How is Afghan culture depicted in The Kite Runner?

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Afghan culture or traditions are shown in a variety of ways, perhaps most clearly in how acceptable it is to discriminate against the ethnic Hazara who live in the country. Essentially, the book is about best friends Amir and Hassan. Although Amir is a wealthy Sunni Muslim and Hassan is a poor Shi'a Muslim and ethnic Hazara, the two boys love one another. Nevertheless, it is clear throughout the book that there is tremendous decimation against Hassan, and it is acceptable and even discussed openly.

After flying the kite, Amir loses track of Hassan and runs through the streets searching for him. He sees an old merchant and stops him to ask if he has seen Hassan. The man demands, “What is a boy like you doing here at this time of the day looking for a Hazara?" The man is unashamed to refer to Hassan this way, as “a Hazara,” although it is clear how insultingly he intends it. The merchant then says, “Lucky Hazara, having such a concerned master. His father should get on his knees, sweep the dust at your feet with his eyelashes." While the man is apparently being belligerent to Amir, at the same time this interchange shows how acceptable it was in Afghanistan to speak—and behave—disparagingly to and regarding ethnic Hazara.

Later, when the three boys corner Hassan in the alley, one says, “Where is your slingshot, Hazara?" Then, when Hassan stands up to the boys: "A loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog." These are signs of how discrimination is rampant. It even carries over to those Afghanis who emigrate to America. At the end of the novel, Amir’s father-in-law asks why he has adopted a Hazara.

Another way that Afghan culture or traditions are evident is in this same scene where Amir encounters the merchant. Amir’s general appearance is one of wealth, but he is also wearing American clothes. Amir thinks, “In Afghanistan, owning anything American, especially if it wasn't secondhand, was a sign of wealth." American goods represent a status symbol in Afghanistan at the time.

In addition, when Baba forgets his wallet and the merchant in America asks him to sign a slip pledging that he will return and pay, he is furious. There is a clear difference between the way people treat one another in Afghanistan.

Finally, the respect or affection between men is also shown openly in the book. In the scene in which Baba stands up to the Russian soldier and says, "Tell him I'll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place," the woman’s husband pays his respect to Baba. The narrator writes,

We rode in silence for about fifteen minutes before the young woman's husband suddenly stood and did something I'd seen many others do before him: He kissed Baba's hand.

How is Afghan culture depicted in The Kite Runner?

One of the most intense lessons learned about Afghanistan is how  struggle and pain is a part of the nation's modern landscape.  From the Soviet invasion to the emergence of the Taliban, there is an intense cataloging of the pain and suffering intrinsic to the nation and its people.  The reader gains insight into this over the course of the narrative.  The presence of the Soviet forces that did much to tear apart the nation physically and politically is only supplanted by the rise of the Taliban and the imposition of repressive elements that took much away from the people. 

Given how the view of Afghanistan became politically relevant when Coalition- led forces marched into it in the wake of the September 11 Attacks, the book gives a wider account of the nation's history and how this has impacted its culture.  What Amir has to endure "to become good again," is similar to the journey that the people of Afghanistan themselves and their leaders have to take in order to achieve the same result.

What are some significant Afghan traditions in The Kite Runner?

Khaled Hosseini portrays many Afghan traditions in The Kite Runner. These include traditional marriage and courting customs, and of course, the kite flying tournaments.

One Afghan tradition that is forefront in this story is the relationship between different Afghani ethnic groups. We see throughout the story the way that Hassan and his family are treated as less than full members of the community because they are part of the Hazara minority. Amir, on the other hand, has many advantages simply because he is a Pashtun and Sunni.

One specific tradition recorded in the book is Buzkashi, Afghanistan's national sport. This dangerous sport involves men on horseback fighting over possession of a headless carcass of a goat or calf. Amir recalls attending a Buzkashi match with horror as he recounts seeing one of the participants trampled under the hooves of the horses.

We also witness the celebration of Eid-e-Qurban, which recounts the story of Ibrahim's attempted sacrifice of Ishmael. This involves sacrificing a sheep, which Baba gives to the poor. Baba does not think much of this celebration, but due to its cultural significance, he participates in it anyway.

Identify five ways culture and society impact The Kite Runner.

One could argue that the effects of culture and society completely steer the plot of The Kite Runner. The protagonist, Amir, grows up with another boy named Hassan, but they are from different ethnic groups, religions, and therefore, social statuses. These differences tear them apart and bring about the tragedies of the novel.

First of all, Hassan is discriminated against and bullied because he is Hazara, an ethnic minority looked down upon by the majority Pashtuns. Amir even finds a chapter in an old textbook that describes how Pashtuns tried to rid Afghanistan of Hazaras. In the story of Amir and Hassan's childhood, it is Assef, the neighborhood bully, who voices this opinion when he says he wants to make Afghanistan purely the land of Pashtuns. Amir fails to defend his friend against Assef's attacks, instead feeling ashamed that he spends time with Hassan. Assef's attitude toward Hazaras also leads to his assault of Hassan after the kite tournament which, along with Amir's inability to help Hassan and his decision to instead run away, drives the tragic plot of the novel. After the assault, Amir's guilt and shame lead him to find a way to rid the household of Hassan and his father, Ali. This means that when Amir and his own father, Baba, flee a violent and turbulent Afghanistan, Ali and Hassan stay behind. Later, Ali will be killed by a mine explosion, and Hassan will be murdered by the Taliban.

Culture and society also contribute to Baba and Amir's life in America. Baba was wealthy and influential in Afghanistan but must start completely over with menial jobs in California. He works hard to ensure Amir gets an education and makes the most of his opportunities. However, Baba finds it difficult to adjust to the American way of life, while Amir likes that the nation gives him a chance to start over and (he thinks) leave his guilt and memories behind. This, of course, ends up not being true.

In America, though, Afghani cultural expectations follow our characters. Amir's eventual wife, Soraya, is victim of a cultural double standard when she is somewhat ostracized for living with a man who was not her husband. She expects that it will bother Amir, and though he admits it does a bit, he still wants to marry her. This is an example of Afghani cultural values combining with a more American perspective.

Later in the novel, when Amir returns to Afghanistan, we see how the Taliban has changed the culture of Afghanistan since Amir and Hassan were children. People live under a much stricter rule, and Kabul seems to be falling apart. There are very strict rules on women's behavior, and the Taliban abuses and kills people at will. Amir witnesses the public stoning of an adulterous couple during the halftime of a soccer match, which showcases the fundamentalist beliefs of the Taliban. The disorder in Kabul also makes it difficult for Amir to adopt Sohrab (Hassan's son) when he decides to do so because there is no formal death record of Sohrab's parents.

The Kite Runner is the story of one man's redemption journey, but it is also the story of how cultural attitudes and differences in culture, ethnicity, and social status can result in tragedy. Hosseini has also said that he hopes readers get a better idea of how life in Afghanistan has deteriorated and how difficult the path can be for those who want to escape its turmoil.

How does The Kite Runner show traditional Afghan culture?

The most important part of Afghan culture shown in The Kite Runner is the relationship between Baba, Amir's father, and Ali, Hassan's father. Ali is a Shi'a Hazara, while Baba is a Sunni Pashtun.

The book said part of the reason Pashtuns had oppressed the Hazaras was that Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, while Hazaras were Shi’a. The book said a lot of things I didn’t know, things my teachers hadn’t mentioned.
(Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Google Books)

From his teachers, Amir sees the cultural blindness towards history that was common in Afghanistan during that time. Despite this, and probably because of his hand in fathering Hassan, Baba is kind and generous to Ali, giving him work and a place to live while others in the village mock him. Amir learns from Baba that sympathy and love for family is stronger than cultural bias. The divide between cultural classes is shown throughout the book, and continues when Amir's family moves to California, where they mingle with other refugees; Baba's family line is seen as higher-class because of his heritage.

What is the social context of The Kite Runner?

The political context for The Kite Runner is the upheaval and instability that plagued Afghanistan for the thirty-year span of the novel, starting in the 1970s. In 1973, in a coup, Daoud Khan, the king's cousin, displaced the king as ruler. This was followed by greater upheaval in 1979, when the Soviet Union backed the communist party in Afghanistan and invaded the country to support them. This led privileged people like Amir and his father to face hardship. In the novel, Amir and his father are arrested, along with many other wealthy Afghans, to be made an example of by the Parchami, or communists. As Amir states:

a group of Parchami soldiers marched into our house and ordered my father and me at gun point to follow them.

Because the Soviets want to reeducate bourgeois people and shake up the social order, Amir and his father flee their country for the United States. Their status in the former political system gives them the means to leave, unlike Hassan and his father, who have no alternative but to endure the turmoil. In the US, however, Amir and his father face another difficult situation in having to live at a much lower status than they were used to in Afghanistan.

Class is also part of the political context Amir grows up in. Amir internalizes a sense of superiority to Hassan because of his ethnicity and the branch of Islam he belongs to, stating:

I was a Pashtun and he [Hassan] was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that.

Political turmoil continues in Afghanistan into the twenty-first century, and it is against the backdrop of Taliban rule that Amir returns.

What are examples of culture in society and family in The Kite Runner?

Whether in Afghanistan or as ex-patriots in California, Amir and Baba (and the Taheri family as well) maintain their native cultural traditions whenever possible. They both believe in nang and namoos--defined as "pride" and "honor or dignity"--and this is one of the most powerful elements of Baba's character. Both Baba and General Taheri adhere to the Afghan courtship and wedding traditions. Baba asks permission from the general for Amir to begin his courtship of Soraya, and an escort is provided when they are alone. They follow the stages of the wedding process as best they can (Baba's illness forces them to forego the Shirini-khori--"Eating of the Sweets"). Unlike in America, where the bride's parents pay for the wedding, Baba observes Afghan tradition by spending most of his life's savings on the awroussi. Baba also bought the wedding bands and provided the traditional green suit for the nika ("swearing ceremony").

Baba's funeral was a traditional Muslim ceremony in nearby Hayward. A "mullah chanted surrahs from the Koran," and Amir sat near the door, according to custom. Women wore black, their heads covered in white hijabs.

Upon his return to Taliban-held Afghanistan, Amir was cautious to dress the part, wearing a long, fake beard in order to avoid attention. He also learned to never look the Taliban in the eye.