The Swallows of Kabul

Mohammed Moulessehoul gives the reader an insight into life under the Taliban in Kabul during the 1990s, in which people are policed under the rigid, tailored version of Sharia law that suits the Taliban’s needs. The first glimpse into this lifestyle is Atiq’s use of a whip to clear the crowd, with Mohsen providing insight into the psychology of totalitarianism through his observations of lynching. The narrator notes: “They make him conscious of his vulnerability, they sharpen his perception of his limits, they fill him with sudden insight into the futility of all things, of all people” (9). Totalitarianism enforces an atmosphere of violence and danger, and removes people’s conceptions of freedom and agency.

The nature of totalitarianism as a political ideology comes to the forefront in Atiq’s comment: “There’s no joking in Kabul” (25). Mirza highlights how the Taliban could interpret unruly behavior as either an issue with mental health or a legitimate threat to their dominance. The Taliban’s response is the same in either case: Atiq would be killed. The impact of a constantly listening and violent authority is clear. The loneliness under Taliban rule is reflected in Mohsen’s and Atiq’s constant struggles to find confidantes, or people with whom they can openly discuss their struggles without fear of retribution from the Taliban.