Background of the study

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of background of the study, objectives of the study, problem formulation, and definition of terms. The background of the study provides information of the topic of the study and the reasons for choosing the topic. The objectives of the study state the focus of the study. The problem formulation describes the problems formulated to make this study more directed. The last is definition of terms. It defines some crucial terms in order to avoid misunderstanding.

1.1 Background of the study

In a nation, there are obviously several ethnics which live within. Nowadays, ethnicity is a tool used by most people to decide how they should behave to others. The problem occurs when people from one big ascendant tribe perceive themselves living a higher status than other minor tribes. An ethnic can oppress and torture minor ethnics in a form of slavery because its members are bigger in numbers and power. Afghanistan is a republic country where different ethnic groups live there, like the Pashtuns and the Hazaras. The separation between two major tribes, the Pashtuns and the Hazaras, is really obvious Hosseini 5. Most of the Pashtun are having a prosperous life with their own family and are educated. Their gap with the Hazara is clearer if it is seen on the way both live their life. This is the fact of what happens in Afghanistan. Some historical books say that the Hazaras mostly become servants of Pashtun families. They are employed by the Pashtuns and taught to be loyal and silent. In the novel entitled The Kite Runner, it is portrayed that the Hazaras live a low social class status which makes them suffer from many Pashtuns’ inhuman treatment. By looking at the background of the tribes’ relationship fact, it becomes clear that there are somehow invisible walls blocking them to live a kinship wholeheartedly. The Pashtuns have presecuted and oppressed the Hazaras because they are both Shia Muslims and Mogul descendants Hosseini 8-9. Hence, the Pashtuns could possibly think to break their social relationship with the Hazaras by behaving rudely to the minority. The Kite Runner reflects a bitter life reality in which people are admitted by the society only if they come from the massive and powerful tribe. According to Milligan 3-4, a work of literature is close to reality in life hence it can portray such an ethnical issue. It can assist a reader to reflect numbers of things as they really are. Readers can find many similar events to their real private experiences when reading. By writing a novel, an author is attempting to speak up his way of thinking, opinions, expressions, even experiences in life. Ultimately, a work of literature like novel can provide its readers the lesson about life and how the characters within the story solve the trouble using their reflection of feeling and rationale. The story of The Kite Runner rises up a theme of friendship to disloyalty as its main issue. A tragic disloyalty has been done by Amir, a Pashtun kid, to Hassan who is Amir’s Hazara loyalist and friend. Nice situation between both remains stable until Amir accidentally knows that his father, Baba, does not seem to fully accept him as a son because of Amir’s unusual character as a boy. However, Baba is really attracted to their low servant, Hassan. Amir directly feels threatened by Hassan even though actually he is glad of Hassan’s loyal personality and his outstanding self-sacrifice to him. One day, Hassan is blocked by a group of Pashtun boys urging to ask for a precious kite Hassan dedicates to Amir. Hassan meekly gets sodomized merely because of his persistence in keeping the kite. Amir is actually there at the moment, but he does not have any courage to act. Since that day, Amir does not want Baba to know that Hassan is so brave to defend his kite because Baba’s love to Hassan will grow even more if he does. Hence he plants a watch and money to allege Hassan a robber. Hassan, then, leaves with Ali Hassan’s foster father. Since then, Amir gains all of Baba’s heed but cannot escape from Hassan’s figure shadowing and recalling him to the guilty he has made viciously. The Kite Runner is interesting to discuss because Amir, as one of the main characters in the novel who has triggered disloyalty tragically, is able to touch the readers deeply and gives some interesting things to learn. Out of the fact that what Amir has done is bad, however, it helps us to learn what factors concern disloyalty. Besides, it is also exciting because Amir’s disloyalty is brought into a life situation of an Afghan family which gives us much information both about a family problem and the social surroundings of the Afghans themselves. The analysis itself will focus on the important factors causing Amir to be disloyal to Hassan.

1.2 Problem Formulation