Introduction
When looking at the various books and articles especially the kite runner, Osama bin Laden’s life, and Persepolis, one can clearly see the themes that have been revealed in these books that make immigration a hard thing in the world. These books revolve around the main themes which are revenge, death, betrayal, suspense, confusion, and extreme suffering that people in Middle East countries undergo. The biggest question that most westerners ask themselves is if the immigrants from areas like Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia can cause death through revenge; bring confusion and betrayal in the western countries.
Revenge
Osama Bin Laden was educated in the USA. He was born and bred in his native country Saudi Arabia. After his education in the USA, he moves to Afghanistan where the Russians had invaded. In trying to fight off the Russians, he was funded by the USA and after conquering Russians, he still wanted to be powerful. He formed and financed the Taliban which went against the Americans who were in Afghanistan.
So many people were killed and he has been on the move ever since. The US has always accused him of committing several atrocities both within and without Afghanistan and they feel betrayed by his actions. They have tried to kill him as a way of revenging but he is ever on the move and in hiding. In the event, so many people have been killed by the bombings targeted to kill him.
In the kite runner, Amir, a Pashtun boy who is from a well to do with the family has a childhood friend Hassan. While walking through Afghanistan, Amir and Hassan meet Assef, a bully who threatens to beat them. Hassan tells him that he will shoot him in the eye with a stone from his sling. Assef walks off and swears to revenge later. While playing a game of kites where children fly their kites and cut each other’s kites, Hassan’s kite is cut and when he goes to look for it, he is raped by Assef as Amir watches from hiding.
Assef gives a book to Amir on his thirteenth birthday about Hitler’s works. Later in life, Hassan gets married and gives birth to a child named Sohrab. When they die the child is taken to an orphanage from where he is sold as a slave to Assef. When Amir came to rescue him, he is beaten by Assef and Sohrab hits Assef with a stone from the sling in the eye and it is when they manage to escape and go back to America (Hosseini 2004).
Death
Hassan and his wife are killed by the Taliban. In the event of revenge, so many people have been killed by different races. In Persepolis, Sartrapi has written about people who were killed as they tried to defend the freedom of Iran (Satrapi 2003). Others died in prison. Most of the western countries have thought that by killing Osama bin Laden, they will bring peace to the Middle East and there will be no more loss of life.
Extreme Suffering
When Hassan is raped by Assef, life between the two friends changes completely. Hassan suffers immensely while Amir also suffers because he saw it happen and could not help him. He chose to remain silent and keep it a secret (Hosseini 2004). Whenever the USA is hunting for Osama, they have killed so many people; some have been displaced from their homes. These people do not have enough food, shelter, and medicine. Also, people who are suspected to be cooperating with either side, are often tortured in CIA prisons.
Also, the Taliban tortures and rapes people who they feel have given out some information to the Americans. In the CIA prisons, people are intensely tortured to yield some information concerning the Taliban. After the Shah was overthrown by the Islamic regime, so many Iranians were tortured in prisons and beaten several homes were destroyed while many families were broken.
Confusion
The world is confused about the life of Osama and where he operates from. Sometimes they say he is dead while he contradicts this by releasing video clips to the internet. The Afghanistan people have been confused as to who to be allied with. This is because if you are allied to the Taliban you may be taken to CIA prisons and if you are allied to the Americans, the Taliban may rape and kill you. When Amir discovers that Hassan was his half-brother, he is confused about what to do concerning Sohrab, the son of Hassan. Also when Amir is given a book on the works of Hitler by Assef, he does not know who to support (Hosseini 2004).
As Afghans, it is hard for them to relocate to the USA because they are suspected to be Taliban informers. Afghanistan’s are also stranded because they do not know if America will save them or they will watch them perish in the hands of the Taliban. So many Iranians were torn between the two regimes and could not understand who could represent their interests better. After the west loses Shah Reza, they support Saddam Hussein who invades Iran. This makes s many Iranians to be confused about the interest of the west in the Iran –Iraq war (Satrapi 2003).
Suspense
When Emir and his family move into the USA, we do not know what became of Hassan and his family for a while till we read that he was killed. In search of Sohrab, it is hard to tell whether Amir will locate the boy. This is depicted when he goes to the orphanage and gets the owner has sold him off as a slave. There is also long suspense when Sohrab does not talk till when they play the game of kites with Amir in the USA. Persepolis ends when Sartapi leaves to study in Vienna. We are not told of what becomes of her life after she leaves school.
Betrayal
After the USA financed Osama bin Laden to attack Russians who had invaded Afghanistan soil, Osama succeeds in doing that and later turns on the Americans and begins to attack them fiercely. This can be seen in the destruction of the world trade centers on September 11 2002 attacks. In the Kite runner, Amir feels so betrayed when he discovers that Hassan was his half-brother. Hassan’s mother also betrayed her husband when he gave birth to Hassan with her Husbands master who was Ali.
Conclusion
These books clearly convey some striking similarities, especially in their themes. The Middle East region has been battered for so long by the west and this has brought about so much hatred towards the two parties. People still experience untold suffering and betrayal in the Middle East. Every party is so selfish and tries to revenge without taking into account what happens to the masses. Women and children suffer psychologically, physically, and emotionally when they lose their families and homes. Even after relocating to western countries, they have problems settling because they are associated with terrorism and death. This leaves them confused on what is better; their homeland or the west.
References
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. Paris. Pantheon books, 2003.
Khaled, Hosseini. The Kite Runner. Riverhead Trade, 2004.