Economic Boundary In The Kite Runner

In life we encounter many boundaries. These boundaries can be physical, mental, emotional, financial, etc. You may not always physically see them, but they are there. In the book, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the characters come across many boundaries including religion, gender, geopolitics, sexuality, cultural, economic, language, and class. Just like us people do in day to day life. In this essay, I’m going to be writing about the ways in which people, including myself, interact with economic boundaries, and how they impact our decisions and experiences. 

First I’m going to talk about what an economic boundary is. Economic boundaries divide people with different incomes or levels of wealth. Economic boundaries can fall anywhere. Some on national borders, within certain countries, or even within certain cities. For example, Manhattan's Upper West Side, in New York, New York, is a wealthy neighborhood with internationally recognized universities and hospitals. On the flip side, The Bronx's Melrose neighborhood, also in New York, is a low-income neighborhood whose locals struggle to access the well recognized and strong education and healthcare that is available in Manhattan only a few miles away. This is just one example of economic boundaries. Another example of economic boundaries is availability of natural resources. People who live near natural resources are usually more wealthy. They would pay more to live in areas that have access to natural or economic resources, pretty views, better schools, hospitals, and convenient access to shopping facilities. We come across this type of economic boundary based on the areas in which people live. Personally, I live in a more suburban area where i can easily access goods and services unlike maybe some people who live more up north where there is more open land and farms, and where there is a lower count of population and less business. The side of the boundary that gets the benefit is usually the one that has more access to goods and more wealth. In conclusion, economic boundaries divide people with different incomes or levels of wealth. All of these examples show how economic boundaries are determined and which side of that boundary gets the benefit.

In the book, The Kite Runner, the main character Amir, and his father Baba, are on the wealthier side of the economic boundary is Afghanistan. Amir’s best friend, Hassan, is Baba’s sons’ servant, and they are on the less fortunate side of the economic boundary. This is an example of an economic boundary because people that are less fortunate are earning their money by serving the wealthy. Other people in the book often question Amir and Hassan’s friendship because of the relationship of their fathers. At one part of the book, Amir is looking for Hassan and asks a store clerk if he had seen him. The store clerk asks why Amir is looking for Hassan if he is just a servant. This shows the economic boundary between the two fathers and sons because their wealth is being brought up whenever Amir and Hassan are in public together. I think that these boundaries can be sad when they are portrayed the wrong way. I don’t think people should ever be treated differently based on their wealth or their families jobs. To sum it up, Amir and his best friend Hassan go through struggles with economic boundaries because of their fathers’ relationship.

These boundaries can be found anywhere in the world.  In my personal life, I could  experience them in my neighborhood, my school, or anywhere that economic class can be compared. For example, just like my example earlier with Manhattan and The Bronx, people who live in Blaine could get more access than people who live in Mora. Living in Blaine allows closer access to hospitals, grocery stores, shopping, gas stations, etc. This is because where I live is closer to the city where there is more access to these goods. For example, if I ever had a medical incident, there would be ambulances close by and my family would be reassured that I would be taken care of and that i would get to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible. If my family needed groceries because we were running out of food, we would be able to go to the grocery store because it is less than 10 minutes away from my house. We are fortunate enough to have these resources close to our home so that we can access goods quickly when we need them. If we were to live a little bit farther away from the city where there might not be a hospital close by or a grocery store in close range, we wouldn’t be able to get things we need with such ease. In summary, anyone can experience economic boundaries anywhere at any time.

In conclusion, The Kite Runner shows how people interact with economic boundaries, and how they impact our decisions and experiences. The Kite Runner portrays examples of economic boundaries that can relate back to our everyday lives. We experience these boundaries more than we really recognize them. I am lucky to have easy access to healthcare, shelter, food, and lots and lots more.  Amir and Hassan’s friendship teaches us that social class, economic boundaries, and different levels of income and wealth shouldn’t ever affect the people who you surround yourself with or how you treat people. No matter who you are or where you live, you should always treat people the way you would want to be treated.