Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner"
starts before the Soviet invasion and relates to the insecure times following this period. The author points out that the story centers on the interaction between Amir, a wealthy Pashtun, and his servant Hassan, a Hazara. The paper relates that, throughout his story. Hosseini tries to accurately and emotionally show the conflict between these two groups of people and the nature of the Afghan people. The author suggests that this book alludes to many of the common values and practices of Afghanistan especially relating to family and religion. The paper concludes that the protagonist Amir's settings were somewhat unique from the more typical Afghan people in that he grew up without a mother, with only male servants, and that his father was very wealthy and respected.


Table of Contents
The Physical Setting Where the Story Seems to Play
Cultural Values That Relate to Customs of Childcare and the Psychology of the Care-Taker
Brief Summary of the Story
The Character Amir and His Developmental Niche
Nature? Nurture? The Individual?

From the Paper:

"Islam is a dominant force in Afghanistan. The culture has an effect over how the religion is practiced and the beliefs present in Afghanistan are different from how Islam is practiced in the rest of the world. Two major religious groups exist among the Afghan people. The Pashtun and Tajiks constituting the majority of citizens practice a strict form of Sunni Islam. In contrast, the Hazara follow a similar form of Shi'a Islam. The differences lie mostly with politics yet the two groups have always been at odds with each other. Recently the Taliban (a Pashtun group) have taken the Sunni Islam there to a new extent."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cultural Orientation Project. (2002). Afghans: Their History and Culture. <http://www.culturalorientation.net/afghan/afam.html>
• "Hazara." (2004). World Encyclopedia: Afghanistan: Hazara. <http://encyclopedic.net/world/afghanistan/40.php>
• Magnus, Ralph H. and Eden Naby. (1998). Afghanistan: Mullah, Marx, and Mujahid. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
• Marsden, Peter. (1998). The Taliban: War, Religion and the New Order in Afghanistan. New York: Zed Books.
• U.S. Library of Congress. (2004). Afghanistan. <http://countrystudies.us/afghanistan/57.html>

More papers on Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner":

• Analytical Essay # 126653 : "'The Kite Runner' and Victory"
• Book Review # 139386 : "The Kite Runner" - A Book Review"
• Book Review # 90489 : "Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner"
• Comparison Essay # 119316 : "The Kite Runner" & "The Sirens of Baghdad": A Comparison"

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