In this presentation, I plan on focusing on the subliminal value of the many secondary characters of the story
Although they have a minimal impact on the storyline, many of these characters are representatives of situations, ideas, etc. that are the essence of the book
Although Farid only seems to contribute to the storyline by being Amir's means of transport in Afghanistan, in my opinion he serves for other useful purposes. Firstly, he serves to introduce the narrator to the hardships that Afghans have endured, and even empathize with them through this character that slowly befriends Amir. This statement is also shown when we are introduced to Farid's family, where we see the effect the war has had on an entire family, where hunger and poverty is experienced on a daily basis.
"As I ate, I noticed Wahid’s boys, all three thin with dirtcaked faces and short-cropped brown hair under their skullcaps, stealing furtive glances at my digital wristwatch. The youngest whispered something in his brother’s ear. The brother nodded, didn’t take his eyes off my watch. The oldest of the boys--I guessed his age at about twelve--rocked back and forth, his gaze glued to my wrist. After dinner, after I’d washed my hands with the water Maryam poured from a clay pot, I asked for Wahid’s permission to give his boys a hadia, a gift. He said no, but, when I insisted, he reluctantly agreed. I unsnapped the wristwatch and gave it to the youngest of the three boys. He muttered a sheepish “Tashakor" "
(...)
"I understood now why the boys hadn’t shown any interest in the watch. They hadn’t been staring at the watch at all. They’d been staring at my food."
In the book, Ali doesn't play a very active role, and isn't present in most of the story. In my opinion though, he is extremely important as a representative of the Hazara group, and the hardships they are forced to endure. He is shown as a man who is crippled beyond redemption, and only survives due to Baba's goodwill. This makes us feel and understand the lack of opportunity given to Hazzaras, specially when we consider that even though Ali and Baba were raised as equals, like Pashtuns and Hazaras are equally human, later in life one of them had the opportunity to grow, while the other suffered from the discrimination of most of the population.
"Ali had a congenital paralysis of his lower facial muscles, a condition that rendered him unable to smile and left him perpetually grimfaced. It was an odd thing to see the stone-faced Ali happy, or sad, because only his slanted brown eyes glinted with a smile or welled with sorrow. People say that eyes are windows to the soul. Never was that more true than with Ali, who could only reveal himself through his eyes"
Kamal is seen since his first appearance as an antagonist, but later on he reappears, for no obvious reason. The fact that he has been raped himself introduces a sense of irony, but it also makes us understand the depth of the breakdown Afghanistan has suffered. Kamal's passivity when it comes to Hassan's rape also represents the way most Afghans discriminate Hazara's, as they do it because that's what theyre told, but few go to great extents to attack them, that is, until the Taliban rise to power
"Should have never let him go alone... always so handsome, you know... four of them... tried to fight... God... took him... bleeding down there... his pants... doesn’t talk any more... just stares..."
Farid and his family
Ali
Kamal
The Kite Runner