The kite
Runner
Introduction
The distinct racial division in Afgananistan occurs
between the Hazara and the Pashtun. The Pashtun are
the majority race, and discrimination against the
Hazara widespread.
The Hazara’s are more easily
identified in the novel because the
Pashtun despise the Hazara’s and
treat them like dogs. They are also
known to be light colored and
almond shaped and round faces. It is
important in the story because it is
based on similar events that is
happening in Afganistan today and it
gives you a view point on how the
Hazara’s are treated in their own
country.
Quote
“A loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog,”
This is a quote Assef said to Hassan before he
raped him in the alley way while Amir
cowardly watch and ran away.
Quote from Amir
When Amir sees Assef rape Hassan in the
alleyway, he asks himself if he really needs to
rescue Hassan because "he was just a Hazara,
wasn't he?".
Discrimination
The Pashtun have discrimination against the
Hazara people because of who they are, what
they look like and their race. In the Kite runner
as soon as the Taliban took over they started
killing the hazara’s they wanted to make it
clean ( Meaning no Hazara’s.)
Pashtuns
They are the largest ethnic group belonging to
Afganistan. They are made up majority of the Taliban
and the current Afgan government.
The characters that are Pashtuns are Assif, Amir. But
Hassan is half Hazarra and half Pashtun but no one
finds out until close to the end of the stroy. These
three characters are important in the story because a
good story has a bad guy (assif), a good guy ( Hassan)
and a neutral guy ( Amir). It creates tension and it will
have its climax in the middles of the story to keep
people interested in the novel.
Quote
"the Pashtuns had persecuted and oppressed the
Hazaras.“
In the kite runner the Pashtuns mocked Ali because
he was disables and couldn’t smile, they also mocked
him because he was a hazara. The Pashtuns treated
the Haraza’s poorly.
Quote
A quote that shows discrimination. Assef asks Amir
"How can you play with him? How can you touch
him? (referring to Hassan). When Assef says that he is
implying that to the Pashtuns the Hazara’s are nothing
but filth that is not meant to be touched but cleaned
out.
The author emphasise the differences between these
these two different races by letting the readers
imagine what it is like to be in Afganistan. To be in the
thoughts of a Hazara and how they are treated in
Afganistan. The author made true life events in
Afganistan into a book but with other what the
Taliban are doing to the Hazara he made real life
events into a fiction novel. He shows people how
Afganistan really is thru a novel.
The author uses racial distinctions as a
characterisation to let the readers create an image
in their mind to connect with the story and to be
apart of it. It lets the readers get the full impact of
what’s happening in the novel. The whole point in
making the readers want to read more and to make
them buy more of the authors other books because
they know that that novel will be just as great as the
Kite Runner.