1. The information about Khalid Hosseyni's life and literary activities

1. The information about Khalid Hosseyni's life and literary activities
Khaled Hosseini was born on the 4th of March in 1965, in Kabul, Afghanistan. He is a very bright middle-aged writer. He is the son of Nasser, a diplomat in the Afghan Foreign Ministry, while his mother was a Persian Language teacher in Afghanistan. He spent eight years in Kabul. Later, due to his father’s job, the family moved to several places. In 1976 they moved to Paris in 1976. Due to the Saur Revolution, they never returned to their homeland. Later, the Hosseini family sought political asylum in the United States. During his early years in the United States, Hosseini faced cultural shock and isolation due to the language barriers, which he later fictionalized in his works. Khaled Hosseini is one of the successful writers of this century. He has created a charity called the Khaled Hosseini Foundation to support and help the people of Afghanistan.His universally acclaimed novel He speaks English fluently along with his native Pashto and Dari.While working on his residency, he married Roya. The couple has two children, Farah and Haris.On account of his literary services, he earned many achievements, including the Exclusive Books Boeke Prize in 2004, British Book Awards, and Book Sense Book of the Year with various other awards.
Theme is a pervasive idea presented in a literary piece. Themes in The Kite Runner a masterpiece of Khaled Hosseini are aplenty. Not only does the novel present the dilemma of the homeland, but it also demonstrates the dark sides of human nature such as racial hatred and ethnic discrimination. Some of the major themes in The Kite Runner are discussed below.
Homeland and love of homeland are one of the major themes of the novel, The Kite Runner, for not only its writer but also its protagonist Amir, are Afghan immigrants who make the United States their home. Amir thinks that America represents freedom and choice. Although Baba faces the humiliation of doing menial jobs in the United States, Amir feels that he is not only free from the stifling atmosphere of his homeland, but also of the persons who have made him jealous of them like Hassan. As the writer, he also adopts storytelling as his profession and writes a novel. On the other hand, he becomes nostalgic about his homeland when living in the United States.He immediately comes to meet Rahim Khan and his consciousness about his country and its political situation makes it clear that he is always in touch with his homeland. Although it seems that he has had a privilege in Afghanistan that it seems him a tourism resort, and he declares himself a tourist, it is still his country where he has maltreated Hassan and from where he takes, Sohrab, Hassan’s son, to adopt him. That is why despite living in the United States, he marries the daughter of former Afghan general, Soraya, and adopts a Hazara Afghan boy despite having racial differences. It is partly out of love for his homeland that he flies to Peshawar to meet Rahim and find Sohrab, who later proves a solace for him and his wife.
Guilt and Redemption Guilt, its realization, and efforts for redemption comprise another major theme of the novel. Baba has the guilt that he has fathered a child from the wife of his servant, Ali, who is a Hazara. He tries to redeem his guilt by helping him and extending his love to Hassan. On the other hand, his son, Amir, too, commits the same mistake though it is out of jealousy. He hates Hassan out of this jealousy and maltreats him whenever he finds a chance. Although Hassan tries to gladden him with whatever he can, Amir does not pay him in the same coin. He rather lets the bullies rape him and leaves him there. This guilt of allowing others to rape Hassan haunts him when he is in the United States. Then he comes back to take his son, Sohrab, to seek redemption for his guilt after finding that Hassan is already dead.
Kite flying is another major theme of the novel, which has become a symbol of human growth and progress in Afghan society. In fact, the kite is a symbol of progress and growth in a person as Amir loves to fly kites and comes to know that if he can fly kites high, he can elevate himself in the eyes of all the street boys. Hassan, too, knows it and helps Amir, promising that he can bring kites to him if he asks a thousand times. This symbolical reference of help recurs to Amir when he goes to the United States, the reason that he comes back to help his former servant as well as a half-brother to atone for his willful neglect in the past.
Politics is another major theme of the novel that runs parallel to all other thematic strands in the novel, The Kite Runner. Baba is deeply mired in the political wrangling in Afghanistan and has made a name for himself through his manipulation of the situation to his own advantage. The ethnic and racial politics have not only caused problems for the next generation like Amir and Hassan, but have also led Amir to feel estranged from his half-brother, Hassan, who is ethnically Hazara, a race considered inferior to Pashtuns. Another political drama is the invasion of the USSR, and later the rule of jihadists and the Taliban regime pervades the tale that Amir tells about his arrival in Peshawar and subsequent visit to Kabul to find Sohrab.
Literary or learning is another minor theme of the novel. It is also a dividing as well as a uniting force. Baba’s desire for physical excellence gives way to the desire of Amir for learning and writing. Similarly, Amir believes his ability to write and learn makes him superior to Hassan. In other words, literary and illiteracy have their advantages and disadvantages that different characters show at different times.The harrowing tale of Sanaubar and her flight shows the marginalization of women in Afghanistan, despite the fact that Sofia Akrami and Sakina have been presented in a good light.
The Kite Runner is based on the childhood memories of Khaled Hosseini of his homeland, Afghanistan. It was published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, and immediately created ripples on the US shelves. The unusual appearance¹ of the story seems to present the Afghan background, culture, and ethnic tensions in the city of Kabul and the country on a wider scale. Though it also encompasses the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Afghan cultural erosion, and Pakistan’s support of the refugees. The story revolves around the character of Amir and his friend Hassan in the same backdrop.
Major Themes in The Kite Runner
Homeland: Love for one’s homeland is the major theme of the novel as Amir shows that though they live in luxury in Fermont in California, he longs to return to his land, Kabul, where he spent his childhood despite living and enjoying the freedom and open-minded society for having a choice. However, pangs of nostalgia force him to respond to the calls of Rahim from Pakistan and return to get Sohrab back to the United States. Amir later adopts him as a son. He does it wholeheartedly to compensate for the cruelty he demonstrated toward Hassan during his childhood – his own flesh and blood. Both Soraya, his wife, and he become quite happy and satisfied after making Sohrab a part of their family and teach him to fly a kite in California. At that moment, he finds that he feels at home after visiting his homeland.
Familial Relationships: The novel allows the readers to discover twisted familial relations through Baba, Hassan, Amir, and Sohrab. Baba has two sons, but he could only claim Amir and not Hassan who is from the mother, having considered lowly ethnic background. Therefore, Hassan becomes an outcast in the Kabul society despiting the son of an aristocrat, while Amir leaves for California with Baba. Later, when Amir and Soraya do not have their own children, Amir comes to take Sohrab back after the latter loses his father in the war-torn Kabul. These familial relations and their interaction become another theme of the novel Kite Flying: The game of kite flying shows human effort, growth, aspirations, and love for each other. When Amir loves flying kites, Hassan stands by him in the flying contest and runs after kites for him. However, when it comes to Amir, he abandons Hassan with fear and hurry. Later, he redeems by rescuing Sohrab, Hassan’s son, when he takes him to Californ²ia adopting him as his son.