AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED

BY: KHALED HOSSEINI 

How does society drive or impact the literature of the time period?

          Literature drives society in a variety of ways. The most obvious way is that it brings society entertainment and literature has served this function for thousands of years. Literature also has been known to impact thinking in a society, influencing movements, social change, and even revolutions. Literature has had a major impact on the development of society. It has shaped civilizations, changed political systems and reveals injustice. Literature shows us a detailed preview of human experiences, allowing us to connect on basic levels of desire and emotion. "And the mountains echoed" by: Khaled Hosseini is a beautiful example of literature being impacted by society.

          Society shapes the literature in this tale in a small Afghan village named Shadbagh. In this village many acts of injustice occur and the voice of Shadbagh is not heard. As the civilians of Shadbagh cry their tears out as there children are being kidnapped by the div, they knew that that was going to be the last time seeing there children. It was injustice at its finest. As Baba Ayub had more than one child in his family, the policy was to choose one child and keep them outside so they could take them and if they refused they were forced out of their homes and would be killed. This was a choice Baba Ayub and his wife had to decide over, which is not fair because no parent needs to make that decision on who they should give away. It broke families and brought them to a state of insanity. 

          This brings us back to the topic of how literature is being impacted by society at this time period by expressing the emotion of how the families would have felt if we were in their shoes. Acts of injustice will continue and the voices of the civilians would remain dead. Life will never remain the same as it used to be and the tears of the loved ones will be in the hearts of those that were broken.

 

• http://www.ask.com/question/how-does-literature-affect-society
• http://gulfnews.com/about-gulf-news/al-nisr-portfolio/notes/articles/literature-is-the-mirror-of-society-1.86134