On Culture, Clashes, and Kite Running
On Culture, Clashes, and Kite Running In his novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini depicts his homeland Afghanistan as a host to many different cultures and classes, such as Pashtun and Hazara, Sunni and Shiite, with this dichotomy of beliefs and attributes being powerful enough to shape diverse, sometimes negative relationships amongst the characters of the novel and their behavior to each other, as well as establish that individual’s identity. Each person interprets the impact of the role of belief and social status differently, while all living in the same setting, adding to their complexity and depth as a character in the novel with many different figures tied together by the same geographical and cultural conditions. Hosseini provides the reader with a wide gamut of personalities, some fitting in, and some contrasting the conservative nature of Afghanistan presented in the novel. Baba, Amir’s father, is an example of an individual that stands out as a rather liberal character given the context of his setting. Ignoring the rigid doctrine widely accepted regarding right and wrong, he boldly states:
"Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft... When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife 's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone 's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness... There is no act more wretched than stealing, Amir". (Hosseini 17)
In a society where adultery was punished by death,, as seen by those being stoned in the stadium, and Mullahs hold citizens to a certain moral expectation, Baba, rather than succumbing to a dogmatic view of ethics, finds his own meaning in how to judge the actions of others. It is because of this sense of self determination that Hosseini celebrates Baba as a well respected, well off figure, possessing an exceptionally secular nature in a God
"Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft... When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife 's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone 's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness... There is no act more wretched than stealing, Amir". (Hosseini 17)
In a society where adultery was punished by death,, as seen by those being stoned in the stadium, and Mullahs hold citizens to a certain moral expectation, Baba, rather than succumbing to a dogmatic view of ethics, finds his own meaning in how to judge the actions of others. It is because of this sense of self determination that Hosseini celebrates Baba as a well respected, well off figure, possessing an exceptionally secular nature in a God
Cited: Baker, Aryn. “Fear of Flying.” Time Magazine. Rpt. in Time Book Review. 6 Mar. 2008 <http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,480336,00.html>. Sandstrom, Karen. “’Kite Runner’ soars with a coward in the tale.” Seattle Times 13 June 2003: H37. Rpt. in Literary Criticism. Student Resource Center Gold. Gale. 6 Mar. 2008 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/?db=SRC-1>. Semple, Kirk. “With Color and Panache, Afghans Fight a Different Kind of War.” The New York Times 15 Dec. 2007. Rpt. in Literary Criticism. Student Resource Center Gold. Gale. 6 Mar. 2008 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/?db=SRC-1>. Zabriskie, Phil. “The Outsiders: Afghanistan’s Hazaras.” National Geographic. Rpt. in National Geographic Feature Article. 6 Mar. 2008 <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/02/afghanistan-hazara/phil-zabriskie-text>. Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. N.p.: Riverhead Books, 2003.