Write a critical appreciation of pages 214-16 of The Kite Runner; how far, and in what ways in your view, does this passage reflect methods and concerns of the novel as a whole?

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Write a critical appreciation of pages 214-16; how far, and in what ways in your view, does this passage reflect methods and concerns of the novel as a whole?

In The Kite Runner, the author Khaled Hosseini tells a narrative spanning the lives of characters amid political upheavals and war. Therefore, the themes he presents to the reader are highly prevalent to their understanding of the war throughout the novel, and this scene reflects these themes well. The sheer destruction war causes is a rather established theme throughout the novel and is an important theme in the scene where the protagonist, Amir, returns to Kabul after living in America. It is between pages 214 to 217, that this scene presents how the brutality and violence of war has detrimentally affected both Afghan society and the physical surroundings itself and reinforces the themes presented throughout the novel.

The social and historical context surrounding the novel is significantly important in considering the portrayal of Afghanistan, particularly Amir's return to Kabul. Afghanistan's history during the latter decades of the 20th century directly influenced the lives if the characters and provides a basis for the reader's own understanding of the war. From 1973, when a coup d'état ended the monarchy, Afghanistan has been fighting against both foreign invaders and itself. In 1992, Afghanistan was converted into an Islamic state and in 1996, a group of Pashtun supremacists, the Taliban, took control of the country. They massacred Shiites and Hazaras in addition to enacting fundamentalist laws. The strife of war continued and undoubtedly is presented in this scene and throughout the novel as a whole.
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The placement of this scene within the novel, concerning the plot and movements of the characters, is also highly important in consideration of the war. Historically, Amir's return is during the Taliban's control of Afghanistan, after many years of fighting. His memories of Afghanistan and Kabul are from his childhood during peacetime and as a result, his return after many years of war presents a detailed illustration of how Kabul now is. His use of the past continuous tense such as: 'There used to be shops here and hotels' draws references to his experiences from when he was ...

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