Khaled Hosseini raises numerous issues throughout The Kite Runner regarding ethnicity, prejudice, religion, political unrest, friendship, guilt, violence, and redemption. Hosseini examines the social disparity between the majority Sunni Pashtuns and the minority Shiite Hazaras in Afghan society by contrasting the lives of Ali and Hassan to Baba and Amir's privileged lives. Hosseini also depicts the harmful effects of prejudice against Hazaras, which prevents both Baba and Amir from openly expressing their love and affinity for Ali and Hassan. Baba also refuses to acknowledge Hassan as his son because of social pressure and Amir does not discover that he is Hassan's half-brother until later on in life. Afghanistan's constant political unrest is emphasized by the initial Russian invasion, followed by the brutal Taliban rule several decades later. The story also focuses on Amir's inner turmoil and guilt as a child after he refuses to intervene while Hassan is being raped. As an adult, Amir continues to suffer from the overwhelming guilt of not helping Hassan and ends up seeking redemption by agreeing to save Sohrab from a life of abuse. Amir ends up atoning for his sins after risking his life and surviving a brutal fight with Assef. Hosseini's ability to highlight and explore various difficult topics is one reason why The Kite Runner is such a celebrated work of literature.

Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. They are reared in the same household and share the same wet nurse, but Amir and Hassan grow up in different worlds.

Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara, member of a shunned ethnic minority. When the Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. Amir can't forget Hassan, however.

The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about class structure and culture.  It is about father/son relationships, and the power of politics. The novel also describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. It is also about faith in education and learning about differences so tolerance can be achieved, as well as redemption.

Though the novel is full of violent and awful events, the author leaves us with a sense of hope for the future and also with a completely turned around opinion from the preconceived ideas we westerners might have about the middle eastern culture and their ideologies and belief system.

What are some of the human rights issues that are portrayed in The Kite Runner?

The Kite Runner addresses several human rights issues in the context of modern Afghanistan.

Human rights become an important topic in the latter half of the novel when Amir returns to Afghanistan after the Taliban ascend to power. Amir must confront the orphanage director on his search for Sohrab, Hassan's son, who tells Amir that he has made the impossible choice to sacrifice one child to an abusive Talib in exchange for food for the remaining orphans. This scene highlights the loss of children's human rights and protections that were laid out in the United Nations' Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

In another scene, Amir returns to the soccer stadium of his childhood and witnesses a gruesome halftime show in which an allegedly adulterous couple are stoned to death as a form of "justice." This spectacle raises questions about the legal rights of the two "criminals": did the man and woman receive due process of law before they were convicted of adultery? Obviously, this scene also forces us to question the appropriateness of a punishment for such a crime. The public stoning in The Kite Runner confronts the human rights of dignity, freedom of life, and freedom from cruel punishment that were clearly ignored in this scene.

What are some of the human rights issues that are portrayed in The Kite Runner?

Ethnic discrimination is a human rights issue that is prominent throughout the novel and is depicted by the unfair treatment of Hazaras at the hands of their Pashtun oppressors. In Afghanistan, ethnic Hazaras are marginalized and discriminated against by the majority Sunni Pashtuns, which is illustrated by Ali, Hassan, and Sohrab's unfortunate and oppressed lives in Kabul. All three characters lack opportunities and occupy the lowest caste in Afghan society.

Citizens of Kabul suffer under the oppressive, violent Taliban regime. Gender inequality is an issue under Taliban rule, as woman are forced to wear burqas and have few individual rights. Taliban officials forcefully take citizens' property, and men are required to grow beards in accordance with Sharia law. Public executions are held on a regular basis, and defenseless minors like Sohrab suffer from sexual molestation. Child trafficking is another human rights issue portrayed in the novel, as well as abject poverty.

What are some of the human rights issues that are portrayed in The Kite Runner?

There are many forms of discrimination and human rights issues to be found in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. In the latter stages of the novel, the atrocities and repression by the Taliban take precedence over all others. Summary executions can be found during the halftime of the soccer match, and women become a target for seemingly minor transgressions (at least to Westerners). All women are forced to wear a berka, and they have social and travel restrictions placed upon them. Public beatings are common for violations. The ethnic Hazara group is a prime target, and Hassan and his wife are both executed for refusing to vacate Baba's home; and Assef turns Hassan's son, Sohrab, into a sexual play toy. Men are expected to grow beards and lower their eyes when the Taliban pass, and starvation and homelessness becomes rampant.

Even before Baba and Amir leave for California, the discrimination by the Pashtun majority against the Hazaras is visible (with Assef's hatred and sodomy of Hassan being the most glaring example). The Russian presence also brought discriminatory action, particularly to the wealthy and educated. Afghan men still repress their women in America as well, evidenced by General Taheri's subjugation of his wife and daughter.

What are some of the human rights issues or injustices that are portrayed in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini?

Injustice is a major theme in The Kite Runner, and the primary victim is Amir's childhood friend and servant, Hassan. When they are children, Amir witnesses (and sometimes participates in) the oppression of Hassan based on his class, ethnicity, and religion. Hassan's status as a Hazara (ethnicity) puts him at the bottom of the social ladder in Afghanistan. He is marginalized due to his "inferiority," at least according to the majority group, the Pashtun, which is the group to which Amir and his family belong. Ethnicity is tied to religion, as well, as many Hazaras also belong to the minority sect of Islam ans Shi'a Muslims. Hazaras cannot be educated, either, so there is really no possibility of social mobility. Thus, Hassan and his father Ali are poor servants who live in a small hut behind Amir and his father's mansion. 

As a result of his ethnic, religious, and social class status, Hassan is regularly bullied and harassed, especially by Assef. Amir finds himself weak and unable to come to Hassan's defense. Amir feels his own sense of superiority over Hassan flare up when Assef bullies Hassan instead of defending his friend, to whom he was at one time as close as a brother. When Hassan is sexually assaulted by Assef, Amir is in shock and does not act to help Hassan. After the assault, motivated by his own shame and guilt, Amir frames Hassan for theft and, even though Amir's father forgives Hassan, Ali and Hassan cannot bear to stay, and Amir never sees Hassan again. The story of Hassan and Amir's childhood relationship is a very personal one, but it also gets at the inequalities and injustices inherent in the structure of Afghani society.

Later in the novel, when Amir tries to save and then adopt Hassan's son, Amir runs into more examples of injustice both in the government and embassies (in the adoption process) and in his experiences with the Taliban. The Taliban is seen executing an adulterous couple during halftime at a soccer game. While the Taliban deems their actions an injustice, the moral high ground taken by their leaders, like Assef, proves to be hypocritical. Amir discovers that Assef is abusing Sohrab, Hassan's son, and Amir fights Assef and with Sohrab's help is able to escape. The road to bring Sohrab home is filled with obstacles, partially because of his Hazara background and the Taliban's hold over the country. Even when they return home to California, Amir and Sohrab must suffer the prejudice of Amir's father-in-law, also a former Afghani citizen and member of the majority group.

Ultimately, Amir's journey to redemption shows that it is possible to fight injustice and oppression and in some way to right the wrongs of one's youth. However, the novel also emphasizes the brutal and oppressive conditions in Afghanistan and awakens in the reader a desire to see injustices righted. 

What are some of the human rights issues or injustices that are portrayed in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini?

There are lot of human rights issues and injustices. Here are a few of them.

1. Mistreatment of women. They are dehumanized. Remember the scene when one of the soldiers was going to take advantage of the women, before the protagonist's father stepped in and defended her.

2. People's property were taken away by the local militia for their own gain with no punishment.

3. People were killed with little thought of life or death.

4. Religious oppression towards people who did not believe in what the local powers believed.

What are the themes in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner?

The overriding themes in Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner can be found in virtually every chapter of the book.

The primary theme is one of self-discovery by the narrator, Amir. The story chronicles Amir's life from birth until many years into his adulthood. Over and over again, whenever he is faced with a difficult choice, Amir makes the most expedient and comfortable decision for him. He has little regard for loyalty, friendship, or family. He lives his life as a betrayer of the worst kind, and his eventual realization of this awful fact nearly breaks him. By the end of the novel, he is striving to atone for the grievous wrongs he committed.

A second theme found in The Kite Runner is the role of heritage in shaping one's life. Amir's father is a proud Afghani who is forced to flee to America when the Taliban arrives in his country. Nevertheless he remains loyal to the traditions and practices of his native country until the day he dies. For Amir, the move to America offers him the opportunity to forget his past; however, he does not abandon his heritage and, in fact, finds strength in its customs and traditions as he tries to rectify his past mistakes.

A third theme which is clear in this novel is the relationship between fathers and their sons. Amir's mother dies in childbirth, and he grows up loving his rather distant and demanding father--who Amir discovers later hid a monumental secret from him. Amir's half-brother, Hassan, also grow up without a mother; she leaves to pursue her own selfish desires as soon as she sees that Hassan is deformed (he has a harelip). The importance each boy attaches to their fathers (and father-figures) is central to the jealousy which prompts Amir to do awful things to hurt Hassan. In the end, it is another father-son relationship (Amir and Hassan's orphaned son) which may redeem Amir.

The link below lists several other themes for this novel. Because these themes are obvious and pervasive in the story, each chapter contains events which contribute to them. 

How were issues of class explored in The Kite Runner?

The diversified and ever-changing Afghan class structure plays a major if somewhat confusing role in the development of the story line of The Kite Runner. Baba is a wealthy Pashtun, one of the richest men in Kabul; his grandfather was a friend of the former Afghani King Nadir Shah. His servant and friend, Ali, is a Hazara--considered the lowliest of the Afghan tribes. Amir and Ali's son, Hassan, are very close, but Amir is never able to consider him an equal. When the Russians take over the country, Baba and Amir are forced to flee, and they begin a new life in America. There, Baba is reduced to working in a convenience store, and he soon comes to know the life of the lower- middle class. In California, however, he maintains close relationships with other Afghan immigrants; Amir eventually marries an Afghani girl. Although they live in America, their native culture remains all important. When Amir returns to Afghanistan to locate his nephew, Sohrab, he wears a disguise to protect himself from the ruling Taliban--most of whom are Pashtuns like himself. Confounding at times (especially to Americans), The Kite Runner's story line is nonetheless rich in cultural detail of Afghani history, life and customs. It should help all readers both understand and sympathize with the turmoil that pervades present-day Afghanistan and its peoples.

What are the themes in The Kite Runner?

I would consider the theme of atonement and redemption the most important in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. Amir spends most of his adult life regretting the sins he had committed against Hassan, and he finally undertakes a life-threatening trip back to Taliban-held Afghanistan to locate his nephew, Sohrab, in order to redeem himself for his dishonorable actions. Baba's philanthropy while still living in Kabul probably had something to do with his own guilt for fathering Hassan with Ali's wife. Other themes that are explored include:

• Loss of Innocence
• Identity and Self-Discovery
• Relationships between Fathers and Family
• Heritage and Ancestry
• Politics and Abuse of Power
• Assimilation to a New Culture
• Journey and Quest