The Taliban taking Nur and Baba-jan to fight and leaving Najmah and her mother because they are women, an event that occurred often in Afghanistan, caused Najmah to mature quickly and lose her childhood innocence. Nur and Baba-jan were taken by the Taliban which is something that has happened in many cases in real life. In the beginning of the book, the Taliban come through Najmah’s village and take all the men and boys old enough to fight, including Nur and Baba-jan. They do not have a reason for taking them so they say, “‘To repay us for having helped our enemy, you must come and fight with the Taliban,’" (Staples 17) even though they did not help their enemy. In Afghanistan, most of the refugees who are trying to get out of the country are women and children. …show more content…
This is the same situation that Najmah is in. Nur and Baba-jan being taken drives Najmah to mature and become the head of her family. When Baba-jan is leaving, he tells Najmah, “take care of your mother” (Staples 14). Najmah follows this instruction and in the process becomes the head of her family. Najmah is still very young but she already has the responsibility of taking care of her entire family. When Najmah is taking care of her mother and baby brother she says, "I no longer think of the leopards at all. I am more worried about leaving my mother and baby brother alone" (Staples 62) when earlier, before Baba-jan and Nur were taken, she said, “I am terribly afraid of leopards, although I have never seen one in my life[a]" (Staples 6). This shows how much Najmah’s character has grown and changed since losing Baba-jan and Nur. Losing her father and brother to the Taliban, something that also happens in real life, causes Najmah to change and become more mature and
First of all, Latifa had to deal with the struggles her mom was facing. Latifa’s mother was very ill so she dealt with the situation by trying to help her mother out in every way possible. Latifa was always there to comfort her mom. Latifa’s mother was also struggling with not being able to work. Because women weren’t allowed to do anything in the Afghan society, Latifa opened a school for the apartment children. Latifa’s mother managed to help out by cooking, which she considered a form of work. She watched her children be mistreated throughout the Taliban rule. Latifa had all intentions of receiving an education but she couldn’t go to school due to the laws of the Taliban. Latifa’s mother saw strong ambitions in her daughter so she encouraged her to believe in herself and always do her best. Latifa managed to deal with her mom’s struggles very well.
(MIP-1) Najmah’s family has has been emotionally and physically tortured by the taliban and her uncle, doing so, Najmah has to mature and leave back her childish fears and realize who to really fear in life.(SIP-A) Najmah is left all alone to watch over her mother and baby brother while Baba-Jan and Nur are gone. This is where Najmah realizes that she has to grow up if her
This is because the Afghan culture does not adopt children. Disregarding this cultural difference, Sorab is a Hazara boy, but Hassan does not take the same cowardly route that his father did. Instead, he embraces Sorab like a son without the legal documentation of being his son. Amir loved Sorab and treats him like his own. Ironically, Amir’s wife is bearen, meaning she cannot bear children. This means that Sorab will most likely be the closest to a son Amir has. The reader truly sees Amir’s affection towards Sorab in the last few pages of the book. Amir takes Sorab to do a traditional Afghan event, kite flying. Amir asks Sorab if he wants him to help him run the kite and when Sorab nods, Amir responds with a heart-wrenching response. “‘For you, a thousand times over,’ I heard myself say (Hosseini 371).” This is the same quote Hassan had said to Amir at the beginning of the book right before the rape scene had taken place. It is really shown through this last quote that Amir not only loves Sorab, but loves him as a son. This is the last piece of his redemption story.
When Najmah met Nusrat she could not believe all the luxuries she had been offered, “I nod my head. It suits me very well, but I can barely believe my ears. She’s giving me a safe, clean place to sleep, food, and an opportunity to go to school. Surely she will ask for something in return” (203)! Najmah is in awe from all the resources Nusrat is providing her with to help her recover. Nusrat is helping a random stranger that showed up at her door, this leaves Najmah to be very cautious because she had never seen this level of kindness from anyone before. Nusrat has made Najmah strong and healthy again through her kindness and patience that one in a million people might have showed in the time war, “It feels so good to laugh! It feels as if the world might very well go on”(244). Nusrat changed Najmah from a girl that had her head down and could not talk into a girl that is laughing and telling stories again. This shows how a little bit of time and kindness can impact a person. Najmah is now willing to go back to the torn Golestan village with Nur to keep her family's legacy rooted, “‘It was our father's last wish that we should keep our farm from the hands of the Taliban or Uncle’”(256). Baba-Jan wants Nur and Najmah to keep the land safe so generations after them can have the same land to work with and love. This is the only way the family got money, resources and food.
(SIP-A) While Najmah is with Akhtar and Kahlida she never speaks, she only does what she has to do because she needs to not get attached so that she can find Nur and Bada-Jan. (STEWE-1) Najmah has not said a word or tried to communicate at all since her mother's death, but for more than one reason “ I still have not spoken since the day I took the animals up into the hills before my mother and Habib were killed. but it is not because I'm am afraid”(150). (STEWE-2) The change in Najmah is a good thing because her silence protects her from being discovered in the pear truck or someone finding out her real gender. It also makes her escape from Akhtar a Kahlida easier, so that she is not emotionally attached to them. “one of the bandits has opened the canvas at the back of the truck… I am in plain view at the top of the pile”(162). The dimness also helps, but if she wasn't silent, she would have been caught when she got on the truck. (SIP-B) The first time Najmah shows Change is when she gets her hair cut Najmah is almost getting herself back. (STEWE-1) Najmah wants to learn, and she doesn't have to run, hide, or just survive.“ Najmah and Mansoora beg Nusrat to teach them english”(231)(STEWE-2) Najmah is beginning to be like a normal child again. She can have friends and not have to care for someone else anymore. “Najmah rubbed her hand over her stubbled head and
Firstly, the characters in the novel display bravery as they protect one another from physical harm. This can be seen in patterns between generations in families. Early on the reader learns that Amir’s grandfather protects Ali by, “[adopting] him into his own household, and [telling] the other students to tutor him” (26). Since Ali’s parents were killed and he is a Hazaras he would have most certainly been discriminated against at an orphanage. Ali is Hassan’s father. The reader learns near the end that he is not his biological father but he is the man who raised him. Hassan defends Amir from being beaten by Assef who has a reputation in Kabul of being a psychopath. When Assef threatens them Hassan does not hesitate to respond saying, “You are right, Agha. But perhaps you didn’t notice that I’m the one holding the slingshot. If you make a move, they’ll have to change your nickname from Assef ‘the Ear Eater’ to ‘One-Eyed Assef,’ because I have this rock pointed at your left eye” (45-46). Later on Amir stands up for Sohrab, Hassan’s son, as Hassan stood up for Amir countless times before. He demands to Assef, "All I want is the boy" (298), to take Sohrab to a safe place where he would no longer be sexually abused. In return, Sohrab is bold and prevents Amir from being slain. He points the slingshot at Assef’s face, "‘No more, Agha. Please,’ he [says], his voice husky and trembling. ‘Stop hurting him’" (304). At this point Assef is a grown man while Sohrab is only a boy. It would take plenty of courage to protect this man he did not even know. Sohrab’s action fulfills the idea foreshadowed earlier of "one-eyed Assef" as Sohrab shoots a metal ball in Assef’s eye. All these characters guarded the physical well-being of individuals that were important to them by demonstrating bravery.
"My mother cries for most of the two days after the Taliban took baba jan and my brother away" (Staples 30). Najmah's mother was crying for many days and was barely eating after the Taliban took away Najmah's brother and father. "My mother and I decided I should go take the goats and sheep back up the mountain to graze" ( 56). After the Taliban took Najmah's brother, Najmah has more responsibilities to do like her brothers chores. Najmah remembered when khalidia said "We will walk through mountains, where there is snow" ( 85). Najmah will have to walk through the mountains with snow to get to pakistan to find her brother. "How will we walk to torkham without food" ( 100). Najmah and a lot more people walked to the pakistan, they eventually ran out of food partly due to because the Taliban took most of it. With these quotes, people can see how the Taliban affected Najmah and the
Mariam’s strength is immediately tested from birth and throughout her whole childhood. She has been through a lot more than other children of her age, and one of those challenges is the hope for acceptance. She is looked at as an illegitimate child by her parents, and they say there’s no need to attend school. We learn right away what the word “harami” means when Nana uses that to describe her own daughter. She says, “You are a clumsy little harami. This is my reward for everything I’ve endured. An heirloom-breaking, clumsy little harami” (Hosseini 4). Nana especially pushed Mariam away from pursuing her goals. She said there was no need for education and men always find a way to blame it on a woman. This pushed Mariam away from her mom and closer to Jalil, but he refuses to acknowledge her and his wives look at her with cold stares of disgust. Mariam only feels loved by Jalil through all of this, mainly because he brings her things and shows her some love. She asks him to do something with her outside of the kolboa and he first agrees, but never brings her because of his fear with his wives and the structures of Afghan culture that frown upon it. He starts to act as if she was a burden to him and Mariam’s hope for acceptance is crushed. She realizes the truth, especially once she reaches adulthood. In Afghanistan, marriage is not all about love for eachother, it is about traditional role...
Even when Amir was nasty and cruel to him, he had always been a faithful, kind soul. He never doubted that Amir was his friend and that he held a special place in his heart. When Hassan got raped, Amir did not help Hassan. There were ultimately two options: step up to the bullies and rescue Hassan, or run away. Even after hearing Assef say how Amir would never do the same for him, about how he would never stand up for him, he still chose to run away and pretend like he did not just witnessed what had happend. There is also scene where Amir is feeling guilty and both the boys are around a pomegranate tree. Amir just starts pelting Hassan with pomegranates and threatens to him to throw one back. He exclaims, “You’re a coward,” (...). And what does Hassan do? He picks up a pomegranate, but instead of hurling it in Amir’s direction, he smashes it on himself and says, “are you satisfied?” (....). There is this constant pressure on Hassan and Amir’s relationship. The Afghan society would not approve of such “friendship.” Both of the boys were good, but Amir was so young when he made the mistakes that it made the reader question whether there was a way for Amir to be morally good again.
...izens of Kabul. As a result, Hassan’s childhood is much more difficult than Amir’s, allowing him to become stronger, more resilient, and less ignorant. Nonetheless, the two boys grow up together in Afghanistan during a time when it is considered to be a relatively peaceful country. In the late seventies however, this peace is destroyed as a result of the Russian invasion in Afghanistan. Ultimately, the environments from which Amir and Hassan each came from largely influences the people they become in the transitional phase of their lives from boyhood to young adulthood.
Nazer, along with the other children were taken to a converted army base run by Arab Militiamen loyal to Sudan’s Islamist Government.
Tamer and Najwa both respect one another and bond over their common faith, but realize their love is prohibited due to the working nature of their relationship. Despite this pressure, they pursue it anyways until Dr. Zeinab, Tamer’s mother, intervenes. Tamer is heartbroken, and Najwa is also quite upset. After two relationships, both unhealthy in different ways, she begins to think she’ll be alone forever. Najwa’s new identity as a Muslim is a catalyst in both of these relationships in opposite ways, but at the conclusion of each relationship her strength as a Muslim grows similarly. With Anwar, she realizes she needs a religious husband who supports her desires, and with Tamer she realizes that it is destructive to their individual religious journeys to be together. These realizations help build this new identity further for Najwa, pushing her to new heights in her relationship with Allah as well as building up her character and
However there are some characters that become better people and change becoming a better, stronger, more loyal individual in the end. The individual that demonstrates this development within this novel is Amir himself. All of the guilt Amir holds with him as a child allow him to realize his duty to be loyal to his brother Hassan ion the end. An example of this is when Amir goes back to Kabul, Afghanistan to retrieve his nephew Sohrab. Amir says, “I remembered Wahid’s boys and… I realized something. I would not leave Afghanistan without finding Sohrab.’ tell me where he is,’ I said” (Hosseini 255). Here, Amir is at the orphanage waiting to find out where Taliban has taken his nephew. Amir remembers the three young starving sons of Wahid, a man whose home he had been in earlier, and realized that Afghanistan is not a safe place for Sohrab. Amir is finally aware of one thing, Hassan has always been there to protect Amir like a loyal friend and brother would and now Amir knows that it is his turn to return that loyalty to Hassan by protecting Hassan’s flesh and blood. A second example of Amir’s loyalty to Hassan near the ending of the book is during Amir’s confrontation with General Sahib and the dinner table after Sohrab is safe in America with him. Amir proclaims to General Sahib, “…That boy sleeping on the couch
Naruto was at Mount myoboku and so was The Sage Toad. Todd God was speaking to Naruto and he said “naruto, there is a new prophecy. I gave the prophecy to your sensei Jiraiya and this new one is about a kunoichi in your village. She will glitter like gold and is the only one who can defeat the evil Madara and Akatsuki.”
Before the rise of the Taliban in the early 1990s, women in Afghanistan were mostly treated as equals and with respect. Though women were still expected to be submissive to their husbands, the mother in a family would play a key role in family decisions such as who a son should marry (“Society and Norms”). The “Taliban regime cruelly reduced women and girls to poverty, worsened their health, and deprived them of their right to an education” (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”). Due to the Taliban’s oppressive presence, women are seen as below men. In The Kite Runner, Amir’s wife Soraya is still under her father’s authority, even though the family is no longer in Afghanistan. While Soraya’s position is due in part to the traditional Afghan culture, it may also represent how Taliban values and beliefs have infiltrated into everyday lives of Afghan people in some form or another (Hosseini).