The Kite Runner: The Caste System

Everyone is affected by their own culture. The way people think, talk, eat, and spend their free time is greatly influenced by the culture they are born into. When people read a book, they are exposed to the culture of others throughout the world. To be able to read these books set in another culture, one must be able to understand it first. This is especially prevalent in The Kite Runner, a book about the struggles of a young Afghan boy as he grows in his changing homeland. An understanding of the caste system and the value of loyalty is essential in comprehending and enjoying The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.

The caste system is one of the most important aspects of Afghan culture, causing knowledge of it to be crucial in appreciating The Kite Runner. The caste system is a social hierarchy where when someone is born in a certain position such as poverty, then their
Hassan is shown to have a strong sense of loyalty such as when he went to go run a kite for Amir, “Hassan never missed any of the five daily prayers...he was going to miss prayer tonight, though, because of me” (Hosseini, 2005, p.98). The five daily prayers are a part of the muslim culture and some, including Hassan, are dedicated enough to never miss a single prayer. Hassan’s loyalty to Amir is strong enough to miss prayers, and since he knows how important this kite is to Amir, that makes it important to him. Another illustration of Hassan's loyalty is located in a conversation between him and Amir, “ ‘Would i ever lie to you, Amir agha? Suddenly I decided to toy with him a little. ‘I don’t know. Would you?’ ‘I’d sooner eat dirt’ he said” (Hosseini, 2005, p.54). The fact that Hassan would eat dirt over lying to Amir shows his immense loyalty. This loyalty transcends the bond between servant and master and is one of the most important things in understanding Amir and Hassan's