#[ I had to because it reminds me of The Kite Runner quote ]

[docholligay]

LIVESTREAM WINNERS AND TOP POINT COMMENTS

THose of you who read the schedule already know this but the winners are:

HOLLIGAY INVOKES THE SPIRIT OF CLOSET GHOST 

and

WE COOK FOR DINNER IN THE APOCALYPSE

Please join me for both! It’ should be a terrifying, thrilling time. 

AND NOW, THOSE OF YOU WHO MADE ME FEEL THE WARMEST. Thank you to all who answered--I know this was super self indulgent and it means a lot to me that you took the time. So, literally 12 out of the 13 of you got at least one point (One person did not give any details, or even a quote) MAZEL. 

Point allocations are below!!

One point winners: 

4(?)ish years ago, you sent Jet a series of letters/cards/funeral lilies, from different Sailor Moon characters. The lilies were for Mako. One card was from Michiru, after Haruka's death. I have never been able to find them again, but I just loved the care you put into them--how they were all written specifically from the character, the fact that you even put tear stains and perfume on the cards. It was just so creative and touching, and it felt like the characters were real for an instant, mourning and living and giving you a peek at their lives. --- @kumeko (That was A Little Letter, and Mako’s was actually a separate thing for the same contest!) 

   “Before you get yourselves killed I want to go on record as saying this is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.” Rei stood with her hands on her hips at the front of the garage- from that short story about Mina and Haruka strapping an engine to a shopping cart. You can really feel how rei must feel, the resigned exasperation mixed with genuine, but hidden, concern for Mina and haruka’s safety. I think i have said the exactsame thing before people i know do stupid shit. --- BeefSalad33  (oh ma, an oldie but, I think, a goodie) 

OH MAN. I am always thinking nonstop about that piece where Minako confronts Seiya about bullying Haruka, specifically for the line where Mina spits out "you think she'll love you for this?" and UGH that LINE. it HAUNTS me, I want to BITE DOWN ON IT AND NEVER LET GO, I WANT TO PUT IT EVERYWHERE EVER BECAUSE IT HURTS SO GOOD, AND I DON'T EVEN CARE ABOUT SEIYA. --- @wouldntyoulichentoknow (I’m so glad that I’ve managed to make both you and jetty grit your teeth and care about Seiya at some point ahahah) 

"*But flowers grow from death and decay, don’t they? That has always been true, you know that, Mako. You are a rose of perfect beauty, grown in the rich fertilizer of your loss.*

She threw the stress ball across the room, knocking over the cup on the sink, spilling the ice down the drain."

The contrast between reminding herself of how life works, and then still being bitter about it, and knowing what she is and being frustrated about it. It's a lot, when sorting out various issues- i have trauma, and that makes me better at empathizing with people, i'm adaptable long-term, and that means i can put up with some bullshit, that kind of thing, but that doesn't mean those are wholly good things. It's nice to see it put into words, and so plainly, and with such a strong reaction of it.

Roses can still grow wild, as pretentious as that sounds with how your passage resonates to me, but it's still nice to feel that. ---- @katrani (I’m so glad it resonates with you! I liked that line a lot! ) 

2 point answers:

Christmas Carol, Stave 1 - “You are a terrible person,” she jutted out her chin, feigning strength. “Fareeha deserved much better than you. But,” she took a deep breath. “I still hope she forgives you, someday. Someday, I hope you will deserve it.” It feels like cheating to use the most recent thing you’ve written, but nonetheless this section conveys so much about your take on Mercy, so quickly. She may be an idealist, the peacekeeper and builder, and she may want Pharah to have a relationship with her mother that’s not this disaster, but that doesn’t stop her from acknowledging that Ana’s been the primary factor in making it what it is and telling Ana that directly. I love how you write Mercy (and Tracer for that matter) as very warm characters who try to see the best in their situations but won’t gloss over the fact that sometimes, someone does have to be shot in the fucking face. “Good” doesn’t mean “hopelessly naive”, even with a pacifist, and I appreciate that you have characters who show that. 

Bonus, and a fringe case as technically part of the Fushigi Yuigi hateblog: “She was still trying to get home, had been unable to get Tamahome to let her poison him, and then Nakago had hugged her into his chest until she had been forced to flatten him with a punch to the nads. She was tired, she was hungry, and she was trying to have a moonlight bath to consider her options and wash the stink of a man off of her.

And then, Tamahome, again.” - Haruka-gets-dumped-into-Fushigi-Yuugi-as-Yui was a delight that entire episode, but this post was one of the best. Is it really just narrativizing your frustrations with the many, many writing choices that were made here? Absolutely. But it’s a fun little bit of comedic pacing here, especially with the utter exhaustion of Haruka that this bullshit isn’t over yet. (“Fuck my life” to the moon wondering if Usagi could help and regretting how hard it would be to drown herself are close runners-up on that front.) --- Regalli 

(Mercy is, in many ways, my attempt to write someone who is MOSTLY a pacifist that I can respect. It’s not easy for me! I often find pacifism to be cowardice, because so often in life the people I know who are pacifists are, well, not the folks in the street. So i thought, could you write someone who is very hesitant to kill, who believes that even Doomfist, even Reaper, even whoever, deserve care if they are hurt, who believes that a sword will not leave her hand free to uplift the fallen, and make her brave? And make her strong? And so was born, Mercy, who proved that, yeah that person, at least in my mind, can exist.) 

I think one of my favorite passages from your writing is from "The Rest is Commentary". Particularly the part that starts with "I am a doer. " That entire paragraph is wonderfully written, with mix of beautifully descriptive language to describe *why* you don't trust words. It's slightly paradoxical, but it also fits with the rest of the essay (?) so well. And even beyond that,  I love reading when you write about your faith. You are deeply devout woman, and a personal aspiration to me. When you write about your faith, it reminds me that there is work that needs to be done to live it, and not easy work either. But it is very much worth every bead of sweat, and every drop of blood. --- @shavedjudomonkey 

(Thank you so much! I love that people have connected so much with my Jewish writing) 

3 point answers: 

From Requiem for the Great Consummation, I adore the word play with "compose." Ie, in the line, "Michiru folded her hands in her lap and composed herself." Why? I'm a musician. So, Michiru, with her music, holds a special place in my heart. (Why Ami gets the music attacks is beyond me. WTF?)  I don't think the writers ever really understood what it takes to be a musician, and while fanfic writers often include Michiru's music, I've never really seen it done well. (I'm sure it has been. I just haven't seen it.) Music is all about structure. It has to feel free and soaring, but it can only be that because of the intense amounts of tension and structure underneath. A kite without a string plummets. When I reach for high, soaring notes, that's when I have to be most conscious of having a solid base. Making music Is constant tension. So, often when I see writers portray musicians, it's all "she never felt so free and untethered as when she sang/played the,violin/piano/whatever." And I think, "wow, really? She must have been Crap." So, back to compose/compose. This wordplay shows that tension. The "I have rehearsed this 5,000 times and am still working so hard I'm sweating standing still in this freezing auditorium so that it can look and sound completely free and easy." This is Michiru's entire life. She is composing herself. She is outlining complex rhythms and tensions and resolutions that even though you hear when the piece is played, you don't fully take in or understand, and all you consciously comprehend is 'wow, pretty.' Because that's how music works. Organs have keys that can't be heard by the human ear, and composers include them in their pieces. Why? We can't hear them! But we feel them. If you look at the score for an orchestral piece, it contains So. Many. Notes. So much going on. But when you listen, all you hear is that melodic theme. But if you take out anything underneath, things change and cam fall apart. Michiru lives her life like that. She creates herself, composes herself, and it looks elegant and free and easy, but it is so so very tightly controlled and rehearsed, and that particular wordplay showed off that side of Michiru's music, which is one I don't get to see explored much. --- @incorrecttact 

(Thank you so much for this!! I am NOT a musician, but so much of Michiru and music speaks to me, the structure of it, the discipline, the way it allows you to express yourself while hiding behind something else. And yes! I think of that double meaning so much!)

I want you to know... that this was very, very difficult. I made a notepad and collected shit I'd pulled out from your work where I could find comments where I did such, and then I AGONIZED. Here is where I landed but know it's so close with other things god. 

"Winston worked in earnest at his inventions, and Emily went back to teaching, and the two of them began to cook for each other again. Family dinners once a week resumed, grew with some of the new recruits that were being folded into their family. Pharah and Mercy’s daughter took them to the zoo, the park, out into the world. Dva had continued the game they had all been playing before Tracer died, their party picking up after the terrible and well-done loss of their beloved rogue. ***Life did not return, but it grew forward. It bloomed again.***" — A Clock's Fading Chime

I ended up choosing this one because I hate it a little when I read it. Not because it's not good but because it's SO PAINFUL. I love so much about the way you talk about love, and I think grief is all a part of that. We grieve because we loved. The idea of the grief period, especially for those in a close circle of a lost person, being like the cycle of the seasons where a flower may die but life blossoms in the soil it left behind is so evocative and perfect and everything leading up to that last line is the soil for which that line got to bloom. The slow, simple way life returns to them, that they adjust to the heavy rock in their pack (A piece of yours I revisited for this and a metaphor I will always carry with me) and start growing stronger together. And that they find it WITH EACH OTHER too just god, it kills me. But would I rather wish it wasn't necessary? YUP. FOR SURE. It hurts to think about someone who plays Lena's role dying in our own lives and trying to mend the rift between those left behind. But it brings all those possibilities and who may have gone already before to mind because it feels so grounded in the reality of what these experiences are like and shit it's just a great sampling of everything I love about your work. Beautiful prose, saying so much with so little, grounded in stuff that feels read, and ending on a banger, transfixing line. ---- @thoughtfulfangirling 

(Thank you so much! I LOVED that whole series of fics around that, as it is in the way that I often like to toy with the nature of grief, and the way that we go on. Things aren’t ever the same, but we go on. And I’m so glad you gt into it too! It’s very self-indulgent for me, basically everything with OW, so I love when other poepl like it) 

4 point answers: 

Given that I am not Jewish, I hope this isn't overstepping my bounds, but your passover Seder speech really spoke to me this year. Specifically the bits about the relationship between cowardice and metaphorical bondage: 

"This is a celebration of our freedom from bondage, but it is a also a reminder, a call that we must ensure we do not, in cowardice, return ourselves to bondage. "

Without explaining too much, and risking the kind of parasocial oversharing that you lamented the other day in a post, this particular push and pull has been at the forefront of my mind this year. The intense gravity that the familiar, the easy, the safe, can have, versus the genuine terror of pressing out into the unknown in search of something better.

Trying to change, and to do better, and to press on, is fucking terrifying, and hard. But, that is not an excuse. And I appreciated the reminder.   --- @blastoise-m 

(Not overstepping at all! I am so glad that it speaks to you, I really, really love this kind of writing, and I really should get back to doing more of my Jewish writing. My rabbi is leaving, because we apparently don’t have the money to have a rabbi! And he’s readying people to be lay leaders, and called on me to be someone who could give Divrei Torah (sort of like our sermons) because of my tendency to do stuff like this, and it’s very scary! But really exciting as that’s the kind of stuff that had me interested in being a rabbi, is picking this stuff apart and applying it to our own lives HI YOU ASKED FOR NONE OF THIS SORRY) 

"There are no beautiful deaths in this world, and am sorry that you must know it. Rei never was allowed to say goodbye. I watched Haruka grow weaker and more ill every single day. We each have been jealous of the other, at turns, but I tell you this truth now: Our lives mean much more than our deaths. You and Seiya had a wonderful love story, and you raised a wonderful daughter, and unfortunately it is very often difficult to finish a story in a satisfying sort of way. It is not the end of your story, simply of hers. For you, it is a new chapter"

I think this is still one of my top 5 fav fics that you've ever written. I still think of it randomly once in a while. It's such a small moment but it sold me Usagi and Seiya in a way never would have expected. It's such a moment of growth for both Usagi and Muchiru. A small moment of connection for two people who are so different.

This is wrapped up in the entire MaS series, which I could never separate from this work let alone this quote. The entire series is a series about love and all its many permutations. About finding meaning in a world when you think your meaning has been taken away. About carrying on when you think there's no reason to do so. And I think this quote really encapsulates all of that. 

This story, this entire series, is one the favorite things I've ever read and I'm so glad that you decided to share it. --- @madegeeky

(I truly and in all ways love how much you love this fic, it cheers em and makes me so happy every time I am reminded of it. And thank you for loving that line! I FEEL that line. It’s been true for every death that has come to me, so I love when it has meaning for others. ) 

The 5 point answer:

"God separated the sky and the sea, and that’s true, but there will always be the horizon where they blend."

I'm not much of a quote person. I'll often remember the feeling or the takeaway but rarely the words themselves. This, though, has stuck with me.

There is so much in this world, and so many people, who see everything as absolutes. Black and white. Good or bad. Right or wrong. And as I've grown and changed, that has come to bother me more and more.

This quote is such an elegant and accessible way to express how that oh-so-common point of view is a fallacy. And really it's just a lovely line that invokes both lovely imagery and feeling. ---- @seolh

I FORGOT I WROTE THIS, and like the completely arrogant piece of shit I am, when I read it was I was like, “Oh fuck, that’s a solid line.” And yes I am with you on getting older and relizing that the horizon line can be so fuzzy out there, sometimes, and this quote WEIRDLY came back to me when I needed it, a lot, and so thank you! 

[thomascstanier]

“The Kite Runner is not primarily about the suppression of minorities but about their defiance. “To what extent do you agree with this view?”

Throughout Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, many minorities are portrayed as defiant, rebellious characters who resist against society and the forms of oppression which are inflicted upon them. Primary examples of these defiant individuals are the characters of; Hassan, who defies society through his friendship with Amir, as well as through the protection which he provides by adopting a paternal role towards Amir. His emotional intelligence is also a clear example of this as he is defying Pashtun society as through the use of this emotional intelligence he is fighting society’s attempts to keep him subjugated and easily manipulatable. The character of Sanaubar, Hassan’s mother,  is also another primary example of the novel being centred upon the subject of minorities defiance rather than their suppression. Sanaubar is portrayed as one of the primary, rebellious figures in the novel, she is a woman (a minority) who is forced into a marriage she doesn’t want and therefore she defies her husband and the men in her life by leaving for a life of liberty. Another primary female character within the novel, Sofia Akrami, Amir’s mother is also portrayed as a defiant figure, as she rebels through her education and profession as well as through the way she tries to learn about the censored history of the Hazaras, perhaps implying that she possessed sympathy for them and their struggles.  However, the character of Ali could be seen as a direct counter-argument to this view as he is never defiant, instead, he is seemingly unresponsive to the taunting and insults he constantly receives from the Hazara-hating, Pashtun society of Afghanistan.

To begin, the friendship between Amir and Hassan can be considered to be a clear sign of defiance towards Afghan society at the time. Their friendship is something of a rarity that defies Afghan society at the time. The relationship between Hazaras and Pashtuns at this time was based upon the lines of servitude, Hazaras were often servants for the dominant Pashtun society and they were treated with inferiority. However, the relationship between Amir and Hassan defies this, their relationship is not solely based upon servitude, in fact, one could interpret the relationship as one wherein Hassan actually possesses the power, something that on a surface level is not particularly clear but Hosseini alludes to through the constant references to Hassan’s long-lasting impact upon Amir. The first time that Hassan is mentioned by Amir is in fact, indirectly, in Chapter 1 of the novel from the present-day perspective of Amir in America.  “Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites, red with long blue tails, soaring in the sky.” is a clear metaphor for the friendship and relationship between Amir and Hassan. The fact that Amir mentions these kites is clearly not a simple brief description, the kites are symbolic of this relationship, the fact that they are in a pair and are identical reflects the similarity between Amir and Hassan and hints towards their later revealed biological relation to each other. The fact that this is at the start of the novel emphasises the importance of Hassan as a character, Amir still is impacted by Hassan in the present, he is overcome by guilt at his failure to intervene but most importantly Hassan’s impact upon Amir can be seen as something highly unusual from the perspective of Afghan society. It is unusual in the fact that from the perspective of the Pashtun dominated, Afghan society, Hazaras were considered to be unimportant and inferior, however, the powerful impact that Hassan had upon Amir clearly defies this and demonstrates that Hassan possessed “power” and “control” in their relationship, something that would be deemed highly uncommon and rare in Afghan society. 

The power that Hassan possesses through his friendship and impact upon Amir is further referenced by Amir referring to him as “Hassan the harelipped kite runner.” This reference to Hassan clearly paints out Hassan to be an iconic figure akin to the ones that Amir often reads about, as if he too was a legendary figure. In fact one could say that Hassan, unlike Amir, is the main focus in the story, the novel is titled after Hassan “The Kite Runner” and the novel is primarily a story of redemption, for Amir to redeem himself for what he did to Hassan. The close relationship between Hassan and Amir is yet again emphasised when Ali reminds the boys that “there was a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break.” This yet again alludes to and “forebodes”  the fact that the boys are related, however, it also is a reminder of how this relationship between the boys is a form of “resistance and rebellion” it is clearly defiant. From a more analytical perspective one could interpret this quote from Ali as a sort of warning, that regardless of what society tells the boys, their bond is something special and strong, and should not be broken, their relationship is a defiance against society, henceforth Ali has to remind the boy of their “connection” as society will try to tear it apart. One can perceive the main antagonist “Assef” to be the one who tries to destroy this relationship. However, Hassan is the one who defends and protects this relationship from aggressors like Assef as Baba (his father) states whenever Amir is in trouble with the “neighbourhood boys” “Hassan steps in and fends them off” this is yet another example of Hassan’s defiance, “resistance and rebellion”. He is defying Afghan society through his exhibition of strength, as aforementioned Hazaras were meant to be subordinate to the Pashtun dominated society of Afghanistan, through his strength and resistance against subordination and “oppression” Hassan defies society by defending himself and others, rather than giving into the powers which try to threaten him and  break him and Amir apart.  

One of the most notable instances of Hassan’s defiance is when Assef, the aforementioned primary antagonistic figure in the novel, threatens and approaches Hassan and Amir, stating that “Afghanistan is the land of the Pashtuns.” and that “His (Hassan’s) people pollute our homeland.” Assef states that “you (Amir) bother me more than this Hazara here. How can you talk to him, play with him, let him touch you? Assef as a metaphor for Pashtun, Afghan society at the time, clearly detests their relationship as it marks a union between two races which traditionally hate each other. Hassan’s response to Assef is something that clearly shows that he is more defiant than suppressed "You are right, Agha. But perhaps you didn't notice that I'm the one holding the slingshot. If you make a move, they'll have to change your nickname from Assef 'the Ear Eater' to 'One-Eyed Assef,' because I have this rock pointed at  your left eye." He said this so flatly that even I had to strain to hear the fear that 1 knew hid under that calm voice.” This is clear evidence of Hassan being a defiant character, he stands up to and even threatens Assef, a character whose dream is of a world in which the Hazaras have been racially cleansed. Through defying Assef, Hassan gains “power” and “control” over Assef as he refuses to crumble under the “climate of fear” that Assef and by extent Afghan Society has built around the Hazaras. In fact, one could consider the very existence of Hassan to be a clear defiance against society. As we learn later in the novel, Hassan is, in fact, the son of Baba and Sanaubar, making him half Pashtun and half Hazara. Hassan is the physical culmination of “rebellion” and “resistance” from his parents. Sanaubar and Baba clearly defied society through their relationship due to the racial barriers instilled by society, therefore their child, Hassan is essentially the very epitome of defiance, he defies social barriers between Hazaras and Pashtuns. But he also defies religious ones between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Contextually, Sunni and Shias have been in conflict many times in history, one of the most current examples of this conflict is The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s attempted genocide against the Shia’s, the fact that Hassan is a physical representation of these religious barriers being defied yet again shows how Hosseini presents him as a defiant character, even from birth. 

Hassan’s purity and innocence are other defining aspects of his personality that can be seen as defiant. Through this pure nature, one could perceive Hassan as defying the views that the Pashtun, Afghan society possesses towards Hazaras, “dehumanising” and devaluing them, Hassan at his very core is simply at his core a humane and gentle character who will do anything for anybody. Through his kind nature, Hassan breaks through negative perceptions that the Pashtuns would have about the Hazaras, as throughout the novel he is thoroughly “humanised” by Hosseini, which in itself is an act of defiance, “rebellion” and “resistance”, as “dehumanising” Hazaras such as Hassan is one of the Pashtun-Afghan society’s preferred methods of oppression. Ultimately, Hassan’s defiance is best shown through his death, he ultimately dies as a rebellious and defiant character who refuses to allow the Taliban to confiscate Baba and Amir’s house in Kabul, this is one of the most significant examples as the final actions of individuals often hold significance to their character, this is clearly true for Hassan as he lives and dies as a defiant and iconic character.

The characters of Sanaubar and Sofia Akrami and even Baba to an extent can also be considered to be a character that proves that the Kite Runner is not primarily about the suppression of minorities but of their defiance. Sanaubar is rebellious in the way that she defies what Pashtun, Afghan society expects of a woman, for them to not possess sexual freedom but instead to be good mothers and subordinate wives. Sanaubar is the complete contrast to these expectations and therefore defies them. Sanaubar is a character who exhibits sexual freedom and is therefore deemed as an “unscrupulous woman” by the male, Pashtun dominated society. From the lens of the feminist Critical Theory, one could perceive Sanaubar’s sexual freedom as a form of liberation from Sanaubar, through her defiance of society’s expectations of purity and chastity she was no longer constrained by the unequal treatment that the Patriarchal society. Sanaubar’s defiant actions from the lens of the Feminist critical theory could also be perceived as highlighting the vast inequalities that women are subjected to in the patriarchal Afghan-society. For example, the way we learn about Sanaubar is constricted to solely male perceptions, one of the most notable descriptions that is given about Sanaubar is by an Afghan soldier whom she had sexual relations with. He describes Sanaubar in an extremely derogatory and dehumanising manner. He brags about his relations with Sanaubar, in a way that can be seen as the soldier discrediting her reputation and treating her as merely a sex object, “ I knew your mother, did you know that? I knew her real good. I took her from behind by that creek over there.” This dehumanising, boastful way in which the soldier speaks about his mother illustrates these aforementioned, vast inequalities in Afghan society. Sanaubar is deemed “unscrupulous” due to her various sexual relations, however, the soldier openly brags about his with confidence and pride. 

This shows the hypocrisy of Afghan society they shame Sanaubar and by extent women in general for their sexual relations, whereas men are excused and omitted from these rules of “oppression” and “control”. Through defying society’s expectations and constriction of sexual freedom, Sanaubar clearly defies and rebels through her actions, illustrating her “resistance” against the subjugation which she faces as a minority (woman). Another way in which she can be perceived as defying society is through her abandonment of her maternal and wifely duties, through this abandonment of her roles, Sanaubar directly defies Afghan society which expects women to be above all else, good mothers and wives to their husbands. Through her failure to fulfil this expected role, Sanaubar is clearly defying society and removing their “power” and “control” over her. However, one could also perceive Sanaubar as not only defying Afghan expectation and tradition but also the religion that the country follows, Islam. Through further use of the Feminist critical theory, one could interpret the religion of Islam as inherently sexist. For example Quran 4:22 34 is quite clear on this topic"Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them" As is clearly evident, Sanaubar defies these religious expectations, she has abandoned her marriage and is clearly disobedient and defiant towards the male-dominated, Pashtun society of Afghanistan, she has lucidly defied Islam’s expectations of being wifely and subordinate. These religious, patriarchal views of oppression and obedience can be clearly be seen as shaving strongly influenced  Afghan society when Amir states that Sanaubar was lost to “a fate most Afghans considered to be far worse than death: She ran off with a clan of travelling singers and dancers.” 

This quotation lucidly demonstrates these Islamic-influenced viewpoints, another example of this being the fact that Afghan society was surprised that a man like “who had memorised the Quran, married Sanaubar” clearly confirming the fact that Sanaubar was perceived as defying Islam, which also shows the “power of religion” in Afghan society. Her abandonment of her maternal and wifely roles can also be seen as an act of defiance and “rebellion” in the aspect that the marriage occurred solely for the benefit of the men in her life. As stated in the novel the marriage was solely a ploy to “restore some honour” upon her father's name. Therefore we can see Sanaubar defiance of this marriage to be justified upon the basis that it was something that she had no freedom or choice in and therefore the abandonment and defiance of the marriage was the only way in which she could escape. Continuing, one can interpret Sanaubar’s relationship with Baba and the birth of their child Hassan as yet another act of defiance against Afghan society, as aforementioned, relations between the Hazaras and Pashtuns was based upon the lines of subordination on the part of the Hazaras. The fact that Sanaubar willingly engaged in a relationship with a “Pashtun specimen” like Baba and produced a child that essentially is a bridge between two very divided cultures ultimately confirms that by nature, she is a defiant character with Hassan being a physical representation of this. 

As aforementioned the character of Sofia Akrami can also be perceived to be proof that the novel at its core, primarily focuses on the defiance of minorities instead of their suppression. Sofia Akrami akin to Sanaubar is solely presented to us as a reader through the perhaps-inaccurate perceptions of males. The first time that we learn about the character of Sofia is from a photograph that Amir sees in his living room. Through this photograph, she is described as “a smiling young princess in white.” this description depicts Sofia to be a beautiful almost fantasy-like individual, however, the depth of her character isn’t explored, through the picture she seems to be slightly “dehumanised”. One can infer that although Baba did indeed love Sofia, their marriage was also based upon honour. This can be viewed as Sofia being yet again “dehumanised” and instead turned into a “tool of honour” to be utilised by the Patriarchal, honour-based society in order to benefit men and men only. Sofia is described by Amir as a “highly educated woman universally regarded as one of Kabul's most respected, beautiful and virtuous ladies.” this description further displays the sexist Afghan society at the time, whilst Sofia is praised for her intelligence she is also praised for being “beautiful and virtuous” this is further confirmation that in Afghan society, women are valued highly upon their physical appearance and also their moral standards, hence the emphasis on her “virtue.” The fact that Baba often “playfully rubbed” Sofia’s royal status in the face of sceptics who never thought he would “marry well” yet again shows the “power” and “control” that women have over women in this novel, they are yet again utilised as “tools of honour. The way in which Baba refers to Sofia as “my princess” also further increases the aura of dehumanisation that exists around her character, almost as if she was not a person but instead a possession. However, Sofia defies society through her education, contextually, in Afghanistan, women were experiencing increased opportunities at the time, something that Sofia clearly took advantage of. Through her education, she defied society by being more than what they expected of a woman. In fact, one can perceive society through the lens of the Feminist Critical theory, even though Afghanistan did experience reforms in the 20th century in terms of women rights, they were in fact limited. For example, the 1964 constitution of Afghanistan granted women equal rights and universal suffrage, and they could run for office. However, the majority of women lived as housewives and were excluded from these opportunities, as these reformed Afghan judiciary laws were most effective in cities only. Whilst Sofia’s life ended before these changes (1963 marked Amir’s birth and her death) change still occurred e.g. with the election of Mohammed Daoud Khan in 1953, who as one of his main goals focused on trying to break woman free from being treated as second-class citizens by ultra-conservative, Islamist tradition. Through the use of this lens, one could perceive the plight of these Afghan women trying to break away from their roles as housewives to be the beginnings of the second-wave feminist movement in the 1960s. 

This relation can be perceived due to the similarities in both the inequalities which western and Afghan women faced at the time, they were trying to break away from the “housewife archetype”(Sofia) and be free from problems such as the oppression of sexuality and also the issue of domestic violence. Therefore by Sofia taking advantage of the new opportunities that Kabul was offering to women and becoming a “highly educated woman” and a teacher of “classic Farsi literature” at a university in Kabul, a clear example of her defiance, “resistance” and “rebellion”. The final way in which Sofia can be perceived to be presented as a defiant minority rather than a suppressed one is through her engagement with literature. When Amir secretly reads one of the books from Sofia’s collection he learns more about the history of the Hazaras and that the Pashtuns had, in the past “quelled them with unspeakable violence” when they had tried to “rise against the Pashtuns in the 19th century.” Amir later takes the book to his teacher who disapproves as the book, claiming that the Shia’s are good at “passing themselves as martyrs.” After Amir states that “the book said a lot of things I didn’t know, things my teachers haven’t mentioned. Things Baba hadn’t mentioned either,” Sofia’s defiance and “rebellion” is lucidly evident. Hazaras and the history of their oppression are clearly things which are censored and erased from Afghan education and literature, by Sofia’s willingness to engage in this often “censored” literature it perhaps shows that she had compassion for the Hazaras and was like Sanaubar, defiant in nature. This shows the power of “literature” within the novel, it gives Sofia freedom as she is able to learn about topics that are otherwise not discussed and censored. Through the literature collection and profession she influences Amir even from beyond the grave, she “feminises” him, driving a wedge between him and Baba. The strong influence and defiant nature that Sofia possesses would have been perceived as something unusual from the perspective of Afghan society, a powerful, defiant and educated woman was an abnormality. 

 One can also view the character of Baba to be defiant to some extent, although he does strictly adhere to the honour-based society of Afghanistan, his defiance against Islam can also be seen when Amir tells Baba what he has learned from his Islamic Teacher Mullah Fatiullah Khan, who made Amir and the rest of his classmates do things such as “memorize verses from the Koran” that he “never translated” Khan also ensured that the children pronounced “the Arab words correctly” through the occasional use of a “stripped willow branch” so “God would hear them better.” Baba’s response to Khan’s teachings is one of clear defiance, he responds to Amir by stating “I see you’ve confused what you’re learning in school with actual education.” Baba continues the conversation by further stating to Amir that he’ll “never learn anything of value from those bearded idiots” and to “piss on the beards of all those self-righteous monkeys” (in reference to the Mullahs.) These anti-Islamic views that Baba possesses are something that can be considered to be an extremely defiant act of “resistance and rebellion” as it shows that Baba disregards the Islamic culture that surrounds Afghanistan. It’s important to remember that within Afghanistan Islam is at this time, a major influence on daily life and Afghan culture e.g. the split between the Hazaras and Pashtuns is partly due to religion. Aspects of Islam such as the call to prayer gave the day a rhythm. The major values of Islam such as love, sin, forgiveness and the importance of family are really woven into the culture in the novel, illustrating the great influence that Islam as a religion has over society in the novel and in real life. Baba’s defiance against this powerful religion is continued when he states that “They (The Mullahs) do nothing but thumb their prayer beads and recite a book written in a tongue they don’t even understand. Whilst on the surface level this can be perceived as Baba pointed out the hypocrisy of the Mullahs, they teach things that they themselves don’t understand, on a deeper more subtextual level, one can view this comment to be a warning from Baba to Amir that when people practise a religion that they don’t fully understand, they can sometimes interpret it in a harmful way. One of Baba’s most notable lines from this exchange is when he states “God help us all if Afghanistan ever falls into their hands.” Through this defiant statement, Baba is perceived by the reader as a defiant and rebellious character who goes against the grain in a society that is majorly influenced by Islam. One can perceive Baba as an intelligent and wise character when one realises that his predictions were correct for current day Afghanistan, his comments were a form of “foreboding” and “foreshadowing” by Hosseini. Groups like the Taliban began to misinterpret religion and utilise it as a tool of oppression for their own good, all of Baba’s worries were completely justified given the fact that eventually, Afghanistan would crumble under the tool of weaponised religion. When one perceives the novel through the use of the lens of Marxist Critical Theory one can interpret characters who defy religion such as Baba, Sofia, Hassan and Sanaubar as the rebellious Proletariat of society, with Weaponised religion and the ones who associate and promote it as the Bourgeoisie. One can interpret the Mullahs of the novel to be state apparatuses for the oppressive force of Weaponised Religion. As aforementioned, The Mullahs were a compulsory part of Amir’s education in Afghanistan, yet again illustrating just how vital and connected Islam and Afghan are, they are intertwined. However, Amir does reference that the Mullah carried a “stripped willow branch” in order to ensure that the children would pronounce the Arabic words correctly so God would “hear them better.” 

Whilst the Mullah is merely a state apparatus for the rising power of the Bourgeoisie who utilises weaponised religion to control and subjugate,  the fact that physical violence is acceptable in order to ensure that these children pronounce words correctly does indeed show how Religion can easily be weaponized and altered in order to cause pain. The idea that God would “hear them better” if they pronounced the words correctly is an unacceptable excuse for the use of physical violence. One can interpret the small threat of a “willow branch” utilised to enforce religion as “foreshadowing” for religious events to come, wherein physical violence is frequently utilised in the name of religion and Islam. Sanaubar, Sofia, Baba and Hassan can be interpreted as the rebellious Proletariat as they are all harmed by this weaponised and oppressive version of Islam, Sanaubar is harmed as she is a Hazara and therefore a Shi’a Muslim, her past is full of religious oppression wherein her people have been killed and abused solely for the fact that they were Shi’a instead of Sunni Muslim. Sanaubar can also be seen to be harmed by Islam as it defines the gender roles that put her at a disadvantage within Islamic-Afghan society, however, through her sexual freedom and abandonment of her marriage and motherly role she defies what Islamic-Afghan society expects of her. Sofia doesn’t seem to be harmed by the sexist, oppressive expectations of Islamic society as she manages to make the most of the newfound, educational opportunities in Kabul, however, she does indeed rebel by accessing literature that showcases the oppression of the Hazara people due to weaponised religion. As aforementioned, Baba is a member of the rebellious Proletariat as he warns Amir of weaponised religion and views Islam in it’s misinterpreted, weaponized form a something inherently dangerous. He also views state apparatuses such as the Mullahs to be ultimately hypocritical, as they misinterpret and misunderstand the very thing that they teach. Finally, Hassan can be considered the ultimate defiance against the Bourgeoisie as he is the culmination of two cultures that have each been harmed by religion with their relationship being left ultimately damaged. His stand against Assef can also be considered to be a defiance against the Bourgeoisie’s weaponised. Continuing, the aforementioned character of Assef can be perceived to be part of the Bourgeoisie. Assef clearly utilises religion as a weapon against Hassan, deeming him as lesser and shaming Amir for being associated with him. Assef’s intolerant views clearly lead him to transform into the hateful, oppressive Taliban member that he is shown to be later in the novel, who utilises religion as a tool to harm others and as an excuse for his barbaric actions. 

However, whilst one can consider the Kite Runner to be focused upon the defiance of minorities rather than their suppression, there are some arguments which support the idea that the novel focuses on their suppression over their defiance. For example, the character of Ali can also be perceived to be evidence that supports this argument. Ali as a character is presented as a quiet and subservient character, who possesses great religious faith. However, Ali is the subject of much abuse in the novel, he is abused for being a Hazara due to his inferior position within society. An example of this the way in which he is abused by children in the novel for his crippled appearance, due to his “congenital paralysis” in his lower face muscles and also his “twisted, atrophied right leg” a result of polio. Ali is referred to by the children as “Babalu” meaning boogeyman in English, showing that Ali is considered to be monstrous due to his abnormal appearance. Ali’s failure to respond to these comments can be seen as evidence that he is suppressed as a minority rather than defiant, he is labelled as “flat-nosed” by the children, a common derogatory term for a Hazara yet again illustrating his suppression as a minority due to his race and religion. Ali never responds to these comments, instead seemingly apathetic and unresponsive to them, however, the fact that he is taunted and abused by children can be perceived as evidence of just how suppressed and devalued by society he is. This is only one of the various examples that Ali is a suppressed minority than a defiant one. Continuing, Ali can be seen as suppressed character through the fact that he is still faithful to Baba regardless of the fact that he had relations with Sanaubar and fathered Hassan, his faithfulness and servitude towards Amir and Baba is something that eventually backfires, he eventually has to leave the household due to Amir and therefore loses his relationship with Baba. Ali, as a character, is ultimately depicted as a martyr, who is a victim of his own selflessness and compassion. He becomes caught up in the conflict present in Afghanistan that is fueled and driven by weaponized religion, something that he ultimately becomes a victim of when he inadvertently steps on a landmine leading him to be perceived as a kind, altruistic yet suppressed character who became the victim of his kind nature, he was left in Afghanistan whilst Baba and Amir escaped and therefore was left to live in the mass conflict of Afghanistan. However, to refute this argument, one can perceive Ali as unsuppressed when one considered the facts of why he never responded to his abusers. “Ali never retaliated against any of his tormentors, I suppose partly because he could never catch them with that twisted leg dragging behind him. But mostly because Ali was immune to the insults of his assailants; he had found his joy, his antidote, the moment Sanaubar had given birth to Hassan.” ultimately confirms why Ali was so content and apathetic with his unfair existence, he had found his light and hope within Hassan, which  was enough to make up for the oppression and suppression  which he faced and through the character of Hassan, who although is biologically the son of Baba, Ali’s altruistic and kind-hearted nature was passed over to Hassan. Hassan’s and Ali’s kind and selfless nature can be seen as an act of defiance in itself, they are two shining rays of kindness in a society that is ever so cruel. 

In conclusion, it is true to say that in my opinion, The Kite Runner is not primarily about the suppression of minorities but about their defiance. This is true in the sense that, although, yes the characters in the novel are indeed suppressed, when they are viewed as single characters, their rebellious and defiant nature is often what is at the forefront of the readers' minds, it overshadows the suppression they face. As aforementioned the characters of Ali, Hassan, Sofia Akrami, Sanaubar and to an extent Ali are lucid examples of the fact that the novel focuses primarily upon the defiance of minorities rather than their suppression. Hassan defies the Pashtun dominated, Sunni society through his friendship with Amir, something that society condemns due to the fact that they are of two different ethnic backgrounds and denominations of Islam. Hassan also defies society through his lasting impact upon Amir and also through his existence. His existence is defiant in the fact that he is half Hazara, half Pashtun, therefore Hassan can be perceived as a defiant bridge between these two cultures. Ultimately Hassan is confirmed to be defiant at his very core by the way he dies within the novel, he is executed for an act of defiance against the Taliban, refusing to allow them to take control of Baba and Amir’s house in Kabul. Sanaubar is defiant as she defies the strict gender roles that are enforced within Afghanistan, she defies Islam and the patriarchal Afghans society through her sexual freedom and abandonment of her maternal and wifely expectations. Her defiance is also clear through her relationship with Baba, a “Pashtun specimen” and also through the aforementioned birth of Hassan, the bridge between two races.  Baba can also be perceived as defying society through the same way as Sanaubar, through the birth of Hassan and their relationship. Moreover, he can be seen as a defiant character due to the fact that he criticises and illustrates the hypocritical nature of the “Mullahs” and also the danger in misinterpreting religion as it can lead to disastrous consequences, something which can be perceived as foreshadowing and foreboding by the reader. Sofia Akrami, Baba’s wife, also defies society through her utilization of improving women’s rights in Kabul to her advantage. Through these increased opportunities, Sofia manages to become a teacher of Farsi literature defying the expectations of the Patriarchal society of Afghanistan. Sofia also influences her son even beyond her death, driving a wedge between Baba and Amir through his love of literature, something which she also seemed to use to educate herself on issues that were otherwise censored in Afghan society (The Hazaras history of oppression). Finally, Ali can be perceived to be a defiant character through his kindness, which he transmits to his son, through this kindness Ali defies society through his difference, he is a gentle spirit in a world that is full of malevolence and cruelty. Overall, it seems that the defiance of minorities is a key theme that is laced throughout the “Kite Runner” it is something that most of the book’s characters possess and it also acts as a fuel which motivates Amir to redeem himself towards the end of the novel. 

(Taken from one of my past English Literature Essays.) 

By Thomas Stanier