BOOK TALK THE KITE RUNNER AUTHOR KHALED HOSSEINI
BOOK TALK: THE KITE RUNNER AUTHOR: KHALED HOSSEINI BY: ISAAC THORHAUG
KHALED HOSSEINI -Born in Kabul Afghanistan then moved away shortly after -Had a great desire to return, but was unable to when Afghanistan fell victim to a communist coup and Soviet invasion -Founded the Khaled Hosseini foundation which provides humanitarian support to people of Afghanistan -The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns are among his best selling novels
THE KITE RUNNER -Main characters: Amir, Hassan, Baba and Assef -Told in the perspective of Amir -Stories Amir’s journey of growing up, leaving and then returning to Kabul -Explores the functions of Afghanistan's religious and social hierarchy as well as impacts of political systems -Seeks to bring awareness to the injustices and experiences of many Afghanistan citizens
SOCIETAL NORMS -Amir identifies as a Pashtun -Hassan identifies as a Hazara -Places a large divide in the relationship between Amir and Hassan -”The book said a lot of things I didn’t know, things my teachers hadn’t mentioned…It also said some things I did know, like that people called Hazaras mice-eating, flat-nosed, load-carrying donkeys. ”-Amir -”But he’s not my friend! I almost blurted. He’s my servant! Had I really thought that? Of course I hadn’t. I treated Hassan well, just like a friend, better even, more like a brother. But if so, then why, when Baba’s friends came to visit with their kids, didn’t I ever include Hassan in our games? Why did I play with Hassan only when no one else was around? ”-Amir talking about Hassan
POLITICAL REALIGNMENT -Monarchy>republic>civil conflict, soviet invasion and Taliban takeover -Shift in government results in negative outcomes for many characters -Taliban takeover gives Assef the opportunity to display his true sadistic nature -Mistreatment and brutality towards Hassan worsens with government change -Assef leads the Taliban in “Ethnic Cleansing” - Assef: “Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage. ’ Amir: ‘That’s what you were doing in Mazar, going door-to-door? Taking out the garbage? ’ Assef: ‘Precisely. ’ Amir: 'In the west, they have an expression for that, I said. They call it ethnic cleansing. ’
RELIGION -Amir is a Sunni Muslim -Hassan is a Shi’a Muslim -Causes tension in the relationship between Amir and Hassan -The affiliation of friendship/family (between Amir and Hassan) is overpowered by the hierarchy of religion -”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. ”-Amir
- Slides: 6