Essay Sample: Hosseini's Narrative

“The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either. Not in the usual sense, anyhow. Never mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle with no hands, or to build a fully functional homemade camera out of a cardboard box…Never mind any of those things. Because history isn't easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi'a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing (Hosseini 25).”

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Secondary Sources

“Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by a difference of sentiments in religion appear most inveterate and distressing (Henriques 184).”

Personal Response

Religion takes a center point in the development of Hosseini's narrative concerning his life. In the Afghan culture, just like other Islamic nations, religion plays a central point in defining people's heritage in ways such as morals, gender norms, and control interactions. In this case, religion is portrayed as a cause of discrimination, political tension, and social inequality. Notably, Amir and Hosseini as well as Ali and Baba's relationships are largely affected by religious divisions that prevent true friendship. Amir and Baba belong to the Pashtun’s—Sunni Muslims—while Ali and Hassan belong to the Hazaras, who are Shi’a Muslims. The Pashtuns are considered as a “superior race” in Afghanistan, while the Hazaras are considered inferior or slaves. The Pashtuns command most power and control the Taliban, which allows them to persecute the Hazaras and turn them into slaves. On the other hand, due to treachery conducted on the minority—Hazaras—they accepted their place in society as lesser beings

Discrimination is evident when the Taliban takes control and kill the Hazaras. Overall, Afghan society is conservative and extremely traditional and did not allow any bond between the Sunnis and Shias since they were unequal. The situation not only prevented friendship but also caused discrimination and political tension.

Literature

Novel Quote

“This is one of those unforgettable stories that stays with you for years. All the great themes of literature and of life are the fabric of this extraordinary novel: love, honor, guilt, fear, redemption.” (Hosseini, 2003: books cover).

Secondary Quotes

“Literary texts can be used to interpret the social structures that are taking place in society. Aspects of sociology literature contained in a literary work can be attributed to several things: (a) the concept of social stability, (b) the concept of sustainability of different communities, (c) how an individual receives another individual in the collective, (d) how the community can be changed in stages, (e) how the major changes occur in a public place (Agustina 44).”

Personal Response

Literature serves as a mirror of a community’s culture and heritage. It allows documentation and representation of cultural aspects and social structures that are dominant in a society. Just as Hosseini notes, literature can display a myriad of themes not limited to love, guilt, and fear. In the novel, the author uses literature to depict various themes and events that shape the lives of specific characters in the narrative.

Noticeably, through literature, the author displays the theme of love and brotherhood among characters in the novel. Raised in the same homestead, Amir and Hassan grew up like brothers and shared Baba’s love equally despite being socially unequal. The two boys had an affection for each other in such a way that Hassan even stood up to defend Amir from Assef—a violent sadist. However, during a triumphant kite tournament, Amir betrays Hassan by refusing to defend him from Assef and watches him being raped from a distance. The author noted that he had a choice to go and protect Hassan or return with the kite (Hassan’s kite) and win Baba’s love; unfortunately, he chose the latter. The act of cowardice caused the author incredible guilt for the rest of his life since he could not forget his betrayal even after moving to America. The bond is also strengthened when he learns that Hassan was his half-brother. The guilt and bond drive Amir back to Afghanistan to amend his past and try to get redemption for his sins. Additionally, the theme of love is also evident through the bond between Amir and Sohrab—Hassan’s son.

Social Issues

Classism and Poverty

Novel Quote

“But in none of his stories did I ever here Baba refer to Amir as his friend. The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either (Hosseini 25).”

Secondary Source

“Social class shapes behavior through cultural learning, such as socialization processes occurring within a family whose members share a similar socioeconomic background, and through social-cognitive mechanisms, which include habitual response patterns to an experience that is unique to a particular social class” (Kraus 423).

Personal Response

The issues of classism, bigotry, and poverty are dominant in the "Kite Runner" and affect individuals’ character development. The structures define the characters’ experiences, influence their beliefs and thoughts, and create prejudices. Noticeably, Amir is exposed to retrogressive opinions about the Hazaras from a young age, which influences how he thinks about them, especially Hassan. For instance, in school, he was exposed to Mullahs and teachers opinions' that Shia’s were inferior to Sunni Muslims (Hosseini 10).

Noticeably, Hassan believed he was inferior and was often contended with discrimination and living in poor conditions. For example, he and Ali lived in a small hut beside Baba's mansion despite having the invitation to a better life and were ready to serve Amir's family for life. Baba and Ali were raised as brothers but ended up living separately due to classism. Ali languished in poverty while Baba lived largely all because they were conditioned to social stratification and norms. Overall, the classism gave rise to bigotry and poverty among the Hazaras who lacked justice and equality in Afghanistan.

Immigration

Novel Quote

“Baba had no cash on him for the oranges he’d written Mr. Nguyen a check and Mr. Nguyen had asked for an ID. “he wants to see my license, “Baba bellowed in Farsi. “Almost two years we’ve bought his damn fruits and put money in his pocket and the son of a dog wants to see my license!” (Hosseini 184).

Secondary Quote

“Ethnic discrimination is a relatively common experience among immigrants and ethnic minorities’ (Straiton 325).

Personal Response

The issue of immigration is vital in the novel given that there are a plethora of challenges that immigrants experience in foreign nations such as experiencing new cultures, retaining old ways, and immigrant discrimination. Firstly, Ali and Baba faced discrimination in the US due to racial prejudice that was associated with being an immigrant. In one instance, Baba had a scuffle with Mr. Nguyen after he was asked to provide an ID after giving a check instead of cash albeit he was a regular customer in the grocery (Hosseini 134).

Secondly, immigrants are bound to retaining some of their cultures and habits even in foreign nations. In this case, Baba refused to be diagnosed by a Russian physician since he disliked Soviets for destroying his country. Despite Dr. Schneider being born in Michigan nothing could convince Baba otherwise. Thirdly, immigrants often must adapt to new experiences to survive in foreign nations just as for Baba and Amir who had to sell fruits at the Flea market to earn a living.

Work Cited

Agustina, Hiqma Nur. "The Kite Runner: My Passion of Literature." International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (ICSSH’15), 5–6 May 2015, Bali, Indonesia. 2015. www.researchgate.net/publication/325192581_The_Kite_Runner_My_Passion_of_LiteratureHenriques, Peter R. Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington. University of Virginia Press, 2008.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Penguin, 2003.

Kraus, Michael eta al. "Signs of Social Class: The Experience of Economic Inequality in Everyday Life." Perspectives on Psychological Science, vol, 12, no. 3, 2017, pp. 422-435. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1745691616673192

Straiton, Melanie Lindsay et al. "Perceived Discrimination, Health, and Mental Health Among Immigrants in Norway: The Role of Moderating Factors." BMC Public Health, vol. 19, no.1, 2019, pp.325. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-6649-9