Influences on Social Mobility in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Amir lives in a nice home in Kabul, Afghanistan, with his father. They have two servants, Ali and his son, Hassan. Ali and Hassan are Hazaras, which is an ethnic minority. Hassan is often teased and harassed by a group of boys, one in particular named Assef, who wishes to get rid of all Hazaras in the future. One day an incident happens between Hassan and Assef that changes Amir’s relationship with Hassan forever, bringing Amir to ultimately cause Ali and Hassan to leave their home. When Afghanistan’s king is overthrown things start to change and take a turn for the worst. Eventually Amir and his father must leave Kabul and the move away to America where many Afghani’s have also fled to. Amir and his father begin a new life in America and Amir is thankful that he can leave Kabul and his horrible memories behind him, until one day a phone call brings him back to a Kabul that has mutilated and Hazaras massacred. In the world of The Kite Runner Hosseini introduces concepts about social class, education, and ethnicity and how they affect the life chances and prospects for social mobility.

The terms ethnicity and ethnic refer to cultural characteristics; people who identify with each other based on common ancestry and cultural heritage. The sense of belonging could be based on nationality, what area they are from, clothing, religion, family name, language, and or relationships (Henslin 242). In The Kite Runner there is a clear social distinction between the Pashtun and the Hazara. The Kite Runner explores multiple different aspects of racism and discrimination such as, nonviolent but brutal racism and racism intertwined with generosity and kindness. Although the ethnic group people treat so po...

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...e government should set up opportunities for people like hazaras to work honorable jobs other than serving the wealthy. This would give people chances to get on an equal level. The people of Afghanistan would also have a better chance at a better life if the government made it a priority for the people to be educated, because not only would it benefit people personally but the government as a whole.

In the world of The Kite Runner Hosseini introduces concepts about social class, education, and ethnicity and how they affect the life chances and prospects for social mobility. In Afghanistan they display racial discrimination that keeps minority groups like the hazaras at the bottom and sets there future in stone from birth. Education which plays a major role in poverty also limits ones place in society, especially if one is not already born into money.