The Kite Runner is an Afghan American fiction novel written by Khaled Hosseini. In the text the story of a man, named Amir’s, past is told. In continuation, a reader of the novel may get the impression, at the beginning of the book, that Amir is just an ungrateful child that receives everything he wants, but in reality that is not the case. Throughout his journey he dealt with various hardships that inflicted drastic alterations on it. As readers explore a journey down memory lane with Amir, a magnitude of themes is presented through the challenges that Amir faces.
Ultimately, the trials and tribulation that people face help mold them into who they are. “Assef knelt behind Hassan, put his hands on Hassan’s hips and lifted his bare buttocks. He kept one hand on Hassan’s back and undid his own belt buckle with his free hand. He unzipped his jeans. Dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn’t struggle. Didn’t even whimper. He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation in it. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb. Hosseini, 133)”
Betrayal is the one of the more obvious themes in the novel because it occurs multiple times. Hassan’s persistent resistance to give the kite to Assef results in rape. Amir purposely let his best friend get raped, he believed that kite would redeem his relationship with Baba. It displayed how self centered he was; it displayed how much of a coward he was; and it displayed how much of a mediocre “friend” he was. A major problem was that Amir had a lack of independence. He was afraid to stand up for himself. Assef and his gang of friends would pick on him all the time, in retrospect Hassan would stand up and fight for him.
He never turned his back on Amir one time not even when Amir framed him for being a thief. That is not what a real friend would do. In today’s society the word friend is misused a great deal. While growing up I recognized everybody as my friend, whether I talked to them or not. If they were in my class I called them a friend. What defines a true friend? A person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations, is the formal definition. In the beginning of the novel, I had a greater connection to Hassan than Amir.
As I was reading the scene where Hassan gets raped, I began to think of everything I would do to prevent one of my family members or friends from being harmed. I would not be able to stand there and let that happen. When I was younger, I was over protective when it came to my family. Till this day I still remain that way, although when I was younger it did not occur to me that I was a mere child. I just knew that I would have done anything to maintain my family’s safety because one of my worst fears is to witness my family or friends get harmed whether it is physically or mentally.
True friends would travel to the end of the world for each other. Similarly, Hassan over protected his family and friends, Amir in particular. He would do anything to ensure Amir’s well being. He never even thought about the consequences of his actions, all he wanted to do was protect his best friend. Considering, the countless abuse Hassan took for him, he never showed gratitude towards him at all and when Hassan absolutely needed him he abandoned and betrayed him. Amir was selfish seeing as how he did not consider all of the pain that Hassan was experiencing and how much he needed Amir at that moment.
After the countless beatings Hassan took for him he never showed gratitude towards him at all and when Hassan needed him the most he abandoned and betrayed him. The affection was not mutual, and even an outsider such as Assef realized this. “I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. (Hosseini, 1)”Amir is not a terrible person he is a human and all humans makes mistakes, some worse than others. Witnessing a horrible incident, such as rape can have a negative effect on anyone, especially a child.
Hence the quote above that one notable event in his life transformed who he was forever. For years he lived in the shadow of guilt for what he did. Change occurs in his demeanor when he moves to California, in the 1980s. He transforms from a seemingly arrogant and self centered fellow to a charitable and compassionate young man. He takes care of Baba who has cancer and even before his father contracted the disease he always watched after him. For example, in chapter 11, Baba walked into the grocery store and shopped without having enough cash to pay and he needed an I. D. o pay with a check.
He caused a scene and was removed from the premises, nevertheless Amir came to his rescue and paid for the groceries and damages Baba made to the store. He also gets married to a beautiful woman named Soraya. It appears as though the fresh start in America helped Amir improve himself. In the same way, coming to CCTS was a positive move for me. I have noticed a slight improvement in my academics. I was always a decent student, however, there is a difference between this school and my sending district. I went from earning A’s and B’s to achieving straight A’s.
I continuously study harder and focus on my goals to a greater degree. The environment is fresh; I only knew a few people when I first arrived and the people I knew, I did not have classes with. There are not many distractions for me and learning simpler than before. Also, Amir did not have to worry about receiving his father’s attention now, they were all they both had for a moment. They looked out for each other full-time in America. He did not have to worry about the Russians anymore. The whole ordeal with Hassan still affected him, even though it did not have the same effect on him considering that it happened many years ago.
That memory was still there, it just drifted to the back of his mind. There we less distractions for Amir as well, so he began to strive in America. Not to mention, he started taking a stand for himself. For example, Amir tells Baba that he wants to study writing in college. Baba does not agree with his choice and feels that a writing degree is a waste, however Amir already made up his mind. This is the first time he really took a stand for himself and it really shows how Amir is growing and maturing. As a teenager this was one of the more relatable parts of the book seeing as how I am preparing to become an adult.
During this process I will be compelled to make decisions that I feel will benefit me the best. I have already started doing this for the reason that the summer transitioning into freshman year I chose to attend CCTS and I chose Pre-Engineering as my career field. My parents wanted me to select the Medical Arts or I. T. Shops. They chose those two shops on account that they are lucrative career fields, but I could envision myself sitting behind a computer screen all day, programming websites or sitting in school for 8 to 10 years to become a doctor.
Similar to the way Amir loves writing, I love the aspects of engineering, the science, the math, and the creations engineers can make, I love it all. Even though my parents did not want Pre-Engineering to be my first choice, I chose it due to the fact that it is my future and I knew it would be the best choice for me. Therefore, moving to America was one of the best things to ever happen to him, it turned his life around. “My body was broken-just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later- but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed. Hosseini, 289)” Amir was relieved, he received the beating that he felt he deserved, approximately 30 years ago in 1975.
He was finally being punished for what he had done to Hassan years ago. Hence why he was laughing, he was not becoming crazy. Instead, he was freed from his everlasting guilt, and he was glad to receive a beat down. This is another pivotal moment in the book, it separates the line from Amir being a young man and a grown man. There are distinct differences in the way he handles things in this section of the novel. His most actions allow him to be viewed as bold, determined and content.
The thought of turning his back on his best friend decades back no longer haunts him. People’s opinion on his lifestyle no longer worries him. For instance, when he was conversing with Assef about taking Sohrab he was not frightened at all, he even had a sharp tongue at some points in the conversation. Assef was no longer just an average Pakistani citizen; he was a high ranking Taliban official. When I was reading this part I realized that Amir picked up a portion of Baba’s flare. The way Amir was talking to him could have gotten him killed and he was aware of that, but he did not back down.
He would have thought that he could transform from a cowardice teenager to a grown brave man. He was willing to die for this child just as Hassan was willing to die for him. At the end of the novel when Amir and Sohrab won the kite flying contest it was one of the happiest moments of his life. His mind was finally at rest, he stopped focusing so much on the past and more on the present. In conclusion, In The Kite Runner Amir’s life is difficult he goes through a magnitude of obstacles that the reader would not expect.
As a child, he makes a number of major mistakes and terrible choices. But that’s a part of growing up. Amir learned from his rough past not to make the same mistakes twice. He learned that inner conflict must be confronted. He learned that in this world, everything does not come easy. He learned that intermittently a person has to stand firm what is right, even if everyone is against them. He learned not to take things for granted. All in all, he learned how to fight back. Amir’s bumpy past truly compelled him to appreciate his present day existence.
Without problems people would not appreciate the enjoyable times they have as much or they would not be as memorable. This book has opened my eyes. I have not had a terrible life, although I have definitely had my ups and downs. When I was four I lost my father, it was a difficult time for considering I was young and it seemed as though just as I was learning more about him he was taken from me. “Good night Khalil, I love you and I’ll see you in the morning, now go to bed. ” Those are the last words my dad said to me.
I still become extremely emotional every time I remember them because I went to sleep expecting to wake up with two parents and that was not the case when I woke up. After that night I never took another thing for granted because nothing is guaranteed. I live and savor every second of my life like it is my last because I will never know when it is time for me to inhale my last breath. In addition, when I was eight my mom met my stepdad and he was one of my uncle’s friends. He was cool, except I did not appreciate him much and it was due to the fact he did not have a single quality my dad held.
We realized that our relationship was lacking and instead of creating a larger void and pushing each other away, we worked on improving it. Over time, we eventually became closer, he has helped me to excel in academics and athletics. Even though I did not admire him at first, he is one of the greatest influential people in my life now. It is eight years later and he is preparing to marry my mother, they have two kids together, he is helping me find a college, and most importantly, by teaching me from his mistakes he is helping me to become a man.
