Afghanistan's True Darkness In The Kite Runner

Afghanistan’s True Darkness in The Kite Runner In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Afghanistan is turned into a desolate war zone. The book reveals Afghanistan’s true darkness and how it is not the country it used to be. It also shows how the setting affects the plot and how it changes the story. Lastly, it shows how the setting affected the characters and how it completely changed their lives. Afghanistan’s true darkness is revealed throughout the book once the country turns into a desolate war zone when it is overrun. As the story progresses, Afghanistan’s true darkness starts to become evident. At the beginning of the book, in Amir’s early childhood, Kabul is not the war zone it would one day become, but instead a relatively modern city (Hosseini). After the Soviets take over Afghanistan, “the Afghanistan of Amir’s childhood ceases to exist; it is now considered a Soviet territory” (Hamilton). This really affects Amir because his homeland is destroyed and what he has called his home for so long is completely crime ridden (Hosseini). “Huddled together in …show more content…
“Through the disruption and destruction of his home setting, Amir’s character fundamentally changes for the rest of his life in the novel” (Hamilton). Soviet forces move into Afghanistan and force Amir and Baba out of their home. They “escape to a nearby city called Peshawar in Pakistan” (Hamilton). The setting also destroys friendships in the book. Because Afghanistan is in such a horrible state, racism starts to arise. Since Hassan is a Hazara, he is a minority. “The tribe-based racism that motivated Assef's attack and then allowed Amir to eliminate from his life a child who was his closest friend, is for Hosseini the key to Afghanistan's self-destruction” (Conlogue). When Amir takes no action to help Hassan when he is being raped, he is ridden with guilt, which forces Hassan and his father to be driven out of the