The Sociological Criticism of the Book The Kite Runner

Introduction

Author Hosseini analyses social conflicts in his book The Kite Runner that happen in Afghanistan society. The conflicts are mainly brought about by social class differences. The author himself comes from a good family where both his parents were in well-paying jobs. While growing up, Khaled lived a decent life in middle-class suburbs. From his personal life, we can tell the existence of social class differences in Afghanistan which becomes the basis of analyzing his book on a sociological perspective. This paper mainly focuses on the issue of social structure and how it affects life and brings the conflict between the ethnic minority and ethnic majorities through four main characters-Baba, Amir, Hassan, and Ali. Baba and Amir belonged to Pashtun, the ethnic group that was considered to superior and majority while Ali and Hassan belonged to Hazara ethnic group that was viewed as minority and inferior.

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The social structures and classes are the cause of social conflict. In the book, Amir's family and Hassan's family exhibit a large divide due to the existing conflict between the Pashtuns and the Hazaras. Amir and Baba, who are father and son, have an intimate closeness with their Hazara servants, Hassan and his father, Ali. In the novel, we learn that Baba was fond of Hassan more than his son, Amir. The relationship was so unusual until the neighbors and town people commented about it. They considered Ali to be lucky for having a concerned master. It is because of the concern raised by other town people that resulted in degradation of the friendship between Amir and Hassan. This is also reflected in Hosseini Khaled's childhood life. While living in Iran, they had a servant from Hazara ethnic minority working for them. The name of the servant was Hosseini Khan. In an interview with one of the radio stations in America, Hosseini mentioned that he was fond of their servant, but their relationship was formal. Hosseini taught Khan to read and write. The reason why Hosseini Khaled kept the interaction with their servant formal is because of fear of what other people would say about their relationship as they belonged in two different classes.

The people who belong to the upper class always dominate over those from the lower class. Therefore, in case an individual from the lower caste is good at anything like sport, those in high class feel their dominance threatened. This is exposed by Hosseini in his novel during the kite-fighting tournament. Amir, being a Pashtun faced threat from his friend Hassan who is Hazara. Hassan is excellent and has exceptional skills for kite running than Amir could have hoped for. In the book, Amir boldly accepts that he is not just slower at running the kite but also clumsy. He always envies Hassan's natural athletism. This is because Amir, being a member of a high class, feels that his dominance is threatened. Consequently, in his mind, he decides to put Hassan where he belongs and starts to deny Hassan the friendship he desired most. In an instance where he looks for Hassan, he repeatedly refers to him as the son of his servant. By doing that, he put Hassan a notch farther in his social standing, the lower class. This scenario relates to the anxiety the Pashtuns felt when the hazards began to dominate the government.

In a capitalist society, the superior class owns the means of production such as the tools that can be used to create valuable products. In the novel, the Pashtuns are rich and own properties that run Afghanistan's economy. For instance, in The Kite Runner, Baba is a wealthy businessman from Pashtun ethnic majority. He has everything such as big business ventures, a big house, expensive clothes, and holds big parties. From his possession, the reader can to tell that Baba and his son have a prosperous life. On the other hand, the people from a lower class which is also known as working class only own the labor power. For them to survive, they have to sell their labor power in form of wages to the superior class. In the book, Hazara caste people can only be employed as servants by the rich people. They are perceived as inferior species. Ali and his son Hassan (Hazaras) are working for Baba and his son Amir (Pashtuns) as servants

The people in upper-class use people from the lower class to achieve their goals. In the novel The Kite Runner, Amir takes Hassan as a tool to use in order to achieve his purpose. He used Hassan to win his father's love because Hassan enabled him to win the kite-fighting tournament. Winning in the kite sport was the only thing that could enable him to get Baba's love. Amir could have stopped the rape but he feared to be raped himself and at the same time to lose the blue kite which in his mind was the key to his fathers' love and affection. Therefore, he had to let Hassan suffer but protect his kite from being taken away. This also shows how Hazaras in Afghanistan have been used as puppets and scapegoat by socially superior Pashtuns. There is evidence in the novel The Kite Runner supported by the real events that took place in Afghanistan that are masked in the novel. For instance, he referred to the killings of Hazaras that took place in 1998.

Towards the end of the novel The Kite Runner, Amir is in conflict with his conscience. He is compelled to expose the evil that Assef committed to Hassan but on the other hand, he is discouraged from taking such an action as he is aware of the consequences of such a revelation would cause. Gradually, Amir internal conflict with class and injustice destroys the closeness between him and Hassan. He pulls himself away from Hassan because by being close to him, he is continuously reminded of what he failed to do. He distanced himself by making sure that their paths crossed as little as possible. In as much as Hassan wants to spend time with his master, Amir continually rejects him because he decided to enjoy Baba's love and affection. It was not until Amir commands Hassan to let him be and Hassan being like a loyal pawn follows his master's orders and finally, he leaves him alone.

In some instances, there is crossing of the social boundaries by the people in an upper class. In a capitalist society, individuals may risk crossing social lines when they are sure that their action will benefit them. Towards the end of the novel, we realize that Baba crossed social class lines to fulfill his selfish desires. He fell in love with his servant's wife whom they had an affair that led to her getting pregnant. Throughout the book, Amir also struggles to cross the class boundaries but he is afraid as he is aware of the implications of doing so will lead to the compromise of the whole social composition he grew in. Nevertheless, he gets a sigh of relief when he comes to know that Hassan was actually his half-brother. He states that he learned that his own father was a thief of worst type because the things he stole were sacred. Baba committed a wrong by taking Ali's wife and sleeping with her which resulted in getting a son, Hassan. It is when Amir realized his father's acts that he is completely liberated from his inner disturbance and has a duty of rescuing his nephew (Hassan's son) from Afghanistan.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we find that there is conflicting social climate between Pashtuns and Hazaras in The Kite Runner. There is discrimination that is based on an individual's ethnicity. The people from Pashtun ethnic majority are perceived as superior, rich and powerful. On the other hand, the Hazara people are seen as worthless and inferior species. Therefore, a reader can spot the differences between the two ethnic groups. Most importantly, Hosseini indirectly states that regardless of ethnic and class difference, all human beings are equal and have a right to get appropriate civil rights. It is sad that social status and cultural conflicts still exist in some communities and prevents people from expressing their affection towards one another. It is upon human beings to get rid of the social and ethnic class so that the world can be a better place to live.

Works Cited

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