Kite Runner by Khalled Hosseini (2004: published in Canada by Anchor Canada) is about war, lies, treason, cowardice, conscience, friendship, love, religion, traditions and hope. The story began in Afghanistan where main characters were born and raised. The kite is a symbol of freedom, trust and brightness. Self forgiveness holds a notable place in the story. Also, a lot of hard psychological effects are present. The Kite Runner introduces the ordinary reader to the recent history and cultural aspects of Afghanistan through the complex relationships among the engaging characters of the story.
The story began in Afghanistan when piece was part of the everyday life. The main character of the story is Amir who was motherless, and his only family was his father and two Hazara servants – Ali and his son Hassan. Hassan was as old as Amir, and they ended up becoming like brothers, but Amir always felt supremacy because of his ethnic Pashtune origin. On the one hand, Amir grew up in abundance, but on the other hand, he never gained the love from his father. He tried to find a way for closing the gap between him and his father, but he almost always failed. One day, he won in the kite – fighting tournament that gave him a chance to find the way to his father’s heart. That evening, Hassan decided to run that kite for him, but everything ended in tragedy; Hassan was raped. Everything happened in front of Amir’s eyes; he could help him, but he did not because of his egocentric character. After that incident, Amir recognized that he had made a mistake and he sought self – forgiveness. There were a lot of historical changes owing to political facts in Afghanistan that forced Amir to immigrate with his father to the U.S. They experienced new realities of life, such as equality, human rights and freedom. In the U.S., Amir’s dreams were finally realized, and he became a writer. There he found his first love and got married, but he lost his only relative, his father to cancer. Guilt and blame of himself did not allow him to enjoy life properly. One day, Amir received a letter from his best friend Rahim Khan in which Rahim revealed all of the hidden truth. Amir became aware that Hassan was his half brother and that he had been killed with his wife by Talibans. In the letter, he found that his only nephew. Sohrab was living in an orphanage in Afghanistan, so he decided to journey to his homeland and bring Sohrab back to the U.S. In Afghanistan, he learned that Sohrab was in the hands of a Taliban’s leader - Assef who was a pedophile that sexually exploited Sohrab. Amir decided to confront the Taliban leader to rescue Sohrab and he succeeded in doing so. After some immigration problems, they eventually managed to return to the U.S. Due to past experiences, the child became reluctant to communicate. On a spring day, the family decided to go outdoors; during the outing trip, they came across a group of kites. Amir recalled the time when he won the kite running contest, and Hassan ran the kite for him; therefore, Amir took a kite and ran it again. Amir won again. When he ran the kite, he felt that Sohrab had finally smiled to him for the first time since he was in the U.S. This smile gave Amir a sensation of freedom and a feeling of self-forgiveness.
The recent history, of Afghanistan involved almost everybody in the world one way or another. The beginning of the war changed everything in Afghanistan such as people’s life style, the economic situation and international relations. The year 1976 was the last year of happiness and peace. The Russian soldiers brought nothing, but helplessness with them, and ruin, and savagery followed. In addition lack of trust among people became a part of life. Many Afghans left their homeland in 1981. People felt powerless because of the unstable situation. Also, Uncertainty among the people became a reality of life. Between 1992 and 1996, Northern Alliance took over Kabul and this situation brought more confusion among the population than before. People revealed the fact that they needed to get a visa to move from one neighborhood to the other. Unbelievable bloodshed was done by snipers and rockets. In 1996, the Taliban came to Kabul. People were celebrating on the streets in the hope that they would bring well being, but their arrival only brought temporary hope and happiness. The virtual happiness disappeared after a short time.
The culture of the Afghan people dominates throughout the story. Mutual respect is the most important part of Afghan culture. Usually, children asked permission from their parents to get married. Out of respect for the adults, children followed the old traditions such as engagement and wedding. According to the story, the relationship among the Afghan families is complicated. The reader can find some interesting facts in the Kite Runner such as the relationship of a couple before a wedding. For example: Soraya and Amir never went out alone together. Another interesting fact in the story is that the man is in charge of the family and the woman does not have a lot of rights. For instance: Khanum Taheri – Soraya’s mother had a good singing voice, but General, her husband, never allowed her to sing in public. Moreover, she wanted to dedicate one song to her daughter, at the wedding, but General gave her one of his looks and her desire immediately disappeared. Hospitality of Afghans can also impress the reader. When Amir arrived in Jalalabad, his driver Farid decided to stay for the night in his brother’s house. The family’s hospitality towards the guest was perceived in every word and every movement of the house owners. Amir was a stranger for them, but they shared with him the food that was prepared for the children; consequently, the children remained hungry.
In the Kite Runner, the reader is faced with different rather engaging main characters. People are not born egocentric; they become egocentric because of outside influences. Baba Amir’s father has a lot of reasons such as ethnic priorities, wealth, high social status and power to be egocentric; moreover, he lost his wife when his son was born and stayed for along time without warmth and love. He educated Amir in the same manner. On the one hand, he gave him “everything” such as education and abundance; on the other hand, he kept his distance and didn’t give Amir the most important thing, love. Once Baba explaind to Amir what is the meaning of the word “steal”: “When you kill man, you steal a life. You steal his wife’s right to husband, rob the children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth… There is no act more wretched than stealing.” Personally, Baba didn’t teach to him a lot, but failed to follow what he did teach himself because he lied to him and stole Amir’s right to the truth. He never told Amir that Hassan was his half brother because he was as much of a coward and an egocentric as his son. Moreover, he was a cruel person because he lied to his best friend Ali as well, so under what principles did he act? What principles does the reader need to believe when this person, on the one hand, built an orphanage and on the other, he preferred one son over the other. Also, Amir was a very egocentric person as well. He did not even care for the fact that his close friend Hassan was raped. There is no doubt, that Amir is as guilty as Assef who executed this improper act. The reader cannot ignore the graceful and charming characters such as Hassan, Ali and Rahim khan. Hassan knew that Amir was present when this terrible incident happened; nevertheless, he was ready to forgive him because he loved him. Ali served Amir’s family with loyalty all of his life and loved both of the boys equally. Rahim Khan was the only person among Amir’s father friends who paid attention to him and talked to him in the same level. Rahim was the person who helped Amir to believe in himself and gave him a feeling of self – forgiveness. He gave Amir the power and courage to rescue Sohrab from the Taliban leader.
Ethnic differences are a big problem which causes meaningless hatred among adults, and it passes like an inheritance to the next generations. Most of Pashtuns felt that they were more important than the others and that they have the power to omit / defame the others. Inequality is a concept that Afghans do not spend a lot of time understanding because it didn’t bother them. It is an appalling fact that ethnic differences exist among the friends and a majority is ashamed of making such friendships obvious in public. According to the story, prejudice always was and always will exist as a strong trait among the Afghan people and is hard to exterminate.
The story began in Afghanistan when piece was part of the everyday life. The main character of the story is Amir who was motherless, and his only family was his father and two Hazara servants – Ali and his son Hassan. Hassan was as old as Amir, and they ended up becoming like brothers, but Amir always felt supremacy because of his ethnic Pashtune origin. On the one hand, Amir grew up in abundance, but on the other hand, he never gained the love from his father. He tried to find a way for closing the gap between him and his father, but he almost always failed. One day, he won in the kite – fighting tournament that gave him a chance to find the way to his father’s heart. That evening, Hassan decided to run that kite for him, but everything ended in tragedy; Hassan was raped. Everything happened in front of Amir’s eyes; he could help him, but he did not because of his egocentric character. After that incident, Amir recognized that he had made a mistake and he sought self – forgiveness. There were a lot of historical changes owing to political facts in Afghanistan that forced Amir to immigrate with his father to the U.S. They experienced new realities of life, such as equality, human rights and freedom. In the U.S., Amir’s dreams were finally realized, and he became a writer. There he found his first love and got married, but he lost his only relative, his father to cancer. Guilt and blame of himself did not allow him to enjoy life properly. One day, Amir received a letter from his best friend Rahim Khan in which Rahim revealed all of the hidden truth. Amir became aware that Hassan was his half brother and that he had been killed with his wife by Talibans. In the letter, he found that his only nephew. Sohrab was living in an orphanage in Afghanistan, so he decided to journey to his homeland and bring Sohrab back to the U.S. In Afghanistan, he learned that Sohrab was in the hands of a Taliban’s leader - Assef who was a pedophile that sexually exploited Sohrab. Amir decided to confront the Taliban leader to rescue Sohrab and he succeeded in doing so. After some immigration problems, they eventually managed to return to the U.S. Due to past experiences, the child became reluctant to communicate. On a spring day, the family decided to go outdoors; during the outing trip, they came across a group of kites. Amir recalled the time when he won the kite running contest, and Hassan ran the kite for him; therefore, Amir took a kite and ran it again. Amir won again. When he ran the kite, he felt that Sohrab had finally smiled to him for the first time since he was in the U.S. This smile gave Amir a sensation of freedom and a feeling of self-forgiveness.
The recent history, of Afghanistan involved almost everybody in the world one way or another. The beginning of the war changed everything in Afghanistan such as people’s life style, the economic situation and international relations. The year 1976 was the last year of happiness and peace. The Russian soldiers brought nothing, but helplessness with them, and ruin, and savagery followed. In addition lack of trust among people became a part of life. Many Afghans left their homeland in 1981. People felt powerless because of the unstable situation. Also, Uncertainty among the people became a reality of life. Between 1992 and 1996, Northern Alliance took over Kabul and this situation brought more confusion among the population than before. People revealed the fact that they needed to get a visa to move from one neighborhood to the other. Unbelievable bloodshed was done by snipers and rockets. In 1996, the Taliban came to Kabul. People were celebrating on the streets in the hope that they would bring well being, but their arrival only brought temporary hope and happiness. The virtual happiness disappeared after a short time.
The culture of the Afghan people dominates throughout the story. Mutual respect is the most important part of Afghan culture. Usually, children asked permission from their parents to get married. Out of respect for the adults, children followed the old traditions such as engagement and wedding. According to the story, the relationship among the Afghan families is complicated. The reader can find some interesting facts in the Kite Runner such as the relationship of a couple before a wedding. For example: Soraya and Amir never went out alone together. Another interesting fact in the story is that the man is in charge of the family and the woman does not have a lot of rights. For instance: Khanum Taheri – Soraya’s mother had a good singing voice, but General, her husband, never allowed her to sing in public. Moreover, she wanted to dedicate one song to her daughter, at the wedding, but General gave her one of his looks and her desire immediately disappeared. Hospitality of Afghans can also impress the reader. When Amir arrived in Jalalabad, his driver Farid decided to stay for the night in his brother’s house. The family’s hospitality towards the guest was perceived in every word and every movement of the house owners. Amir was a stranger for them, but they shared with him the food that was prepared for the children; consequently, the children remained hungry.
In the Kite Runner, the reader is faced with different rather engaging main characters. People are not born egocentric; they become egocentric because of outside influences. Baba Amir’s father has a lot of reasons such as ethnic priorities, wealth, high social status and power to be egocentric; moreover, he lost his wife when his son was born and stayed for along time without warmth and love. He educated Amir in the same manner. On the one hand, he gave him “everything” such as education and abundance; on the other hand, he kept his distance and didn’t give Amir the most important thing, love. Once Baba explaind to Amir what is the meaning of the word “steal”: “When you kill man, you steal a life. You steal his wife’s right to husband, rob the children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth… There is no act more wretched than stealing.” Personally, Baba didn’t teach to him a lot, but failed to follow what he did teach himself because he lied to him and stole Amir’s right to the truth. He never told Amir that Hassan was his half brother because he was as much of a coward and an egocentric as his son. Moreover, he was a cruel person because he lied to his best friend Ali as well, so under what principles did he act? What principles does the reader need to believe when this person, on the one hand, built an orphanage and on the other, he preferred one son over the other. Also, Amir was a very egocentric person as well. He did not even care for the fact that his close friend Hassan was raped. There is no doubt, that Amir is as guilty as Assef who executed this improper act. The reader cannot ignore the graceful and charming characters such as Hassan, Ali and Rahim khan. Hassan knew that Amir was present when this terrible incident happened; nevertheless, he was ready to forgive him because he loved him. Ali served Amir’s family with loyalty all of his life and loved both of the boys equally. Rahim Khan was the only person among Amir’s father friends who paid attention to him and talked to him in the same level. Rahim was the person who helped Amir to believe in himself and gave him a feeling of self – forgiveness. He gave Amir the power and courage to rescue Sohrab from the Taliban leader.
Ethnic differences are a big problem which causes meaningless hatred among adults, and it passes like an inheritance to the next generations. Most of Pashtuns felt that they were more important than the others and that they have the power to omit / defame the others. Inequality is a concept that Afghans do not spend a lot of time understanding because it didn’t bother them. It is an appalling fact that ethnic differences exist among the friends and a majority is ashamed of making such friendships obvious in public. According to the story, prejudice always was and always will exist as a strong trait among the Afghan people and is hard to exterminate.
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