Society in The Kite Runner,
Cat’s Cradle, and
Travels with Charley
The Kite Runner
By Khaled Hosseini
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW7aGiuKZaU
About the Author
Born in Afghanistan in
1965
Came to US in 1980
The Kite Runner was first
published work
A Thousand Splendid Suns
published in 2007
Google Images
The Kite Runner
Summary
Characters:
Amir
Hassan
Assef
Sorhab
Rahim Kahn
Amir’s father
Major Themes: Redemption, Religion
Places: Kabul, Afghanistan and San Francisco,
California
The Kite Runner
How it relates to the theme of society
Amir grows more distant from Hassan because of society
Pashtun Afghanis discriminate against Hazaras
Amir cannot be publicly close with Hassan
Amir later feels guilty about this because of another
society
Amir moves to America
He begins to feel guilty and wonder about Hassan
Cat’s Cradle
By Kurt Vonnegut
About the Author
Born November 11, 1922
Died April 11, 2007
Vonnegut was a POW in
WWII
This had a profound
influence on him
Fire Bombing of Dresden
Main theme of
Slaughter House Five
and six other works
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Cat’s Cradle
Summary
Characters
John
Dr. Breed
Papa Monzano
Mona Monzano
The Hoenikkers
The Crosbys
The Mintons
Themes: Falsity of truth, dangers of technology, science vs.
religion
Places: Ilium, NY, and San Lorenzo
Cat’s Cradle
How it relates to the theme of society
John adopts the religion of Bokonon because of the
time he spends on the island of San Lorenzo
Bokonon is the native religion of San Lorenzo
John dislikes the Crosby’s because they are too normal
They are exactly what society expects
Travels with Charley
By John Steinbeck
About the Author
Born in Salinas California
in 1902
Wrote many famous
novels about American
people and issues
The Grapes of Wrath
Cannery Row
Died on December 20,
1968
Google Images
Travels with Charley
A non-fiction account of his cross country trip in 1960
He traveled with his poodle, Charley
Route:
Google Images
Travels with Charley
Steinbeck made the journey in a makeshift RV he
named Rociante
He made the journey to get a true look at the country
and its people
He ate at truck stops and diners
He had distinct impressions about each part of the
country
He did not enjoy his time in Texas and the South-East
Travels with Charley
How it relates to the theme
Steinbeck wanted to go into the South to see the
Cheerleaders
This was his name for the people standing by schools
protesting integration
He called the displays he saw in New Orleans disgusting
and horrific
Rotten vegetables thrown at kids
He discovers that his friends from the South were not
representative of southern society
Sources
www.google.com/images
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut
http://www.khaledhosseini.com/