Final Verdict

I did not know what to expect from “The Kite Runner” when I read the back cover.  I started reading hesitantly and before I knew it, I was “hooked”.   Khaled Hosseini’s novel is action packed and filled with violence, ongoing conflicts, and twisted relationships between family members and friends.   The reader has a chance to experience Afghan life through the eyes of two boys, one born wealthy and the other a servant.  Both characters are faced with challenges which they handle very differently resulting in an outcome that changes their lives forever.   This is a very timely novel given the war in Afghanistan and allows the reader to experience life through the eyes of these two best friends.  I will never forget this novel and will definitely re-read it in the future. This book is a must read for everyone.

Truth and Lies

The Kite Runner is a novel about two young boys growing up in Afghanistan.  One is rich, the other poor.  One is the son of a respected businessman, the other a servant.  One grows up in a home surrounded by luxuries and yet constantly struggles for self-worth and recognition.  The other has almost no valuables but is rich with inner strength and integrity.   Author Khaled Hosseini illustrates what happens to friends and family when the truth is hidden for the benefit of happiness.  The lies that develop create a life of their own and end up destroying happiness in the end.

“When you kill a man, you steal a life,” Baba said. “You steal his wife’s right to a husband; rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat you steal the right to fairness. You see?” (Hosseini 19)

This quote caught my attention when I read the first few chapters of the novel. Throughout the book these lines become even more significant as the reader learns that the main characters are living lies. Baba makes this ironic statement to his son Amir.  He is trying to teach him important values in life and the difference between right and wrong.  At this point in the novel, the readers think that Baba is a highly respected businessman and father.  His son Amir is constantly trying to impress him and live up to his high standards.   It later becomes know that Hassan is actually Baba’s secret son, whom he gave away at birth because he was born with a harelip.  In his own way, Baba is trying to help Amir so that he does not make the same mistakes that he did.  What he does not realize is that by allowing himself to be seen as perfect, results in Amir lying and perpetuating the cycle of deceit to build himself up in his father’s eyes. Baba is not the hero everyone thinks he is.  In reality he is a coward, just like his son Amir whom he always criticizes for not standing up for himself.  The person with the admirable qualities is the son he gave up.

Conflict

Author Khaled Hosseini uses conflict throughout his novel The Kite Runner to illustrate the power of truth and the damages that lies can cause.  The main character, Amir is a rich, insecure child who is trying to get approval from his father.  He struggles with his own imperfections and constantly compares himself to his best friend and servant Hassan.    Amir’s dream is to impress his father Baba and make him proud of whom he is as a person.  This is difficult to accomplish as Baba values physical strength and athleticism, not a son who likes to read and write.  Amir becomes jealous of Hassan’s abilities as the best kite runner in Kabul because he knows his father values this skill.   As the novel progresses, the reader discovers that Hassan is also Baba’s son, whom he gave away to his servant when he was born with a harelip.  It is ironic that the physical abilities that he so admires is an attribute of the son he gave away and not the one he kept.  Conflict arises again when Hassan is raped by Assef after fighting the bully to keep the winning kite for Amir.  Hidden so that others do not see him, Amir witnesses this violent act and does nothing to intervene.  Fear seems to immobilize him. The reader wonders if this is really the case or was Amir looking for a way to eliminate the competition for Baba’s affection?  The guilt of not coming to his friend’s aid creates further inner conflict for Amir.  He pushes Hassan away and tries to get him fired so he will not have to see him every day.   The invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, results in Baba and Amir immigrating to the United States. This destroys any chance of redemption with Hassan as the two will never meet again.  Amir tries to forget about what happened but his guilt follows him everywhere and happiness seems to elude him.  It is only when he returns to Afghanistan to rescue Hassan’s son, that he is finally able to master his fears.  He agrees to fight Assef and saves Hassan’s son from a terrible life in war torn Afghanistan. He atones for the mistakes he has made in the past with Hassan by adopting his son Sohrab and giving him a new future.

Similarities

Author Khaled Hosseini uses recurrent themes throughout his novel to illustrate character development over time. 

Similarity	Childhood	Adulthood
Harelip Theme –  truth	-Hassan is born with a harelip and this is one of the reasons why Baba gives him away at birth.  Hassan does not seem bothered by this facial deformity which demonstrates the inner strengths of this character who never tells a lie.  Later in the novel, Baba pays for him to have plastic surgery as a birthday present and a way to reduce his own guilt.	-Amir is the perfect looking son that Baba keeps for his own. As an adult he gets into a fight with Assef and ends up with a harelip. Amir was not concerned about his facial injuries because he was finally able to redeem himself for concealing the truth for so many years.
Kite Running Theme –  Freedom	-Hassan runs a kite for Amir.  These two best friends are a difficult team to beat when they work together.   When Hassan and Amir are flying their kite, they are both free and not confined by social class and economic level.	-Amir runs a kite for Sohrab at the end of the novel.  Amir is trying to reach out to the traumatized son of his best friend and his real life nephew.  When flying the kite, Sohrab smiles for the first time leading the reader to believe that his future may be more hopeful.
Slingshot Theme - Courage	-Hassan threatens Assef with the slingshot to save Amir from being beaten.	-Sohrab in turn uses a slingshot to take out Assef’s eye when he fights to the death with Amir.  The bravery of the young boy is similar to how his father protected Amir as a child.
Assef the bully Theme - Power	-is the neighbourhood bully who rapes and brutalizes Hassan.  Amir hides and does not come to his friends aid. As a result, guilt and shame breaks up the friendship and  Amir is haunted by his inaction.	-this same bully grows up to become a high ranking Taliban. He ends up buying Sohrab when he becomes an orphan.  This motivates Amir to fight Assef to free his nephew.  Confronting the bully in spite of his own fears allows Amir to finally atone for past guilt.
Watch + Money Theme - Redemption	-Amir frames Hassan for taking his watch and money.  This results in Hassan and his father quitting as servants and moving out.	-Amir helps a needy family by giving them  his watch and money.
“For you a thousand times over” Theme - loyalty	-Hassan says this to Amir as an expression of loyalty and friendship.	-Amir uses this same phrase to Sohrab as an expression that he will always be there for him.

Symbolism- Pomegranate Tree

Amir and Hassan reading a book under the pomegranate tree.

The pomegranate tree is a symbol of Amir and Hassan’s friendship. During the summer months, the pair would sit under the tree reading stories in Baba’s backyard. Together they carved the phrase, “Amir and Hassan, the Sultans of Kabul” to represent how they would eventually rule over the land together.  During this period of time, the tree produced an abundance of the best quality fruit. When Hassan gets raped, Amir’s guilt over the situation builds to the point where it overwhelms him.  He picks ripe pomegranates and smashes them on Hassan in the hopes of pushing him to retaliate and getting the punishment he deserves.   Hassan does not go against his friend further emphasizing the difference between the integrity of these two characters.  As an adult, Amir revisits the tree after hearing of Hassan’s death. The carving can now barely be seen and the once marvellous tree that produced amazing fruit is now just dead wood.

Facts About the Pomegranate Tree

• Hardy
• Fruit bearing                                                        
• Small tree
• 5 – 8 metres tall
• Mostly native to the Iranean Plateau

Supporting Cast

Assef- is a bully who constantly taunts Amir and Hassan as they are growing up.  He is feared for his ruthless use of brass knuckles.   Assef is of mixed race, half German and Middle Eastern.  His hero is Hitler and he dreams of an Afghanistan where there are no Harzaras.  Assef rapes Hassan when they are kids and this violent act is the catalyst for the deterioration of the friendship between the two main characters. He later joins the Taliban and quickly climbs the ranks.  As an adult this man becomes even more ruthless, stoning people to death at soccer games and taking a major part in the Hazara genocide.  As the story line progresses, Assef’s role as a villain builds up when he purchases Hassan’s son Sohrab from an orphanage.   He agrees to fight Amir to the death for ownership of the boy.   

Ali- is Baba’s lifelong friend and servant.   He is of Harzara decent and has multiple disabilities that include a limp and a paralyzed face which does not allow him to smile. This causes the neighbourhood children to make fun of him.  Even though this character copes with many physical challenges, he is also a man with a strong values and personal integrity.  He keeps the secret that Hassan is Baba’s son and raises him as his own.  When Amir tries to get him fired with false accusations made at Hassan, Ali quits his job and stays loyal to his son.  Ali takes his friends secret to his death and is eventually killed in a landmine explosion.

Soraya- is Amir’s wife.  She is a high a school teacher with a passion for teaching.  She cannot have children for unknown reasons.

Sohrab- is Hassan’s son and looks exactly like his father.  He becomes an orphan at a young age when Hassan is killed by the Taliban. He is purchased by Assef, and saves Amir’s life with a slingshot when they agree to fight to the death.  Sohrab ‘s greatest fear is orphanages and when Amir tells him  he might have to go back to one he tries to kill himself.  Eventually Sohrab goes to live with Amir and his wife in America but he remains distrustful of everyone.  Building a relationship with this boy becomes a priority for Amir as he tries to make up for the mistakes he has made in the past.  

General Taheri- is Soraya’s father.  He lives in America and collects welfare. He does not want to work at a menial job and expects to resume the esteemed position of a general when he eventually returns to Afghanistan.

Father Figures

Baba- is Amir’s father and a rich business man in Afghanistan. He is popular in the community for his charity work and has married into the royal bloodline.  He is 6’5’’ and muscular. It is said that he fought bears in his younger days.  He wonders how Amir could be his son because he considers him to be both physically and mentally weak.  Baba strongly believes that the greatest sin is stealing, whether it is money, objects or the right to truth.  This becomes an important issue as later in the story the reader learns that Hassan is also his son and Baba has been living a lie all these years.  He immigrates with Amir to the United States where he works as a gas station attendant.  In America, Baba does not get the same respect or social status that he had in his own country and always longs to one day go home.  This never happens and eventually he dies of lung cancer shortly after Amir gets married.

 Rahim Khan- is Baba’s business partner. He is one of the only people to support Amir’s desire to become a writer. He stays in Afghanistan to watch over Baba’s home in the hopes that one day they will return.  Aging and a reoccurring illness, results in him asking Hassan to look after the house while he goes to Pakistan for medical care.  While there Hassan is killed by the Taliban trying to protect the home of his best friend.  Rahim then contacts Amir and asks him to come home. This character has kept the secret of Hassan’s real identity for all these years and he is the one who eventually informs Amir that Hassan was really his half- brother.  He also is the one who tells Amir to find his orphaned nephew before it is too late.

What does the Cover Mean?

Author Khaled Hosseinni has chosen the most significant event to take place in his novel as the cover for The Kite Runner.  From this picture, the reader can see that Amir is watching something that is happening around a corner.    The reader does not know what it is.   In actual fact Amir sees that his best friend Hassan is being raped by a bully and he does not intervene.  This is a pivotal event that shapes the outcome of the novel and impacts the relationship between these two best friends.  One wonders what would have happened if he summed up the courage to stand up for Hassan?  Guilt and self- hatred develop and true happiness seems to evade him.

A Look At The Two Main Characters

Hassan (left), Amir (right) pictured in The Kite Runner movie (2007)

Amir- is the main character in the novel The Kite Runner.   As the story begins, Amir is an adult living in California.  He flashes back to his childhood growing up in Afghanistan as the only son of a rich businessman.  Amir is passionate about reading and writing stories even though his father does not approve of these activities as he wishes his son were more athletic like Hassan, the son of his servant.   Hassan and Amir become best friends and spend most of their time together.  The relationship becomes estranged when Hassan is raped and Amir who is there hidden away without anyone seeing him, does not come to his rescue.  He feels guilty for not intervening and avoids his friend and eventually tries to get Hassan and his father fired so he would not have to see them.  At 18 Amir and his father flee to the United States after the Soviets invade Afghanistan. He graduates high school in California and later attends University specializing in English. He marries Soraya but the couple cannot have children.  He writes novels for a living and lives in an expensive neighbourhood.  He eventually returns to Afghanistan to find out that Hassan was his half- brother and sets out to find his nephew who is now an orphan, to atone from his past sins.

Hassan- is Amir’s best childhood friend and later the reader learns he is also his half-brother.  This character is born with a harelip, which results in his father Baba giving him away to his servant Ali because he does not want the embarrassment of a less than perfect son.  People think that Hassan is a Hazara (a Middle Eastern race) and he is tormented by the other children.   As the son of a servant he has a very different lifestyle then his half- brother Amir who benefits from social class and wealth.  Hassan also has to deal with an obvious facial deformity, but in actual fact he is a character with incredible integrity and strong physical abilities.  He never lies and is known for being the best kite runner in the city.   It is ironic that both these qualities are valued highly by his real father and are not qualities that Amir possesses.  The turning point in the story is when Hassan is raped by Assef with Amir watching which causes the friendship to fall apart.   Hassan wonders why Amir is distancing himself from him and tries to repair the relationship without success. The reader later learns that Hassan is killed by the Taliban while trying to defend Baba’s old house.  He also has a son Sohrab who is now an orphan.