essay questions kite runner

The Kite Runner

By khaled hosseini, the kite runner essay questions.

Could the story of the novel exist without the class difference between Amir and Hassan? Make a case, using specific plot points and historical facts to ground your argument.

Examine the concept of circularity in the novel. What important cycles exist in the characters' lives and histories? How is circularity connected to redemption?

Explore the way in which courage is portrayed in the novel. What constitutes true bravery? What are the key moments when characters are brave and who is the bravest character, if any? Use specific examples from the text to support your argument.

Each character in the novel is shaped not only by his particular circumstances, but by the historical and political events that occur during his life. Consider Sohrab, the only character of his generation; how is he different from the other characters and how are these differences a function of what he has experienced?

Consider the idea of a homeland or "watan." How do you think the novel defines a homeland? Make sure to consider the opinions of Farid and Assef. Also, consider this question in terms of Amir and Sohrab, two characters who leave Afghanistan when they are still growing up.

Even though countless events occur in the novel, the title refers to kite fighting and kite running. What do these activities represent in the novel and why are they so important? To whom or what does the title, "The Kite Runner," refer?

Examine what it means to be American in the novel. How do different characters see America and is there one perspective that comes across most definitively? Some characters you may want to consider: Amir, Baba, General Taheri, Omar Faisal, Farid.

Think about the fathers in the novel. According to the novel, what does it mean to be a father? How can one measure one's success at fathering? Some characters to consider: Baba, Ali, Amir, Hassan, General Taheri, Farid, Wahid, Raymond Andrews.

"Like father, like son." "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." "Monkey see, monkey do." Use one of these cliches as a starting point to consider the way characters in the story behave. Characters to consider: Amir, Hassan, Assef, Baba, Sohrab, Rahim Khan.

Make a list of instances in the novel where someone is forgiven. What constitutes true forgiveness? Why is forgiveness so important? You may want to consider moments between Hassan and Amir, Baba and Hassan, Hassan and Sanaubar, Amir and Sohrab, General Taheri and Soraya, and Amir and himself.

Think about acts of violence in the novel individually and as a whole. Why is violence so essential to the story? Could the story occur without so much violence? Using your answer from the previous question, explain what you think Hosseini is using violence to say. You may want to consider: Hassan's rape, Sohrab's rape, the stonings at Ghazi Stadium, Assef and Amir's fight, Sohrab's suicide attempt, the story of Kamal and his father, Hassan and Farzana's murders, Sanaubar's appearance at the house, and the activity of kite fighting.

The Kite Runner Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Kite Runner is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini chapter 2&3

I'm not sure what your question is here.

Baba gets lung cancer. What has Baba been trying to teach Amir?

He wants to teach Amir how to be on his own.

What must grooms do before they ask a girl to wed?

Grooms must ask the father's (of the bride) permission first.

Study Guide for The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner is a novel by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner study guide contains a biography of Khaled Hosseini, 100 quiz questions, a list of major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Kite Runner
• The Kite Runner Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

• Amir’s Quest for Salvation in The Kite Runner
• A Journey for Redemption in The Kite Runner
• Redemption in Kahled Hosseini's The Kite Runner
• Assef: Why Is He the Way He Is?
• Emotional Intertextuality Between Death of a Salesman and The Kite Runner

Lesson Plan for The Kite Runner

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Kite Runner
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Kite Runner Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Kite Runner

• Introduction
• Composition and publication
• Plot summary

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113 The Kite Runner Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a powerful and emotional novel that explores themes of redemption, betrayal, and the complexities of family and friendship. If you are tasked with writing an essay on this novel, you may be struggling to come up with a topic that is both original and thought-provoking. To help you brainstorm ideas, here are 113 Kite Runner essay topic ideas and examples to inspire your writing:

• Explore the theme of redemption in The Kite Runner.
• Analyze the relationship between Amir and Hassan.
• Discuss how betrayal is portrayed in the novel.
• Compare and contrast Amir and Hassan as characters.
• Examine the role of Baba in the novel.
• Discuss the significance of the kite-fighting tournament in the novel.
• Analyze the setting of Afghanistan in The Kite Runner.
• Discuss the theme of guilt in the novel.
• Explore the motif of loyalty in The Kite Runner.
• Analyze the character of Assef in the novel.
• Discuss the role of women in The Kite Runner.
• Examine the theme of sacrifice in the novel.
• Compare and contrast the characters of Amir and Sohrab.
• Discuss the theme of forgiveness in The Kite Runner.
• Analyze the symbolism of kites in the novel.
• Discuss the theme of cultural identity in The Kite Runner.
• Examine the role of religion in the novel.
• Compare and contrast the characters of Rahim Khan and Baba.
• Discuss the theme of friendship in The Kite Runner.
• Analyze the character of Soraya in the novel.
• Discuss the theme of war in The Kite Runner.
• Examine the motif of storytelling in the novel.
• Compare and contrast the characters of Soraya and Assef.
• Discuss the theme of redemption in The Kite Runner.
• Analyze the character of Sohrab in the novel.
• Discuss the significance of the pomegranate tree in the novel.
• Examine the role of guilt in The Kite Runner.
• Compare and contrast the characters of Baba and Rahim Khan.
• Discuss the theme of betrayal in The Kite Runner.
• Examine the role of Afghanistan in The Kite Runner.
• Compare and contrast the characters of Amir and Hassan.
• Discuss the theme of loyalty in The Kite Runner.
• Analyze the character of Rahim Khan in the novel.
• Examine the symbolism of kites in the novel.
• Compare and contrast the characters of Sohrab and Hassan.

These essay topic ideas and examples should provide you with plenty of inspiration for your essay on The Kite Runner. Whether you choose to explore themes, analyze characters, or examine motifs and symbols, there are endless possibilities for writing a compelling and insightful essay on this powerful novel. Good luck with your writing!

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The Kite Runner

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Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the play over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The hero’s journey, developed by Joseph Campbell, presents an ancient pattern of tropes that are ever present in the themes and motifs of The Kite Runner . When Amir receives Rahim Khan’s phone call, he is literally answering the call to action, which beckons the hero of myth into adventure.

• What other heroic patterns of the hero’s journey does Amir fulfill? ( topic Sentence)
• Pick one or two different stages in the hero’s journey and provide direct quotes or examples from the book showing when Amir experiences them.
• Conclude with any other general similarities or differences between Amir and the hero’s journey process. Is Amir a hero or not?

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2. Amir’s mother has a distinct and defining influence on Amir’s life, though she is largely absent from the text, having died giving birth to Amir. In what ways does her death affect Amir’s character arc?

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85 The Kite Runner Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best the kite runner topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 most interesting the kite runner topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about the kite runner, ❓ kite runner essay questions.

• Friendship of Amir and Hassan in The Kite Runner The idea of friendship in The Kite Runner is considered to be one of the most important, particularly in terms of how friendship is appreciated by boys of different classes, how close the concepts of […]
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini He was sent to an orphanage, and the author of the letter asks Amir to save the child and take him to the USA.
• Redemption in Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” The author reveals the peculiarities of the soul of a sinful man who admits his mistakes to demonstrate that redemption is the only way to restore the connection with God and find happiness.
• Hassan and Amir: The Relations, Which Touch the Soul Taking into consideration that loyalty is one of the common features for both Hassan and Amir, their differences, which consist in family and origin as well as their attitudes to life, friendship, and respect, make […]
• The Kite Runner Amir does not get the issue of redemption and he thinks the only way to it is by paying for it through suffering.
• “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini The story begins when the narrator, Amir, is supposedly 38 years old, and the tale he tells is essentially a flashback over the events of his life that have brought him to this point.
• Examples of Loyalty in Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” After all it is after having proven his loyalty to Hassan by the means of bringing his son Sohrab to the U.S.that the novel’s protagonist Amir was able to attain inner peace hence, providing a […]
• Afghan History & Politics in The Kite Runner Film The following film review aims to observe the strengths and weaknesses of this film as an informative resource for the students of the political and historical background of Afghanistan.
• “The Kite Runner” Novel by Khaled Hosseini Afghanistan has not produced a lot of books in the past and it was an achievement for Khlaed Hosseini to be able to come up with a best seller in a western setting.
• The Kite Runner as a Metaphor The kite runner and the kite fighter restrict the movement of the kite in order for it to move in an orderly manner.
• “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Oates and “The Kite Runner” by Hosseini But in reality, the reference was meant to encourage Connie and not belittle her. His father Baba was the biological father of both Amir and Hassan respectively.
• “Osama” , The Kite Runner, and Persepolis Links The cruelty of the revolution and the Taliban regime brought not only a lot of changes and sufferings to people’s lives but also provided the literature world with significant masterpieces filled with pain and difficulties […]
• Afghani Childhood in “The Kite Runner” by Hosseini The purpose of writing this book, on the author’s part, had to do with his intention to reflect upon his childhood memories of having lived in Afghanistan through the years 1965-1980.
• Lessons Learnt From Les Miserables and The Kite Runner The main theme of redemption is similar in both the concert Les Miserables and the novel The Kite Runner. He becomes the symbol of goodness, a symbol that is shown to Valjean and changes the […]
• Positive and Negative Effects of Guilt on Amir in “The Kite Runner”
• Comparison of “Between Shades of Gray” and “The Kite Runner”
• The Examination of Complicated Relationships Between “The Flying Troutmans” and “The Kite Runner”
• The True Meaning of Honor in “The Kite Runner”
• Significance of Friendship in “A Thousand Splendid Suns” and “The Kite Runner”
• Sentimental Intertextuality in “The Kite Runner”
• The Balance of Dying: Complex Approaches to Mortality in “The Kite Runner”
• The Different Class Relationship in “The Kite Runner”
• The Effects of Racism and Social Class on the Individual and Society in Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner”
• Violence as a Critical Part of “The Kite Runner”
• The Greatness of the Character of Baba in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Impact of Motivation in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Betrayal in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Importance of Father Son Relationship in “The Kite Runner”
• The Importance of Loyalty and Betrayal in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Influence of Religion in “The Kite Runner”
• Understanding the Meaning of Real Relationship in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• Unwardliness in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• Victim of Discrimination in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Issue of Racial and Ethnic Seclusion in “The Kite Runner”
• “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini and Collective Theme of Class Hate, Guilty Conscience, and Redemption
• “The Kite Runner”: Forgiveness, Loyalty, and the Quest for Redemption
• The Oppression of Women in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Issues of Sin and Redemption in “The Kite Runner”
• The Path to Redemption in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Personality and Feelings of the Characters Through the Use of References to Eyes in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini: Blinded by Guilt
• The Possibility of Growth and Change of Amir in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Power of the Written Word in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Relationship Between a Parent and Their Child in Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner”
• The Search for Redemption in “The Kite Runner” and “Secret Daughter”
• The Social Issues Hosseini Is Protesting Against in the First Two Chapters of “The Kite Runner”
• The Struggle for Redemption in Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner”
• The Struggles of Amir in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Theme of Redemption in “The Kite Runner” by Khalid Hosseini and “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller
• Transformation of Characters in “The Kite Runner”
• The Theme of Social Class and the Alienation of Amir in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Themes of Betrayal in “Macbeth” and “The Kite Runner”
• The Turning Point of the Plot in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
• The Use of Khalid Hosseini’s in “The Kite Runner” as a Reference Point
• Should Public High School Students Have Access to “The Kite Runner”?
• How Are Memorable Characters Created in “The Kite Runner”?
• How Does Discrimination Against Shi’a Muslims Mirror a Country’s Wrongful Assumptions in “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini?
• How Does Hosseini Begin “The Kite Runner”?
• Could the Story of “The Kite Runner” Exist Without the Class Difference Between Amir and Hassan?
• How Does Hosseini Tell the Story of “The Kite Runner” in Chapter One?
• What Important Cycles Exist in the Characters’ Lives and Histories in “The Kite Runner”?
• How Does Hosseini Portray Tension During “The Kite Runner” Rape Scene?
• What Is the Relationship Between Individual Morality and the Health of the Greater Society, as Hosseini Seems to Be Suggesting in “The Kite Runner”?
• How Do Past Events Shape the Lives of Protagonists Amir in “The Kite Runner”?
• How Do Amir and Hassan Represent the Divisions in Afghan Society in “The Kite Runner”?
• How Does the Author Use Time as a Narrative Device in “The Kite Runner”?
• How Does Amir Develop His Persona in “The Kite Runner”?
• How Do the Political Events That Occur in Afghanistan Shape the Lives of Amir, Hassan, and Assef in “The Kite Runner”?
• In What Ways Does Amir Seek Redemption and Why in “The Kite Runner”?
• How Do the Relationships Between Fathers and Sons Affect the Events of “The Kite Runner”?
• In What Way Does the Kite Unites the Past and the Future Within “The Kite Runner”?
• Why Is “The Kite Runner” a Good Novel?
• Why Does the Cleft Lip Reveal the Tragedy of a Broken Friendship in “The Kite Runner”?
• In What Way Hassan’s Rape Becomes the Breaking Point of “The Kite Runner”?
• Hat Is Used as a Sacrifice That Is Being Made to Get Something Good in “The Kite Runner”?
• Is Hassan the Only Child Being Raped During the War in “The Kite Runner”?
• Who Has Suffered the Most in “The Kite Runner” Novel?
• How Is the Whole Afghan Nation “Abused” and “Raped” in “The Kite Runner”?
• In What Way Do the Relations Between the Characters of “The Kite Runner” Influence Their Destinies?
• What Is the Major Gap in the Father-Son Relations in “The Kite Runner”?
• In What Way Amir’s Relations With Baba Influence His Future Betrayal in “The Kite Runner”?
• Why Does Amir Seek So Much the Approval of His Father in “The Kite Runner”?
• How Amir Tries to Change the Situation for His Son Sohrab in “The Kite Runner”?
• What Is the Role of Religion for the Characters of “The Kite Runner”?
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IvyPanda. (2023, December 14). 85 The Kite Runner Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/the-kite-runner-essay-examples/

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IvyPanda . 2023. "85 The Kite Runner Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." December 14, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/the-kite-runner-essay-examples/.

1. IvyPanda . "85 The Kite Runner Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." December 14, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/the-kite-runner-essay-examples/.

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The Kite Runner Essay Topics & Writing Assignments

Essay Topic 1

Religion was an underlying theme interwoven throughout this book. Describe in detail what effect his religious beliefs had on Amir using at least five examples from the story. Then compare Amir's views and beliefs as related to religion to that of another character in the story, using specific examples from the book.

Remember to:

• Describe the effect of religion on Amir

• Compare Amir's beliefs about religion to another character in the story

• Use examples from the text to support your statements

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay describing the changes Amir went through throughout the book using specific examples from the text. Compare his changes to your own personal changes in opinion on this region and the reign of the Taliban.

• Describe Amir's changes

• Use examples from the text

• Describe your changes in opinions about Afghanistan and the culture of its people

Essay Topic 3

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"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini Discussion Questions

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The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a powerful novel that explores sin, redemption, love, friendship, and suffering. The book is set mostly in  Afganistan and the United States. The book also explores the changes in Afganistan from the fall of the Monarchy to the fall of the Taliban . It follows the lives of two best friends as global politics and family drama come together to shape their destiny. The main character, Amir, is forced to leave his home because of the Soviet military invasion. Because of this, the reader is given a glimpse into the Muslim American immigrant experience.

Hosseini considers the story to be the tale of a father and son, though most readers focus on the relationship between the two brothers. An unimaginable childhood trauma will set off a chain reaction of events that will forever change both the boys' lives. Use these discussion questions to lead your book club or literature circle into the depths of The Kite Runner .

Spoiler Warning: These questions may reveal important details about The Kite Runner . Finish the book before reading on.

Literature Circle Questions About The Kite Runner

• What did The Kite Runner teach you about Afghanistan? About friendship? About forgiveness, redemption, and love?
• Who suffers the most in The Kite Runner ?
• How does the turmoil between Amir and Hassan mirror the tumultuous history of Afghanistan?
• Were you surprised to learn about the racial tension between the Pashtuns and Hazaras in Afghanistan? Can you think of any culture in the world without a history of oppression ? Why do you think minority groups are oppressed so often?
• What does the title mean? Do you think the kite running was meant to symbolize anything? If so, what? 
• Do you think Amir is the only character who feels guilty for their past actions? Do you think Baba had regrets about how he treated his sons? 
• What did you like about Baba? Dislike about him? How was he different in the U.S. than in Afghanistan? Did he love Amir?
• How did learning that Hassan was Baba's son change your understanding of Baba?
• How does learning about Hassan's heritage change how Amir views himself and his past?
• Why did Amir act so hatefully toward Hassan after he saw him get raped? Why did Hassan still love Amir?
• Did Amir ever redeem himself? Why or why not? Do you think redemption is ever possible? 
• How is sexual violence used in the book? 
• What do you think happened to Sohrab?
• Did the book change your feelings on immigration ? Why or why not? Which parts of the immigrant experience seemed the hardest to you?
• What did you think of the portrayal of women in the book? Did it bother you that there were so few female characters? 
• Rate The Kite Runner on a scale of one to five.
• How do you think the characters fair after the story ends? Do you think healing is possible for such scarred people?
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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Symbolism — The Kite Runner Symbolism Analysis

The Kite Runner Symbolism Analysis

• Categories: Symbolism

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Words: 598 |

Published: Mar 13, 2024

Words: 598 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Symbolism of the kite, symbolism of the pomegranate tree, symbolism of the cleft lip.

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Text overview - The Kite Runner

A text overview which shows how teachers can consider The Kite Runner in relation to the genre of political and social protest writing.

We haven't covered every element of this genre. Instead we hope this guide will provide a springboard to help you plan, and to get you and your students thinking about the text in more detail.

'In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was a Sunni and he was a Shi'a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing.'

The political context of Hosseini's story of two brothers is of fundamental importance to the events which unfold and those events which have happened in the backstory. Hosseini incorporates into his narrative the late 20th century and early 21st century politics of both Afghanistan and the western world. The story shows how the lives of ordinary people are affected by domestic and international power politics. In writing The Kite Runner , Hosseini had a clear political intent: to humanise a region, for western readers, which is either remote or clouded by negative media coverage. Significantly Hosseini chooses to make his narrator a writer who himself has a political and personal mission – a mission to tell the truth about himself and his country.

Central to Hosseini's post-modern novel is the division between the two factions of Afghan society: the politically and financially superior Sunni Pashtuns and the oppressed Shi'a Hazaras. The two protagonists, Amir and Hassan, represent the two different ethnic groups and the different lives lived by those with and those without political power. This inequality is initially foregrounded through the characters' homes, (Amir's 'mansion' and Hassan's 'mud hut'), but is also present in the representation of everyday life for Afghan people in the early chapters of the novel. The 'school text books' Amir reads barely mention the history of the Hazaras showing how seriously they are marginalised, invisible to an extent. Hazaras are also subjected to terrible insults such as 'mice-eating, flat-nosed, load carrying donkeys' which is aimed at Hassan in the streets of Kabul and reflects the oppressive attitudes of many Afghan Pashtuns. Indeed, the divisions are so deep that even after the Soviet invasion the Hazaras are still scorned by their compatriots, and after the rise of the Taliban the divisions are intensified because the Taliban are largely Pashtuns. Late in the novel when Amir returns to Afghanistan to try to atone for his sins, the otherwise positively characterised Farid asks why Amir 'came all the way from America for…a Shi'a?'

Other power struggles and political tensions are also important in the narrative. The Soviet invasion, the rise of the Taliban, Amir's feelings of inadequacy with regards to his father, Soraya's rebellion against her parents (because of her having lost 'the genetic lottery') and Amir's physical fight with Assef for Sohrab, are all examples of conflicts between those with power and those without. In this way, Hosseini comments on gender politics, class and ethnicity by his representation of contemporary Afghan society.

Issues of power and ethnicity

The central event of the novel is the rape of Hassan, an atrocity that results from his loyalty to his Pashtun friend Amir (Assef calls Hassan a 'loyal dog'). This event which Amir witnesses and about which he does nothing haunts him for life. Assef's brutal actions on a domestic scale reflect the later, historically grounded, 'massacre of the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif'. As a child, Amir knows he is complicit in the obscene bullying of Hassan, his friend, but at first refuses to acknowledge his guilt, instead compounding Hassan's misery by heaping on him further cruelty. As he moves into adulthood, carrying the burden of his sins, Amir realises he can only gain redemption by recognising his abuse of power, atoning for his wrongdoing and by rescuing and loving Hassan's son Sohrab as a person in his own right, distinct from his ethnicity. Amir's learning – and courage perhaps - is reflected in his angry outburst to General Taheri at the end of the novel: 'you will never again refer to him as Hazara boy in my presence. He has a name and it's Sohrab'.

The domestic and personal story of The Kite Runner i s sharpened by the backdrop of political turmoil. The narrative spans a time period of about forty years and is set against the tumultuous recent history of Afghanistan: the 1960s, when the country was at the end of a forty year rule by Zahir Shah, the 1973 'bloodless coup' by his cousin, the Soviet invasion, the guerrilla war fought by the mujahedeen, the Taliban rule and the events following 9/11 in the USA. It is important to note, however, that the history that Hosseini represents is somewhat revisionist (there is little sense given, for example, of the support supplied to the mujahedeen and the Taliban by the USA to oust the Soviets and Hosseini's representation of the peaceful days of the monarchy tends to gloss over the ethnic and religious tensions that divided the country). In the light of the turbulent history and its impact on its people, the historical details incorporated into the novel could be seen to present Afghanistan itself as a victim. As a result of the Soviet invasion Kabul becomes a city of secrets and suspicions and is described as being 'split into two groups: those who eavesdropped and those who didn't' and the very face of the country is physically devastated by war. The once beautiful landscape is strewn with the 'burned carcasses of old Soviet tanks' and Kabul is personified as an old friend who has become 'homeless and destitute' as a direct result of the ongoing political conflict.

Under Taliban rule (1996 -2001), the country becomes a terrifying and 'hopeless place'. Scenes such as the execution in the Ghazi stadium and the 'young man' who 'dangled from the end of a rope' after his public hanging explicitly highlight the political crisis Afghanistan undergoes at the end of the 20th century. Assef's readiness to become an active member of the Taliban is significant, showing how Afghanistan is partly responsible for its own terror and hopelessness.

Assef, as a representation of a Sunni Pashtun, in a sense is a product of the ethnic divisions that are historical. Hosseini's setting the early story in a peaceful Afghanistan carries with it some ambiguity. He said he wanted to 'remind people that ...the history of the Afghans in the twentieth century has been largely peaceful and harmonious' and to a great extent Amir's childhood memories are pastorally blissful. Amir remembers an Afghanistan with its ancient charms free from external conflict, with long summers, storytelling under the pomegranate tree and kite flying in winter. Even the servants seem to enjoy serving and the rich employers largely keep them safe. However, this vision is from Amir's perspective. Hassan and Ali do not have personal voices in the early part of the text and readers are left to imagine life from their point of view. It is also relevant to think about how uncomfortable many readers feel thinking of the servitude of Hassan and Ali and of the treatment of Sanaubar. The story suggests perhaps that the attitudes of the ruling Pashtun elite towards the Hazaras in part make Afghanistan the author of its own misery. Baba's status as a 'towering Pashtun specimen' for example means he is able to abuse his position, fathering Hassan despite his mother's marriage to Baba's Hazara servant, Ali. After the Taliban takes control, Assef easily gains a ruling position within the regime and this gives him the ability to abuse and murder with impunity, almost as if his early upbringing prepares him for his later violent behaviour.

Gender politics

Soraya's discussion of double standards highlights the gender inequalities within Afghan society. While men who father children out of wedlock are 'just having fun', after her affair Soraya is viewed as damaged goods. This negative reaction to female sexuality is seen more overtly in the depiction of Hassan's mother Sanaubar who had tempted 'countless men into sin' and is seemingly punished for her beauty when 'someone had taken a knife to her face' leaving her looking 'grotesque'. Similarly, Soraya's mother is silenced by her marriage to General Taheri. Khala Jamila, Amir reports, had been famous in Kabul for her singing voice but 'that she never sing again in public had been one of the General's conditions when they married'.

Power of nations

Afghanistan is seen to be at the mercy of both the Soviets and the Americans at key points in Amir's story. Its people are abused and dispossessed. The Soviet invasion is represented on a domestic level through the attempted rape of a young Afghan woman by a Russian soldier, as a 'price' for letting the lorry Amir is travelling in pass. Amir's and Baba's hurried leaving of Afghanistan for America, to secure their safety and ideals, shows how the larger political world impacts on the personal and domestic.

Towards the novel's close, when the time frame moves to post 9/11, Hosseini shows how Afghanistan's misery increases with the American bombing. Cities that the narrative had previously heralded as holiday destinations for a young Amir, are now described as the battle ground 'for the Taliban's last stronghold in the North' as America attacks. America is presented somewhat ambiguously, both as a saviour in destroying the Taliban but also a destroyer. Hosseini includes the initial presentation of these cities, as 'the cities of (Amir's) childhood', to encourage readers to consider these destinations as real and human, not merely as an unrecognisable feature of a news report and therefore to see their destruction in human terms too.

Power of organised religion

At the opening of the novel, Baba derides religious power stating 'God help us all if Afghanistan ever falls into' the hands of the mullahs. This is foreboding. Later there is evidence that religious power is corrupt when the cleric present at the Ghazi stadium execution, who justifies the woman's death, claims 'God says that every sinner must be punished'. Furthermore Assef's claim that God wants him to 'live for a reason' can be seen as signifying the arrogance of those with power who think that their actions are sanctioned by a God who is on their side.

The novel shows the horrors of religious extremism through the attitudes and behaviour of the Taliban. Although Hosseini acknowledges that the Taliban brought an end to the fighting of the tribes (who had made Kabul a 'proverbial hell on earth' after the Soviet withdrawal), he also shows that they were responsible for massacring Shiites and enacting fundamentalist supremacist laws – banning dance, music and kite flying and restricting women's rights. They replaced the secular laws of Afghanistan with Islamic Shari'ah law (illustrated in the novel by the punishment of two adulterers) with the intention of keeping the people as far away as possible from the enlightened lifestyle that the west claims to hold.

Perhaps, in the light of this, it is clear why Hosseini chooses for his narrator to be an emergent writer. In the story, Amir is encouraged to write a book about the miserable fate of his people: 'May be you should write about Afghanistan. Tell the rest of the world what the Taliban are doing to our country'. In this respect Amir's (and Hosseini's) novel is a political and social protest text, demonstrating perhaps the strength of the pen as a tool of protest.

Acknowledgement of copyright-holders and publishers

© Khaled Hosseini, 'The Kite Runner' 2003, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

This resource is part of the Elements of political and social protest writing resource package .

Document URL https://www.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/as-and-a-level/english-literature-b/teach/protest-c-text-overview-kite-runner

Last updated 16 Feb 2021