Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

Setting  Kabul, Afghanistan  Late 1970s-Early 1980s  Fremont, California  1980s-Early 2000s

Historical Background  The nation of Afghanistan emerged in  Monarchy was established.

 By the twentieth century, Afghanistan attempted to become a more “modern” nation to strengthen its position in the world. Hist. Background Cont.

The Cold War  United States vs. Soviet Union  Democracy vs. Communism

Hist. Background Cont. The Taliban  Origins  Political reforms  Social reforms  Opposition  September 11, 2001

Regional Conflicts  Political  Ethnic  Religious

Islam  Muhammad  Qu’ran (Koran)  Allah  Religions of the book

Divisions of Islam

Ethnic Diversity Pashtun  Majority  Sunni  Middle Eastern attributes  Upper class Hazara  Minority  Shia  Mongolian attributes  “Servant” class

The Kite Runner: Title’s Significance Kite FightingKite Running

Introduction to the Novel Synopsis  A story of strained family relationships between a father and son as well as two “brothers” and how they weather the political and social transformation of Afghanistan from the 1970s-2001.

Characters  Amir, the narrator and protagonist  Baba  Ali  Hassan  Rahim Khan  Assef

Style Coming-of-Age Novel  Physical growth  Psychological growth  Moral growth Literary Devices  Flashback  Foreshadowing  Interior Monologue  Imagery  Motifs (Rape & Irony)  Symbolism  Themes

Symbolism  Kites  Books  The lamb  The cleft lip

Themes  Identity and self-discovery  Guilt and redemption  Father and son relationships  Influence of political events on personal lives  Persistence of the past  Personal honor  Abuse of power  Assimilation and acculturation