The Kite Runner Women's Roles

The Taliban were a group of religious men who came to Afghanistan as a predominantly Pashtun (largest ethnic group in Afghanistan) movement. They took over Kabul, the country’s capital in 1996, shortly after the Soviets left Afghanistan in ruins. Their goal, as they took over, was to restore peace and security, as well as enforce their own austere version of Sharia, or Islamic law, once in power. However, they exhibited behavior far from what would be considered peaceful. They imposed unjust rules and regulations across the country, severely beating and even killing individuals who failed to abide by these rules, men and women alike. Although both men and women in Afghanistan faced ordeals and hardships, women fared much worse. The rise of
This became a serious problem because women who did not have a male figure in their household could not leave their house in the fear of being caught. For instance, Khaled Hosseini’s book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, gave an account of the risks and consequences faced by a woman leaving her house unaccompanied by a male kin. Laila’s (protagonist) husband refused to accompany her to the orphanage where her daughter lived; so, Laila, having no other choice, tried to sneak out to see her daughter. Khaled described her experiences by saying, “Half the time, she never made it to the orphanage...she was spotted by the Taliban and riddled with questions” (Hosseini, 285). It was as if the women were kept on a leash and controlled by their husbands first and then the Taliban men; in other words, these women were always subjugated to the demands of men. Additionally, women were not allowed to talk to men who were not their kin; if a woman did do so, then she was badly beaten and forced to marry the individual (rawa.org). Women were forbidden from laughing or talking loudly in public; if they dared to do so, it also resulted in getting physically abused. One can say that the Taliban imprisoned females as if they were birds in a cage; they were practically imprisoned inside their homes with no scope of freedom or
Although they are not in complete power of Afghanistan as of now, their influence is still apparent in women’s lives. In an interview with a woman soccer player, Khatolsha Mazem Raquel, she stated “Someone called my home number. He promised to kill me if I continued to play. I changed my number but I’m still scared” (cbsnews.com). Compared to the time when the Taliban had full power, these Afghan women have much more freedom to do as they please, but they still have many restrictions and issues to deal with. After decades of prejudiced treatment, it has become hard for women to think highly of themselves after being treated so poorly by men. Likewise, men have become accustomed to treating ladies badly and cutting off their freedom, which is why they continue to do so even after the Taliban have lost much of their power in Afghanistan. The rise of the Taliban in 1996 has shaped and transformed Afghanistan into a sexist country that continues to oppress and control women’s