Kite Runner And Osama Comparison

The Bible says that in the beginning, God created man and woman equal in His own image. Many cultures around the world have adapted to the idea of equality among people, yet other cultures have not yet adapted to that mentality. One culture that has not inhabited this mentality is the Afghan culture. This is very evident in the novel The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseini and the film Osama directed by Siddiq Barmak. This novel and film have many things in common that one can see is prominent, for example, the way the Taliban rules and treats the Afghanistan citizens, the inequality between men and women, and the way the character Amir form The kite Runner and Osama from the film Osama, live their lives and what they carry with them emotionally. One
thing that is seen to be similar in both the novel and the movie is how the Taliban rules Afghanistan. The Taliban was not forgiving of people who would commit a felony and in return they would publicly humiliate and torture those individuals. In addition, the Taliban would drive around with men in the box of their truck with guns, loaded and cocked watching for those who dared to make eye contact with them so they could destroy more families. As a result of the Taliban acting in this manner, individuals would walk with their heads down and eyes at a gaze. The Taliban was viewed as an intimidating group of individuals that got a thrill out of hurting other individuals and of making one’s self fearful. In addition to how the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, the way women in that culture were treated had similarities in both the novel and the film.
Women in a lot of cultures, especially in the Afghan culture are viewed as lesser individuals and therefor had less rights and opportunities. In Osama, Osama’s father had been taken to work in an army and had potentially been killed fighting, leaving Osama, her mother, and grandmother behind with nothing. The only way a family could get the means that they needed to live, was with a male in the family. Because Osama was a young girl and had not fully developed, her mother disguised her as a boy so she could work for food and money. In The Kite Runner the women would only get privileges if one had a wealthy father and a good family name. Women also had very limited work. Osama’s mother could only work in secrecy, and daughters of merchants in The Kite Runner could only work at their fathers’ stands in the market. Lastly the women were expected to follow traditions, like not being able to go outside without being accompanied by a male, a woman could not have her feet uncovered, and they were expected to keep their distance from men until they were married to one
another. Lastly, the characters Amir and Osama have a lot in common with each other. Both Amir and Osama dwell on their pasts. Amir dwells on what he had witnessed in Hassan’s rape and had a guilt of not stepping in to intervene it, and Osama dwells on the lie that she had now been stuck with and had to live out. Secondly, Amir and Osama were terrified at what could have happened to them in their situations. Amir going back to Afghanistan again had to be so careful not to be in the way of the Taliban. He was walking on pins and needles trying to get his late brothers son from a member of the Taliban, an old childhood enemy. Osama after being disguised as a boy, was forced into training to be a Taliban member. She was terrified at what she could encounter if she was known to be a female. Lastly, both Amir and Osama lived in a lie and were untruthful. Amir’s father had Amir living in a lie all his life up until he was married. Amir’s father had not told Amir that Hassan was his brother, and in knowing this, Amir would have treated Hassan differently. Osama was put into a lie that she had no control over. Her mother had transformed Osama into a boy and was forced to go be the breadwinner of her family, not knowing that she was going to be caught up in a lie that almost costed her life.