The Kite Runner: Historical, Political and Cultural Contexts

The Kite Runner: Introduction First novel to be written in English Title is derived from an old Afghan hobby Gudiparan Bazi or Kite Flying It is a unique Afghan pastime during windy spring season

Biography Childhood Events: In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then Afghanistan had already witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet army. The Hosseinis sought and were granted political asylum in the United States. In September of 1980, Hosseini's family moved to San Jose, California.

About the Author Born in 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan Moved to the States in 1980 Attended Santa Clara University, Cal Graduated from UC San Diego School of Medicine in 1996 His specialty is internal medicine.

Synopsis The novel maps the journey of the Amir, the narrator. The story takes place in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United States from 1975 to 2003.

Synopsis

Synopsis Amir belongs to: a wealthy family whose father is a businessman the dominant Pashtun ethnic group the dominant Sunni religious group

Synopsis Amir tells the story of his friendship with Hassan. Hassan and his father, Ali, are Amir’s servants He is a low-caste ethnic Hazara He belongs to the minority Shi’it religious denomination He is the victim of discrimination due to his religious and ethnic identity Ironically, he is also Amir’s half brother

Synopsis AMIR AND HIS GUILT FEELING: Amir is overwhelm with guilt when he allows Hassan to be beaten by the neighborhood kids and raped by one of the boys. SEPARATION: Hassan and his father leave Kabul for Hazarajat Amir and his father flee Afghanistan for Pakistan and eventually they end up in Fremont, California Amir takes his tragic memories to America

Synopsis He returns to Afghanistan in search of Hassan While in Pakistan, Amir finds out that Hassan and his wife were killed by the Taliban regime They left a son behind by the name of Sohrab AMIR ARRIVES AT KABUL He discovers that Sohrab has become the victim of sexual assault by Assef. Assef is a neighborhood boy who also molested Hassan Amir must defeat Assef in a physical battle in order to take Sohrab out of Afghanistan and try to help repair his spirit.

The Taliban They world Taliban is the plural of and Arabic word, Talib or someone who seeks religious knowledge before he becomes a preacher in a mosque They were the sons of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and attended Pakistani schools of theology Became active in October 1994 in Qandahar and continued there advances in the country with help of Pakistan By 1997 they held about 90 percent of the Afghan territory, including Kabul THE TALIBAN ACHIEVEMENT They brought relative peace and security in the country

The Taliban’s Achievement They banished the warlords and forced to the northeastern corner the country and formed the Northern Alliance Restored law and order but through rigorous enforcement of Islamic punishment: public beating, flogging, amputation of hands, and stoning to death The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Suppression of Vice was the powerful arm of the Taliban government. The ministry issued strict religious decrees that denied people the right to freedom of expression, association, the right to work, and the right to education They prohibited games such as kite flying, chess, music, cassette

Other Factors the Contributed to a Failed State in Afghanistan A DIVERSE NATION Afghanistan is nation of groups with disparate ethnic, religious, and tribal traditions. ETHNIC DIVERSITY Over 30 different ethnic groups. They are not contained within Afghanistan. Pashtuns are the dominant ethnic groups, who account for about 38 percent of the population and ruled Afghanistan for most of the history of Afghanistan. Tajiks are the second largest ethnic groups with about 25 percent of the population.

Religious Diversity Afghanistan has two dominant religious groups, the Sunni,or the so-called orthodox Islam, and Shi’ite or the so-called heterodox. Sunni constitutes 85 percent of the population and Shi’ite consists of 15 percent of Afghan population Shi’ites split from the Sunni’s in the seventh century over who the Prophet Mohammad’s legitimate successors were Shi’ites consider Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, the legitimate successor Shi’ites developed their own conception of Islamic law and practices. In the past Shi’ites had been persecuted in Afghanistan.

THEMES Brotherhood- Baba treats Ali like a brother, Amir and Hassan are like brothers Sacrifice Redemption Love The Effects of Violence Guilt Friendship

Characters Amir: insecure main character; wants father’s affection Hassan: loyal friend and servant to Amir Baba: Amir’s strong, masculine father Sohrab: Hassan’s son later in life. Soraya: Amir’s wife later in the book Rahim Khan: Amir’s spiritual father; Baba’s friend Assef: admires Hitler; terrorizes Amir and Hassan Ali: Hassan’s father and servant to Baba; Baba’s best friend

SYMBOLS Kite-flying: winning the contest represents victory and pride Books and stories: literacy is tied to social status and power Physical deformities Dreams: haunting dreams and dreams of hope Baba’s House: the fallen state of the house represents the fallen state of Afghanistan since the Russian invasion and rise of the Taliban