Kite Runner and the Breakdown of Patriarchy: Scrutinizing Diversified Struggles for Sustainable Masculine Identity

Existing interdisciplinary studies on masculinity have frequently focused male behaviors, bodies, and identities, but men's internal identity struggles and the influence of gendered challenges on men left largely unexplored. Lately, there has been a surge in research into masculine gender role struggles in literary contexts. Recent decades have seen a rise in research that addressed the influence of patriarchal structures on men's persistent identity challenges. This article investigates the evolving concepts of masculinity in the 21st century, focusing on the interplay of political, social, cultural, and economic forces that shape Afghan male gender norms, as depicted in Khaled Hosseini's contemporary bildungsroman, Kite Runner (2003). This qualitative study explores how men navigate challenging circumstances in pursuit of masculine ideals, examining the various pressures shaping men's daily identity battles within the context of Afghanistan before, during, and after the Taliban's rise to power. Moreover, the analysis investigates the novel's portrayal of literary masculinities and explores whether these representations reflect significant shifts in the construction of male identity within Afghan culture.