How Tradition and Culture Influence the Characters and Actions in the Book “kite Runner”
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How tradition and culture influence the characters and actions in the book “Kite runner”
Khaled Hosseinis book “Kite Runner” portrays different cultures and traditions that exist in our society. In this book, the Afghanistan and the United States cultures are the most distinct. The two cultures have different practices and traditions. The diversity in the traditions of the two cultures has significantly influenced the actions of the numerous characters in the book.
The divisions among the different ethnic groups that exist in Afghanistan have influenced the actions of the characters. These ethnic groups include the Hazaras, the Tajik and the Pashtuns. The different ethnic groups are divided along the lines of social classes. The social classes have made some characters to have negative perceptions about others from a different social class. For instance, in the book, Amir is struggling to deal with his personal beliefs that counter his societys dominant culture. Also, the influence of his tradition and culture defines the manner he responds when his key beliefs are challenged. This struggle of dealing with beliefs is observed when Amir fails to acknowledge the friendship of Hassan during their childhood days. This difficulty in acknowledging their friendship is based on the fact that he belonged to a different and superior social class to that of Hassan. Hassan belonged to the Hazara ethnic group which is considered a minority group in the Afghan society. Amir belonged to the Pashtun, the major ethnic group. In the book, Amir says, “History isnt easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was Pashtun and he was Hazara. I was Sunni and he was Shia and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing” (Hosseini 25).The same issues of social class are realized with Baba, Amirs father. Even though they were playmates with Hassans father Ali, he still could not call him as his friend. This same tradition is what is passed on to Amir and Hassan generation. In addition, the Afghanistan culture has a tradition where the Shia and the Sunni do not mix. This tradition influenced the manner in which Amir associated Hassan. Also, the culture and traditions influenced Assefs actions. He threatened to beat up Amir during their early days because of playing with Hassan who was a Hazara. These are apparent cultural and religious differences that have influenced the characters relationships.
The religious Muslim culture of Afghanistan and the violent Taliban rule has influenced the actions some characters. The Afghanistan cultural practices include social stratification where individuals are segregated on the basis of their social class. The Hazaras are persecuted on the basis of their ethnicity. The violent Taliban rule in Afghanistan and religious mindset has influenced Assefs actions.