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.