The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Research Paper Example

The “Kite Runner” (2003) by Khaled Hosseini provides an insight into the turbulent life of an Afghani immigrant citing the central protagonist Amir and Hassan’s journey from Afghanistan to America. Whilst providing an engaging narrative, some commentators have posited that through the book, one of Hosseini’s overriding purposes is to provide a socio-political commentary on the instability in Afghanistan through the presentation of complex cultural norms. Alternatively, is submitted that whilst the cultural references and importance of representing the turbulence in Afghanistan and the American immigrant experience cannot be ignored, the often secular narrative of the book is precisely what resonates with the reader, who can relate to the central issues dealt with in the book. In particular, the references to guilt and redemption which is the focus of this analysis. Indeed, Hayes comments that “perhaps one thing that surprised me is how much the Kite Runner speaks to all people in much the same way in their deepest needs to deal with their pain and guilt, to find forgiveness, and to do something good or significant with their lives” (Hayes, 2006 p.2). Additionally, Hayes highlights the point that “The Kite Runner is both a quick-read page turner and a powerful novel that makes a lasting impression and lends itself to hours of thought, self reflection and thought” (p.3). To this end, it is arguable that the rise and pain of loss of Hassan and Amir’s relationship symbolises the transformation and ultimate downfall of Afghanistan. Moreover, the Kite Runner charts the loss of innocence, the burden of living with guilt and the need for redemption as symbolised through Amir’s character development after his betrayal of Hassan (Hayes, 2006, p.2). This is further highlighted by Amir’s reflection “If this was one of the Hindi movies Hassan and I used to watch, this was the part where I’d run outside….. But this was no Hindi movie, I was sorry, but I didn’t cry and I didn’t chase the car. I watched Baba’s car pull away from the curb taking with it the person whose first spoken word had been my name” (pp.94-95). This in turn presses the point made in the opening line of the book where Amir asserts “I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975” (p.1). This statement is the catalyst for his journey of guilt in the novel as everything is moves towards the tragedy of Hassan’s rape. The opening sentence is tinged with guilt and engages the reader by creating tension through the narrative. The severity of Amir’s actions culminates in his guilt, which is further highlighted by the juxtaposition of the victory of the kite event, which is followed by Hassan’s rape. In the morning, the sky is ironically described as a “blameless blue” and after the event Amir finally seeks the approval of his father “I saw Baba on our roof. He was standing on the edge, pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing Baba on the roof, proud of me at last” (p.58). This further refers to the tension between Amir and his father, which in turn subliminally relates to Baba’s guilt regarding the social disparity between Amir and Hassan who are half brothers. Indeed, the cultural taboos regarding Hassan’s heritage as a “Hazara” symbolises Baba’s guilt regarding his affair and betrayal of Ali, which in turn divides Hassan and Amir in terms of their social status within the Afghani class hierarchy along with the associated advantages attained by class and status. Whilst Amir goes to school, Hassan is his servant and this guilt of Baba’s permeates his relationship with Amir as from a social perspective he cannot treat Hassan in the same manner. The irony of Hassan’s true heritage and relationship to Amir comes to the fore when Amir explains that “I never thought of Hassan as friend either. Because history isn’t easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing”. Amir’s resentment under this uneasy relationship is underpinned by the comment that “Baba would buy us each three identical kites and spools of glass string. If I changed my mind, Baba would buy it for me- but then he’d buy it for Hassan too. Sometimes I wish he wouldn’t do that. Wished he’d let me be the favourite” (pp44-45). In contrast, the kite tournament validates him in his father’s eyes however Amir’s utopia is further undermined by his anticipation of his welcome from Hassan: “As he searched for Hassan, he anticipated his hero’s welcome when he returned. He thought no further. Then the old warrior would walk to the young one, embrace, him, acknowledge his worthiness. Vindication. Salvation. Redemption. And then? Well….happily ever after, of course. What else? (The Kite Runner, 59). The sense of foreboding and the contradiction of this false utopia are heightened by the guilt of Amir who secretly witnesses the rape of his friend. Hosseini drives tension into the narrative through Amir’s desperate search for Hassan. Indeed, Hayes posits that “even the kite itself can be seen as a metaphor for the journey, an attempt to flee while staying helplessly rooted in one place” (Hayes, 2006: p.13). This further provides an indication of what is to come. The pain and redemption required by the events that follow is at the core of Amir’s soul throughout the story and all the more poignant when he refers to the caught moment in the race when “the breeze rustled his light brown hair. He looked up to me and we smiled at each other” (p.58). The use of the Kite as a symbol of Amir’s guilt cleverly provides a microcosm of Afghanistan’s culture as kite flying is traditionally an Afghani pastime and symbolises its history, pride and religion simultaneously (Hayes, 2006, p.24). The central goal of Afghani kite flying tournaments is to cut all strings of the other kites so that the winner’s kite flies alone. As such, Amir’s win suggests a sacrifice to gain parental approval, which culminates in him cutting ties with Hassan and flying alone in life. The end of innocence in Amir’s life as a child and the guilt of his secret when Amir reflects: “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 – the way he’d stood up for me all those times in the past – and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end I ran (p.68). The departure of Hassan represents the fruit of Baba’s guilt in terms of the affair and betrayal of Ali, which mirrors Amir’s betrayal of Hassan. This event changes the dynamic in both Amir and Baba’s relationship as they are forced to flee Afghanistan and become dependent on each other as immigrants in America. Ironically, when Amir meets Soraya and marries, the reference to Soraya’s past highlights the cultural predicament of women in the Afghani community. However, it simultaneously correlates to Amir’s continuing guilt and need for redemption when he comments to himself about the hypocrisy of not forgiving Soraya for her past in light of his own betrayal of Hassan in Afghanistan. As Amir’s journey progresses, Baba becomes more dependent on Amir and Soraya and when he dies, there is a distinct sense of loss and when Amir reflects: “My whole life, I had been “Baba’s son”. Now he was gone. Baba couldn’t show me the way anymore; I’d have to find it on my own (the Kite Runner, 152). This need for redemption is catalysed by Rahim Khan’s revelations regarding Hassan’s heritage and real relationship with Amir, which underlines the entrenched cultural taboos that divided the brother when Rahim comments that “all that a man had back then, all that he was, was his honour, his name, and if people talked” (p.195). The irony of the upheld concept of honour in Afghan society further masks the guilt of the central protagonists in the Kite Runner, who are forced to live with their guilt to comply with societal and cultural norms. The death of Baba presses both Amir and Rahim’s need for redemption, when he presses upon Amir to go to Afghanistan and tells him there is a way to be good again. To this end, Hayes argues that this trip is inevitable as his journey “is not complete, however until it goes full circle. He must make the journey to America, back to Afghanistan, and back to his new life in America before he can finally believe that the events of this day are beginning to be resolved” (Hayes, 2006, p.13). However, even when Amir goes back and after the struggle of adopting Sohrab comes to a head, Hosseini prolongs Amir’s guilt through Sohrab’s silence and Hassan’s death, thereby leaving Amir with the absence of complete redemption. In conclusion, it is submitted that the Kite Runner clearly provides a microcosm for Afghani socio-cultural norms. Moreover, through the interrelationship of the central characters’ guilt and fragmentation of the characters lives from a proud people to displaced immigrants; to a degree, the story provides an allegory for the rise and fall of Afghanistan. Nevertheless the overall beauty of the Kite Runner is the ability to use the correlation between pain, guilt and redemption to force the reader to reflect on their own experiences notwithstanding the cultural and religious differences of the central characters in the Kite Runner. The circularity of the kite further relates to the self in terms of our constant quest for redemption from as highlighted from the denouement of the book with the reference to running where Amir runs: “I turned and ran. It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn’t make everything alright….. but I’ll take it. With open arms….I ran. A grown man running with a swarm of children. But I didn’t care…. I ran” (p.324). 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