The Kite Runner

1. Topics in the Kite Runner:
-Role of Women: The role of women seemed very small compared to men.The main character, Amir's mother dies while giving birth to him, and then Hassan's mother is not very active in his life. From my own research, I found out that women have a very limited role in daily life in Afghanistan. In the book, this idea may have been implied by the small roles they had.


-Betrayal: To me, betrayal was shown during the scene in the dark alley, when Hassan was attacked by Assef and his 'gang'. This topic was also expressed when Amir hid the money and watch in Hassan's home and blamed him for stealing those items. I think the book implies that no matter how close two people may be, betrayal can happen, and it can ruin a strong relationship.


-Brothers: Though Amir and Hassan did not know they were half brothers, they shared many memories together and cared for one another. Hassan truly treated Amir as his brother, and Hassan was there for Amir when he needed his company. In the novel, even though Amir and Hassan felt they couldn't be together physically, emotionally, they still felt a special bond. They didn't go a day without thinking about each other and in the end, they were linked by blood. In the end, Amir felt like it was his duty to take care of Hassan's son, because they were brothers.



-Guilt-hidden guilt vs. open guilt: Throughout a majority of the novel, Amir is filled with guilt because of the incident with Assef and Hassan. He didn't tell anyone what happened that day, and hid his guilt, because he was so ashamed of what he did not do. Towards the end of the story, Rahim Khan tell Amir that he knows what happened that day. Rahim Khan tells Amir that he can still be good again, and Amir strives for that goal. In the end, Amir feels 'free' from guilt, and it shows that having open guilt rather than hidden guilt frees him of that guilt he held in the first place.

-Redemption: The guilt that he carried for so long has taken a toll on Amir. He tries to redeem himself by proving that he is good once again for his own sake and to make his father proud.

-Exodus: Exodus was expressed when Amir and his father escaped Afghanistan during the war. They went to America to start a fresh new start. Amir wanted to forget about the past, while his father was saddened to leave his home country behind.


-Fathers & Sons- patriarchal society: Patriarchal society is very common in Afghanistan, which is why the main focus in the beginning of the story is based around the relationship between Amir and his father. Amir is constantly trying his hardest to please his father, and his father is a little disappointed because his son does not carry the same traits as himself.


-Class Distinction: this topic was expressed throughout the entire novel. Amir was often teased by peers because he played with a Hazara. In the Afghan society, it's unheard of to be around people of different beliefs and tradtitions. Hassan and his father, Hazaras, were workers for Pashtuns, Amir and his father.


2. Style-
-Parallelism:
The author uses parallelism particularly when he speaks of Amir and Baba. I think this is to show the similarities and also the differences between the two. In Afghanistan, father and son relationships are strong, and in the novel, the parallelism the author uses emphasizes that relationship.

-Character Foils: Amir and Hassan were a pair of character foils. While Hassan readily stood by Amir, Amir himself did not do the same for Hassan. Another pair may be Baba and Rahim Khan. Baba was troubled by many events in his past, and sometimes took that regret and took it out on Amir, while Rahim Khan was more calm and understanding.


-Foreshadowing: The first time foreshadowing is shown is when the author tells us the first words spoken by Amir and Hassan. Looking back, it kind of seems as if Hassan was a loyal friend to Amir, while Amir wanted to gain the approval of Baba.


-Flashback: Amir has flashbacks of the day that Hassan and Ali left his house. It fills Amir with guilt, and it shows that Amir really did care for Hassan. He also has a flashback of the day he won the tournament of flying kites, in which Hassan was a part of. Another flashback that he had was the day Hassan was attacked. Because of these flashbacks, he is reminded of Hassan and the impact he had on his life.

-Positives and negative aspects of the writing:

Positive: It was amazing how vivid the details of each scene was. I truly felt as if I were there with him. It takes an amazing writer to capture the atmosphere of settings that took place long ago.

Negative: Some scenes seemed to drag on. For example, the scene with Sohrab and how long the adoption process was took a lot of time, when I knew that Sohrab was going to eventually end up with Amir in America.

3. Settings:
-1933: The year Baba was born, and the year Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan.
Place: Afghanistan
-March 1981: when Baba and Amir were traveling away from home in the time of war.
Place: Afghanistan, Kabul, Pakistan
1980s: The time period Baba and Amir first moved to America.
Place: Fremont, California
-Summer of 1983: The year Amir graduated from high school (he is 20 yrs old).
-June 2001: Amir recieves a phone call from Rhaim Khan, telling him to come to Pakistan.

4. Minor Characters:

-Rahim Khan: Rahim Khan is a close friend of Amir's father, Baba. He was active throughout Amir's childhood and was played the role of the father figure that Amir never had. He showed Amir love and provided him with the father that he never had during his childhood.

-Assef: Assef was the leader of the 'pact' that harassed Hassan. Assef remained in Amir's mind, and by beating Amir during the battle between the two, Assef 'freed' Amir of the guilt that he felt for so many years.

-Ali: ali was Hassan's father and was the housekeeper for Baba and Amir. Though he was handicapped, Baba remained loyal to him. Ali showed Amir love and affection as he would his own son. Ali was a loyal friend to Baba and had much respect for him. Though he was Baba's servant, Baba saw Ali as his friend and companion.

-Soraya: soraya was Amir's wife. Though Amir felt as if he could not be loved because of they sin he committed, Soraya proved him wrong. Though Soraya was ashamed of her past, she was truthful to Amir, and she was forgiven. Eventually Amir did the same, and she was much loved by Amir because he was not familiar with a woman loving him and vice-versa.

-Sohrab: Sohrab was Hassan's son. Amir went through much suffering to bring him to America. During these hard times, Sohrab was a constant reminder of Hassan, and Amir was reminded of all that Hassan did for him through his son. Amir wanted to pay Hassan back, so he adopted Sohrab as his own. Through the physical and emotional traits that Sohrab inherited from his father, Amir will never forget Hassan.

5. Symbols:

-Kite: Flying kites was extremely popular in Afghanistan. Kite fighting was painful, and many people were left with scars. Even though there was much pain involved, the triumph of winning was far greater than the pain. The kite symbolizes endurance.

-Slingshot: Hassan was incredible at the slingshot. He used it to save Amir and in the end, Sohrab saved Amir with a slingshot, just like his father. The slingshot symbolizes loyalty and courage.

Baba's House: Baba's house was very large. He was a wealthy man, and many people help the upmost respect for him. This is where much of Amir and Hassan's childhood was spent. The house symbolizes security and protection.

Harelip: Hassan's harelip may have been just a birth defect, but it held a much greater meaning. Hassan was known for his harelip, and though Baba 'got it fixed', he was still remembered by it. When Amir was fighting with Assef, Amir's lip split just like Hassan's birth defect. This reminded Amir of all the times Hassan stood up for him, and was removed of his guilt. The harelip symbolized the guilt that was removed from him.

Sohrab: To me, Sohrab was a symbol of the 'good' that Amir wanted to achieve. Though he didn't help Hassan in a time of need when he was younger, he was now going to help Hassan now by taking care of his son.