Kite Runner
Natalie Powers
Terms and Concepts
Kabul- The capital and largest city in Afganistan. It is also the capital of Kabul Province, in the
eastern section of Afganistan.
Wazir Akbar Khān- The wealthiest neighborhood in
northern Kabul, Afganistan. Many embassies are located
here, including the U.S.
and Canadian. This is where the protagonist, Amir, is from.
Hazara – An ethnic minority of Persian speaking people who mainly live in central Afganistan and Pakistan. The majority are Shia Muslims. This is the ethnicity of Hassan
and Ali.
Pashtuns - Eastern Iranian ethnic group with populations primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan. An ethnic majority in Afghanistan, Pashtuns speak
Pashto language and practice Pashtunwali, which is a traditional set of ethics guiding
individual and communal conduct. This is the ethnicity of
Amir and his father, Baba.
The Taliban- An Islamist militant and political group that ruled large parts of Afghanistan and its capital, Kabul, as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from September 1996 until October 2001. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all recognize The Taliban.
northern Kabul, Afganistan. Many embassies are located
here, including the U.S.
and Canadian. This is where the protagonist, Amir, is from.
Hazara – An ethnic minority of Persian speaking people who mainly live in central Afganistan and Pakistan. The majority are Shia Muslims. This is the ethnicity of Hassan
and Ali.
Pashtuns - Eastern Iranian ethnic group with populations primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan. An ethnic majority in Afghanistan, Pashtuns speak
Pashto language and practice Pashtunwali, which is a traditional set of ethics guiding
individual and communal conduct. This is the ethnicity of
Amir and his father, Baba.
The Taliban- An Islamist militant and political group that ruled large parts of Afghanistan and its capital, Kabul, as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from September 1996 until October 2001. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all recognize The Taliban.
I relate the overall purpose and message of this novel to that of The
Satanic Verses and The God of Small Things. This fictional work does justice to
the reality of actual historical events that occurred, and difficult relationships
that could be feasibly real. The author, Khaled
Hosseini, makes the reader question the ‘big things,’ the ‘small things,’
relationships, love, and identity by creating a fictional work with very
realistic events. Hosseini makes the statement that nothing in life is easy and
solutions to complex problems are not always easily found. The end result of the characters not ever
reaching complete understanding or satisfaction with their lives stresses how
the author was seeking to provide a realistic portrayal of life’s challenges. Although
the complexities and challenges of life are the main influencing factors, the
novels ending is hopeful. Hosseini stated that he was prompted to write this novel after seeing a CNN report that the Taliban had banned kite flying. The ending of Amir running the kite for Sohrab shows
how Hosseini was imparting the message that while life is full of difficult and
painful times, hope is what must remain in order to make progress both
personally and for society.
The relationships and
emotions of characters in Kite Runner parallel to the complexity of
relationships in The God of Small Things. Maintenance of outward appearance is the
most important thing for Amir who is constantly trying to gain the approval of
his father. The fact that Amir does not intervene during the rape of his
closest friend, or ever tell of the incident afterword shows how “small things”
are concealed to preserve a certain image to larger society. For example, class
differences and conflicts between the Hazara and the Pasthuns can be comparable
to the caste system in India which we have learned while reading the God of
Small Things. Ali, and his “son,” Hassan, are the ethnic minority, Hazara and must
live their lives accordingly. Ali is Baba’s servant and later in the novel
Hassan will not stay in Amir’s old room because he doesn’t want to dishonor
him. Assef’s abuse of Hassan begins with criticism and threats to Amir, a
Pasthun, because he is hanging out with Hassan, a Hazara. While the ‘big things’
such as the caste system, religion, and politics are highly visible in society,
the ‘small things’ like inner-caste sexual relations or rape that aren’t
noticed have deep ramifications and meaning to those involved. The revelations
throughout the novel of Hassan’s true father and Amir’s relation to his
childhood friend also demonstrate how the more personal aspects of someone’s life
are hidden so as not to tarnish a person or family’s reputation.
The darker, and
by most standards highly inappropriate experiences are comparable to the
molestation of Estha in The God of Small Things. The pedophiliac actions of Assef,
Sohrab’s attempted suicide, and the rape of Hassan serve to demonstrate the
severity of traumatic events that shape the character’s identity and
relationships with others. The fall of innocence is a theme present in Kite
Runner, The God of Small Things, and The Satanic Verses. While Amir and Estha’s
fall from innocence is the result of inappropriate sexual acts, Gibreel and
Saladin also experience a change in worldview after the plane crash. The
characters in all three novels
Loyalty, pride,
and the ongoing quest to eliminate guilt are important themes which solidify,
and also break, the relationships among different characters throughout the
novel. For example, Rahim Khan’s loyalty to Baba plays a major role in giving Amir
the opportunity to alleviate his childhood guilt by connecting him to Hassan’s
son, Sohrab. Displacement also plays an important role in the novel. Baba and
Amir are forced to leave their home in Kabul for Pakistan and eventually
America because of the Soviet invasion.
It was
interesting to read this novel because it is set a country which had such a
huge impact on the United States in the past 10 years. Before reading I knew
the novel was set in Afghanistan so my immediate thoughts surrounded the September
11 terrorist attacks, the Taliban, and the subsequent wars in the Middle East
that have resulted. Like many of the novels we have read in this course, Kite Runner also has been criticized certain
portrayals of controversial issues. The novel has been criticized for its ‘westernized’
portrayal of the Taliban as ‘evil’ due to the nature of Assef’s pedophilia and inappropriate
sexual actions towards several characters. As seen in this criticism, mindsets
can certainly play a role in how we view other cultures. As an American, the
only news I’ve ever seen about the Taliban is negative. It would be incredibly
difficult to look at the Taliban and who they are from a different perspective
because of 9/11. I enjoyed reading this novel because I had limited knowledge
of Afghanistan outside of mainstream media. Although the story is fictitious,
the setting and characters provided me with a new cultural perspective of a region in the Middle East that I was unfamiliar with.
Satanic Verses and The God of Small Things. This fictional work does justice to
the reality of actual historical events that occurred, and difficult relationships
that could be feasibly real. The author, Khaled
Hosseini, makes the reader question the ‘big things,’ the ‘small things,’
relationships, love, and identity by creating a fictional work with very
realistic events. Hosseini makes the statement that nothing in life is easy and
solutions to complex problems are not always easily found. The end result of the characters not ever
reaching complete understanding or satisfaction with their lives stresses how
the author was seeking to provide a realistic portrayal of life’s challenges. Although
the complexities and challenges of life are the main influencing factors, the
novels ending is hopeful. Hosseini stated that he was prompted to write this novel after seeing a CNN report that the Taliban had banned kite flying. The ending of Amir running the kite for Sohrab shows
how Hosseini was imparting the message that while life is full of difficult and
painful times, hope is what must remain in order to make progress both
personally and for society.
The relationships and
emotions of characters in Kite Runner parallel to the complexity of
relationships in The God of Small Things. Maintenance of outward appearance is the
most important thing for Amir who is constantly trying to gain the approval of
his father. The fact that Amir does not intervene during the rape of his
closest friend, or ever tell of the incident afterword shows how “small things”
are concealed to preserve a certain image to larger society. For example, class
differences and conflicts between the Hazara and the Pasthuns can be comparable
to the caste system in India which we have learned while reading the God of
Small Things. Ali, and his “son,” Hassan, are the ethnic minority, Hazara and must
live their lives accordingly. Ali is Baba’s servant and later in the novel
Hassan will not stay in Amir’s old room because he doesn’t want to dishonor
him. Assef’s abuse of Hassan begins with criticism and threats to Amir, a
Pasthun, because he is hanging out with Hassan, a Hazara. While the ‘big things’
such as the caste system, religion, and politics are highly visible in society,
the ‘small things’ like inner-caste sexual relations or rape that aren’t
noticed have deep ramifications and meaning to those involved. The revelations
throughout the novel of Hassan’s true father and Amir’s relation to his
childhood friend also demonstrate how the more personal aspects of someone’s life
are hidden so as not to tarnish a person or family’s reputation.
The darker, and
by most standards highly inappropriate experiences are comparable to the
molestation of Estha in The God of Small Things. The pedophiliac actions of Assef,
Sohrab’s attempted suicide, and the rape of Hassan serve to demonstrate the
severity of traumatic events that shape the character’s identity and
relationships with others. The fall of innocence is a theme present in Kite
Runner, The God of Small Things, and The Satanic Verses. While Amir and Estha’s
fall from innocence is the result of inappropriate sexual acts, Gibreel and
Saladin also experience a change in worldview after the plane crash. The
characters in all three novels
Loyalty, pride,
and the ongoing quest to eliminate guilt are important themes which solidify,
and also break, the relationships among different characters throughout the
novel. For example, Rahim Khan’s loyalty to Baba plays a major role in giving Amir
the opportunity to alleviate his childhood guilt by connecting him to Hassan’s
son, Sohrab. Displacement also plays an important role in the novel. Baba and
Amir are forced to leave their home in Kabul for Pakistan and eventually
America because of the Soviet invasion.
It was
interesting to read this novel because it is set a country which had such a
huge impact on the United States in the past 10 years. Before reading I knew
the novel was set in Afghanistan so my immediate thoughts surrounded the September
11 terrorist attacks, the Taliban, and the subsequent wars in the Middle East
that have resulted. Like many of the novels we have read in this course, Kite Runner also has been criticized certain
portrayals of controversial issues. The novel has been criticized for its ‘westernized’
portrayal of the Taliban as ‘evil’ due to the nature of Assef’s pedophilia and inappropriate
sexual actions towards several characters. As seen in this criticism, mindsets
can certainly play a role in how we view other cultures. As an American, the
only news I’ve ever seen about the Taliban is negative. It would be incredibly
difficult to look at the Taliban and who they are from a different perspective
because of 9/11. I enjoyed reading this novel because I had limited knowledge
of Afghanistan outside of mainstream media. Although the story is fictitious,
the setting and characters provided me with a new cultural perspective of a region in the Middle East that I was unfamiliar with.
Other useful information:
Article from TIME magazine about the author- http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1622583,00.html
Link to the webpage of the movie adaptation of Kite Runner- http://www.kiterunnermovie.com/, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419887/
Khaled Hosseini's webiste- http://www.khaledhosseini.com/hosseini-books-kiterunner.html
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