The Kite Runner: Diction

"We're a melancholic people, we Afghans, aren't we? Often we wallow too much in ghamkhori and self-pity. We give in to loss, to suffering, accept it as a fact of life, even see it as necessary. Zendagi migzara, we say, life goes on." (p. 201) H osseini floods the pages of his book with colloquial diction. He uses many Afghani words and includes context clues to allow the reader to discover the meaning of the foreign words. The diction in the novel allows the reader to experience a closer relationship to the setting of the book, Afghanistan. Hosseini's use of foreign words is an indication to the reader that the novel describes a very different lifestyle than that of the majority. The foreign diction mirrors the foreign culture. The colloquial words and phrases not only give a sense of identity to the characters, but to the author as well. Hosseini reveals a little about himself through his novel. The colloquial diction throughout the novel serves to emphasize the setting.