Vocabulary in The Kite Runner

Born with a cleft lip — a split or gap in the upper lip present from birth. In this novel it describes a character's facial feature that marks him as different and becomes a source of cruelty from others.

A Persian-speaking ethnic minority group in Afghanistan, historically persecuted and treated as lower-class citizens. In this novel they are portrayed as servants and targets of discrimination by the Pashtun majority.

The dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan, from which the ruling class has historically come. In this novel Pashtuns occupy a higher social position and look down on Hazaras.

A branch of Islam whose followers believe leadership of the faith should pass through the Prophet's family. In this novel it is the religion of the Hazara characters, used as another reason for their social persecution.

The majority branch of Islam, followed by most Afghans including the Pashtun characters in this novel. It is contrasted with Shi'a Islam to highlight the sectarian divide that fuels prejudice.

A person who chases and retrieves a kite after it has been cut down in a kite-fighting contest. In this novel the role is a point of pride, loyalty, and ultimately trauma.

The string or line used to fly a kite, often coated with ground glass to cut rivals' lines in competition. Its sharpness is central to the kite-fighting scenes.

A competitive Afghan pastime in which players use glass-coated string to cut their opponents' kite lines, with the last kite flying declared the winner. It is the central sport and symbol of the novel.

A Muslim religious teacher or cleric, often responsible for leading prayers and instructing children in the Quran. In this novel mullahs represent traditional religious authority.

Supernatural spirits in Islamic and Afghan folk belief, capable of being good or evil and of possessing or influencing humans. Characters invoke them to explain strange or frightening events.

A flat, leavened bread baked in a tandoor oven, a staple food in Afghan households. It appears as an everyday detail of domestic life throughout the novel.

The Afghan word for Soviets or the Soviet Union, used by Afghan characters to refer to the Russian forces that invaded and occupied Afghanistan beginning in 1979.

Afghan resistance fighters who waged guerrilla warfare against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s. In this novel they are initially seen as freedom fighters but later associated with chaos and violence.

The fundamentalist Islamic militia that seized control of Afghanistan in the 1990s, imposing strict religious law. In this novel they are portrayed as brutal enforcers who terrorize the population.

A full-body covering worn by women in which only a mesh screen covers the eyes, mandated for women in public under Taliban rule. It symbolises the oppression of women in the novel's later sections.

A prosperous residential and commercial district of Kabul. Its changing condition across the novel reflects the city's broader decline from prosperity to ruin.

A traditional Afghan cloak or coat, often striped, worn by men as a sign of cultural identity or status. It appears as a detail of Afghan dress in the novel.

An Islamic greeting meaning 'peace,' used when meeting or parting. Characters use it as a standard respectful greeting throughout the novel.

Showing a rude, disrespectful boldness toward someone in authority. In this novel it describes a character's defiant or contemptuous attitude.

To make amends or reparation for a past wrong or sin. The idea of atonement drives the narrator's entire journey and is stated as the novel's moral core.

To persistently trouble or disturb someone's thoughts and conscience, as a memory or guilt does. The narrator's past actions haunt him throughout the novel.

A round red fruit with many seeds, used in the novel as a recurring symbol of the friendship between the two boys and of the violence that destroys it.

A birth defect in which the roof of the mouth has a gap or split, often occurring alongside a cleft lip. A character's surgery to correct this is a moment of kindness in the novel.

A Y-shaped handheld weapon that uses elastic to launch stones or pellets at high speed. In this novel it is used both as a child's toy and as an instrument of protection and threat.

A major Islamic festival — either Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, or Eid al-Adha, marking the sacrifice of Ibrahim. In this novel it is a time of celebration, gift-giving, and family gathering.