The Kite Runner
Diana Chung
Edited Date: May 25, 2007
Finished Date: May 27, 2007
“And happily ever after” is what everyone wants. In order to gain a happy and satisfactory life, people deal with challenges and tragedies throughout their lives. In The Kite Runner (2003), Khalid Hosseini tells the story of Amir who experiences both family and social challenges until he finds peace in his life. The story of what he does and how he seeks and finds satisfaction in life is a lesson for everyone who wants to find a way to be good again. As Hosseini shows in this novel, the process of becoming an adult and adapting to the reality of the world has always been a complex journey, and different types of relationships among people are the most important components of life as they sometimes negatively affect people’s behaviours, yet assist in developing abilities to understand others affectionately. The father-son relationship, friendship, and social structure are the salient themes portrayed more significantly in the novel The Kite Runner.
The novel is told by Amir, one of the main characters, who is an Afghan living in Fremont California flashing back his childhood in Kabul in the 1970s. He and his Hazara servant, Hasaan, spend many hours together, Amir reading stories to Hasaan, and Hasaan respecting and supporting Amir’s talent. However, Amir’s love for literature bothers Baba, his father, who tries to make his son more like himself – active and courageous. Nevertheless, Amir continues to show his love for literature and eventually composes his own stories and still reaches for Baba’s love. Amir’s journey to seek Baba’s love is in relation to the death of his mother; Amir thinks Baba holds him responsible for his wife’s death. Later, Amir gains attention from Baba by becoming the winning a kite competition. He also starts struggling with conflicting emotions, having watched Hassan being physically and verbally abused by Assef, a neighbourhood bully. Amir realizes that he has betrayed and disrespected Hasaan after he and Baba move to the U.S. after the Russian invasion to Afghanistan. There, he lives in a small apartment with Baba and makes extra money selling used goods at a flea market where he meets his future wife Soraya. Years later, Amir embarks on a successful career as a novelist and goes to Pakistan after receiving a letter from Rahim Khan, a former business partner of his father’s, who cheers Amir by saying “there is a way to be good again.” From Rahim Khan, Amir learns that Hasaan and his wife were killed by the Taliban and that Hasaan was actually his hidden half-brother. Despite his anger at having been deceived all his life by Baba who had taught him that lying is the greatest sin, Amir accepts Khan’s request to go to Kabul to search for Hasaan’s son, Sohrab. Baba’s dishonesty scars Amir, for his father always reminded him to be good, free of sin, but Baba himself had lied to his own son. It is at Assef’s house, now a Taliban leader, where Amir finds Sohrab and is injured by Assef though he feels a catharsis for the wrongs he had done to Hasaan twenty-six years before. After escaping back to Pakistan and recovering from injuries, Amir offers to adopt Sohrab and return to America. The story ends with the scene where he runs the kite for Sohrab showing that Amir indeed is the real kite runner.
As all parent-children relationships are not always peaceful, Baba and Amir in The Kite Runner also deal with both difficulties and pleasant experiences of father-son relationships. Baba and Amir’s troubled relationship begins in Afghanistan where there is lack of communication between them. This leads Amir to wonder and worry about Baba’s thoughts simply because of Baba’s silence; for example, when Amir tells Baba that he wrote his own story, Baba simply nods and gives a thin smile: “ ‘well, that’s very good, isn’t it?’ he said. Then nothing more” (33). Since there is no frequent communication, there are obvious signs of lack of expression of love. Consequently, Amir is insecure and afraid of Baba which also causes Amir to feel the absence of his father. For example, water running in Baba’s bathroom demonstrates that Amir is aware of Baba’s physical existence but is isolated from Baba; therefore, Amir longs for love and comfort. As a result, Amir tries to communicate through secret glances during the kite competition. Amir keeps “stealing glances at Baba on the roof, [wondering] what he was thinking. Was he cheering for [him]? Or did a part of him enjoy watching [him] fail?”
( ). Baba on the roof symbolizes high figure and also represents the big gap between Amir and Baba, for Amir is on the ground and Baba is high up on the top of the roof. Baba’s expectations of his disappointment with his son also contribute to the unmerciful father-son relationships. Baba demands Amir to play like a boy and be courageous as he was in his childhood; however, Amir disappoints Baba by enjoying reading and writing. Baba does not appreciate Amir’s “non-boyish talent”, for “he’s always buried in those books or shuffling around the houses like he’s lost in some dream” (23). Baba is so disappointed that he mentions to Rahim Khan that he cannot even believe Amir is his own son: “If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my own son” (25). Although buried in Baba’s criticisms, later, Amir earns Baba’s love. He wins the kite competition which makes Baba feel proud of his own son. Amir’s feels reassured as soon as he sees Baba hollering and clapping for him which is the “single greatest moment of [his] twelve years of life” ( ).
Father-son relationship changes in the U.S. as Amir grows older. In a role reversal, Amir becomes a guardian of Baba who suffers from culture shock. Such incidents include the misunderstanding at a Vietnamese couple’s store. When Baba is asked for license (ID) for cheque, Baba in shock replies “What kind of country is this? No one trusts anybody” (135). Baba dirtied the store by throwing oranges, jar of beef jerky, and glasses on the floor. Amir, who now takes care of Baba, apologizes to the store owners and pays for the damage. Since Baba is insecure about living in a foreign country, Amir comforts Baba by suggesting going back to Peshawar. Baba’s show of love towards Amir is an indication that their relationship has improved. This is evident when Baba says “besides I didn’t bring us here for me, did I?” (137). He also supports Amir going to college and writing stories, the one thing he loves the most. He is now proud of Amir – the fact that Baba puts his hands on Amir’s definitely shows love and comfort Amir had always longed for in his childhood.
The bond between Amir and Hasaan stronger than piece of solid metal as it is the true friendship that brings them together. Despite their master-servant relationship, it is Hasaan who is Amir’s mentor mostly because he taught Amir how to be confident. The monster in the lake from Amir’s dream symbolizes fear of failure, fear of Baba, and his need to be loved. These feelings almost lead Amir to withdraw from the kite competition but Hasaan strongly convinced him that there is no monster. Hasaan comforts Amir’s nervous mind with a smile and a soft voice: “Remember, Amir Agha. There’s no monster, just a beautiful day” ( ). Another way Amir gains confidence is by the respect Hasaan has for his literary talent. Hasaan offers to listen to Amir’s story even in early morning and always mentions that he “will be a great writer” (36). In addition, faith acts as the most important ‘glue’ that bonds Amir and Hasaan together. Hasaan’s loyalty is shown through the sacrifice of himself for Amir – “For you a thousand times over,” he says, before Hasaan further sacrifices himself in the dark alley. He is bullied by Assef and other neighbourhood upper-class boys, but he does not lose his loyalty to Amir: “Amir Agha won this tournament…this is his kite” (77). The kite Hasaan brings back benefit Amir for being acknowledged by Baba but also leaves an impression of Hasaan as a “sacrificial lamb”.
Hosseini also emphasizes the presence of inhumanity and class differences in Afghanistan through his characters. Man’s inhumanity to man still exists in many parts of the world, especially Afghanistan where people are continuously tortured simply because of their ethnic background. Assef bullies Hasaan, a Hazara lower-class boy, physically and verbally that leaves a deep scar in Hasaan’s heart. Through being inhumane, people seek for power and strength. They commit unacceptable sins such as killing the innocent and taking away their freedom similar to the atrocities of the Taliban. Social class is another indication of unfair society of Afghanistan. The story describes two main social positions – the minority Hazara (slaves) and the majority Pashtuns that Amir and Baba belong to. The victims are the Hazaras who are not considered human but more like animals. Others speak of Hazaras as if they are less worthy and do not belong to Afghan society. For example, the general, Amir’s father-in-law refers to Sohrab as “The Hazara boy” in a humiliating manner. Also, Amir did not help Hasaan when bullied by Assef for the reason that he was a Hazara. Amir was confused whether he had to treat Hasaan as a friend or a servant. The abuse of power is also evident in the story; for instance, the Talibans torture innocent citizens, for they are less powerful then themselves. They treat others as slaves and use them as objects to meet their needs and gain personal satisfaction.
Everyone’s journey of life is different; however, Amir’s path is unique in that involved struggles of father-son relationship, friendship, and the inhumanity of the society. Amir is a dynamic character since his behaviour changes through the course of time, from childhood in Afghanistan to adulthood in the U.S. Amir as a boy seeks for love and comfort from his dad and struggles to maintain his friendship with his servant, yet at the same time influenced by the way Afghan society is structured. In the U.S., Amir learns to peacefully handle the relationship with his father through a role reversal. He also uncovers the truth about Hasaan and himself which guides him to be “good again” and to pay for the wrong he did to Hasaan almost three decades ago. After all, Amir indeed is the true kite runner who “became what [he is] today at the age of twelve, on a frigid, overcast day in the winter of 1975” ( ).
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