The Kite Runner Q's

How does Amir and his father get along in the beginning of the novel?
Why do you think Amir is jealous of Hassan?

Do you think that Sohrab knows what happened to his father? Why?
Is Baba a different character in America than he was in Kabul?

Why does Amir constantly test Hassan's loyalty?
Is there a significance in Assef and Amir confronting? What does the scar he gives Amir insinuate?

The Kite Runner LRB 7

A general statement of the literary work’s content, a summary or a paraphrase

 

In the novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Amir is the son of a very successful and wealthy father, Baba, in Kabul. The two live with servants, Ali and his son, Hassan. Hassan is both Amir’s’ age, best friend, and as we find out later in the novel his half-brother.

Although Amir and Hassan were practically inseparable, from Amir’s perspective things were far from perfect. Social class, tribe, and religion separated the two children. For such small children, this was a hard concept to grasp. However, Baba adored Hassan and regarded Ali as his best friend although they were Hazaras.

A critical point in the book is when Hassan is attacked by Assef and some of his friends while kite running for Amir - “for you a thousand times over”, Hassan said before taking off for the blue kite the two had defeated. Amir does not help Hassan while he was being attacked by the Pashtun boys and allows him to be abused in the most disturbing manner. Amir’s cowardly act was in part because of his jealousy which he has for Hassan.

Amir cannot control his emotions and mixed feelings of Hassan, so he feels the need to get rid of Hassan, which he does by setting Hassan and his father up by planting his new wristwatch under Hassan’s bed. Hassan and Ali knowing what Amir has done leaves the household and Baba is in despair. Amir’s actions did not end his shame or cure his cowardliness, but rather intensified his treachery.

War breaks out in Afghanistan and both Amir and his father flee Afghanistan to America.

Rahim Kahn, a dear friend of Amir and even closer friend of his father, contacts him to come back to Pakistan, and provokes him by saying, “There is a way to be good again.” Amir realizes Rahim knows about what he had done and decides to go back to redeem himself.

After some soul searching, Amir decides to retrieve Hassan’s child Sohrab, in which he finds that a Taliban leader has him. This leader turns out to be no other than Assef. The two quarrel for a while, with Amir getting pummeled into a pulp, when Sohrab grabs his slingshot and fatally damages Assef’s eye. This is ironic because earlier in the novel Hassan stood up for Amir in the same manner, by warning Assef by calling him “one-eyed Assef”. Sohrab decides to return to America with Amir, but they find trouble in that they are not allowed to adopt him and Sohrab tries to commit suicide. But in the end the two become closer and closer, while they fly their kite together and Amir runs down their fallen trophy.

The Kite Runner LRB 6

An analysis of the effect of setting -- time, place, circumstances

The novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini spans multiple countries and decades, but is mostly concentrated in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a vastly different country from America and without this particular setting the novel would lose its emotional and realistic nature. Though, in the late '70s the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, which marked the beginning a long and unforgettable era of violence and instability within the country.

Meanwhile our protagonist does what any of us probably would have done and left all of the “riches” behind to come to find refuge in America. Towards the middle of the novel, now in California, which depicted by the story seems like a place of refuge for most fleeing Afghans. Adapting to the American culture was tremendously easy for Amir, but not so much for his father Baba, who could not fully grasp America’s outward arms. For example, Baba was outraged when the elderly clerk would not accept his trust, despite being a good customer for so long. In Afghanistan, everything was based on trust, even the “credit cards” were a piece of wood which a clerk wood slit when something was purchased. So such an extreme setting change for Baba was tough on him and the reader can certainly see why. However, Hosseini details the Afghan-American community by depicting how they keep their customs and old stories of the good old days intact, by most Afghans reminiscing amid piles of junk at a flea market, recalling their homeland.

Amir does return to a less than remembered Afghanistan. The wars, violence, and now Taliban have turned Amir's country into a wasteland filled with rubble and lack of infrastructure. The book overall portrays a unique ability to connect all sorts of different settings from Afghani values both decimated and peaceful, American protection, and how all these setting can form one’s life through many cross-cultural experiences.

The Kite Runer LRB 5

An analysis of the work’s symbolism

In the novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini symbols create a deeper understanding of Amir and Hassan’s relationship and how their “friendship” or brotherhood is undermined. One symbol in particular is Hassan’s cleft lip. Hassan’s lip is one of his most representative features and this flaw is one that Amir takes notice to a lot during the novel. The cleft lip serves as a reminder or somewhat societal mark on Hassan, making him and everyone that he interacts with know his true status in society. This feature separates him from Amir which is by Afghan standards wealthy and spoiled, to him which is a Hazara who is a servant to Baba and Amir. Hassan’s deformity is indicative of his poverties. This split between his lip signifies the “split” relationship Amir appears to have with Hassan, in which he doesn’t know whether to call him a friend or a servant. Baba, who we now know is Hassan’s true biological father, chooses to pay a surgeon to repair Hassan’s lip as a birthday gift. This bothers Amir for some reason, maybe because he wants to be better than Hassan in Baba’s eyes or wants all of Baba’s attention as his son (not knowing Hassan was his son as well). This building action between Hassan and Amir leads up to Amir acting as a coward in many ways, leading up to Hassan and Ali’s departure from Baba’s household. Now Amir must live with the same life scar on the inside as Hassan did outwardly on his lip.

The Kite Runner LRB 4

A discussion of the role(s) played by minor character(s)

            In the literary masterpiece The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, minor characters have certain roles that intertwine perfectly with the novel and how the characters connect. A coming along character, Soraya, meets Amir at the flea market. Within a while the two get married all dependent on the General’s – Soraya’s father – blessings. She is portrayed as both beautiful and compassionate. However, she also comes with a complicated past, but in hindsight so does Amir. The now wedded couple cannot have children, which I believe is foreshadowing for things to come. In Soraya’s case she is very like Hassan in many ways and fills the void that Amir has had ever since the tragic event he witnessed. For example, Soraya has a birthmark above her jaw which is like Hassan who had a harelip. I believe Amir is attracted to Soraya because she is very similar to Hassan in many diferent ways, physically and even mentally. In the novel Soraya almost seems like a combination of both Hassan and Amir, in which she is like Hassan, because of the harelip and compassion, but also resembles Amir because she has a gloom past. Although Amir finds this out, he doesn’t care because he figures that he has a past too and it doesn’t define the person, so he chooses to give her a chance. However, Amir does recognize that she has more courage than him because Soraya admits to her past and gets it out in the open. Another trait between her and Amir is their fathers, which want the best of them, even though that’s not what their children want. Overall, in this novel the minor character Soraya, makes Amir feel whole again. She brings some pleasure and peace to Amir's life, while at the same time reminding him his cowardly and regretful past.

The Kite Runner LRB 3

A detailed response to a specific word, phrase, line, sentence, passage, or scene

            In the literary masterpiece The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini there are specific and breathtaking moments that cannot be understated in their meaning and relevance in the novel as well as in today’s society. One example of many is when Baba and Amir find out that Baba has a grave cancer – “Oat Cell Carcinoma” – and that it is untreatable. After the doctor said that chemotherapy would only prolong the inevitable, Baba stated that there would be no chemo medication for him. Amir began to challenge Baba’s sudden decision, but Baba shot him down, questioning his role in life compared to him. When the two were about to enter their home, Amir once again questioned Baba’s choice on chemotherapy and in return Baba became very angry with his son and kneaded him on the chest, saying, “Bas! I’ve made my decision.” Amir almost crying, answers him, “What about me, Baba? What am I supposed to do?” This disgusts Baba and brings anger from within his weakening body to criticize his son’s statement. Baba angrily tells Amir the twenty-two year old grown man that this is the moment he had been desperately preparing him for; that all those years he was trying to teach him, “how to never ask that question.” This detailed scene in the story tells a lot about Baba, in that he was hard on his son all the years in Kabul and few in America and critical of him for all the right reasons. Amir never appreciated Baba in the sense that he was trying to make Amir strong and not feel desperate and alone when he was older, to be a man and stand up for himself. Just like in today’s society, parents try their best to push their sons and daughters to become better than they themselves were, try to emphasize integrity and courage, tell about their mistakes so that their children do not repeat their own personal mishaps. This is what Baba was trying to do with Amir all those years before, when he was so hard on him, but Amir never followed suit, assuming that Baba never really forgave him for “killing” his wife (mother) and wanted more out of a son. However, this was not the case and now Baba is furious because the time has come that his son be a leader and he is nothing less than a child. This truly bothers Baba on the inside because he feels as if he has failed his son and that his son as a result is less of a man than he should be at this stage in his life.  

LRB The Kite Runner 2

An analysis of a major character -- flat/round, static/dynamic, internal / external conflicts, dominant traits, significant actions, personal relationships...

 

           In the novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini the role of Baba or Amir’s father is not to be underestimated. Baba, a dynamic and round character, sets the tone of the novel throughout his actions and wit. Throughout he first several chapters of the story Baba’s major concern about his son is that he does not have the courage to stand up for himself, therefore his relationship with his own son is somewhat distant. This internal conflict invokes fear within Baba because he holds courage and honor in high esteem – “There is no act more wretched than stealing, Amir” – and as the reader can see Amir is neither honorable nor courageous in any aspect. Baba worries that his son will not be able to stand up for himself when he grows older into a man. He displays his concern and humiliation with Amir in many scenes throughout the first ten chapters. For example, when they flee from Kabul, Amir becomes sick to his stomach and throws up in front of all the fleeing passengers, this act of weakness in an 18 year old “man” embarrasses Baba to the point he even apologizes to the other passengers for his son’s stomachs uncontrollable nature. Although Baba is critical of Amir’s lack of valor and integrity, he himself is the epitome of these moral and social qualities. In chapter ten, the reader see’s the most brave and kind-hearted act one will ever encounter, in which Baba stands up to the Russian guard and is willing to sacrifice his life to keep the guard from raping the woman fleeing with them.

The Kite Runner LRB 1

In the novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini the title plays an important role in effectively understanding and dissecting the nature of the literary work. In the novel, throughout the first seven chapters, the reader can see that kite wars are a part of Afghan culture near the winter season approaches; “The kite-fighting tournament was an old winter tradition in Afghanistan.” A kite runner is described to the reader as many people running and chasing the kites that are cut down during the wars; Amir labels them as somewhat like the Spaniards and Running with the Bulls. Amir’s “friend” or servant as association in society, Hassan, is deemed one of the best, if not the best kite runner ever known. To win the heart and admiration of his father, Amir tries his best to win the annual kite war, in which he succeeds with the help of Hassan. He cuts down the blue kite which stood in the way of Baba’s affection, and the kite tumbled out of the sky “like a tire coming loose from a speeding car” , to the delight of everyone and most predominantly the many eager kite runners. After Hassan and Amir enjoy a short-lived celebration, Hassan, the best kite-runner, sets out to retrieve the blue kite in which he does, but runs into the three tormenters that tease and trouble him and other kids around the area. The title, The Kite Runner, is very connective for a reader to the story and provides a bridge to how the reader can connect to Amir’s victory and Hassan’s soon to be devastation. Without the title being the occupation of Hassan’s retrieval and ultimate humiliation and ruin, the novel would lose a sense of movement and connectivity with its readers. Hassan kept his word and retrieved the blue kite for his friend Amir, though it cost him many horrible and mind-altering experiences, while Amir simply fled from the scene because of his selfishness and cowardliness.