, kites were the “one paper-thin slice of intersection”

Past experiences shape our future and ultimately can influence who we are and how we perceive any situation we are placed in. In the story The Kite Runner, Amir struggles with embracing his life in America while also having to deal with the memories that haunt him from his past. Our past experiences and the effect they have on you will remain with you forever, it is your choice whether or not you turn that into a positive or negative.

Culture can be found in many different areas of the world. I watched the movie "The Breakfast Club" which is only one of the many places that you can find culture. "The Breakfast Club" is a movie about five high school students that come from five different backgrounds. Each of the five students did something different to earn a Saturday detention under the watch of their unenlightened principal. The group of students includes John, Claire, Allison, Andrew and Brian. John who is the rebel of the group while Claire is the princess. Allison is the person who nobody understands or cares to understand while Andrew is the high school jock. Last but not least is Brian who is known for having an A in every class. Even though each of them come from

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, he tells a story about a boy, but he ultimately tells a story about Afghanistan. Division and barriers in relationships between Amir and Baba, Amir and Sohrab, Amir and Soraya, and many others is a common theme throughout the book and one of the main examples of this is the social separation of Hazaras and Pashtuns. Hosseini includes the historical, yet horrific, massacre of Hazaras in Mazar-I Sharif in 1998 to maintain a consistent timeline of Afghanistan and further support the theme of disconnection. The conflict between Pashtuns and Hazaras dates back to the time when the Mongols had conquered most of Asia, the Middle East, and were invading Eastern Europe.

A soaring kite, deep blue and barely distinguishable from the sky, danced at the mercy of the young boy below holding its string in scarred, bloody hands. The juxtaposition between this jubilant activity and the scars hidden in the palms of the participants accurately parallels the situation in Afghanistan. To most Americans, talk of the war in Afghanistan is commonplace, just like kite flying. However, comparable to the scars that each kite flyer holds within his hands, Afghanistan’s true miseries are hidden from the world, overlooked and “a testament to the Western-backed government's failure to assert authority and curtail rogue strongmen” (Rasmussen). Though the Western government sends troops, the government of Afghanistan remains too feeble to rebuild and revert the country back to its almost forgotten state of comfort and security. Recognizing the muted cry for help in war-torn Afghanistan, Khaled Hosseini develops kite flying as a major symbol throughout his book, The Kite Runner, to further his point that Afghan society has the potential to change, and the choices we all make now will decide its fate, for better or for worse.

The culture in the book The Kite Runner is very different from the culture in America. The people in The Kite Runner are from Afghanistan and it really shapes their views and values. For example, it is considered shameful to drink alcohol if one is from Afghanistan. " Afghans who did drink did so in private, out of respect" (Hosseini 16). When Amir saw Baba drinking, he confronted him and Baba had to explain how drinking is not sinful.

In the novel The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, Soraya's story illuminates the difference between American culture and Afghanistan culture, specifically the way "the help" is viewed. Soraya reminisces about how when she was younger, she taught Ziba, the woman her father had hired to help around the house, how to read and write so she could communicate with her sister in Iran. " ... We'd sit at the kitchen table after I was done with my own schoolwork and I'd teach her Alef-beh." (Hosseini 314).

In The Book, “The Kite Runner” We see Kite running and Kite Flying as something very important to afghan culture. Kite fighting is something that brings happiness to the people in Kabul; it brings joy and hope to everyone who does to show the freedom these people can have. Kite Flying themes loyalty, betrayal and friendship in the Book “The Kite Runner, as well as how the roller coaster of Amir and Hassan’s friendship throughout the story.

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.

The Kite Runner was written by Khaled Hosseini and published in 2003. It tells the story of Amir, a young boy from Kabul, Afghanistan, and Hassan, his father’s Hazara servant. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan’s Monarchy, through the Soviet Military intervention, the exile of Pakistan refugees to America, and the rise of the Taliban. The main theme of this book focuses on guilt and redemption. Throughout the novel, Amir is constantly trying to redeem himself. Early on, Amir strives to redeem himself through his father’s eyes primarily because his mother died giving birth to him, and he feels responsible. The more important part of Amir’s search for

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.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines culture as “the beliefs, customs, and arts of a particular society, group or place.” These different cultures are viewed several different ways around the world, and these views sometimes lead to misconceptions and stereotypes. Two novels, Persepolis, By Marjane Satrapi, and Things Fall Apart, By Chinua Achebe, take their works and shatter the stereotypical views of their cultures (Native Africans and Iranians) made by the western world. They show you that what you always hear about one culture or individual may not always be accurate, and the only way to learn about one’s culture is to learn the facts.