Category: The Kite Runner

The novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Husseini, presents the relationships between Amir and Hassan. Amir is the son of a well-known man in all of the Kabul, Afghanistan; he grows up in this town and develops a friendship with his servant’s son, named Hassan. Time creates numerous challenges, which affect the lives of these two characters. One day, Amir got a chance to save Hassan’s life, but the way he acted had significant consequences on the lives of both boys and led them to choose separate paths.

The idea of friendship in The Kite Runner is considered to be one of the most important, particularly in terms of how friendship is appreciated by boys of different classes, how close the concepts of friendship and betrayal can be, and how the genuine idea of guilt may influence the consequences of friendship and future of other people’s lives.

“But he’s not my friend!…He’s my servant!” (Hosseini 41) This phrase by young Amir reflects his attitude to his friendship with Hassan, his comprehension of the essence of friendship in general, and his fear to realize that a poor boy may signify something more in his life than just a servant. The idea that friendship may be experienced because of social inequalities helps to analyze the bond as it is. Even though boys spend their childhood in the same houses, their status inequality bothers Amir all the time and makes him jealous of Hassan.

Rich people cannot allow themselves to make friends with poor people; such their attitude to the relations between humans shows that money, status, and recognition are somewhere above pure human feelings and interests. In my opinion, in this case, the attitude of poor people to friendship is purer and more humane: “for you a thousand times over!” (Hosseini 67) Poor Hassan never thinks about the consequences of his actions, which are directed to help his best friend, Amir, and always wonders if something may bother his friend (Hosseini 23). These attitudes to the friendship of people from different classes prove how considerable the financial position may be.

This essay on The Kite Runner proves that the idea of friendship and betrayal becomes the central one in this novel as well. Although Amir comprehends that his actions are wrong and unfair in regards to Hassan, he is too weak to ask for forgiveness and is ready to find out many reasons to keep silence and to avoid answering (Hosseini 111). The characters of the novel comprehend that fear is everywhere “in the streets, in the stadium, in the markets, it is a part of our lives here” (Hosseini 216), however, they cannot comprehend that the fear of betrayal is more severe and more terrible.

It is impossible to predict the results of betrayal, and this is why its fear may destroy the personality from the inside. Amir cannot even describe the “depth and blackness of the sorrow that came” (Hosseini 301) to find out the forgiveness. The friendship theme in The Kite Runner captivates and touches mind indeed, however, the concept of betrayal of friendship should affect not only the mind but also soul and teach its readers to accept friendship as it is, without paying attention to social status, original roots, and color of skin.

It is challenging for many people to take into consideration the events of the present to improve their own and other people’s futures. The Kite Runner is the novel that helps to comprehend how attitudes to friendship and friendship itself may have an impact on the future of different people. Mistakes, made by Amir in the past, led to the tragic end of Hassan but saved Hassan’s son, Sohrab’s future, and allowed Amir to see the smile on Sohrab’s face “lopsided. Hardly there. But there” (Hosseini 370).

Amir’s unforgivable sin (Hosseini106), his theft of Hassan’s safe future, cannot allow him to enjoy that smile, that happiness, that fairness. He comprehends that it is “better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie” (Hosseini 58), but it was too late to save Amir and Hassan’s friendship, but it was just in time to save another life, the life of Sohrab.

One mistake in the past, one betrayal and abandonment of a friend, and one lie to a father have made Amir’s life beautiful and terrible at the same time. His inabilities to cope with his own fears made him weak and unfair to himself. However, his mistakes are educative indeed. The idea of friendship in The Kite Runner is correctly described by the author.

It helps to comprehend the essence of truth and the necessity to ask for forgiveness and to be able to forgive. Each person is under a threat of making mistakes and suffering because of them, and this story and the friendship, described there, teach its readers to develop pure friendship and not to be prejudiced by social inequality or different origins. Only in case human fears disappear, people will get a chance to create good friendly relations and enjoy these relations day by day.

Works Cited

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2003.

Introduction

Kite running refers to the act of manipulating the spool of the kite in order for it to move and beat other kites. This sport is quite common among children in Afghanistan and normally entails two boys who each have separate roles.

One is responsible for determining the actual direction that the kite will run while the other one changes the threads such that the movement is made possible. The kite runner is responsible for the latter task and he often does most of the hard work. Nonetheless, when declaring a winner, competitors normally acknowledge and award the controller of the kite and not the runner.

The metaphor

Having looked at the concept of kite running itself, one can clearly see how the title is metaphorical. First, because the kite runner never really gets much appraisal for his work, one can argue that the sport is a bit unfair. This may be likened to the situation in war. Parties involved in a conflict barely fight fair and square.

Such unfairness was especially replicated in a number of conflicts that the book covers including the US-Taliban war as well as Soviet occupation. The helplessness of the victims in the story is symptomatic of the injustice brought about by war just like the kite runner who never gets justice for his contributions. War has caused a lot of the main characters a lot of problems hence signifying the injustice inherent in war.

First, Baba was a wealthy individual who lived a fulfilling life back home in Afghanistan, however after the Soviet occupation, he had to escape to the United States and start from scratch. Not only did he have to leave his property in Afghan for a strange place, he also lost his status there (Hosseini, 45). Back home, Baba was a very influential merchant who changed the lives of members of his community through a number of initiatives.

However, this soon came to an end when he fled to the US because he became nothing more than a gas station employee. Additionally, he was forced to display some goods at a flea market in order to make ends meet. He and his son had to rent a worn out house in this foreign nation. The tale of Amir’s family is quite synonymous with the stories of many other Afghanis who have lost their status and wealth because of the wars.

Perhaps most importantly, one can say that the unfairness of war was manifested through the death of many innocent victims. Hassan was one such individual. During the reign of the Taliban, he had been confronted by one of them concerning Baba’s house. He attempted to salvage this piece of property and instead lost his life for it.

This was indeed great injustice because the Taliban had no right to simply take property that belonged to other people or to take their lives but they still went ahead and did it. Another individual who bore the brunt of war and its unfairness was Ali. This loyal servant to Baba lost his life as a result of land mines that had been placed at Hazajarat. Such incidences would not have arisen if there was no war and if it was not conducted in an unfair manner that leads to the death of innocent lives.

Alternatively, one may look at the characteristics of the kite as a metaphor for the characteristics of war. The kite by its very nature cannot move unless another person is controlling it. This means that even though the kite appears to be at one with nature or to be totally free, it never really is.

The kite runner and the kite fighter restrict the movement of the kite in order for it to move in an orderly manner. In fact, without the intervention of these two parties, the kite can never really be in motion. If these restrictions are too much or disorderly, then it may lead to chaos. Also if the restrictions are too weak then the kite will barely move.

Similarly, governments are supposed to restrict the activities of their citizens so as to maintain law and order. If a government overdoes this then it may result in chaos or war. The novel is set against the backdrop of the Afghan civil war of 1996 to 2001 that was spearheaded by the Taliban (Despain, 56). The fact that children can be bought from orphanages is a sign of the degree of lawlessness that had pervaded Afghanistan as a result of the Taliban rule. Assef wanted to exert his revenge upon Hassan and therefore chose to vent this out onto his son Sohrab.

This boy was bought from an orphanage using a certain amount of money. He was then made to perform heinous acts in front of Assef. Assef also defiled this young boy using his position as a member of the Taliban. The lack of control and general disorder in the country led to such acts being committed against innocent children like Sohrab.

This failure of the Afghan government to control its own people can also be witnessed through the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan that started in 1979 and lasted for ten years. The author of the novel frequently states that this war was the reason behind the immigration of the latter family to the United States. At the time, the Afghan army could no longer contain the frequent uprisings that were occurring in different parts of the country.

To this end, it requested for assistance from the Soviet Union. The latter state obliged and sent its troops to fight resistance forces against the government. The operations were mostly carried out against the Mujahideen. However, because the Soviet had enemies such as the United States then the latter country started getting involved. It was reported that the US did this through government opposition forces.

This war proved to be a tall order for the Soviet Union which was having logistical problems as well as problems with the geographical landscape of the Afghans. Also, continuous aid granted by the CIA to their enemies further complicated this matter. In the end, the Soviet had to come out of this territory and left Afghanistan under the leadership of Najibullah. In 1992, his reign came to an end when rival parties decided to form the Islamic State of Afghanistan.

However, because this arrangement was not all inclusive, it soon became clear that the country was not going to enjoy peace any time soon. One opposing party known as Hekmatyar started another civil war in order to gain power for himself. Things were worsened by the existence of two separate militias that were backed by foreign governments like Saudi Arabia and Iran. The situation became even more complex when a different force, the Taliban entered the scene with the backing of Pakistan in 1996.

They started taking over and controlling the latter city. They imposed several unrealistic rules such as requiring men to always wear their beards, stoning of adulterous individuals and the like. The Taliban unleashed a lot of terror especially because they considered a certain community in Afghanistan inferior to others so they abused their rights. This went on terrorizing others while Mahmoud was still president (Vogelsang, 39).

The latter individual started asking for help from the external world in order to overcome the Taliban forces. In 2001, the United States chose to participate in the affairs of Afghanistan. Through the support of the US army and anti-Taliban forces, the latter group was ousted in this very year. As can be seen, the history of Afghanistan is laden with several wars and conflicts. These conflicts were the backdrop against which the novel was set.

The numerous deaths, escapes and exiles revisited in the novel were brought by these conflicts. The author therefore preempts this through the use of his title the kite runner. In the same way that the kite depends on its runner and fighter to fly, the Afghan state depended on its government to survive.

As stated earlier, only the right amount of manipulation of the kite can ensure that it rises and stays up. Similarly, the right degree of restriction and law was needed in order to make Afghanistan a peaceful sate. The failure of its many governments to control and lead their people well is what led to the chaos that has pervaded this nation for decades. The relationship between Hassan, the kite and Amir was a metaphor for the conditions that can lead to war as witnessed later in the novel.

The title also testifies to the warlike nature of Afghanistan through the actual acts of kite fighting. In this sport, boys often fly the kites using strings made up of bits of broken glass. These often rub against the hands of the participants who still continue outdoing each other despite this obvious pain.

Additionally, the sport often focuses on putting one’s opponents down. In fact, it can be interpreted as some sort of battle between the contestants. These children will try to cut the others’ kites so that they can fall down. Once those kites fall, the person responsible for it will retrieve it and claim the kite as his own. Even Hassan tells his counterpart Amir that there are “No rules. Fly your kite. Cut the opponents. Good luck!” (Hosseini, 34).

These activities are quite similar to those that apply in war zones. Adversaries normally focus on putting each other down so that they may be in a position to claim victory. War is very violent in nature and this can be seen through certain incidences in the novel. For example, as an adult, Amir watches in horror as a couple gets stoned to death by the extremists in his nation for committing adultery.

He is visibly shaken by this act of violence. Such an incident would not have taken place if Afghanistan was a peaceful nation. However, the general atmosphere in this nation is such that it preempts such actions. It was under the Taliban that many violent acts were committed against individuals.

For example, one learns that Assef was a member of Taliban and as such he could get away with torturous acts such as physical violence and rape. Here, readers are told that Assef had raped and abused Sohrab – Hassan’s child. Violence can also be seen when we learn about the daughters of Farid the taxi driver (Darhis, 228). They lost their lives as a result of land mines that also mutilated his own body parts.

In times of war, members of one nation must unite so as to fight a common enemy. Even though these citizens may have their own personal differences, they normally have to leave those aside in order to put up a fight in war. Hassan and Amir were very different; Amir was the child of a wealthy businessman while Hassan was the servant’s son.

Hassan used to cater to Amir’s personal needs like washing and cleaning. Hassan and Amir also had very divergent interests and values. However, all those things were easily forgotten when they were kite fighting. In the same manner, citizens of Afghanistan would unite in order to fight a common adversary in many of the wars mentioned in the novel.

Conclusion

The kite was a metaphor and an indication of things to come in the novel. It can be interpreted as a depiction of the unfairness of war similar to the relationship between the kite fighter and the kite runner. Alternatively, the title can also be a metaphor for the characteristics of war as was seen in the violent nature of the sport.

One may also see the kite runner as a metaphor for the preconditions of war which entail a failure to exert the right governmental restrictions in the same manner that the kite runner does to the kite. Alternatively, the title may be understood as a way of bringing together diverse people against a common enemy as is the case in war and in kite fighting.

Works Cited

Hosseini, Khaled. The kite runner. NY: Riverhead trade, 2004

Darhis, Manhola. From memories there is no escape. New York Times, 14^th December, 2008

Vogelsang, Willem. The Afghans. NY: Blackwell publishers, 2002

Despain, Dori. A brief history of Afghanistan. School Journal, 53(9), 56

Introduction

One of the aspects of contemporary living is that as time goes by, the world seems to become the ever more violent place. In fact, there are now talks about the impending WW3. Therefore, one’s decision to read the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini could not have proven timelier. After all, The Kite Runner is essentially about the sheer importance for people to be able to act tolerantly towards each other.

The book The Kite Runner is a fictional novel. It was written by the Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini and published for the first time in 2003. The purpose of writing this book, on the author’s part, had to do with his intention to reflect upon his childhood memories of having lived in Afghanistan through the years 1965-1980. Hosseini also wanted to enlighten readers on what happens when people yield to religious fanaticism.

The author was born in Afghanistan in 1965. His family immigrated to the US in 1980, following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 1988, Hosseini graduated from Santa Clara University, majoring in biology. After having published his first novel The Kite Runner, which became a bestseller, Hosseini has been pursuing the career of a writer.

There is nothing odd about the sheer popularity of The Kite Runner. Just as it is the case with other critically acclaimed works of literature, the novel’s themes and motifs have a strong universal appeal to them. What this means is that, regardless of what happened to be the religious or cultural affiliation of a particular reader, he or she will still be able to relate emotionally to what is being discussed in The Kite Runner. My evaluation aims to explore the validity of this suggestion at length.

Summary

The Kite Runner is best defined as a semi-autobiographical novel. It tells the story of Amir (the novel’s protagonist) – a man with the Pashtun ethnic background, who has spent his formative years in pre-revolutionary Afghanistan. While living in the mansion of his father Baba, Amir used to enjoy the company of his friend Hassan – a Hazara boy, hired by Baba as a servant.

Because of his affiliation with Hazara (a socially underprivileged Shiite tribe in Afghanistan), Hassan never ceased suffering from being bullied by other Pashtun boys, led by the novel’s antagonist Assef. Even though he did like Hassan very much, Amir nevertheless lacked the courage to assume any active stance protecting his friend – something that caused the protagonist to experience the acute sense of guilt while living in America as an adult. Consequently, this prompted Amir to seek redemption in his own eyes.

After having found out about Hassan’s death at the hands of the Taliban and about the fact that his childhood friend had a son (Sohrab), Amir decides to travel to Afghanistan to try to find and save the orphaned boy while hoping that this would help to redeem his guilt. Despite having been almost killed on numerous occasions in the ‘old country’, Amir nevertheless succeeds in his undertaking. As a result, he is shown feeling much better about himself at the novel’s end.

Even though the provided summary is extremely sketchy, it does allow us to identify the main idea promoted by Hosseini throughout the novel’s entirety. This idea can be formulated as follows: redemption can only be achieved through action. Apparently, the author wanted to convince readers that they should be genuinely interested in trying to make the world a better place and avoiding causing pain to others. The reason for this is that, as it appears from the novel, whatever we have done in the past will never cease affecting our present.

Contextual analysis

To have a better understanding of what motivated the novel’s characters to act in the way they did, one must be aware of the forces that define the essence of social dynamics in Afghanistan. In this respect, it will prove beneficial for readers to familiarize themselves with some basic facts about Afghani society as a whole. They are as follows:

• Most Afghanis do not have the sense that they belong to the same nationwhile continuing to be divided along with a number of different ethnic, cultural, and religious lines. In its turn, this results in the intensification of tensions between the representatives of the country’s different ethnoreligious groups (Mazhar, Khan, & Goraya, 2012). For example, as it was shown in The Kite Runner, Pashtuns (Sunnis) tend to regard the members of the Hazara tribe (Shiites) as utterly inferior.
• Afghani society adheres to the so-called ‘traditional values’, concerned withthe assumption that men are superior to women, that one must be respectful of elders, and that only the practicing Muslims deserve to have a voice in the formation of the country’s internal and external policies.
• Being amongst the world’s most impoverished and war-ravaged countries, Afghanistan features one of the highest fertility rates on this planet. Consequently, this causes many Afghanis to grow depreciative of the value of human life. This explains the novel’s yet another notable characteristic – it contains many graphic accounts of people being tortured and murdered.
• Afghanis tend to remain closely observant of their cultural/religious customs, even if living abroad. The validity of this suggestion can be illustrated regarding the novel’s scene, in which Amir (already a grown man) realizes that he will not be able to date Soraya (a Pashtun woman living in America) unless permitted to do so by her father, General Taheri.

Interpretive analysis

When it comes to interpreting the significance of the novel’s themes and motifs, one will be better off doing it within the combined framework of both psychological and socioeconomic discursive approaches. The reason for this is that, even though the act of most of the featured characters appears highly individualized, many of the plot’s developments are undeniably ‘social’. For example, the reason why Baba decided to move to America did not have anything to do with the character’s conscious willingness to live in this country.

Rather, Baba’s decision in this regard was motivated by his realization of the fact that had he and Amir stayed in Afghanistan, it would not take too long for them to end up being killed, “Kindness is gone from the land and you cannot escape the killings. Always the killings. In Kabul, fear is everywhere, in the streets, in the stadium, in the markets…” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 184). At the same time, however, the author clearly wanted readers to think of the behavior of some of the novel’s characters as such that has been predetermined by the particulars of their ‘brain wiring’. The character of Assef exemplifies the validity of this statement.

After all, even though his social upbringing was very similar with that of Amir, he turned out to be nothing short of the living embodiment of evil in the novel, “I will never forget how Assef’s blue eyes glinted with a light not entirely sane and how he grinned, how he grinned…” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 31). Consequently, this contributes even further towards ensuring the plausibility of the plot’s twists – something that explains the novel’s popularity with readers.

Evaluation

Critical Element 1

As it was implied in the Introduction, the foremost reason why The Kite Runner ended up on the best-selling list is that there is the strongly defined progressive/humanistic sounding to many of the novel’s themes and motifs. In its turn, this endows Hosseini’s masterpiece with a high educational value. While exposed to it, readers are being taught how to distinguish ‘right’ from ‘wrong’. The reading of the novel also prompts them to adopt a societal outlook on what should be considered the purpose of one’s life.

The most notable critical element in this respect has to do with the author’s promotion of the idea of secularism, as the key to moral living. After all, the novel reveals that there is a positive correlation between one’s willingness to commit atrocities, on one hand, and the sheer strength of his religious beliefs, on the other. Religious fanatics truly believe that they are on some sort of ‘God’s mission’. This explains the apparent ease with which these people torture and murder ‘infidels’ – in the mind of a religious fanatic, such a course of action is thoroughly ethical because it is divinely endorsed.

One of the novel’s final scenes in which Amir is having a final showdown with Assef exemplifies the full soundness of this suggestion. Hence, the implicit message, conveyed by The Kite Runner – it is in the very nature of just about every monotheistic religion to be dividing humanity on ‘God’s chosen people’, destined to ‘inherit the Earth’, and ‘godless infidels’, who deserve to be exterminated en masse (Hitchens, 2007). Therefore, after having read the novel, many people will end up realizing that religion cannot possibly be considered the source of morality – quite to the contrary. In its turn, this should contribute to making the world a better place.

Critical Element 2

The Kite Runner endorses a progressive outlook on the purpose of human life. The logic behind this suggestion is concerned with the fact that the protagonist could never suppress the guilty thoughts of Hassan in his mind. In its turn, this exposes Amir as a highly conscientious person, whose sense of self-identity is strongly affected by his awareness of having had acted treacherously towards Hassan in the past.

What this implies is that Amir’s view of himself is socially constructed. As such, it is being continually transformed. Thus, readers are being naturally prompted to consider that one cannot go wrong having its intellectual horizons continually broadened. There is, however, even more to it – the character of Amir exposes the sheer wrongness of the assumption that money is the only key to happiness. Rather, it is one’s commitment to remain on the path of continual self-improvement. After all, it was not merely his intention to save Hassan’s son Sohrab that caused Amir to undertake a dangerous journey to Afghanistan, but also his desire to prove to himself that he was not quite as cowardly as his father used to think of him.

What this means is that the purpose of one’s life cannot be solely concerned with the consumption of goods and services, as something that has the value of its own. Rather, it has to do with the idea of serving the society while becoming a better person during the process (Li, 2013). Because people are social beings, this naturally increases the emotional appeal of Hosseini’s novel in their eyes.

Critical Element 3

Kite Runner exposes a person’s life as some kind of a cosmic quest. While addressing life challenges, people are required to make important decisions. As practice indicates, however, these decisions often prove to be wrong. It is specifically on account of his decision to refrain from confronting Hassan’s rapists that Amir ended up suffering from the acute sense of guilt. However, as the novel suggests, it is still possible for people to amend their mistakes from the past.

Such an opportunity is provided by the fact that many events in one’s life exhibit the tendency to recur – even when they assume different forms. The protagonist’s relationships with Hassan and Sohrab stand out exemplary. Even though Amir’s failure to help his childhood friend did prove irreversible in the formal sense of this word, the novel’s main character was still given the chance to make amends by saving the life of Hassan’s son. Mysteriously enough, to be able to succeed in it Amir was once again required to confront Assef. The plot’s development in question was meant to advance the idea that it is never too late correcting mistakes of the past.

It is understood, of course, that this created yet an additional precondition for The Kite Runner to prove commercially successful. After all, the concerned idea correlates rather well with the essence of many unconscious urges in readers.

Conclusion

Reworded thesis

In light of what has been said earlier, the paper’s initial thesis does appear thoroughly legitimate. The reason for this is that, just as it was pointed out in the Introduction, there is indeed nothing accidental about the best-selling status of Hosseini’s novel. The reason why the novel’s publishing attracted the attention of a great many people is that The Kite Runner is innately consistent with the discourse of post-modernity. What this means is that the novel’s themes and motifs appeal to readers on an instinctual level. Therefore, The Kite Runner does have what it takes to be eventually included in the list of the most influential works of American literature.

Clincher

Along with representing a high educational value, The Kite Runner contains a number of insights into the workings of a religious fanatic’s psyche. This makes Hosseini’s novel a rather indispensable asset within the discursive context of the ongoing ‘war on terror’, which culminated in America’s decision to ally with former Al-Qaeda against the legitimate government of Bashar Assad in Syria. It seems that unlike the novel’s author, many governmental officials in America continue to remain utterly unaware that religious fanatics cannot be reasoned with, which means that they should not be used in America’s ‘proxy’ wars. Therefore, it would only prove beneficial to these officials if they were required to read The Kite Runner on a daily basis.

References

Hitchens, C. (2007). God is not great: How religion poisons everything. New York: Twelve Books.

Hosseini, K. (2003). The kite runner. New York: Riverhead.

Li, M. (2013). The 21st century: Is there an alternative (to Socialism)? Science & Society, 77(1), 10-43.

Mazhar, M., Khan, S., & Goraya, N. (2012). Ethnic factor in Afghanistan. Journal of Political Studies, 19(2), 97-109.

Morality finds voice through minor characters. This is observable in case of both Les Miserables and The Kite Runner. The main theme of redemption is similar in both the concert Les Miserables and the novel The Kite Runner. Morality presides through the presence of minor characters – animate or inanimate.

In case of the musical and the novel, it is reflected through minor, nondescript characters. Both Les Miserables and Kite Runner narrate the process of redemption, and that is through human deed (Llosa 101; Hayes 95). In this story of redemption, there is a constant presence of two characters, which stay away from the hubbub of the main plot and remain as a constant remainder of morality or conscience.

These characters almost act as guiding angels who keep the mind of the main characters on the path to redemption. These characters are Bishop Myriel in Les Miserables and Rahim Khan in The Kite Runner. This essay discusses the way these two characters shaped the path to redemption for the other, more vital characters, and the way they became the moral voices.

Bishop Myriel and Rahim Khan are minor but essential part in both the musical and the novel. The candlesticks given to Valjean by Bishop Myriel are symbolic of the transgression of a hardened convict to a life of good. The Bishop’s act of mercy and sympathy transforms the life of a treacherous and conniving convict.

The Bishop welcomes the tired and starving convict under his shelter in the musical, and gives him food and “bed to rest till morning” (Hugo Act 1, On Parole). In the solo sung by the Bishop in the musical (Valjean Arrested, Valjean Forgiven) the Bishop helps in saving Valjean by misleading the policemen stating that he had given the candlesticks to Valjean as gifts and given two more to sell them. This act ensures freedom for Valjean from both the authorities and the symbolic freedom from evil, as is expressed by the Bishop:

And remember this, my brother,

See in this some high plan.

You must use this precious silver

To become an honest man.

By the witness of the martyrs,

By the passion and the blood,

God has raised you out of darkness:

I have bought your soul for God. (Hugo Act 1, Valjean Arrested/Valjean Forgiven)

Thus, Myriel becomes the moral force who that changes the course of Vajean’s life. This act teaches us that mercy done to others will save a soul. He becomes the symbol of goodness, a symbol that is shown to Valjean and changes the course of the musical. He shows Valjean the road to redemption, and obliges his mind to follow the path of goodness.

Rahim Khan is the moral voice in the story The Kite Runner. However, a minor character, and one that has not been developed fully, Rahim Khan plays a vital role in the novel. He was the best friend of Baba (Amir’s father) and a father figure to Amir. Amir often wished that Rahim Khan were his father instead of Baba: “When they left, I sat on my bed and wished Rahim Khan had been my father.” (Hosseini 28)

Rahim Khan is a character that stays away from the main plot or the main character. He is also different from them – from the good characters of Hassan and Ali, and the complete devilish character of Assef, and Baba and Amir lying somewhere in-between. Rahim Khan cannot be categorized in any of these character types. He is almost a celestial figure standing beyond the bounds of moral questioning.

He becomes the guiding light for Amir in his journey to redemption (like Bishop Myriel in Les Miserables). From the very beginning of the story, Rahim Khan had helped Amir and boosted his self-confidence. The note he wrote to Amir showed the character’s support to Amir: “My door is always open to you, Amir jan. I shall hear nay story you have to tell. Bravo.” (Hosseini 28) Rahim Khan told Amir his deepest secret in order to ascertain what was going through his mind.

He told Amir that he could tell him anything he wanted to: “You know, you can tell me anything you want, Amir jan. Anytime.” (Hosseini 87) Amir almost told him his betrayal of friendship towards Hassan but stopped as he thought that Rahim Khan would hate him for this, as he related “For a moment, I almost did tell him. Almost told him everything, but then what would he think of me? He’d hate me and rightfully.” (Hosseini 87) Though Amir did not tell his story to Rahim Khan then, he already knew.

Rahim Khan calls Amir to Pakistan from America and asks him to rescue Hassan and his family from Afghanistan. He is the one who reveal to Amir that Hassan is actually his half-brother. He asked Amir to rescue Sohrab from Afghanistan. When Amir said, “I can’t go to Kabul,” Rahim Khan simply said, “There is a way to be good again.” (198) Rahim Khan showed Amir the “way to end the cycle” (198) and showed the path to redemption.

Bishop Myriel and Rahim Khan are nondescript characters. However, they are the catalyst of the main theme. They become the wind that changes the course of the life of the main characters in the musical as well as in the novel. The right direction that can be found for redemption can be found from simple and non descript characters, rather than the more elaborate and complex characters.

In both Les Miserable and Kite Runner, the direction towards salvation has been clearly etched by two characters who are minor, but are strong in their own accord. Thus, it teaches us that a guiding light may be small, yet is significant in moulding the course of action.

Bibliography

Hayes, Judi. In search of The Kite Runner. Danvers, MA: Chalice Press, 2007. Print.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2003. Print.

Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert. By Victor Hugo. Royal Albert Hall Concert , New York. 1995. Concert.

Llosa, Mario Vargas. The temptation of the impossible: Victor Hugo and Les Misérables. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2004. Print.

Introduction

Written by Khaled Hosseini and narrated by Amir, the story’s protagonist, The Kite Runner expatiates how a single event changed Amir’s life completely. Amir narrates of his childhood back in Afghanistan as he grew up in one of the wealthiest families in Kabul back then. Violence in the volatile Afghanistan dominates the text of this book as people try to replace monarchy with republicanism.

The book cuts across many social aspects tackling different themes ranging from inhumanity, through nationalism to family relations among others. This paper elaborates the theme of sin and redemption as applied in The Kite Runner.

Theme of Sin and Redemption

Redemption comes only after sin and this idea of redemption stands out in The Kite Runner because sin is so bearing. The story starts by highlighting the enduring nature of sin in this society.

Amir says, “It’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out” (Hosseini 1). What creeps back from the past? It is sin in this context. Amir betrays Hassan twice despite the fact that they are friends. The first incidence occurs when he finds Assef raping Hassan in the alley.

Even though Hassan had stood for Amir in the past, Amir does not help him from his predicament or report the issue to Ali for he would help Hassan! Amir is sinning by betraying his close friend. During his thirteen birthday celebrations, Amir betrays Hassan once again by plotting to bring him out as a thief. Again, sin abounds.

As the story unfold, it becomes clear that everyone is almost guilty of sin and he or she needs redemption. Assef is a sinner for he rapes Hassan. Amir learns later in the story how Baba, his father sinned. After Rahim Khan discloses Baba’s secret to Amir, he realizes that everyone is sinful and the reason why Baba was tough on is that he was guilty of his sin.

This makes Amir realize that their life has been one big lie; sin prevailed from yesteryears, and his betrayal to Hassan is just but a drop in a sea of sins. On the other side, to justify their cold blood killing of the adulteress, the Taliban are busy skewing Muhammad’s words to vindicate their actions.

They are sinful and they know that they need redemption and this is why they change Muhammad’s words; something that Amir compares to his sin. Unfortunately, Amir does not know the way to redemption. He asks Hassan to hit him to get hurt and repay his sins. Amir feels that the only way to redemption is getting hurt the way he hurt Hassan.

Amir does not complain after Assef tries to kill him for he thinks he deserves all this as atonement for his past sins. Soraya is guilt of her sin of running away with another man and she asks Amir to forgive her. Rahim Khan is shameful of her sinful nature of not disclosing to Amir what Baba had done.

She kept this as a secret even after Baba died; she could have told Amir for it is his right to know anything to do with his father. The woman soldier at the border is sinful for asks Baba to sleep with her even though she is married.

The idea of redemption sets in at last after Amir realizes that his past sins together with those of his father can only be atoned for by being good to people. He has to let go the sin of discrimination that he has kept for years. He realizes that helping others would bring joy to his life and this is why he decides to help Sohrab up the ladder of success and felicity.

Nevertheless, Rahim Khan wraps up the theme of redemption in this story. In his letter, Khan says, “I know that in the end, God will forgive. He will forgive your father, you, and me too … Forgive your father if you can. Forgive me if you wish. But most important, forgive yourself” (Hosseini 209). It is God only who forgives sins and redeems people from their sinful nature.

Amir understands this very well towards the end of the book when he asks God to remove Sohrab’s blood from his hands. People can also be redeemed from their sins by forgiving themselves. God is willing to forgive people of their sins; unfortunately, people hold on to their sins, letting guilt to haunt them while God has already forgiven them. As the book closes, Amir redeems himself after forgiving himself of his past sins.

Conclusion

One of the most outstanding themes in The Kite Runner is the theme of sin and redemption. Most of the major characters are sinful.

Amir sins by betraying his close friend Hassan. He lets Assef rape Hassan whilst he could do something to rescue him. His sin follows him and he betrays Hassan again during his birthday party. Baba has done many mistakes in the past and Khan is guilty of keeping Baba’s secret from Amir. Assef, the rapist is a sinner while Soraya has committed the sin of running away with another man.

Amir does not get the issue of redemption and he thinks the only way to it is by paying for it through suffering. However, Khan sheds light on the issue of redemption by indicating that God will forgive all people and people could redeem themselves by forgiving themselves. The theme of sin and redemption comes out clearly in this book.

Works Cited

Hosseini, Khaled. “The Kite Runner.” New York: The Berkeley Publishing Group, 2003.

Hassan and Amir are the main characters of the novel The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini in 2003. These two little boys are considered to be the best friends from their childhood: they have common interests, games, and even sayings, which can mean nothing for the others, but change the whole world for them.

Hassan and Amir are the characters that help to comprehend how precious male friendship can be and how unpredictable the outcomes of one single mistake may become for their destinies, their future, and their lives. Taking into consideration that loyalty is one of the common features for both Hassan and Amir, their differences, which consist in family and origin as well as their attitudes to life, friendship, and respect, make them too close and too far to each other simultaneously.

First of all, boys’ origins were one of the serious differences between Hassan and Amir. Amir is a Pashtun boy, who is aware of how powerful these people are in comparison to the Hazaras, the origin of little Hassan. “The man is a Pashtun to the root. He has nang and namoos…Honor and pride” (Hosseini 145). Due to this fact, Amir truly believes in his superiority over his friend Hassan and thinks that their origins may be one of the factors to put own demands on the first place.

In comparison to Amir, Hassan never pays any attention to his origins and the roots of his friend. After his birth, he decides to devote all his life, his actions, and even his words to his best friend, Amir. He is not afraid of Amir’s enemies and is always ready to stick up for him. These two little boys cannot even comprehend that their origins’ differences should not influence their relations and mutual support and cost nothing in comparison to their future challenges.

Their second difference lies in their family relations and attitudes to the relatives. Baba, Amir’s father, demonstrates his love to both boys, but still, his attitude to Amir’s was too critical, because he thinks his son is not as that manly as he is expected to be. This difference between Amir and Hassan’s families turns out to be rather important, as their relations in families reflect on boys’ relations. Just in order to win the respect of his own father, Amir sincerely believes that Hassan’s rape may be regarded as a sacrifice that will play a certain role in their future.

In addition, Amir thinks that the rape of a young Hazara by a young Pashtun Assef does not matter anything, so, Hassan’s action is another one that will help Amir with his self-actualization. Hassan has no one to gain respect among his family as his father does not actually need this respect; this is why Amir is the only person, whose respect Hassan wants to win.

But when Hassan gets to know how unfair and cowardly the actions of his friends are, he has nothing to do but leave the place and support his father with his ideas and desires. So, their difference in family is one more issue that influences Amir’s and Hassan’s characters, attitudes to lives, and life’s priorities.

Finally, in spite of the fact that Amir and Hassan have so many differences of opinions, attitudes to each other, and purposes, these two boys are characterized by one strong similarity – their loyalty. Of course, this loyalty is not too each other, but still, it makes them so similar and so close.

From the very beginning, Hassan demonstrates and proves his loyalty to Amir for many times: “For you a thousand times over!” (Hosseini 67) Amir sees this very loyalty of Hassan and usually calls him “good old reliable Hassan”, because he knows that any time Hassan will rescue him, make a sacrifice, and believe his words even if they are not true and sincere. Amir demonstrates almost the same type of loyalty to his father. Baba is a brilliant example of how to be a real man, a real Pashtun, and a real father.

In order to prove his loyalty to Baba, Amir forgets about all those care that comes from Hassan and sacrifices their friendship in order to become more serious and more respectable for his father. The loyalty of these two characters shows how their trust to other people may be blind and tragic. To my mind, that loyalty that is inherent to little boys has to be controlled by their parents in order to show them the right way. And in this story, such control is absent and leads to deaths, sorrow, and guilt.

In general, the comparison of Amir and Hassan, who have so many differences, helps to realize how significant people’s origins and relations within families can be. The idea of loyalty that turns out to be one of Amir and Hassan’s main similarities is so absurd, and this is why it causes a terrible quarrel between the best friends, a long-term guilt of Amir, deep disappointment of Hassan, and absence of punishment in regards to such sadist like Assef.

Works Cited

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2003.

Introduction

‘The Kite Runner’ is a unique work, which has been translated into all European languages. The story begins in the pre-war Afghan city of Kabul in the ’70s, where there were children who did not know what shelling and explosions were. At the same time, a favorite pastime and a grave matter for all residents are kite competitions—happiness to defeat rivals and be left alone to soar in the bottomless blue sky. ‘A kite symbolizes the soul, flying high in the sky or lying broken on the ground’ (O’Brien 4). The contest becomes not only the point of no return, after which everything changes in the lives of Amir and Hasan. Flying is also a metaphor for the fates of these boys, carried away by the winds to different sides of the world.

Among the many lines, the central theme is betrayal and redemption. Through the prism of their life’s tribulations, the characters understand their actions, accept the guilt, and try to atone for it. Each personality has experienced tragedy and has walked a unique path of redemption. An analysis of the book will help identify those features of redemption models that are difficult to determine at first glance. By reasoning and examining the details of the lives, it will be possible to draw a clear parallel between the actions and consequences and conclude the main lesson the author was trying to convey.

The analysis will focus on the three main characters: Amir, Baba, and Sanaubar. This will be done using a redemption model that is specific to each character. At the same time, it has elements common to all, among which are: chastity flaws, transgression, trigger event(s), conscious resolution, acts of atonement, and changed life. The author reveals the peculiarities of the soul of a sinful man who admits his mistakes to demonstrate that redemption is the only way to restore the connection with God and find happiness.

Amir’s Redemptive Model

Amir is the main character whose cowardice and jealousy prevented his personal development. The redemption process became the only opportunity for him to find full-fledged happiness, which constantly eluded him due to his unwillingness to acknowledge problems. The first meaningful moment in his journey was undoubtedly Amir Hassan’s significant betrayal, the master’s display of cowardice to his servant and friend. From this moment, Amir’s internal vices begin, which leave in his soul heavy scars of remorse and anguish of conscience, which impose an imprint on all areas of life. Thus, in general, not an evil man, Amir becomes a hostage to the vices of his ego, unable to get out on his own.

The second significant moment is a call from Pakistan from a friend of his father. Rahim Khan encourages Amir to come up with a mysterious but understandable phrase: ‘You have a chance to get on the righteous path (Hosseini 262). Amir clings to that possibility, though his former self tries to refuse. Not only does he endanger his life and health in the hope of redeeming his former guilt, but he also undergoes a tremendous inner transformation on the road to Islam and harmony. He makes an important decision, saves the child, and thus finds himself on the proper path. It demonstrates how a man who himself had not given much thought to the need to move toward the mercy of the Creator, through his sins and their atonement, finds his way to the worship of Allah.

This suggests that the whole life is in a state of disharmony and moral turmoil until sin is atoned for. Redemption, in turn, is the connecting category between man and God that can restore the broken unity between them and strengthen the bond. Amir’s way demonstrates how sins are equivalent to bondage that can destroy lives and how overcoming them and repentance can release the burdens.

Baba’s Redemptive Model

Baba’s original sin is that he had an affair with the wife of Ali’s servant. At the same time, Baba knew that the child to be born was his own. Despite this, he allows everyone to think that Hasan is Alli’s son. Moreover, Baba saw that Hasan and Amir were friends, and Amir mistreated Hasan, but the father never defended Hasan. That is, his original sin is that he abandoned his child and condemned him to the bad fate of a servant. However, it is necessary to mention that Baba’s sins do not end with this. When his wife died in childbirth, he blamed his son, even though Amir was not responsible for his mother’s death.

It is important to emphasize that Baba tried to redeem himself and build an orphanage, so he did not hesitate to give money to charity. That is, Baba tried to distract and convince himself that the terrible things he had done did not define him as a bad person (Hosseini 300). At the same time, he accepted his guilt and tried to atone for his sin by doing good to others. It is significant to mention that Baba tried to improve his relationship with Amir because he saw himself reflected in him. In conclusion, although Baba did not tell anyone about his sin and did not incur the wrath of his loved ones, he successfully found redemption. By helping others and building a relationship with Amir, Baba forgave himself. Thus, he found temptation and died peacefully, knowing that all would be well with Amir.

Sanaubar’s Redemptive Model

Sanaubar had a nice appearance and enjoyed it; she cheated on a man, which was considered a disgrace for a Muslim woman. At the same time, after the birth of her son Hasan, she left him with his unrelated father and began to travel with a group of singers (Hosseini 162). Thus, the woman’s initial sin is her debauchery and fleeing from her problems. The militant attack was a hidden reason to find her son because she feared for his life. The woman returned and found her son when she was older; she also tried to redeem her sin when she established a relationship with Hassan. It should also be mentioned that Sanaubar helps Farzana give birth to her son Sohrab, but she could not raise the child because she died. The woman successfully achieved her goals and atoned for her sin.

Conclusion

Hence, this work argues that redemption is the only way to reconnect with God and find happiness. One can also find parallels between the redemptive models in the novel and the relationships between people in the real world. Therefore, they can be applied to understand how to atone for sins. The value of the novel is that it substantiates that everyone deserves to find redemption from their sins. Thus, the story tells different experiences of characters who have done unworthy things, but at the same time, one can trace how they have tried to correct them and find peace. Alex Lickerman can be remembered at this point, as he wrote that if a person admits mistakes and sincerely wants to improve them, then sin can be atoned for (Hagan). This is because people are not good or evil by nature; it depends on their striving. Hence, the novel gives each reader faith that there are ways to rectify unworthy actions to find peace.

Works Cited

Hagan, Ekua. ‘What Does It Mean to be Redeemed?’ Psychology Today, 2011, Web.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Penguin, 2003.

O’Brien, Sarah. ‘Translating Trauma in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner.’ Transnational Literature, vol.10, no. 2, 2018, pp. 1-12.

The reading of Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner leaves very little doubt as to the fact that the theme of loyalty plays a rather important role in defining the novel’s semiotic significance. After all – it is after having proven his loyalty to Hassan by the means of bringing his son Sohrab to the U.S. that the novel’s protagonist Amir was able to attain inner peace – hence, providing a semantic wholesomeness to the plot. In our paper, we will aim to explore the nature of loyalty in The Kite Runner.

Analysis of Friendship Between Amir and Hasssan

For the first time, the theme of loyalty comes to its prominence in the novel’s scene when, while trying to defend Amir, Hassan aims his slingshot at Assef: “I turned and came face to face with Hassan’s slingshot… Hassan held the slingshot pointed directly at Assef’s face” (21). Even though, while remaining friends with Amir, Hassan never ceased being treated with a subtle disdain, due to his ethnic background and his low social status, Hassan’s helping hand was always there for Amir. Thus, Hassan’s loyalty to Amir is evident.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Amir because the main character’s lessened sense of loyalty did not derive out of his existential idealism, as it was the case with Hassan, but was instead a byproduct of his rationally functioning psyche.

The plausibility of this suggestion becomes evident in the scene when, after having considered the possible consequences of his involvement, Amir refrains from stepping forward, in order to prevent Hassan from being raped by Assef – hence, proving himself an ultimate coward in its own eyes: “I had one last chance to make a decision.

One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan… Or I could run. In the end, I ran. I ran because I was a coward” (39). As the theme essay on The Kite Runner implies, at that time, Amir was not aware of the fact that his refusal to stand up for Hassan accounted for his lessened ability to act like a man while facing life’s challenges, as in the case when he resents Hassan.

Loyalty as an Intermedium for Friendship

Nevertheless, as the novel’s plot unraveled, it was becoming increasingly apparent for Amir that, for him to be able to relieve his deep-seated sense of guilt, due to the memory of what had happened, he would have to prove its loyalty to Hassan somehow. The problem was that, as it has been revealed to Amir by Rahim Khan, Hassan ended up being killed by a ravaging mob of Taliban guerillas. Yet, Hassan’s son Sohrab was able to survive an ordeal.

And, after having been presented with Hassan’s post-mortem letter, where his former friend was asking him to take care of Sohrab, Amir realized that his willingness to look into Hassan’s request would account for his ability to repay for Hassan’s loyalty with loyalty. This was precisely the reason why, despite being perfectly aware of the full spectrum of dangers associated with taking a trip to Afghanistan, Amir nevertheless had decided in favor of this undertaking.

It was Amir’s ever-present sense of guilt for his betrayal, which had prompted him to go to Afghanistan: “I have a wife in America, a home, a career, and a family. But how could I pack up and go back home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things?” (114).

After having arrived to Afghanistan, however, Amir realized that his price for proving loyalty to Hassan was even higher – it was not only that he had to face dangers of staying in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, but that he also had to face the ultimate showdown with Assef, who by that time became one of Taliban’s war-lords. As such, his actions may be considered as one of the examples of loyalty in The Kite Runner.

And, it was not because he was able to subdue Assef physically, but because, for once in his life, Amir did not have any second thoughts, while defying his old arch-enemy, that he ended up achieving a moral victory over Assef: “I don’t know at what point I started laughing…

And the harder I laughed, the harder he kicked me… What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace” (147). The reason why, while fighting Assef, Amir experienced a sensation of inner peace, is that by doing it, he was able to prove its loyalty to Hassan.

As the novel’s consequential and highly mystical scene implies, the deceased Hassan did, in fact, appreciate Amir’s long-awaited token of loyalty. Just as Hassan used to do, his son Sohrab raised a slingshot and shot Assef right into his eye: “The slingshot made a thwiiiiit sound when Sohrab released the cup.

Then Assef was screaming. He put his hand where his left eye had been just a moment ago. Blood oozed between his fingers” (148). The context of this particular scene suggests that the consequence of Amir proving himself courageous enough to act loyally towards Hassan’s son, was the reestablishment of a friendship between Amir and Hassan, even though the latter was no longer living.

Conclusion

Thus, just as we had pointed out earlier, there are good reasons to believe that it is specifically the theme of loyalty in The Kite Runner, which binds the plot’s spatial developments into the semantically unified compound. Hosseini’s message about the importance of loyalty, forgiveness, and love is evident in the story. Apparently, it is the author’s masterful exploration of this particular theme throughout the novel’s entirety, which provides readers with insight into the fact that the extent an individual’s ability to act loyally towards his friends is being reflective of the extent of such person’s existential manliness.

References

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003.

Introduction

The Kite Runner is a novel written by an Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. When Hosseini was a child, his family moved from Afghanistan to France, and then to the USA. This experience is partially reflected in the narrative of the author. Hosseini has written three novels, and The Kite Runner “has sold millions of copies worldwide and been classified as one of a classic” (Khadawardi 2017, 88). In this essay, the summary of the story, information on the main characters and themes, as well as a personal opinion about the composition will be presented.

The Kite Runner: Summary of the Novel

The story revolves around the life of a young boy from Kabul, Amir. He lives with his father, Baba, a wealthy man who never has time to spend with his son. Amir feels jealous when he notices Baba’s cordial treatment of his friend, Hasan, the son of their servant. To deserve his father’s love, Amir decides to take part in the kite competition with Hassan. Even though the two boys could keep their kite in the sky for a long time and won the first part of the competition, the event ended tragically. Hassan runs away, trying to find a place where the kite fell. After waiting for him for a long time, Amir decides to follow his friend and becomes a witness to the rape of Hassan by his enemy Assef. Amir is scared to interfere and help his friend and decides to go away and pretend he did not see anything. Feeling guilty for what he did, Amir stops talking to Hassan and does not want to be his friend anymore. He blames him for being a thief, and Hassan and his father leave their home.

Soon, the Soviet Union troops intervene in Afghanistan. To save their lives, Amir and his father immigrate to the USA. Many years later, after his parent’s death, Amir receives a letter from a family friend. From this letter, he learns that Hassan was his brother and that he knew about Amir’s betrayal but still loved him until the end of his life. Unfortunately, Hassan died with his wife during demonstrations in their country, but their little son, Sohrab, managed to survive. He was sent to an orphanage, and the author of the letter asks Amir to save the child and take him to the USA. Amir decides to go to Afghanistan and finds his nephew there. Even though it turns out to be difficult for Amir to adopt him, he promises Sohrab never to send him to an orphanage again. One day, when Sohrab notices that Amir is about to break his promise, he tries to commit suicide. Even though the boy survives, he starts to keep to himself being silent most of the time. One day, Amir buys a kite for Sohrab, and, for the first time, he sees a smile on his face. Thus, it is not entirely clear if the story has a happy ending or not. Even the protagonist of the story mentions that he does not know for sure if the story of Hassan and his nephew, Sohrab, ends happily (Hosseini 2013). However, the author gives readers the hope that the characters of the story will eventually find peace and harmony.

The Main Characters and Themes of the Narrative

The protagonist of the story is Amir, a young boy who was born in a wealthy Afghan family. It is not possible to tell if the personage of Amir is positive or negative. On the one hand, his sneaky nature allows him to betray his best friend. On the other hand, he is capable of feeling guilty and admitting his mistakes. Trying to make amends, Amir uses “a chance to put to rest his tortured past” (Summary and Analysis of The Kite Runner 2016, 8). He puts much effort into taking Sohrab to the USA and giving him a better life.

Baba, the father of Amir and Hassan, also feels guilty for his affair with a servant’s wife. He considers it the worst sin he ever committed, and, in his desire to redeem himself, helps other people until the last days of his life. In contrast to his son Amir, Baba is a very independent and decisive person. However, it turned out that he was not brave enough to tell Amir and Hassan that they were brothers.

It is evident that Hassan and Amir have many differences. Even being unaware of the fact that Amir was his brother, he loved him and considered his best friend. He forgave Amir for his betrayals and was always ready to spend time with him. Amir, on the contrary, “never displayed his feelings toward Hassan” (Hosseini and Zohdi 2016, 37). It remains unclear if it is caused by the lack of Amir’s love for Hassan or by peculiarities of his personality. Being a very kind person, Hassan also forgave his mother, who left him when he was a child and sheltered her at his house during the war in the 1970s.

The main themes of the book are forgiveness and friendship. The author shows that for friendship, it does not matter if people have or do not have much in common. Hassan and Amir are two boys from two different worlds. Amir belongs to the aristocratic part of the society, while Hassan is from a low-income family of servants. Baba is a handsome man, and Hassan’s father is miserable and limp. Hassan has an ugly harelip, while the deformity of Amir is not noticeable from the outside. Despite all these differences, the two boys become soul mates and real friends. Unfortunately, Amir’s weakness and villainy trigger the end of their friendship. However, nothing can make Hassan stop communicating with his friend, even Amir’s betrayal. Being aware of every harmful deed done by Amir, Hassan is still looking up to Amir, ready to forgive him for everything. Thus, the author shows that forgiveness is the main element of people’s lives that helps individuals to build happiness.

Personal Opinion about the Composition

The Kite Runner is one of the rare novels that invite readers to feel all the mental experience of the protagonist. This novel evokes a strong emotional response of readers and teaches them to be braver in some situations to avoid regrets in the future. It also shows that sometimes people neglect those who are sincere with them, and when they realize that they made a mistake, it is sometimes too late. This book shows the weaknesses and vices of human nature and makes readers think about their behavior.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that the novel The Kite Runner contains many significant ideas about people’s relationships. It teaches how important it is to forgive betrayals, love despite all, and bring goodness to this world. It also makes readers think about protagonists’ emotions and feelings and involves them in the process of reflections on their life. The author created an engaging narrative that should be read by both youth and adults because it raises questions that are always topical for all generations.

References

Hosseini, Akram, and Esmaeil Zohdi. 2016. “The Kite Runner and the Problem of Racism and Ethnicity.” International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, vol. 74, 33-40.

Hosseini, Khaled. 2013. The Kite Runner. 10th ed. London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.

Khadawardi, Hesham. 2017. “Superego Guilt, Redemption and Atonement in Khaled Hosseini’s the Kite Runner.” International Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education 4 (2): 88-99.

Summary and Analysis of the Kite Runner: Based on the Book by Khaled Hosseini. 2016. New York: Worth Books.

Introduction

There has been generally positive feedback and acceptance of The Kite Runner book of Khaled Hosseini published in 2003. It was made into a movie three years later and released in 2008. It garnered the South African Boeke Prize and other citations while Nielsen BookScan declared it the United States first best seller for 2005 (Lea, 2006).

Afghanistan has not produced a lot of books in the past and it was an achievement for Khlaed Hosseini to be able to come up with a best seller in a western setting.

Summary

The Kite Runner is the story of Amir, his childhood friend Hassan who was poor, his indomitable father Baba, and how Amir went through his life with them and others. Despite the loyalty of Hassan by sacrificing for the sake of Amir, Amir felt jealous of Hassan as he noticed Baba giving Hassan more attention than him. Baba, on the other hand found Amir as a weakling, and this was aggravated further when while serving Amir, Hassan was raped by a bully Assef. Amir felt guilty and in fact started to distance himself from Hassan, until he made a scheme accusing Hassan as theft. Hassan and his father Ali left from the place of Baba until chaos reigned in Afghanistan.

Amir and Baba fled to Peshawar, Pakistan and then later to the United States at Fremont, California. While they lived in abundance in Afghanistan, in the US, they were forced to stay at an old and dilapidated apartment. Baba worked as a gas station attendant. In their Sundays, they sold used clothes in flea market where Amir met Soraya Taheri who soon became his wife prior to the death of Baba. However, the couple could not bear a child.

He soon received a call from Baba’s best friend and business partner in Afghanistan – Rahim Khan. Rahim Khan told Amir about Hassan’s fate, Hassan’s true father who is also Baba, and Hassan’s son Sohrab taken by Assef who already became a Taliban member. Amir worked through the adaptation of Sohrab, and after a decade-long of difficulty, finally able to bring Sohrab with him in the U.S.

Research

The Kite Runner depicts both social and political scenario in Afghanistan in a time frame that includes pre-Russian invasion when there was relative peace in the area. Enterprising individuals such as depicted by Baba were able to put up livelihood and commerce. During this time, however, as any other society, classes of peoples were already at place: the poor as helpers or servants, and those who are moneyed as master. This was depicted in the story of Amir, who, despite befriending Hassan, maintained his distance as the master. Amir went to school and Hassan did not.

The socio-political scenario is further depicted clearly in a passage about the thoughts of Amir during winter, which it was written:

I smile. The sky is seamless and blue, the snow so white my eyes burn. I shovel a handful of the fresh snow into my mouth, listen to the muffled stillness broken only by the cawing of crows. I walk down the front steps, barefoot, and call for Hassan to come out and see.

Winter was every kid’s favorite season in Kabul, at least those whose fathers could afford to buy a good iron stove…”

Afghanistan, however, had been mired with civil wars, the large gap between those who have and those who have-nots, the majority of those afflicted with poverty, land mines victims, war victims, and other man-made calamities and depravities (CIA, 2009) which were briefly depicted in the book where Amir and Baba fled together with other migrants to neighboring Pakistan, and later to the United States. The book used the dire situation of Afghanistan as a background for personal challenges and travails that were affecting a large Asian nation in general.

Critique

Hosseini’s book, as Miller noted, captivated readers with its “enthralling tale of family, forgiveness, and friendship.” Aside from this, it has also been noted for Rahim Khan’s words that “there is a way to be good again,” (Miller, 2008, P 1). There is the innocent depiction of a young boy and his friend, the conflict about Amir’s trying to win the affection of his father Baba, the stereotype of Baba as wishing for his son to be as strong as himself, Amir’s own personal conflicts such as having watched his childhood friend Hassan raped in front of him and yet not being able to lift a finger, the need to frame up his friend in order to send him away, and his continuing battle to win his father’s affection.

Hosseini was able to provide a chronological narrative that interpolates socio-political and personal conflicts despite a life of relative comfort. Through Hosseini’s effective depiction of the socio-political situation in Afghanistan in that certain period, readers were treated of a word outside what may be familiar. We have often read about the war torn Afghanistan, of land mines killing or crippling children, malnutrition and poverty death toll, lack of food and water supply, the dire poverty, and lots of it. Accompanied with photos, it was not difficult to perceive Afghanistan as a location that should be avoided, at all cost, we often ask ourselves how people could exist in such a place.

Intriguing idea

The idea I find intriguing is Hosseini’s use of the John Lennon t-shirt worn by antagonist Assef. While this portion may be a passing idea of using popular culture to depict that Afghanistan caught up with western civilization if only for featuring a popular rock icon print shirt, it may mean a lot of other more things that critic Miller may have missed. Miller quoted a wide portion of Iranian literature specialist Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz from Washington University in St. Louis to argue that, “The Kite Runner is perhaps less obvious in its demonization of the Muslim world and glorification of the Western world,” (Miller, 2008, P 4), I would want to argue otherwise.

Hosseini, through The Kite Runner had been labeled as “new orientalist” by Miller and Keshavarz whom Miller quoted extensively, for depicting anti-Muslim sentiments as well as advancing “western” practices as the good, and Muslim as the evil.

Far from their understanding, I would like to point out the positive thoughts that Hosseini cultivated about Afghanistan through its main characters. First of all, through Baba. Baba embodied the hardworking, ambitious, kind-hearted, and generous Afghan. In the book, it had never been mentioned that Baba was a Christian, or he espoused Western beliefs. But he definitely was as good as any religion or pagan may perceive as good, as compared to indifferent or really evil characters.

Second is that Assef, the Taliban antagonist, idolized Hitler, the one true western depiction of evil imperialism. While Assef may have been identified as a Taliban, his preference for a hero such as Hitler is something that cannot be swept easily under the rag. It was not clear why there should be opposing ideals with Miller’s statement that “Baba loves America, while Assef is an admirer of Hitler,” (Miller, 2008, P 5).

To flee from war and land in an open country like the United States is not so much a preference as a choice. It was not clear in the book that Baba preferred or worked his way to get to the United States. The US at the time was using Afghanistan to neutralize the cold war against the communist Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). It was not so much to offer Afghans a refuge. It was a stage, a show that the US needs more than Baba needs to migrate.

Then, lastly, as I mentioned earlier, is Assef’s John Lennon t-shirt. John Lennon is a popular culture icon that although voiced his dissent against the war in Vietnam, have chosen to migrate to New York and leave Liverpool England, his town. John Lennon both loved the United States’ way of life and hated its foreign policy during the period, although John Lennon was a expatriate himself. Why Hosseini had to picture Assef wearing a John Lennon t-shirt is a statement in itself. I would not insist that it meant Assef supported John Lennon’s anti-Vietnam war sentiments, but I would not also discount that John Lennon is a Western icon of commercialism and even imperialism.

Theme

For me, the main theme of the book is that there is time to show what real strength is and that perseverance must go with it. I am pointing this out as Amir was himself never the focus character that was Baba. Baba was the hero.

However, through Amir’s story, the book is “humanized”, reduced to depicting real-life struggles of less perfect, less strong and often mistaken beings. This despite the many failures that seem to have mounted up against Amir in Hassan’s case alone. Amir seemed to be a reluctant participant in his own doings: indifference while Hassan was being raped, framing up Hassan as a thief, letting Hassan leave despite the consequences of the political situation of Afghanistan at that time. In the end, Amir was given a shot to recall and make amends all the evil things he has done against his childhood friend Hassan through Sohrab.

This theme pervaded throughout the story. It has seemed too slow as well as anti-climactic when Amir had to experience the negative consequences of Hassan’s faithfulness and loyalty to him. Hassan has sacrificed his own good for the sake of Amir and even claiming to provide more than Hassan could, but what he got was abandonment and indifference.

Question

As mentioned earlier, my real question is why Hosseini made Assef the antagonist wear a John Lennon t-shirt. Miller has suggested the West has been glorified in the book, but I would rather say it was not. Miller’s concluding note was: “For anyone who has been to, or studies the Middle East, it is obvious that these accounts are gross distortions of the full reality on the ground there. It is not wrong to identify and write about the flaws of a particular country, religion, or ideology, but it is wrong and dishonest when an author’s writings systematically dehumanizes and reduces an entire culture and religion to the actions of its extremists. Especially, when these are the same people and countries that our leaders tell us need to be attacked and occupied by our military.”

There may be certain romantization on the part of Hosseini for depicting a glamorous Afghanistan, and Miller’s observation must be partly true. This does not make Miller correct at all points. While Amir did migrate and raised his family in the US, the book did not indicated that he converted to any western religion or belief. He did his part which he believe was to atone some of his faults to Sohrab’s father not to atone “Christian” sins or exemplify western values of family, forgiveness and friendship, but because family, forgiveness and friendship are a long term Asian tradition long before its shores were shown how to use cannons and guns.

Characters

I would like to compare Baba, the strong father and Amir, the weak, book-loving narrator. Baba was seen as the bigger hero in the book for showing virtues through and through even when challenged as someone who was not capable. His shadow is cast on Amir, the weakling, helpless youth who relied on his servant to fight for him. Baba did what he had to do like a real leader, committed and dedicated. Amir, on the other hand was told of what to do, without his own motivation, but just his guilt, and the people around him as guide.

Baba is enterprising, who built an orphanage, established a business, married an educated woman, and himself a philanthropist. Amir was focused on reading and writing, never going beyond himself to work out what has made him guilty of. Instead, he was capable of harming one friend who had done him all the favor including dedicating a life for his own good. Amir seem to be a selfish, self-centered person while Baba gave himself for others. As it was written:

Baba heaved a sigh of impatience. That stung too, because he was not an impatient man. I remembered all the times he didn’t come home until after dark, all the times I ate dinner alone. I’d ask Ali where Baba was, when he was coming home, though I knew full well he was at the construction site, overlooking this, supervising that. Didn’t that take patience? I already hated all the kids he was building the orphanage for; sometimes I wished they’d all died along with their parents.

Craft

The book was written with a seemingly detached, innocence of a young Amir, who was nestled safe and un-touched under his father’s care and influence, or affluence. While friendship may have been explored to show better reciprocal actions on the part of Amir for Hassan, the book failed to explore further than adopting a friend’s son as if a consolation as Amir and Soraya cannot have a child of their own. There seem to be consequences quite shallow amidst the difficult life of the poor depicted in the book through Hazaran servants. It also failed to show how deep poverty has afflicted a nation.

Application on how ideas and themes in the book relate to life

For me, I learned from the book other forms of torture that may be given to other children in other parts of the world. Pedophilia is also pictured differently as a pure infliction of pain and not lust. It will influence my own understanding of migration, power play between imperialists, as well as about the word equality, if there is such a thing.

Conclusion

I believe that the success of The Kite Runner is its use of the universal “triumph of good over evil” and that the “new orientalist” labeling is a misreading of “anti-imperialism” sentiments. I strongly disagree with Miller when he proposed that the book depicts western as good and the Muslim as bad but it tried to depict as neutrally as possible what Hosseini might have observed, seen or experienced of Afghanistan. This, as I said earlier, may have been romanticized, but it still presented other details that could have easily been overlooked when the book was not published at all.

New Orientalism is a strong discriminatory view about Asians and Muslims in general having to compare always an English written text against popular literary norms based on western tradition. This may not be avoided at all, as I said, if a book is written in English. However, the same cannot be said of books written in “other” tongues or languages aside from western. This should not be an overarching obsession of critics. Merit should be provided on virtue of depicting truths as may have been experienced by the characters of a story such as The Kite Runner and not dismissed it as generalized western shadowing of norms.

Reference

Central Intelligence Agency. (2009). “Afghanistan.” The World Factbook. Web.

Hosseini, Khaled. (2003). The Kite Runner. Riverhead Books.

Lea, Richard. (2006). “Word-of-mouth success gets reading group vote.” The Guardian.

Miller, Matthew Thomas. (2008). “The Kite Runner Critiqued: New Orientalism Goes to the Big Screen.” Common Dreams. Web.