How are women represented in The Kite Runner?

Women are represented as flawed characters in The Kite Runner, just as many of the men are. There are only a few meaningful women characters in the book. There is Hassan’s mother Sanaubar, his wife Farzana, Amir’s wife Soraya, and his mother-in-law. There are also a few minor female characters, like the woman in the van with Amir and Baba when they are escaping Afghanistan. However, as noted, she is a minor character who is more of a literary device to show the brave and valiant side of Baba.

Of the four primary female characters, three are shown as flawed in some ways. The other, Farzana, is really not depicted with much detail. Hassan’s mother is seen as a harlot who tantalizes and seduces men for her own pleasure. It is never clear exactly why she married Ali, but she is not faithful to him, and she abandons him and Hassan when Hassan is just a baby. She returns years later, which redeems her character a bit.

Amir’s wife Soraya made a mistake when she was a young woman. Like Sanaubar’s mistakes, Soraya’s also involved an “illicit” sexual relationship. When she was younger, she ran away and lived with a man. She ultimately saw that he was not the man she had believed he was and returned to her family. Nevertheless, this incident hangs over her and diminishes her prospects to marry until she meets Amir. Like Amir, she is flawed. She has a hidden secret from her past, just as Amir has.

Few details are provided about Farzana, Hassan’s wife. We learn, however, that she was extremely loyal to Hassan and to Rahmin Khan and she was also very kind to her mother-in-law, even though she had abandoned Hassan when he was a baby.

We also do not get much depth about Amir’s mother-in-law. We know, however, that she loves her daughter and covets her marriage to Amir. Like her husband, she is also probably judgmental about their adopting Sohrab.

Who is portrayed as masculine in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini?

The underlying conflict between Baba and Amir gives a clear indication of what masculinity means in the Afghan culture. Baba was not comfortable with Amir’s preference for studying literature and his life pursuit of poetry. Baba wondered how his son was unable to defend himself against other boys in the neighborhood who bullied him and took his toys. At one point, Baba took Amir to watch football hoping that the idea of physical sports would rub off on him or at least he would get an opportunity to engage in a manly activity. To some extent, Baba doubted if Amir was his son and confided his predicament to his close friend Rahim Khan.

Amir seemed to understand his father’s inclinations, but he was unable to change the situation and hoped that his father would accept him. Amir looked up to his father, and he was proud of his father’s status in society. Men respected and feared his father because of his physique, his character, and a story that he once fought a bear and survived to tell the tale.

To sum it up, masculinity was equated to physical strength, participation in manly activities (hunting and football) and authority which would, in turn, earn an individual the respect of his community.

Who is portrayed as masculine in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini?

Masculinity was a theme in The Kite Runner because some of the characters are especially concerned with expressing their cultural definition of masculinity. You may notice that there are not many mother figures or main women characters.

 Probably the best example of a character expressing stereotypical masculinity is Assef. Assef is a sadistic, bullying "tough-guy" who would definitely be seen as masculine in the eyes of his father and the Taliban.

Each character in the story, however, expresses different interpretations of masculinity. What does it really mean to be masculine? Some might say that being a man means being a good father (Baba) being brave and righting wrongs (Amir) or being exceptionaly loyal (Hassan).

Who are the misogynistic and non-misogynistic characters in The Kite Runner?

Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner is set in a deeply misogynist society. This misogyny is often depicted by women being ignored and marginalized and by men being forced to conform to a stereotype of masculinity. Baba is a typical representative of Afghan society in this respect. He is disappointed in his son, Amir, because he lacks the masculine qualities of aggression and assertiveness. General Taheri is another such representative figure, and his traditionalism and misogyny are the basis of his conflicts with his daughter, Soraya.

The younger generation are less inclined to misogyny. Amir is respectful in his attitudes towards women and shows his admiration for Soraya's bravery and determination. Soraya herself also stands against the restrictive attitudes and practices of the previous generation. Within that generation, Sanaubar is an unusual figure in her refusal to conform to the stereotype of Afghan womanhood and her willingness to become a social outcast by running away from her home and family responsibilities. She appears to be one of the few women who has not internalized the misogynist attitudes of the society in which she lives.