The novel, the Kite Runner was probably my favorite book that I have read so far. I loved how Hossenini used so much detail to show certain scenes, places, and especially emotions. I found myself starting to feel the way that Hassan was feeling. The problems in Afghanistan are still happening today and this book motivates me to do something to help. It also shows how cruel some people can be because of the social class they are born into. We are all the same, no matter what.
"he's just a hazara"
Dr. Seuss once said, “A person’s a person no matter how small.” In this novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini tells his story surrounding the class difference between the two main characters, Amir and Hassan. Since Amir is at a higher socioeconomic status than Hassan that separation puts limits on the appearance of their friendship. Without this important layer to this story, Amir’s path for redemption would have been completely different.
The time of the Taliban in Afghanistan was a terrible time. Discrimination was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. As Amir describes the results, he says, “When it was all over, when the bloodied corpses had been unceremoniously tosses into the backs of red pickup trusts-separate ones-a few men with shovels hurriedly filled the holes” (272). The Taliban did not seem to care who they were torturing or how they went about this terrible act, but it was their way or no way. Like Hitler, Assef felt entitled to killing those who were not worthy of living on his land. A good example was the Hazaras. Just like Assef had said, “Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out that garbage” (284). The Taliban were taking over the country and did not seem to care that they were also ruining friendships, families, relationships, and even hope. Towards the end of the novel Assef forced Sohrab to dance and sing to Pashtu music even though it had been banned for quite some time. While Amir is standing in a room full of Assef’s followers, he thinks of this hypocritical remark, “I guessed music wasn’t sinful as long as it played to Taliban ears” (280). The Taliban had the power to control everything and everybody when they pleased. The one thing they were really good at was being hypocrites.
The history of this novel goes back many years when the difference between a Pashtun and Hazara was far from explanation. Towards the beginning Hosseini described how Baba was setting a good example for himself by being nice to the Hazaras. Baba does the same thing with Hassan. Even under Baba’s own roof, the difference between the two classes was very clear. Although Baba did not want to think that he was treating Ali and Hassan differently, he was. Ali and Hassan still lived out in the hut and slept on a mattress on the floor. The relationship between Hassan and Baba is put on a stand still due to the different between their classes. When Hassan died defending Baba’s house, the loyalty and commitment of Hassan started to show through all the horrible things that had happened to him. At that point in the novel, Hassan started to accept his role in Baba’s life and also his role in Kabul. At the beginning Amir thought to himself, “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 a Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing” (25). He was absolutely correct. No matter how much Amir wanted to show his true feelings to Hassan, he was not able to. This whole novel revolves around how the relationship between Amir and Hassan does not get the full opportunity to develop the way that it should have. Since people are not born with the same opportunities as others, that puts a damper on their chances down the road.
Since the beginning, Amir was always the one controlling the kite while Hassan was the runner. It is similar to when Hassan was getting raped and Amir stood there and watched. Amir had no legal or culturally moral reason to stop the rape. As Amir stood in that alley, he thought to himself, “I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt. That’s what I told myself as I turned my back to the alley, to Hassan. That’s what I made myself believe…”(77). Even though his friendship with Hassan was important to him, he stood there because he was too afraid. Out of all the times that Hassan had stood up for Amir, Amir could not just save him once. Amir’s guilt seemed to transcend Hassan’s humiliation. Hassan lay in that alley way in pain, but more embarrassed than anything. Hassan was doing everything he was supposed to do within a friendship and he considered Amir his friend. How could that be when Amir still did not have the courage to save him once. On Amir’s search for his nephew, he has this flashback to when Hassan and he were just boys. Amir’s past shows back up in his mind and he says to himself, “I thought of the street fights we’d get into when we were kids, all the times Hassan used to take them on for me, two against one, sometimes three against one. I’d wince and watch, tempted to step in, but always stopping short, always held back by something”(255). That “something” was the simple fact that Amir was a Pashtun and Hassan a Hazara. Once Amir finds out that Hassan is his half-brother, everything seems to change. Amir’s relationship with Hassan would have been completely different if he would have known about this sooner. Ali and Hassan might not have left if Baba would have been honest with his two sons.
Even the difference between the classes of Amir and Hassan was not enough to justify what Amir had done to Hassan. Their relationship was one of a kind and it is sad that it could have been different. If Baba would have just came out and told everybody that Hassan was his son, it might have changed things. It is hard to say what would have been different, but Amir’s journey for redemption would not have been so meaningful. He was searching for a way to forgive himself and that was by getting the chance to save Hassan’s son. Amir got a second chance to start a new friendship with Sohrab while forgiving himself for ruining his friendship with Hassan. Relating to the Dr. Seuss quote, a person is a person no matter what class they might unfortunately come from. We are all searching for a way to fit into this crazy world. Dr. Seuss also said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
The time of the Taliban in Afghanistan was a terrible time. Discrimination was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. As Amir describes the results, he says, “When it was all over, when the bloodied corpses had been unceremoniously tosses into the backs of red pickup trusts-separate ones-a few men with shovels hurriedly filled the holes” (272). The Taliban did not seem to care who they were torturing or how they went about this terrible act, but it was their way or no way. Like Hitler, Assef felt entitled to killing those who were not worthy of living on his land. A good example was the Hazaras. Just like Assef had said, “Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out that garbage” (284). The Taliban were taking over the country and did not seem to care that they were also ruining friendships, families, relationships, and even hope. Towards the end of the novel Assef forced Sohrab to dance and sing to Pashtu music even though it had been banned for quite some time. While Amir is standing in a room full of Assef’s followers, he thinks of this hypocritical remark, “I guessed music wasn’t sinful as long as it played to Taliban ears” (280). The Taliban had the power to control everything and everybody when they pleased. The one thing they were really good at was being hypocrites.
The history of this novel goes back many years when the difference between a Pashtun and Hazara was far from explanation. Towards the beginning Hosseini described how Baba was setting a good example for himself by being nice to the Hazaras. Baba does the same thing with Hassan. Even under Baba’s own roof, the difference between the two classes was very clear. Although Baba did not want to think that he was treating Ali and Hassan differently, he was. Ali and Hassan still lived out in the hut and slept on a mattress on the floor. The relationship between Hassan and Baba is put on a stand still due to the different between their classes. When Hassan died defending Baba’s house, the loyalty and commitment of Hassan started to show through all the horrible things that had happened to him. At that point in the novel, Hassan started to accept his role in Baba’s life and also his role in Kabul. At the beginning Amir thought to himself, “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 a Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing” (25). He was absolutely correct. No matter how much Amir wanted to show his true feelings to Hassan, he was not able to. This whole novel revolves around how the relationship between Amir and Hassan does not get the full opportunity to develop the way that it should have. Since people are not born with the same opportunities as others, that puts a damper on their chances down the road.
Since the beginning, Amir was always the one controlling the kite while Hassan was the runner. It is similar to when Hassan was getting raped and Amir stood there and watched. Amir had no legal or culturally moral reason to stop the rape. As Amir stood in that alley, he thought to himself, “I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt. That’s what I told myself as I turned my back to the alley, to Hassan. That’s what I made myself believe…”(77). Even though his friendship with Hassan was important to him, he stood there because he was too afraid. Out of all the times that Hassan had stood up for Amir, Amir could not just save him once. Amir’s guilt seemed to transcend Hassan’s humiliation. Hassan lay in that alley way in pain, but more embarrassed than anything. Hassan was doing everything he was supposed to do within a friendship and he considered Amir his friend. How could that be when Amir still did not have the courage to save him once. On Amir’s search for his nephew, he has this flashback to when Hassan and he were just boys. Amir’s past shows back up in his mind and he says to himself, “I thought of the street fights we’d get into when we were kids, all the times Hassan used to take them on for me, two against one, sometimes three against one. I’d wince and watch, tempted to step in, but always stopping short, always held back by something”(255). That “something” was the simple fact that Amir was a Pashtun and Hassan a Hazara. Once Amir finds out that Hassan is his half-brother, everything seems to change. Amir’s relationship with Hassan would have been completely different if he would have known about this sooner. Ali and Hassan might not have left if Baba would have been honest with his two sons.
Even the difference between the classes of Amir and Hassan was not enough to justify what Amir had done to Hassan. Their relationship was one of a kind and it is sad that it could have been different. If Baba would have just came out and told everybody that Hassan was his son, it might have changed things. It is hard to say what would have been different, but Amir’s journey for redemption would not have been so meaningful. He was searching for a way to forgive himself and that was by getting the chance to save Hassan’s son. Amir got a second chance to start a new friendship with Sohrab while forgiving himself for ruining his friendship with Hassan. Relating to the Dr. Seuss quote, a person is a person no matter what class they might unfortunately come from. We are all searching for a way to fit into this crazy world. Dr. Seuss also said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”