The Reflection of Social Status in Khaled Hosseini’s the Kite Runner
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Abstract
Social status is a pivotal element shaping interpersonal dynamics and self-perception within stratified societies. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, Afghanistan’s deeply embedded ethnic and class divisions are central to understanding the characters' moral conflicts and evolving identities. This paper investigates how Hosseini reflects the intricate web of ethnicity, class, and power in Afghan society and its psychological imprint on individuals. Using a qualitative literary analysis method, this study interprets key episodes, character dialogues, and narrative shifts within the novel to uncover representations of social hierarchy. The analysis is contextualized through secondary historical and sociopolitical literature on Afghan society, as well as postcolonial theory to frame ethnic dynamics. Findings show that Hosseini systematically portrays social hierarchy through housing, education, language, and ethnic affiliations—primarily the tension between Pashtuns and Hazaras. Social status governs not only the characters’ social mobility but also their internalized self-worth. The transition of Amir and Baba from Afghanistan to the U.S. highlights how geographic displacement challenges but does not erase class consciousness. Moreover, the Taliban regime’s actions reinforce that structural inequality intensifies under authoritarian power. The novel suggests that social inequality is not merely institutional but deeply psychologically internalized, affecting personal guilt, loyalty, and moral choices. Even in exile, characters remain haunted by their social roles. The use of symbols—especially the kite—emphasizes cycles of submission, redemption, and reversal of roles, with the final act of Amir "running the kite" for Sohrab symbolizing an attempt to subvert inherited privilege.
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