The Kite Runner: Positive Propaganda

I remember in 2001 when the twin towers were hit and America's view of the Middle East was changed forever. At the time, I went to school with a Muslim girl whose family was from Iran, and I remember wanting to ask her how she felt about what had happened. I never did. Like many Americans, I was ignorant about her culture and her family's homeland. Since 9/11, many of us have developed preconceived notions about how Muslims treat women, socialize, and practice their religion. Now, novels like The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini are helping to break down stereotypes about the Middle East. Many use propaganda, a type of message designed to influence people's opinions and behavior instead of provide impartial information. The Kite Runner in particular uses propaganda to change the reader's opinion about the Afghan people through association, demonization of the enemy, and the "common man" technique.

From the start of the novel, Hosseini uses the propaganda technique of association, which links an emotionally charged person or entity to a separate entity to influence someone's opinion. In The Kite Runner, the reader's perception of Afghanistan is tied to the sympathetic character of Hassan, the narrator's friend and half-brother. A stereotype exists in America that all Middle Easterners are violent; however Hosseini associates Afghanistan with a boy who is lamb-like in nature. The narrator, Amir, states that "...to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy...with a Chinese doll face perpetually lit by a harelipped smile" (25). He is of course referring to Hassan, who was born with a harelip. Amir connects Hassan with his image of Afghanistan throughout the novel, creating an emotional tie for the reader as well. Hassan is the epitome of goodness and self-sacrifice, who allows himself to be brutalized so that Amir can bring home a trophy to his father. Hassan seems to have no faults, and Amir acknowledges that he is one of those "people who mean every word they say" (54). Hosseini truly makes the reader feel for Hassan, and in turn, for Afghanistan.

Another way in which The Kite Runner influences opinions about Afghanistan is by using the propaganda technique of demonizing the enemy, in this case the Taliban. Many Americans falsely believe that all Muslims are as strict in their religion as the Taliban. However, Hosseini makes a clear distinction between the average Afghan and the Taliban, and emphasizes the brutality of the Taliban in contrast with the more prevalent, more liberal Muslim practices in Afghanistan. He does this by creating an image of the Taliban that is almost evil in nature. Assef, the face of the Taliban in the novel, is a bloodthirsty sociopath. Amir recalls that, "I will never forget how Assef's blue eyes glinted with a light not entirely sane" (38). Assef is also the one who rapes Hassan, the kind, sensitive boy whom the reader has already come to associate with Afghanistan as a whole. Hosseini also uses the other Afghan's characters’ responses to the Taliban to reveal the gap between the average Afghan and the Taliban. Amir's mentor, Rahim Khan says, "They don't let you be human" (198). This portrayal of the Taliban is blatantly one-sided and seems to damn all of its members. Demonizing the Taliban in this way causes the reader to dissociate them from the rest of the Afghans in the novel who are portrayed in a more positive light.

At the same time that he creates distance between most Afghans and the Taliban, Hosseini uses the propaganda technique of appealing to the "common man" to compel the reader to identify with most Afghans. There is a tendency to label foreigners as "strange" and regard them as inherently different from us. In The Kite Runner, Afghan characters are shown doing many of the common everyday things that Americans do: going to see a movie, playing in the streets, and gossiping in the market. It's these small details Hosseini includes that make the Afghans seem human and accessible to the reader. Amir fondly relates how the Afghans would socialize at the flea market. He recalls, "Tea, Politics, and Scandal, the ingredients of an Afghan Sunday at the flea market" (138). Substitute coffee for tea, and I'm sure many Americans can relate to the same experiences of socializing with friends and discussing the latest news. The Kite Runner turns Afghans from "the other" into human beings to whom Americans can relate.

Throughout The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses propaganda as a powerful tool to influence his readers' opinions about Afghanistan and the people who live there. His portrayal of Afghanistan is mixed at times, yet I believe it takes steps to positively break down stereotypes that pervade American beliefs about Muslims and the Middle East. It is far from offering a solution to race conflicts, but if everyone read it, perhaps there would be more positive dialogue between Americans who are of Afghan origin, and those who are not. And that would be a good thing.