Friday, 12 December 2014

In the novel The Kite Runner, how are the characters' private lives shaped by the larger forces of history or culture?

Throughout the novel The Kite Runner, characters' lives are shaped by the larger forces of history and culture. Ali and Hassan are both Hazaras living in Kabul, Afghanistan and are considered minorities in a majority Sunni country. Both Ali and Hassan are discriminated against because of their ethnicities, occupy a lower social class, and are not educated. In contrast, Baba and Amir are both Pashtuns who are offered more opportunities in their home country...

Throughout the novel The Kite Runner, characters' lives are shaped by the larger forces of history and culture. Ali and Hassan are both Hazaras living in Kabul, Afghanistan and are considered minorities in a majority Sunni country. Both Ali and Hassan are discriminated against because of their ethnicities, occupy a lower social class, and are not educated. In contrast, Baba and Amir are both Pashtuns who are offered more opportunities in their home country of Afghanistan. Although Baba and Amir share many privileges because of their ethnicity, they are forced to interact with conservative Muslims who wish to impose a strictly religious culture. In 1979, the Soviets invade Afghanistan, which forces many Afghans to flee the country. Baba and Amir are forced to travel to America and begin a new life outside of Afghanistan. Later on in the novel, Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan, who is living in Pakistan because the Taliban has taken control of Afghanistan. The dire political situation in Afghanistan has negatively affected the country, and Amir is forced to save Sohrab from an orphanage in the dangerous city of Kabul. Upon entering Afghanistan in 2001, Amir witnesses firsthand how the citizens live in constant fear and danger under Taliban rule. Hosseini depicts how characters are discriminated against because of their ethnicities and forced to relocate because of political unrest throughout the novel The Kite Runner.

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