Social Class In The Kite Runner

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The conflicts within families and the strained bonds between those belonging to different social classes can unravel even the strongest of relationships. None portray this as well as Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. This novel, set in Cold War-era Afghanistan, tells the story of the affluent Amir’s tentative friendship with his loyal servant, Hassan, whose relationship is riddled with betrayal, guilt, and Amir’s desperate desire for attention from his distant father. Through the progression of this story and the descriptions of the changing bonds between Amir and Hassan, Hosseini powerfully conveys the way family ties and social class can change anybody forever, no matter who they are or where they come from. The story opens upon the young For example, Baba’s praise for Hassan’s plastic surgery promotes Amir’s resentment towards Hassan. Amir voices his jealousy through the quote: “I wish I, too, had some kind of scar that would beget Baba’s sympathy. It wasn’t fair. Hassan hadn’t done anything to earn Baba’s affections; he’d just been born with a stupid harelip” (Hosseini, 46). Jealousy such as this leads to Amir’s resentful attitude towards Hassan, such as when he mocks him for being an “illiterate Eventually, in a last desperate attempt to redeem himself, Amir decides to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab, whom he now realizes is his half nephew. Rahim Khan tells Amir that Sohrab is in an orphanage; however, things get extremely complicated when it 's discovered that Sohrab has actually been taken by a Taliban official. The task seems nearly impossible, but Amir feels that saving Sohrab will atone for his sins and he will finally be relieved of all his wrongdoings. During Sohrab’s rescue, Amir is severely battered by the Talib official, who is actually revealed to be Assef, the boy who raped Hassan. Towards the end of the beating that Amir receives from Assef, Amir begins laugh. The pain is relief to him, since he feels satisfied that he is finally getting the punishment he 's deserved throughout his entire

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