Theme Of Prejudice In The Kite Runner

The Many Kinds of Rape: Social Status and Prejudice in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner
Introduction
Throughout Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, many characters experience prejudice that has a significant negative effect on their ability to sustain an innocent and peaceful life. Rape is often considered to only be a physical intrusion. However, a person can be raped in many different ways. Although, physical and emotional rape are the most prevalent in the novel.
The characters in The Kite Runner all experience different forms of rape. As a result of their traumatic experiences, they lose their senses of innocence. The implications of social class and status in the novel are far-reaching and shape not only plot but also character development. In its essence, Hosseini’s novel is a masterful social commentary on how social class and interactions shape human life.
Physical Rape
Hassan
Early in The Kite Runner Amir’s best friend and servant Hassan is brutally raped as Amir watches on. Hassan is raped because he is a Hazara, an undesirable. Another boy named Assef and his friends Kamal and Wali rape Hassan because they believe they are socially superior to him. Assef believes “ ‘… there’s nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful …show more content…
Amir describes the stoned man as “a mangled mess of blood and shredded rags” (Hosseini 284). The natural distress associated with seeing someone killed coupled with the idea that Sohrab could face a similar fate is emotional rape for Amir. Throughout the entire novel, Amir is forced to experience and confront situations that take a significant toll on his emotions. Amir’s experiences are a perfect example of how social status can effect both the individual and society as a whole in a negative

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