The Kite Runner

The book I read for this paper was The Kite Runner. I knew little about this book, but I remember watching the movie years ago, which sparked my interest on how life was in that part of the country in that period of time. Since it was in a foreign country in the Middle East, I wanted to know the traditions and culture of the country and what made it unique from the rest of the world. After reading the book, I got the harsh reality of the struggles the people of the country goes through, with some problems that they face there we face here as well. To begin with, the book takes place in the Middle East, specifically Afghanistan. This hits home, because I am from Pakistan, the neighboring country to Afghanistan, and even though we neighbor each …show more content…
Afghanistan is a nation where culture and tradition are of monumental importance, especially to the older generation. A big part of tradition we see from Afghan culture is the sport of kite racing. If you can’t tell by the name of the book already, kite racing is prominently shown throughout the book. In the book, Amir explains that, “The kite-fighting tournament was an old winter tradition in Afghanistan” (pg. 51). When the Taliban come to power they destroy their own culture and traditions and implement a country with no identity, but war. Still, the book is rich with examples of Afghan culture, which may be foreign to some people. The sadness we come with grips n the story is that you see how his culture and traditions suffers due to the disruption of war and politics. The happiness in the story is that we see Amir preserve his tradition in his new world, the United States. We see examples of afghan culture because the author describes Baba’s house with Afghani artifacts, as well, as different foods they grew up with. Another example would be the customs associated with marriage. When Amir is America, his family still view the traditions of their country, one which being marriage. Amir is expected to court Soraya, longtime friend of his, through the customs of the Afghani cultural tradition. Khastegara is the cultural way to get engages, as well, as they cannot be seen in public together before …show more content…
Through the book, you see Afghanistan turn into an entirely different country, one that is oppressed and harmful to its own people. A perfect example the book effectively demonstrates is the immigrant experience to leave your own homeland. In the story, Baba and Amir are among the many who want to leave their unstable country. They struggle to leave to the point that they actually sneak at night and take the risks of being captured of leaving the country. Not everyone makes it, but Amir has to deal with the perception and struggle of the people he left behind. The book also demonstrates the socioeconomic condition of Afghanistan which affected the culture of the country. It demonstrates the disparity between Sunni Muslims, who are the majority, with the Shia Muslims, the minority. The book also demonstrates the discrimination people had of one another based on religious beliefs and physical features. The author also compares this to the socioeconomic differences in America. Baba and many of the immigrants had to leave their old lives, some who were rich and prosperous, to a country that would insure prosperity and security in exchange for manual labor and little pay. Discrimination is all over the country, and in a Taliban controlled Afghanistan, they don’t care who they beat, torture, or execute. Nowadays, there are still some parts of the country where it’s controlled by the Taliban, however, the country