Baba and His Religion

Eventhough everything changes, life in the US suits him fine since Amir is able to be himself without so many expectations from Baba and the society. There is no longer Afghan masculine standard that suffocates him. He is no longer a son of a rich man with many financial benefits, now he is categorized as the member of lower class society with a small house and a second-hand car. Amir does not have luxurious toys and plenty of money. He needs to go to school as the oldest one in class. People do not spoil and acknowledge him anymore. How Amir identifies himself in the US has changed completely. Nevertheless, Amir is loved by Baba in the US.Amir and Baba’s father and son relationship gets better. They talk more and help each other more partly because now they only live together without other people. Hence, the frequency of their interaction increases. Baba even initiates intimate physical contacts with Amir. He hugs and congratulates Amir with affection when he graduates from high school. Baba accepts Amir as who he is and Baba is proud of his son. “He walked to me, curled his arm around my neck, and gave my brow a single kiss. “I am moftakhir, Amir, he said. Proud” 2007:143. Amir also sees Baba as a father and normal human being. He no longer idolizes him and tries so hard to win his love. Baba, in the US, gives love to Amir unconditionally. Amir does not need to adhere to any standard or to win any masculine competitions. Baba also supports Amir’s decision to take the major of English creative writing. Baba embraces Amir’s traits and passions. Therefore, Amir is able to pursue his dream to be a successful novelist 2007:197. Amir takes EFL classes to improve his English 2007: 138. He takes his education seriously. Hence, he PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI getsA’s on his creative writing courses. It is seen from the Baba’s comment on his grade. Amir is going to be a great writer,” Baba said. I did a double take at this. “He has finished his first year of college and earned A’s in all of his courses” 2007:151.

b. A Superior Member of Ethnic Group into a Marginalized Member of Society

Clearly in Afghanistan, Amir as a Pashtun has so many advantages that other groups of society do not attain. Moreover, Amir has a royal blood from his mother. People respect him, he gets privilege of good education and is invited to important events. All are changed when Amir moves to the US. Now, Amir belongs to minority, a marginalized community of immigrants. As a marginalized society, Amir has to live in a poor neighborhood with also other poor people compared to the majority society of the US. The choices of welfare is also limited for Amir because he is an immigrant. Amir lives in area that has a rather shady environment in Fremont. “Most of our neigbors in Fremont were bus drivers, policemen, gas station attendant, and unwed mothers collecting welfare....” 2007:137. Amir also mostly lives with his fellow Afghan people. Amir understands that as a minority, it is better to stay close with his own people. His social life mostly revolves ontheAfghan community. He meets Soraya, his wife, because of the existence of the Afghan community. This community is built becausethe solidarity among the immigrants is needed. They help each other in getting jobs and information since they can not depend on government or the US society in PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI