Gender Inequality In The Kite Runner

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The Kite Runner is a story about the life of a man named Amir and his life adventures. We are introduced to Amir’s childhood in Afghanistan during the 1980s. We also learn about his hardships, his move to america, and his move back to Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a country located within south and central Asia. Many great powers have tried to conquer Afghanistan. In the novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini is able to show the reader an accurate portrayal of Afghanistan’s social and economical status. Throughout The Kite Runner, Hosseini characterizes Afghanistan as a country with fear of war, and emphasizes gender inequality and social conflicts. Additionally, Hosseini expresses the imbalance of political power as the reader follows the …show more content…
As time progressed, laws have been changed to allow more rights women and to fit the modernized afghanistan today. Through the character portrayal of Soraya and Franzana in The Kite Runner, Hosseini is able to help illustrate how men were more superior to women during that time. Amir’s and Soraya’s relationship struggled throughout The Kite Runner due to Afghan cultural believes, in which men are completely superior over women. As Amir’s relationship was building with Soraya’s, Hosseini uses Amir’s thoughts to help show the reader the inequality by writing, “ And she would bear the brunt of that poison, not me--I was fully aware of the Afghan double standard that favored my gender” (Hosseini). This shows that Amir understands how unjust it is to be in the shoes of women. He knows that all his actions would fall upon Soraya which shows the extreme bias towards men in Afghanistan. The phrase “ burnt poison” represents how just being a woman can bear sure a great burden, while also showing the great gender inequality in Afghanistan. As the story progresses, the reader is introduced to Hassan, Amir’s best friend, and Hassan’s wife, Farzana. Amir receives a letter from Hassan later on in his life, where Hassan writes about the horrors of the Taliban and how they treat women. Hassan describes one moment of Taliban brutality by writing, “ He was screaming at her and cursing and saying the Ministry of Vice and Virtue does not allow women to speak loudly” (Hosseini). This shows how women have little to no say in Afghanistan’s society and are completely looked down upon. Women can not speak loudly because that is against the virtues while on the other hand, it is completely fine for a man. This is also another example of gender inequality and the complete bias towards men in

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