Topic I: The Role of Men & Fathers
“Upstairs was my bed room, Baba’s room, and his study, also known as ‘the smoking room,’ which perpetually smelled of tobacco and cinnamon. Baba and his friends reclined on black leather chairs there after Ali served dinner. They stuffed their pipes—except Baba always called it ‘fattening the pipe’ –and discussed their favorite three topics: politics, business, soccer. Sometimes I asked Baba if I could sit with them, but Baba would stand in the doorway. ‘Go on, now,’ he’d say. ‘This is grown-ups’ time. Why don’t you go read that book of yours?’ He’d close the door, leave me to wonder why it was always grown-ups’ time with him…” (page 5)
Amir is having a flashback from when he was a little boy. He remembers how his father used to host men over for business purposes and tell Amir that it was “adult time.” By saying something like “adult time,” shows that men had certain dominance in society for example, they ran business.
The role of men and fathers comes up again on pages 17-23, Baba is teaching his son about life and how the only crime in the world is theft. Amir doesn’t quite get the lesson that Baba is teaching him and feels like he is failing his father. Amir also is very interested in poetry, which is not the most masculine activity so his father is judgmental. Being a boy who likes poetry he is very sympathetic. For example when Baba took Amir to watch a racing horses, a man fell off and Amir cried. This made his father very uneasy about his son and whether he is strong enough to run his business one day.
Baba and Ali are both single fathers raising their son’s Amir and Hassan. Being a father plays a major role in this book. Being a father to Amir is hard because his mother died giving birth to him, this could be a possible reason as to why Baba has neglected his son. While Ali loves his son very much and almost fills the pain of Hassan’s missing mother with love.
1) http://www.aolcdn.com/pmms/productpagemovies/0f/04/2557603
2) http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/movies/kite-runner/014.jpg
3) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C7ZZyE4L8oU/TdAsM0zd-SI/AAAAAAAAAAk/yipDKT01MCk/s1600/Kite_Runner-40.jpg
Topic II: The Role of Women/ Mothers/ Wives
The role of women/ mothers/ wives has revealed itself many times in the book “The Kite Runner.” Especially on pages 7-10, on these pages a soldier is talking to Hassan about his mother and saying how he slept with her. They also discussed Hassan’s ancestry and how it was a shameful one. They called him “mice eating, flat nosed, load carrying donkeys,” because he was of the Hazaras.
Also considering that Hassan and Amir have both grown up with no motherly figure, they have just lived with themselves and their fathers. Amir’s mother left when Amir was a baby because he was born disfigured. He has polio and a bad lip. Amir’s mom died while giving birth to Amir and is believed that this hurt Baba very much.
https://files.pbworks.com/download/39diFvJdMG/wardsworld/12621322/SteveMcCurryAfghanGirl.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KZyW4XccUr4/TcjLYh2hnfI/AAAAAAAAAj4/6k8mSFsHHrM/s1600/mother-child-reuters-640x480.jpg
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/08/17/world/asia/17lede_afghan.480.jpg
Topic III: Courtship and Marriage
“Me a mojarad, a single young man, and she an unwed young woman. One with a history, no less. This was teetering dangerously on the verge of gossip material, and the best kind of it. Poison tongues would flap. And she would bear the brunt of that poison, not me—I was fully aware of the Afghan double standard that favored my gender.” (page 146)
Usually the father arranges marriages and fathers are eager to marry off their daughters, but to respectable men of course. It is usually a deal made by the parents not the children. Marriage is a very formal arrangement over there, the women must cover their faces and the men must be very gracious and treat the family of the bride with the upmost respect.
a period during which a couple develop a romantic relationship, esp. with a view to marriage.
• behavior designed to persuade someone to marry one.
• the behavior of male birds and other animals aimed at attracting a mate.
• the process of attempting to win a person's favor or support : the country's courtship of foreign investors.
the formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FHES2ilXMFg/TEc_KZt-SQI/AAAAAAAAAeI/M_4WcB2Xkzo/s1600/child-bride-afghanistan.jpg
http://www.aamozgar.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/123.jpeg
http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/wp-content/themes/lifestyle/thumb.php?src=http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/forced-mariage-consultation-150x117.jpg&h=206&w=305&zc=1&q=100
