Classism, Stereotypes, Persecution, and Man’s Inhumanity to Man in Hosseini’s The Kite Runner

: This paper aims to shed light on issues like classism, stereotype, and persecution as represented in Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. This paper is directly concerned with the reasons beyond these issues and their influence over the inner and outer life of people. To understand them well, I approach them through four central questions: How do we conceptualize the terms “classism, stereotype, and persecution”? What are the causes of such awful issues? Who do these issues really benefit and who are their victims? What effects do these issues have on the marginalized? After conceptualizing these issues, in this paper, I attempt to study the reasons beyond them which are social structural factors and social psychological factors. This paper aims to unveil the ugly face of these issues and to reflect the deleteriousness that they have on the disrespected people. By providing some examples from the text, it is shown that while the Sunni Pashtuns are the masters and rulers of the country, the Shi’a Hazaras are servants who are marginalized that they have no equal rights in all fields of life: socially, economically, politically, educationally, etc.


Author Biography
The Afghan-born American novelist, Khalid Hosseini was born in Kabul in 1965

Introduction
Khalid Hosseini's debut novel The Kite Runner (2003), is fictional, but based on real historical and political incidents that took place in Afghanistan from 1970 monarchy to the post-Taliban.
It is also said that it is, to some extent, an autobiography. In a 2003 interview with Newsline, the author mentioned that the most autobiographical parts of his book are those about "the difficult task of assimilating into a new culture. My father and I did work for a while at the flea market and there really are rows of Afghans working there, some of whom I am related to" (1) . Though it is a reflection of his life experiences, the book's goal is to call attention to the destruction that happened in Afghanistan in the then period.
To begin with, it is a must to have an overview of the synopsis of the narrative. It can be classified into three major parts. The first part takes place in Kabul. In this part, (Amir) the narrator of the book is a Pashtun boy talking about his childhood with his Hazara friend and servant Hassan. This section takes place from the early to mid-1970s. It is the most important as it includes the essential events of the book such as the rape of Hassan. The next part commences in 1981 during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Amir along with his father (Baba) leave their country and move to America where they live as immigrants, and were stereotyped by some Americans. In this section Amir marries Soraya, the daughter of a former Afghan officer who works now with Amir's father in California's flea market. This section ends with the death of Baba in 1989. The last part of the novel takes place in 2001 when Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan (Baba's best friend) telling him that there is still a chance "to be good again" ( 2 ) . This call marks the beginning of a journey through which Amir gets a chance to get rid of his past sins. Physically, it is Amir's journey from California to Afghanistan to save Hassan's son (Sohrab), but spiritually, it is "journey through guilt and trauma from his childhood" ( 3 ) .
Actually, the book talks about the powerful as well as the less fortunate people of Afghanistan. On reading The Kite Runner, One embarks on a journey that leads through the life of the glamorous prosperous Afghans, as well as the treacherous horrific life of those less fortunate. Most importantly, however, one encounters face-to-face the good and evil that come out when these two very distinct lives are intertwined ( 4 ) .
The Kite Runner has become widely known especially among Afghans for its depiction of their bitter reality. Hosseini indicates this in his 2003 interview: I get daily e-mails from Afghans who thank me for writing this book, as they feel a slice of their story has been told by one of their own. So, for the most part, I have been overwhelmed with the kindness of my fellow Afghans ( 5 ) .
On the other hand, he adds that there are those who expressed their repulse calling the book 'divisive'. They "objected to some of the issues raised in the book, namely racism, discrimination, ethnic inequality, etc." ( 6 ) . In response to such positive and negative comments, in the same interview Hosseini said: "If this book generates any sort of dialogue among Afghans, then I think it will have done a service to the community" ( 7 ) .
In this paper, I attempt to discuss terms like stereotype, classism, and persecution, find out the reasons that cause them, and explain their effects on the individuals and society as a whole. These issues are among the worst social problems that are still existent in under developing and even developing countries that have diverse cultural, religious, and social backgrounds, and Afghanistan is no exception. The Kite Runner shows how unjust, oppressive, and devastative these issues could be. For the sake of discussing the main ideas of this paper, I give a special focus to the relationship between Amir and Hassan, the two main characters in the novel under scrutiny, for their relationship represents the relation between the master and servant, Sunni and Shi'a, Pashtun and Hazara, rich and poor, but before that we have to take into consideration that the division between the two is society-made as one of them is born to be a master; and the other is born to be a servant. Though individuals play some roles to worsen the situation, they are not the main reasons. The marginalized Hazaras pay the bill for mistakes they have no bearing on, but that they are born to be Hazaras. Hosseini attempts to create a sort of dialogue among the different groups. Like him, throughout this paper, I wish to help people not to make judgment on others on the mount of pigment on one's skin, the religion one believes in, or the nation one belongs to; but on personal basis, on direct experiences with them.

Literature Review
Classism, stereotype, and persecution are concepts of negative practices which are incompatible with common sense, and inconsistent with the principle of absolute divine justice that is based on the principle of equality among all human beings. Although these concepts are as ancient as man himself, they are still existent till now.
John J. Macionis in his book Sociology defines classism as "the belief that one racial category is innately superior or inferior to another" ( 8 ) . It is usually based on unreal and untrue prejudices. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English states that it is "the practice of treating one person or group differently from another in an unfair way" ( 9 ) . In other words, it is dealing with some people in a different way from the way in which you treat other people, because of their skin color, sex, race, nation, or religion. In the same way, stereotype is a term that is defined as "an oversimplified perception of some aspect of the social world. Often tends to be a basis for prejudice" ( 10 ) . Besides, Aisha Al-Mattari in her thesis "Challenging Stereotypes" expresses that "stereotypes are usually used to make a certain group of people feel superior to other individuals or groups of people" ( 11 ) . Homi K. Bhabha in his book The Location of Culture expresses the same notion averring that a group of people "feels that their race is superior to others and therefore they have the right to rule and control others" ( 12 ) .
Persecution is having the same meaning. According to Cambridge Dictionary Online, it is defined as "unfair or cruel treatment over a long period of time because of race, religion, or political beliefs" ( 13 ) . Similarly, Concise Oxford Dictionary defines it as "an irrational and obsessive feeling that one is the object of collective hostility or ill-treatment on the part of others" ( 14 ) .
Regardless of all these definitions, it is clear that these issues divide the people and affect their economic and social place in community. The belief that some people are inferior to others due to their physical difference leads to "an ideology that is based upon a type of false consciousness and works to oppress a group of people" ( 15 ) . This false ideology leads to the slavery of the marginalized. In other words, because of this unnatural ideology which is by all means socio-cultural, some children are named as a 'Hazara' which limits their freedom.
The above view is expressed by Akram Sadat Hosseini and Esmaeil Zohdi in their paper "The Kite Runner and the Problem of Racism and Ethnicity." They study the cultural, social, and scientific reasons that cause ethnical and racial differences taking Afghans as a case study. Based on the Feagin's theory that denies human difference, their paper examines the root of ethnic prejudices and oppression among the Afghan people in the novel and the reasons for their ethnic behaviours. They aver that the problem of racial discrimination is by no means due to scientific observation, but due to cultural and social differences that took place between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is demonstrated that the biological difference is just some excuses for the masters to gain their egotistic goals (16) .

Waseem Ahmad in his paper "Thematic Study of Khaled Hosseini's Novel The Kite
Runner" explores how the feeling of guilt may lead one to seek redemption and attain salvation and he uses the narrator Amir's story with his half-brother, friend, and servant Hassan as a case study (17) . In the same way, Niraja Saraswat in her article "Theme of Identity and Redemption in Khaled Hossieni's The Kite Runner," explores guilt and perseverance in The Kite Runner as the motivation for an individual to seek redemption and attain the satisfaction of self-fulfillment (18) . Khoirotun Nisa in her article "Ethnic Conflict in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner" attempts to study the reasons of ethnic conflict and divides them into many types. At the end of her paper, she avers that on the name of religion, the Sunni Pashtuns are attempting to rule and control the minority Shi'a Hazaras and the whole country (19) . Ahmad Mohamed in his paper "Once Upon a Kite: Glimpses into Afghanistan's Race Relations," attempts to redress the gap between the different races by studying race relations in The Kite Runner. Like Samuel S. Lieberman, He argues that the novel could be perceived as a 'time capsule' that freezes the nation's "warring tribal principalities, petty mountain states, and ethnic enclaves spilling over the present national borders" ( 20 ) . Throughout his paper, he gives special focus on race relations in Afghanistan with the hope to create forever peace in the country (21) .

4.1.The Reasons beyond Classism, Stereotypes, and Persecution in The Kite Runner.
On reading the text, it is shown that both the community and the individuals are all responsible for the prevalence of the issues under scrutiny. To commence with the community's related reasons, the social system is one of the major reasons. It is very well known that historically, Afghanistan consists of many ethnic groups. The text under discussion focuses on two groups namely: Pashtuns and the Hazaras. These two groups differ in terms of religious beliefs, cultural practices, social status, and physical appearances. These differences widen the gap between the two groups. Pashtun forms the majority ruling class while Hazara is the minority aggrieved class. Though both are Muslims, the Pashtun group is Sunni, and the Hazara is Shi'a. Wahab and Youngerman in their book A Brief History of Afghanistan indicate that "the major race and ethnic group in Afghanistan is the Pashtuns and followed by the minority groups such as Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Aimaks, Turkmen, and Baluchi" ( 22 ) .
It is stated by Robert Lauer and Lauer Jeanette in their book Social Problems that the main reasons beyond classism, stereotype, and persecution are social structural factors and social psychological factors ( 23 ) . These factors create the belief that some groups are inferior to others which may cause the marginalized groups to lose self-confidence, and esteem, to be nervous, gloomy, helpless, suspicious, and fearful. The negative effects of racial classism affect not only the individuals but also the community at large. To begin with social structural factor, it is said that they are affected by the way the community despise the low class (Hazara) Another social structural factor that causes classism is the diverse religious and cultural practices between the two groups. Hazaras are disrespected "due to their differences in race, belief, language, and culture" ( 25 ) . Both Pashtuns and Hazaras are Muslims. However, they differ in their cultural and religious practices and beliefs. Pashtun is Sunni while Hazara is Shi'a, "the reason the Pashtuns had oppressed the Hazaras was that the Pashtuns were Sunni In the text, the Hazaras are struggling to live, finding no food to eat, and no place to live in.
They live either on the streets or in small dirty rooms in the houses of the families they serve.
However, Pashtuns live in big opulent houses. Every rich Pashtun family has their own Hazara servants.
The Hazaras were completely repressed as a political-ethnic group, and much of their land was given to others, whom they were forced to serve as slaves. Others were sold as slaves in Kabul. Thousands fled to Mashad in Persia and Quetta in India ( 29 ) .
What is worse is that the Hazaras are not paid for their services. They serve for the dirty rooms they live in and the food they eat, and Ali and his son Hassan are a case in point. They live in a dirty small accommodation in Baba's home and they are not paid for their work as servants.
What is more is that the Pashtuns think that the Hazaras are not true Afghans, so they do not deserve any luxury or privilege. In the book, when they live in the house of Amir's family, Hassan and his wife, Farzana, are killed mercilessly by Taliban, for they thought that all All the above examples that reflect the division between the Pashtuns and Hazaras are societymade. They are man-made to which individuals fall as victims, this is on one side.

The crises presented by Hosseini in the novel stem from inherent weaknesses in
Afghanistan's social structure and its cultural prejudices. Amir and his father are Pashtun and Sunni Muslims, and their servants are Hazara and Shi'a Muslims. This is a typical servant-master arrangement. Hazara were often illiterate because they lacked education opportunities. They were seen as ethnically and religiously inferior to the Sunni Pashtuns. Although Baba loves Hassan and Ali, they will always be servants. Ali and Baba and Amir and Hassan might be like brothers, but a power dynamic makes it possible for Amir to treat Hassan as an inferior, and that allows him to humiliate Hassan without fearing retribution. This same power structure allows Assef to rape Hassan without fear of reprisal, and assures him that he is unlikely to be stopped by casual observers ( 31 ) .
On the other side, there are some personal reasons that bring about the division between individuals. In the text, jealousy is one of the reasons that brings about the division between the two friends. Amir is always jealous of Hassan because the latter has all the qualities which Amir lacks the most. "I wasn't just slower than Hassan but clumsier too, I'd always envied his natural athleticism" ( Hence, it is obvious that individuals play some role to widen the gap between their groups.

4.2.The Pashtuns' Relationship with the Hazaras as in The Kite Runner.
For any relationship between any different individuals or races to be successful, it has to be based on the principles of equality and mutual respect. On the contrary, these principles are not existent between the Pashtuns and Hazaras. As shown in the text, it is preconceived by the Pashtuns that the Hazaras are "primitive, uncivilized, unreliable, stupid, dirty, weak, inhuman or lazy as a strategy to assert their claim of their superiority to rule and control the world" ( Furthermore, in his adulthood, he joins Taliban, who are mostly Pashtuns, in order to accomplish his mission. In his second encounter with Amir when Amir is back to look for his half nephew (Sohrab), he says to Amir, "Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage" ( Thus, it is clear that Amir is very perceptive of the ethnic difference between him and Hassan, nevertheless, he adjusts himself with him for the benefit of protection, guarding, and companionship. "In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shia and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing" ( 51 ) . Like all other Pashtuns, Amir never thought of Hassan as his friend. Hosseini re-emphasizes this idea through a conversation between Hassan and Assef before the rape scene when Hassan refuses to give Assef Amir's kite claiming that Amir is his friend. you? Have you ever wondered why he never includes you in games when he has guests? Why he only plays with you when no one else is around? I'll tell you why, Hazara. Because to him, you're nothing but an ugly pet. Something he can play with when he's bored, something he can kick when he's angry. Don't ever fool yourself and think you're something more." Honest people like Hassan are really devout, they "mean every-thing they say. They think everyone else does too" ( 57 ) . Sometimes, Amir admits Hassan's honesty and good manners. People like Hassan knows no animosity. After all the mischief that he has undergone because of Amir, he still loves him. This is shown in the letter that he sends to Amir with Rahim Khan: "… And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you" ( 66 ) .
Thus, social structure and some personal rude behaviours act as 'excruciation' to both the Pashtuns and the Hazaras, the rich and the poor, the superiors and the inferiors. In the text, Amir and Hassan are tortured as they are the representatives of the two ethnic groups: Pashtuns and Hazaras. Furthermore, Pashtuns use their knowledge to look superior to Hazaras. Though the two kids (Hassan and Amir) were brought up together in the same home, Amir never thought or attempted to instruct Hassan how to read or write. Instead, he ridicules and mocks him for not being able to read. "My [Amir's] favorite part of reading to Hassan was when we came across a big word that he didn't know. I'd tease him, expose his ignorance" ( 68 ) . Thus, it is clear that Amir takes the advantage of Hassan being illiterate to make him seem ignorant. Amir feels that such ignominious behavior makes him look more powerful and superior to Hassan.
Another savage impact of inhumanity, stereotype, and classism that the minority Hazaras suffer from is the issue of sexual abuse which reflects the control, authoritarianism, and dominance of the majority (Pashtuns) through degradation and humiliation of the Hazaras. This act is expressed again and again from the very outset to the end of the novel.
Here are some instances of sexual abuse that reflect the Hazaras' sufferings at the hands of the Pashtuns. The very first example is indicated by the narrator (Amir) at the initiation of the narrative. It is the story of one soldier with Hassan's mother (Sanaubar). While Amir and Hassan were going to cinema, a soldier begins to tell his story (illegal relation) with Hassan's mother loudly and openly in front of everybody.
You! [Hassan] The Hazara! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"…. "I knew your mother, did you know that? I knew her real good. I took her from behind by that creek over there."… "What a tight little sugary cunt she had!" the soldier was saying, shaking hands with the others, grinning ( 69 ) .
Although adultery or fornication is considered a crime in Islamic societies, it may happen.
Notwithstanding, you would not find an adulterer (the soldier) talks proudly about his vice to the woman's son (Hassan), only if the family to whom the lady belongs is persecuted, oppressed, and has no place in society as the Hazara in Afghanistan. To tell the truth, it is disheartening that because Hassan is a Hazara, he could not protest or say even a single word to defend his mother's honor. What he could do is only croaking and weeping silently. Again, Hassan's reaction to his humiliation is silence. Indeed, this scene portrays Hassan's helplessness and persecution, Assef's rudeness, and Amir's selfishness. It is because of Amir's silence that Assef and his friends find a good chance to rape Hassan. I think Amir and Assef are partners in this crime as he makes no efforts to save Hassan. Hence, Assef and Amir are not different. "We're the same, you and I…. you are my twin," ( 74 ) says Assef to Amir. It seems that Amir watches Hassan being raped without making any efforts to save him because of his cowardice and egoism. He is afraid that Assef may hurt him too. At the same time, he wants to get the kite at any cost. Hassan is the price of his triumph in the kite tournament. He is the lamb that Amir slaughters to achieve his selfish goals.
In the end, I ran.
… the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.
Was it a fair price? The answer floated to my conscious mind before I could thwart it: He was just a Hazara, wasn't he? . The last instance of sexual abuse against the Hazaras has to do with Hassan's son (Sohrab). In the last part of the novel, Sohrab has been kidnaped by Taliban (Assef) who keeps him as sex slave and forces him to dance for his amusement. This affects Sohrab very much that he wants to commit suicide. He was "tired of everything" ( 79 ) .
In the text, Hassan, his father Ali, and his son Sohrab are not the only victims of classism, stereotype, and persecution. Rahim Khan loved a beautiful Hazara girl, but was not allowed to marry her because of her servant status. All her family members were sent out of the city by Rahim Khan's father.
Her name was Homaira. She was a Hazara, the daughter of our neighbor's servants. She was as beautiful as a pari ( He himself admits the social differences between his family and hers remarking that it's not appropriate to "order someone to polish [one's] shoes one day and call them sister the next" ( 82 ) . So, it can be understood that social structure in Afghanistan causes such problems and creates such division.
Over and above, the suffering of the Hazaras due to their depreciation and belittlement by the Pashtuns is borderless. They are marginalized in and out of Afghanistan. In spite of the rough existence of stereotype and classism which result in the social conflict between groups like Pashtun and Hazara, and the practice of violent acts of some 'masters' like Assef toward 'servants' like Hassan, there is still hope that such conflicts could be solved and Afghans could be one regardless of their differences socially, economically, religiously, culturally, or physically. The reciprocal sacrifices of Hassan and Amir embody this idea. In their childhood, Hassan substantiates to be an ingenuous and loyal friend. He is not only Amir's buddy and servant, but also his protector. He helps and defends Amir once and again to the detriment of being raped by Assef and his buddies. Again, in his adulthood, he sacrifices his own life and that of his wife just to protect Amir's property. In the same way, Amir proves his faithfulness and selflessness when he leaves his family in America and comes back to Afghanistan so as to save Hassan's son (Sohrab) at the expense of his life being at risk.
Before the conclusion, I would like to ask an exigent and imperative question that comes to mind from the very first moment of reading the story. Is it faithfulness and sacrifice for the sake of friendship or a feeling of inferiority complex that leads Hassan to be such a good friend to Amir? Is it his good manners or a feeling of servitude that he has to do whatever his master wants no matter what? And if it is a feeling of inferiority that leads him to do so, where does this feeling of inferiority spring from? It would not be fair to expect the story or its author to address this question. The wider implications of the individual consciousness portrayed in the story to the question of how the Hazara self sees the Pashtun other. The Kite Runner is making a fresh approach to this issue or theme in which the other is seen not as an equal but as an oppressor and a master. The question still persists: where does this feeling of inferiority spring from? Indeed, I do agree, to some extent, with Rasheed El-Enany that this feeling of inferiority is because "the culture of the self loses ground to the culture of the other" ( 84 ) . This feeling of belittlement is created by the social structure in which one is born to be a master; and the other is born to be a servant. To put differently, though both groups are citizens of the same country, there is no equality between the two groups: the Hazaras have no equal economic opportunities, no equal political participation, no equal protection of the law, no equal access to health and education facilities, etc. All this creates an internal feeling in both groups that one of them is superior to the other and that it is the duty of the inferior Hazara to serve the Pashtun no matter what. Thus, "this inferiority is in fact a 'carry-over' feeling from one's own culture" and social structure" ( 85 ) .

Conclusion
This paper has focused on two broad elements: the reasons beyond concepts like stereotypes, classism, and persecution; and their negative impact on the marginalized. This paper is inspired by my belief that unveiling these issues must be read in relation to the daily transactions of ordinary people. Reading literary works like The Kite Runner is a fruitful exercise that will help understand the impact of these issues on the life of people. This paper sought to answer some questions like: How are these issues defined? What are their reasons?
What are their effects on the people? Who are the real beneficiaries and losers of these issues?
As has been discussed above, it is apparent that classism, stereotypes, and persecution of some groups by others is not due to their physical difference but because of the inherent weaknesses in Afghanistan's social structure and its cultural prejudices. The powerful majority groups (Pashtuns) use their power and money to incite wrong viewpoints or attitudes toward the weak minority (Hazaras). They attempt to control the community, and pulverize whoever they loathe. They utilize the misconception of human distinction to demonstrate that they are better than others.
To conclude, this paper attempted to show how unjust, oppressive, and devastative classism and stereotype could be to individuals as well as to community at large. Hazaras were often illiterate because they lacked education opportunities. They were seen as ethnically and religiously inferior to the Sunni Pashtuns. They are sexually abused and insulted. Yet, some individuals of the two groups may deal with each other as brothers, but the social structure makes it possible for any Pashtun to treat any Hazara as a slave.
A major goal of Hosseini is to reveal the unsightly reality of these issues. He aims to create some kind of awareness about the sufferings of the sidelined groups. He does not want his people to build "irrationally based negative, or occasionally positive, attitudes toward certain groups" ( 86 ) for the color of their skin, their religion, nation, language, sex or race.
I believe that in order to knock these wrong ideas off, and for the marginalized to have equal opportunities and lead a normal life, we as human beings should make judgment about others on personal basis, on direct experience with the others, not on whether they are Pashtuns or Hazaras, rich or poor, masters or servants, etc. Baba and Rahim Khan do not disapprove of social class; they just don't want it to attempt to influence their life. Though Baba, Rahim Khan, Amir, and Assef belong to the same ethnic group, their treatment of the Hazaras is different. So, it is not whether or not one is a Pashtun or Hazara that determines one's character, but the choices one makes with regard to relationships to others.