Studying the dual confrontations in the Kite Runner fiction by Khaled Hosseini

Studying the contrasts and contrasting pairs is one of the main methods of literary structuralism. According to this theory, the human mind divides everything into two categories, good and bad, positive and negative, to understand the world around it. This simple rule is pushed to the hidden layers of the language in the transformation of the mind, and the artist reproduces different fields of contrasts in the meaning of his speech in the creation of a literary work. Dual confrontations are one of the most central themes in Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner. The author has taken the necessary leaven from it to create a fiction texture. This article has analyzed the confrontations in this novel with a descriptive-analytical method: in the section on ethnic and religious confrontations, the author has been able to point out and indirectly criticize the racist thoughts in the Afghan society by confronting the Sunni Pashtuns against the Shia Hazaras. ;By comparing the free society of America with bigoted Afghanistan in space and time,it expresses its double deprivation in an unequal world. In contrast to the characters of the fiction and the description of people like Amir Pashtun Businessman’s child and Hassan Servant’s child,he deals with the extreme class differences in Afghanistan and by mentioning intra-personal confrontations, such as Amir's mental instability, he points to the confrontation of reason and emotion. In a word, the structure of Kite runner is full of in-depth and superficial oppositions, which can be considered as a matrix of oppositions.The most prominent of them is the contrast between reason and emotion, which brings the entire fiction closer to tragedy.
Introduction
Literature, with its impactful language, has always served as a tool to combat injustice and express beauty. A significant portion of the meaning in literary language is conveyed both directly and indirectly, and one of the goals of literary studies is to uncover the hidden meanings within a text. With the development of linguistic studies, literary studies moved beyond its generalizing nature and began to employ rules and regulations that, relying on specific philosophical and linguistic perspectives, adopted a particular approach to cultural phenomena, including literary texts. The selection of a literary theory with a specific approach to text analysis is a characteristic of modern literary research. One of the most famous theories, which reached its peak in the 1960s, is literary structuralism, and the study of oppositions and contrasting pairs is one of its primary methods.
Binary oppositions are key concepts in the fields of linguistics, semiotics, and literary criticism. They have been considered as the basis of thought and meaning formation in verbal and non-verbal texts within the historical chain of philosophical-linguistic schools. The novel format generally possesses this oppositional pattern, and the debate within the plot is usually created with this pattern. From this perspective, most of the narrative elements in Khaled Hosseini's  “The Kite Runner” have an oppositional structure, and few parts can be found that lack this feature. In fact, one of the most central themes in this work is the hidden and overt binary oppositions that are present throughout the story. The author, through this method, while expanding the narrative, allows the reader to enter and discover the hidden layers of meaning in the text by analyzing the types of oppositions. Therefore, this research aims to examine the  binary oppositions in various areas of this work to find answers to the following questions:
 * What binary oppositions exist in the hidden and overt layers of The Kite Runner?
What is the reason for the centrality of binary oppositions in this novel?
Method
This research, being conducted through a descriptive-analytical approach and library research, is based on literary structuralism and the study of binary oppositions and contrasting pairs. Binary oppositions are founded on the contradiction of two poles which are; good versus evil, ugliness versus beauty, old age versus youth, night versus day, speech versus writing, presence versus absence, and so on. One pole is always considered superior compared to the other and is even seen as the negation of the other. Based on this, The Kite Runner has been examined to determine the extent to which it employs binary oppositions and contrasting pairs.
Conclusion
Khaled Hosseini’s narrative in “The Kite Runner” revolves around binary oppositions. Some of these oppositions are tangible and overt in the social structure, belief system, and thought patterns of Afghanistan, on which the author emphasizes to provide global audience with a clear understanding of Afghan society. These include ethnic and religious divisions, social class disparities, ideological conflicts, and contrasting spatial and temporal settings. On the other hand, the author’s chosen characters are categorized based on these binary oppositions. By delving into the hidden layers of the story, the characters’ conflicting thoughts and behaviors, as well as their psychological turmoil, are revealed. Precisely, Hosseini suggests that a divided society is the root cause for the emergence of conflicted and unstable characters. The characters in the novel, trapped in such a society, are portrayed as bullies and subservients, oppressors and oppressed, brave and cowardly, honest and deceitful and hypocritical, with unstable psyches and abnormal behaviors.
The author’s emphasis on binary oppositions and inequalities within the narrative reflects religious and ethnic prejudice, institutionalized class differences, and the dominance of a narrow-minded ruling class. The author can only elucidate these issues for the reader by utilizing binary oppositions.
Furthermore, the author's deeply ingrained experiences of this societal structure that are conveyed through the subtle layers of language, giving meaning to various levels of opposition in his writing. Intentionally, the author refers to the pervasive idea of religious and ethnic superiority in his country's socio-political history, as if to criticize these prejudices. The cultural differences between Afghanistan and America, and the contrasting structures of a developed country versus a traditional, backward one with deep-rooted ethnic and religious prejudices, are reasons why the author has based his novel on a series of contradictions and oppositions. By highlighting these societal inequalities, he leaves the judgment to the readers and indirectly criticizes the prevalent racist ideologies in Afghan society.
Results
This study has revealed that the presence of racial, religious, and spatial conflicts within the narrative, which are examples of overt conflicts in Afghan society, has led to the emergence of covert conflicts, such as internal turmoil and interpersonal conflicts among the characters. Each major and minor character in this story has been shaped by their opposition to others. Amir versus Hassan, Assef versus both Amir and Hassan, and the mothers (Sofia and Sanaubar) are all examples of these binary oppositions. In essence, these characters are defined by the clash of two opposing ideas and beliefs at a subconscious level.
Furthermore, the doubts and indecisions in the characters' behaviors are the result of internal conflicts. The author skillfully demonstrates this point throughout the novel. He attributes these internal conflicts and hesitations, which hinder the expression of true feelings, to religious prejudice and cultural constraints. Limiting beliefs prevent the characters from being their true selves. Racism and rigid religious beliefs can transform brave, honest, and truthful individuals into cowards, liars, and hypocrites. When someone distances themselves from their true self, they experience internal conflict and a breakdown in their personality.
The internal conflicts and turmoil within the characters lead to a confrontation between reason and emotion. In many instances, emotions are sacrificed for the sake of practicality. In conclusion, The Kite Runner is replete with deep-rooted structural and superficial conflicts, the most significant being the conflict between reason and emotion, which lends a tragic tone to the entire narrative. The Kite Runner is a story of life in all its beauty and ugliness, joy and sorrow, pain and happiness; a complete reflection of humanity - a being neither entirely white nor entirely black, but a mixture of both, a mottled creature intertwined with good and evil. Khaled Hosseini has successfully used these oppositions to enhance the suspense, appeal, and impact of his novel.