Portrayal of Migration in Khalid Hosseini’s The Kite Runner: A Diasporic Analysis

Abstract

The portrayal of migration in South Asian fiction has been extensive and multifaceted. Numerous literary works delve into the complex themes surrounding the identities of migrants and their encounters with the dichotomy of home and exile. The present study has discussed representation of migration in Khalid Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. In the selected novel, characters undergo the process of emigrating from their country of origin to a foreign host nation experiencing various circumstances. This migration occurs either out of a sense of reluctance stemming from certain push forces, or freely as a result of specific pull elements. Nevertheless, the migrants in the host countries exhibit a diverse range of experiences, encompassing nostalgia, hybridity, anti-cosmopolitanism, and transnationalism. This qualitative study has used Lee’s Theory of Migration as a theoretical framework. The interpretation of the selected texts has been conducted using a qualitative content analysis technique. The study presents intriguing results that diverge from the prevailing ideas on migration.