The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, relates to the quote “exile is more than a geographical concept. You can be in exile in your homeland, in your own house, in a room” by Mahmoud Darwish. The quote specificially relates to the characters Hassan and Amir. Hassan and Amir both represent the quote because each of them is being exiled by society and from having a real family.
Instead of being seen as the loyal, kind boy that he is, Hassan is only seen as a filthy Hazara because society has chose to exile the Hazara culture. Trapped in an alley way, Hassan tells Assef “Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite” (Hosseini 72). Hassan constantly has to advocate for himself and explain each and every …show more content…
This is due to the fact that almost all of Kabul sees Hassan’s actions as wrong because of his race. Hassan used precise language to clearly express his point and get Assef to believe him. However, Assef still only sees Hassan as “a loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog” (Hosseini 72). Assef’s name-calling language shows how him and all of society see all Hazara’s. They do not see Hassan, a person, they see a loyal Hazara boy who could serve as a decent slave. Assef has plans to rape Hassan, but his friends begin to disagree with him when he says “It’s just a Hazara,” (Hosseini 75). Calling Hassan ‘just a Hazara” can serve as the peak example of Hassan’s constant exilation from society. No matter how respectiful and sweet a Hazara is, they will always be seen as the untouchable’s of Afghanistan. Years later, Hassan and his family are forced out of Baba’s and Amir’s old house because “The Talibs said [Hassan] was a liar and a theif just like all Hazaras and ordered him to get his family out of the house by sundown” (Hosseini 218-219). Rahim Khan left Hassan and his famly in the house alone, making the Talibs believe that Hassan and his family were living there without permission. A family living in a house is quite a normal …show more content…
Baba tells Rahim Khan that Amir is “always buried in those books or shuffling around the house like he’s lost in some dream” (Hosseini 21). It seems since the day Amir was born, Baba has found something different about Amir than himself and has seen those differences as a negative thing. A father should be supporting and loving his son, but instead Baba thinks Amir’s differences are strange and wrong. Baba contiues to rant to Rahim Khan about Amir saying “I’m telling you, I wasn’t like that at all, and neither were any of the kids I grew up with” (Hosseini 22). Baba goes on to destroy Amir’s confidence by continuing his rant about how his son is diffenrent from him. It is quite clear that since Amir’s early childhood, he has been exiled by his father and not having that bond sends Amir down a raging path in future. In the winter time, Amir explains that “Baba and [him] lived in the same house, but in different spheres of existence. Kites were the one paper-thin slice of interesection between those spheres” (Hosseini 49). Mahmoud’s quote relates perfectly to this scene because Amir explains how you can be living in the same house as someone, but be exiled from them and feel like you are on different planets. Amir loved the winter time because it was the one part of the year when he felt a true bond with his father.
Instead of being seen as the loyal, kind boy that he is, Hassan is only seen as a filthy Hazara because society has chose to exile the Hazara culture. Trapped in an alley way, Hassan tells Assef “Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite” (Hosseini 72). Hassan constantly has to advocate for himself and explain each and every …show more content…
This is due to the fact that almost all of Kabul sees Hassan’s actions as wrong because of his race. Hassan used precise language to clearly express his point and get Assef to believe him. However, Assef still only sees Hassan as “a loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog” (Hosseini 72). Assef’s name-calling language shows how him and all of society see all Hazara’s. They do not see Hassan, a person, they see a loyal Hazara boy who could serve as a decent slave. Assef has plans to rape Hassan, but his friends begin to disagree with him when he says “It’s just a Hazara,” (Hosseini 75). Calling Hassan ‘just a Hazara” can serve as the peak example of Hassan’s constant exilation from society. No matter how respectiful and sweet a Hazara is, they will always be seen as the untouchable’s of Afghanistan. Years later, Hassan and his family are forced out of Baba’s and Amir’s old house because “The Talibs said [Hassan] was a liar and a theif just like all Hazaras and ordered him to get his family out of the house by sundown” (Hosseini 218-219). Rahim Khan left Hassan and his famly in the house alone, making the Talibs believe that Hassan and his family were living there without permission. A family living in a house is quite a normal …show more content…
Baba tells Rahim Khan that Amir is “always buried in those books or shuffling around the house like he’s lost in some dream” (Hosseini 21). It seems since the day Amir was born, Baba has found something different about Amir than himself and has seen those differences as a negative thing. A father should be supporting and loving his son, but instead Baba thinks Amir’s differences are strange and wrong. Baba contiues to rant to Rahim Khan about Amir saying “I’m telling you, I wasn’t like that at all, and neither were any of the kids I grew up with” (Hosseini 22). Baba goes on to destroy Amir’s confidence by continuing his rant about how his son is diffenrent from him. It is quite clear that since Amir’s early childhood, he has been exiled by his father and not having that bond sends Amir down a raging path in future. In the winter time, Amir explains that “Baba and [him] lived in the same house, but in different spheres of existence. Kites were the one paper-thin slice of interesection between those spheres” (Hosseini 49). Mahmoud’s quote relates perfectly to this scene because Amir explains how you can be living in the same house as someone, but be exiled from them and feel like you are on different planets. Amir loved the winter time because it was the one part of the year when he felt a true bond with his father.