The Kite Runner
by: Khaled Hosseni
Sources:
www.sjsu.edu/reading/Krguide.pdf
www.infoplease.com/spot/taliban.html
www.webenglishteacher.com/hosseini.html
www.youtube.com
Story
• Setting: Afghanistan (Kabul) in the 1970’s
– Takes place after the Soviet Union invasion and during
the time when the Taliban took over Kabul.
– The setting changes to the United States (California) in
the 1980’s.
• Plot:
– A friendship between two young boys sparks a betrayal.
The Taliban takes over Kabul and forces the characters
to take drastic action. The main character, Amir,
spends his life trying to find peace and forgiveness for
his betrayal of his best friend.
– As children, Amir and Hassan were great kite
competitors.
Khaled Hosseini
• Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in
1965.
• He and his family moved to San Jose,
California in 1980 and he went on to
graduate with a Doctorate degree. He still
lives in California and practices medicine.
• Kite Runner was his first novel, and it sold
3 million copies worldwide so far.
Kite Running
• An Afghan custom of competing with kites.
Flying kites is a complicated sport involving
strings with glass embedded in them. The idea is
to cut another kite’s string to send the kite flying
freely.
• The winner of the tournament is the person with
the last kite flying in the sky.
• Also, the winner is the person who ‘runs’ the kite.
The ‘kite runner’ chases the last kite that was cut
and it’s seen as a great honor and skill to catch the
loose kite.
Taliban
• Religious students of Islamic Knowledge
Movement.
• Ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001
• They came to power during the Afghanistan Civil
War and were ousted from power in 2001 by the
United States.
• The Taliban replaced Soviet forces and had some
success in eliminating corruption and restoring
peace.
Sharia
• The Sharia was the Islamic law, and the Taliban
had very strict orders to follow these laws from
the leader of the Taliban, Mullah Muhammad
Omar.
• Mullah Omar is reportedly married to Osama Bin
Laden’s daughter, and works in conjunction with
al-Qaeda.
• Under the Sharia, public executions and
punishments became regular events at soccer
stadiums.
• Frivolous activities, like kite flying, were banned.
To weed out ‘non-islamic’ influences, TV, music,
and internet were banned.
Women and the Taliban
• When the Taliban took over Kabul, women were
forbidden to get an education.
• They were not allowed to work outside the home.
• Women were forbidden to leave the house without
a male relative with consequences of being beaten
or shot.
• Women caught with nail polish may have had
their fingertips cut off.
• Under “The ministry for the protection of virtue
and protection of vice,” the Taliban thought they
were safeguarding the women and their honor.
End of the Taliban
• Although the Taliban managed to re-unite
most of Afghanistan, they couldn’t end the
civil war.
• They didn’t improve conditions of the cities
where access to food, clean water, and
employment declined during their rule.
• Many Afghans fled to Pakistan.
End of the Taliban
• In response to the September 11th terrorist attacks,
The United Stated pressured the Taliban to turn
over Bin Laden and al-Qaeda.
• When the Taliban refused, the United States
bombed Taliban military sites.
• By November 2001, Taliban lost power of Kabul
and by December 2001, they were completely
routed of their power.
Facts about Afghanistan
• Landlocked, it’s a bit smaller than Texas.
Facts about Afghanistan
• 30 million people live in Afghanistan, compared
to 23 million in Texas.
• The life expectancy is low, 43 years. In the US,
the average life expectancy is 78.
• The official languages of Afghanistan are Dari and
Pashto.
• The literacy rate is 51% for males and 21% for
females. (US- 97% for both men and women)
• The government is Islamic republic.
Facts about Afghanistan
• People from Afghanistan are called ‘Afghans’
NOT ‘Afghanis!’
• The main religion is Islamic
– 80% are Sunni Muslims while 19% are Shi’a Muslims
– There was hostility between the people who practiced
different religions.
– Amir, the main character was a Sunni Muslim
(Pashtun) and Hassan, his best friend and servant, was a
Shi’a Muslim (A Hazara).
Main Characters
• Amir: Protagonist, An adult re-telling the story of
his childhood and growing up in Kabul.
• Baba: Amir’s father
• Hassan: Amir’s ‘hazara’ servant. Also Amir’s
best friend.
• Ali: Hassan’s father and Baba’s long time friend.
• Rahim Khan: Baba’s friend whom Amir looks up
to.
• Sanaubar: Hassan’s mother, Ali’s Ex-wife.