Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
In “The Kite Runner,” written by Khaled Hosseini, tells a vivid story that demonstrates the political and religious discrimination in Afghan society. Concerns about discrimination are reminded to the reader as one reads about the story of two Afghan boys. A major struggle is evident between the two groups in Afghanistan, the Pashtuns, and the Hazaras. Discrimination sets into place as we learn about the history between the two family lines. On page 9, Amir read from a book that says “Pashtuns had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras … the reason was that Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, while Hazaras were Shi’a.
This sets in the idea that the Pashtuns killed the Hazaras simply because they were not Sunni Muslims, resulting in the discrimination in society against the Hazaras. Throughout the novel, there were many scenes of discrimination such as how Hassan was never invited to Amir’s birthday parties, Assef constantly picking on Ali and Hassan as they are from a different class, and especially when Assef was raping Hassan. Assef believed that it was his right to rape Hassan because in his eyes, he was only a Hazara, an object which he can own and control.
The Author Khaled Hosseini also used many literary devices to emphasize the effects of discrimination in society. This is shown on page 298 when Assef says “Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage. ” This is a metaphoric device where Khaled Hosseini had Assef regard the garbage as the Hazaras. He also clearly portrayed Assef in terms of being Hitler by having the same ethnic and political views.
Another technique the author used to show discrimination was on page 380 when General Taheri says “they will want to know why there is a Hazara boy living with my daughter. ” This is when the General begins to question Amir’s actions. This shows that even a likeable character like the General, has a nastier side and that even he would show discrimination. More importantly, this depicts the common prejudice in society. Discrimination, racism, prejudice, these are themes that people tend to avoid discussing about.
Discrimination is everywhere; everybody knows about it as it is happening, yet nobody says anything to stop it. This reminds me of a book I once read called “How To Kill A Mockingbird. ” To sum it all up, a black man was accused of raping a white daughter, and although the man was clearly innocent, the jury ultimately decided to convict the man, because he was an African American descent. This illustrates how discrimination is like a poison gas; it is easily contagious and affects everybody in the community, clouding our judgments.
In the novel, I read a passage that I found very bizarre. It was on page 27 when Amir says “the curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either… but we were kids who had learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either. ” I found this to be strange because Amir seems to be contradicting himself, making this a paradox because no amount of history, ethnicity, or society, can change the fact that Amir and Hassan practically spent all their childhood moments together, making them friends, if not, best friends.
Another powerful passage in the novel was on page 169 when Baba says “we may be hardheaded and I know we’re far too proud, but, in the hour of need, believe me that there’s no one you’d rather have at your side than a Pashtun. ” This perplexing reference makes me wonder if even Baba represents prejudice in civilization. This also makes me think that Baba believes you want a Pashtun at your side only if you’re a Pashtun and likewise to Hazaras. This shows the segregation and ethnic problems that constantly crawl its way up to the surface.
Year after year, discrimination once again sets foot into society. We’ve all believed discrimination would disappear after Martin Luther King’s speech, but unmistakably, discrimination is like a spark of flame that refuses to go out. In the novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini used many tactics to show that every character discriminates against others, representing society. This is evident on page 27 when Amir says “in the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara.
I was Sunni, and he was a Shi’a, and nothing was going to change that. ” This shows that despite the fact that Amir and Hassan are really close, social prejudice sets foot once again, demonstrating that it can even influence children. I wonder why society discriminates against other cultures. Is it because it makes them feel that their culture is superior? Or perhaps it satisfies people by seeing others in emotional pain. From this point forward, I understand that the world is filled with discrimination, which must now be stopped.
People have believed that as long as there are people of different background and culture, discrimination would live on. I believe that discrimination only lives because we want it to. People are afraid of others from different cultures simply because they might not share the same customs, which scares some of us. However, if people can look past the differences disconnecting us all, then civilization would be able to coexist harmoniously with others from a different race, thus, ending this long lasting chain of discrimination.
