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Kite Runner & History of Afghanistan
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The Role Hassan Plays in Baba's Life
Baba has always shown his love runs deep for Hassan. Baba tells Amir, "He's (Hassan) staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and we're his family. Don't you ever ask me that question again" (90)! Considering the fact that Hassan is Baba's biological son, it is right that Hassan means so much to Baba. -
Winter of 1975
The winter of 1975 was one of the worst winters for both Hassan and Amir. Hassan had gotten reaped and Amir was a bystander which haunted him for life. Amir had thought "By the following winter, it was only a faint scar. Which was ironic. Because that was the winter that Hassan stopped smiling" (47) -
Soviet Union Invasion
Afghanistan has had trouble finding peace since "1979, when the Soviet Union invaded"(New York Times). -
Amir's Realization of Baba's Situation
As Amir arrived in California, he had a realization as his eyes saw his suitcases and thought, "They (the suitcases) made me sad for Baba. After everything he'd built, planned, fought for... this was the summation of his life: one disappointing son and two suitcases"(124). Amir came the the realization of their situation: Baba's life long dreams had been crushed, and now Amir has no idea of what his future holds for him, making him concerned. -
Sexism in Afghanistan
The sexism in Afghanistan at this point in time is very prominent, and even Amir notices it when he states, "I cringed a little at the position of power I'd been granted, and all because I had won at the genetic lottery that had determined my sex" (148/149). Clearly, the gender you had been assigned at birth determined the amount of power you posessed within this society. -
Love for Soraya
Amir lays awake one night watching Soraya when his "heart stuttered at the thought of her. Soraya Taheri. My Swamp Meet Princess" (142). Clearly, Amir lives in awe of Soraya's beauty, which shows the true love that Amir shares with the love of his life. -
Afghan Double Standard
Amir is aware that his encounter with Soraya could turn into gossip in the society, and he thought, "And she would bear the brunt of that poison, not me - I was fully aware of the Afghan double standard that favored my gender" (146). Amir has brought to light the sexism of the Afghan society, and that the gossipers would only talk badly about the woman in the situation, never the man. -
Amir is eager for the feeling of being sin free
Amir gets a reality check when he returns to Afghanistan, and he thinks, "I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealth with"(165). Clearly, Amir is sick of holding and dealing with this secret. -
Soviet Troops Consequences
The Soviet troops stayed in Afghanistan for nearly nine years and "(fought) a conflict that cost them roughly 15,000 lives and undisclosed billions of rubles" (New York Times). The effects on Afghanistan were severe. -
Soviet troops left Afghanistan in shambles
In 1989 the Soviet troops left Afghanistan and caused an "unilateral withdrawal...they left behind a country that was not only devastated by the war but had become a beacon to Islamic extremest" (New York Times). -
Taliban Took Control
The Taliban was a student movement that invested in purifying the country. In the Summer of 1994 power in Afghanistan was divided among warlords and individual domains. "But one group would eventually gain control" (New York Times). -
Mullah Omar gained popularity and started the reviving of Afghanistan
In late 1994, Mullah Omar gained a following, and led a "popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality" (New York Times). He gained aids from the neighboring country, Pakistan. -
The Importance of Honesty In Afghan Society
Baba emphasizes the importance of not stealing and telling the truth when he told Amir, "There is only one sin. And that is theft..... When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth" (225). This quote proves that theft and lying was extremely frowned upon by others in the Afghan culture. -
Rahim Khan's Influential Words
Rahim Khan calls Amir and asks him to return to Afghanistan, and he hints to knowing of Amirs sins when he says, "Come. There is a way to be good again" (192). This simple phrase encouraged Amir to return to Afghanistan and visit Rahim Khan. It also helped Amir persevere to atone for his sins that he had committed so long ago. -
Rahim Khan questions the peace in Afghanistan
Amir mentioned that the Taliban were the heroes for the Afghan society, and Rahim Khan said, "Yes, hope is a strange thing. Peace at least. But at what price" (201)? Clearly, Rahim Khan bring up a valid argument that the peace might not have been worth the struggle the country had to face. -
The Absence of a Child In Amir's life
Amir and Soraya are unable to have a child which takes a great toll on their relationship. Amir can't help but notice the gap in their relationship. Especially at night, Amir would "feel it rising from Soraya and settling between us. Sleeping between us. Like a newborn child" (189). -
Amir Realizes He has Never Fit in with his Society
Farid gave Amir a cold attitude when they first met, and told Amir, "That's the real Afghanistan, Agha sahib. That's the Afghanistan I know. You? You've always been a tourist here, you just didn't know it" (232). Amir comes to the realization that he never belonged in his society because of his socioeconomic status. He didn't have to experience most of the struggles in Afghanistan, which made him ignorant to the struggles of everyone around him. -
The Horrible Condition of Current Afghanistan
When Amir saw a man selling his prosthetic leg on the side of the street, Farid said, "You can get good money for it on the black market. Feed your kids for a couple of weeks" (260). Clearly, the Afghanistan Amir has returned to is a brutal society; some people have to sell fake body parts to make money to feed their children. -
Amir's Choices Lead him Back to his Childhood
Amir had made a choice to leave Afghanistan, and he reckons that "A quarter of a century later, that choice had landed me right back on this soil" (241). Amir shows how every choice he made came full circle, and led him back to the place he spent his childhood. -
Ultimatum to hand over Bin Laden
President George W. Bush "gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Bin Laden(supporter of Al Qaeda)" (New York Times). The US had to join forces with anti-Taliban rebels. -
Reversing of Roles
Growing up, Amir was always superior to Hassan. But once Amir meets Hassan's son Sorhab, Amir had said to Hassan, "For you, a thousand times over" (371), which is what Hassan would say to the boy he was a servant for. This shows how Amir considers himself and his servant's son as equals. -
Karzai won presidency
Hamid Karzai replaced the defeated Taliban and became the leader of Afghanistan. He said he "hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan" (New York Times). This helped him win the president election in 2004. -
Taliban Resurgence
Even after the Taliban was defeated in 2001, they "continued to wage a guerrilla warfare" (New York Times) from their base in the mountains. They started to spread their beliefs to South Afghanistan. -
US widens involvement with Afghanistan
In 2008, Obama had a plan to "widen United States involvement in Afghanistan" (New York Times). But Biden (vice president) warned against the action. -
American Troops in Afghanistan
At West Point, Obama "announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops"(New York Times). He warned the Taliban that actions against them would be taken.
