In today’s society, women not only have established their presence in the work environment, but they are now starting to exhibit the power that they have in other ways as well. Currently, approximately 68 million women account for almost half of today’s labor force, with the amount of unemployed women, 4.5%, being lower than that of the male population (Department of Labor 1). Women also make up more than half of management and professional occupations, outnumbering their male counterparts in areas such as accounting, teaching, and nursing. These statistics show that women are just as capable of providing for their families as men are, with their capabilities being beyond those of men in many circumstances. So when it comes to the idea that men are the ones with the power in a family, or just in general, it might actually be a misconception in more than a few instances.
In fact, many women in the United States rank amongst the most powerful women in the world. For example, Christy Ruth Walton, wife of Wal-Mart creator John Walton, has an estimated fortune of $19.2 billion placing her second on the list of the world’s richest women (Forbes 1). Walton is an example of power when it comes to money, but power also can be defined in other ways as well. Take Hilary Clinton for example. Not only was she the first lady of the United States and a U.S. senator, but she also campaigned to be president this year. She was able to attract millions of voters to her, but eventually she fell short in the end. Still, she put forth a notable effort, and showed that it was possible for a woman to be the decision maker for the United States.
Judging by all of these statistics and success stories, it seems as if women in the United States have it pretty good. They are able to find good jobs, support their families, and enjoy the lives they are living. Now let’s compare the lives of women in America to those in another country, Afghanistan. Rather than going out and searching for a job, Afghani women are not even allowed to work outside of their home. They are forced to remain almost in solitude, without the luxuries of television and music, while wearing a burqa which is used to cover them from head to toe (Modern World History Online 2). They are constantly being abused and mistreated by their husbands, causing the thought of violence to always be present in an Afghani woman’s mind. Abuse can be triggered due to women not having their ankles covered, using cosmetics, wearing brightly colored clothes, or bathing in public (Restrictions 1). Women are to appear as least sexually appealing as possible, with the defiance of this concept resulting in public whippings and beatings. The treatment of women is so extreme that they are not even allowed to be photographed, let alone have a picture of themselves on a wall in their home or in a current newspaper.
It is almost as if the presence of women in Afghanistan is missing, since they are unable to hold a job or even do anything that can remotely make them stand out. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini exemplifies life for women in Afghanistan by lacking female characters in the story. It all ties together because Afghani women were almost hidden in society, so therefore, Hosseini “hid” them from the story. However, when a female character was mentioned, it was usually for a short period of time, or something negative ended up happening to them. Next, we will examine the short list of female characters in the story, and examine how they’re life related to those of the women in Afghanistan.
Take Hassan’s mother, Sanaubar, for example. “Hassan lost [her] less than a week after he was born . . . to a fate most Afghans considered far worse than death (Hosseini 6).” Due to the loss of his mother at such a young age, he never really discussed her, as if she didn’t even exist. When looking at Sanaubar’s physical features, she was young, beautiful, had green eyes, and a stride that caused men to gravitate towards her. They did in fact, and Sanaubar ended up getting involved in a relationship with Ali. Shortly after, she found herself giving birth to Hassan, but five days later, nobody knew where she was anymore. Years later, Sanaubar returned to deliver Hassan’s son Sohrab. She found herself growing attached to her grandson, but that feeling wouldn’t last long, as she passed away shortly after he turned four. “She looked calm, at peace, like she did not mind dying now (Hosseini 211).”
Now when comparing her attributes to those of an Afghani woman in today’s society, she defies every principle the Taliban have set forth. She tried to be sexually appealing, when she is supposed to be covering herself in order to detract attention from men, and she took part in activities outside of her house without a dominant male figure present, which is breaking another rule. Hosseini describes the passing away of Sanuabar as being calm and peaceful in order to represent a relief from the torture she would have experienced in Afghanistan for her actions. Some things that she did could have resulted in her death in Afghani culture, so when Hosseini says that she didn’t mind dying, it was as if she was relieved from that possibility.
Another woman present in the story was the one who was traveling with Amir and Baba in the Russian truck on their way to Pakistan. Similar to Afghani culture, “she was dressed in an olive green dress with a black shawl wrapped tightly around her face (Hosseini 110)”, as to abide by Taliban dress code. When they reach the border, they are stopped by a guard who will not let them pass unless he could have a half hour with the lady who was in the truck. Immediately after hearing this, the lady burst into tears, knowing that being able to pass through was based upon whether or not she would participate in such an act. Baba confronted the guard, and he replied by saying that “there is no shame in war (Hosseini 115).” Baba stood up for the woman because he realized just how demoralizing of an act it was, and that even though women are restricted from just about everything, taking advantage of one like that would just be inhumane. This shows where women really stand in Afghani culture and how situations including sexual violence and rape are not uncommon at all.
A third and final woman, who ended up having the greatest effect on Amir, was Soraya. From the moment Amir saw her, he realized that there was something that set her apart from all of the other women. After courting Soraya for some time, the two decide that they are going to marry, with Baba being the one who arranged their engagement. Shortly after, Baba falls ill, causing Soraya to become his primary caretaker. She took on this responsibility because in Afghani culture, women are banned from dealing with male workers or doctors, causing her to have to play the role of Baba’s doctor (Restrictions 2). Despite her care, Baba only lives for a month longer, passing away in his sleep. Amir then hears that Rahim Khan is very sick as well, and he tells Soraya that he is going to have to go to Pakistan in order to visit him. This means that he is going to have to leave his wife behind.
After looking at Sanubar, Soraya, and the woman traveling with Amir and Baba, it is evident that the presence of women in the novel is either short-term or littered with mistreatment. The lack of a dominant female presence in the story has greatly affected the relationship that Amir had with Baba. One would assume that since Amir lacked a motherly figure in his life, he would adopt a like father, like son principle to living, in order to be just like his father. However, Baba had certain expectations of Amir, which he fell short upon since they didn’t share the same interests. “Real men didn’t read poetry-and God forbid they should ever write it! Real men-real boys played soccer just as Baba had when he was young (Hosseini 20).” This shows that Baba viewed the male figure as someone who enjoyed playing sports or hunting, which were denoted as being activities that most men took part in. Amir contradicts Baba’s thoughts by exploring poetry, which Baba believes isn’t something a man should be interested in.
Despite this, Amir strives to gain the slightest bit of acceptance from Baba regarding his writing. After writing his very first short story, he approached Baba so that he could tell him about it. “Well, that’s very good, isn’t it? . . . Then nothing more. He just looked at me through the cloud of smoke (Hosseini 31).” Baba basically gave Amir the cold shoulder because he had no interest in poetry, so why should he praise Amir for something he felt he shouldn’t be doing in the first place? If Amir went to tell Baba about something he accomplished in a sport, Baba surely would have shown an interest in it and commended him.
But what if Amir had a mother to talk to regarding his writing? In most cases, mothers act as a support system for whatever their son decides to take an interest in, and they will offer advice on how to excel in it. On the other hand, most fathers would love to see their son participate in some type of sport or physical activity, since that is what boys are usually groomed into. Without having a motherly figure in his life, Amir didn’t get the push or motivation to pursue his writing, so he felt as if it wasn’t good enough for Baba. This meant that he had to find some other way to gain his acceptance or approval.
These scenarios show just how big of an impact the lack of women in the story played in shaping Amir’s character. They also show how women in general are regarded in Afghani society, and why Hosseini chose to write a story with very few female characters in it. The story is a perfect representation of where women stand in Afghanistan, just portrayed in a more subtle way. If more female characters were added to the story, it would detract from the stories overall meaning regarding the treatment of women.
Works Cited
Alan, Leslie, and Christopher Catherwood. “Human Rights Violations in Afghanistan.” Encyclopedia of War Crimes and Genocide. Facts on File. 17 Oct. 2008. http://www.fofweb.com/nuhistory/lowerframe.asp?ipin=ewcg008&inputtext;=taliban
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York, NY: Riverhead Books, 2003. 1-371.
“Quick Stats 2007.” U.S. Department of Labor – Women’s Bureau. 2007. U.S. Dept. of Labor. 22 Oct. 2008. http://www.dol.gov/wb/stats/main.htm
“Some of the Restrictions Impsoed by Taliban on Women in Afghanistan.” Some of the Restrictions Imposed by Taliban in Afghanistan. 22 Oct. 2008 http://www.rawa.org/rules.htm”The World’s Richest Women.” The World’s Richest Women. 14 Mar. 2008. Forbes. 22 Oct. 2008
