The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Book Report/Review Example

 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner is an Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini’s first novel. The novel was published in the year 2003 by Riverhead books. The Kite Runner tells the story of a young boy named Amir whose origin is Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul. Amir’s closest friend is Hassan who is his father’s youngest Hazara servant. The story is based on the fall of the Afghanistan’s monarchy through military intervention, the rise of Taliban regime and flux of refugees from Afghanistan to Pakistan and the United States. The story can be considered as a father-son narration thatemphasizes on the theme of guilt and redemption showing Amir’s failure to prevent violence against Hassan. The other half of the book talks about Amir’s transgression to rescuing Hassan’s son several decades later. The Kite Runner was the bestseller for the New York Times for more than two years. The story line of this book goes around friendship, cruelty, redemption, survival and longing for acceptance. Thus, it is a highly recommended book, especially for the book clubs since it is a book of culture. Plot summary The plot of the kite runner can be analyzed into three parts. Part 1 Hassan, a Hazara and a servant to Amir’s father the son to Ali, and Amir a well-to-do Pashtun boy spend most of their time kite fighting in the city of Kabul. Hassan is a better kite runner than Amir since he is able to predict where the kite would land without literally looking at it. On the other hand, Amir’s father is a wealthy badger who passionately loves both boys but looks down upon Amir since he considers him weak. He also considers Amir to be lacking courage or rather he is timid. However, Amir finds fatherly love in Rahim Khan, Baba’s closest friend. Baba was a name that Amir used to refer to his father. Rahim Khan understands and appreciatesAmir’s interest in writing thus he offers his full support. Moreover, the book’s setting considers Hazara as an inferior race thus Assef, a violent and rather notorious boy criticizes Amir for socializing with a Hazara, Hassan. Assef plots to attack Amir with brass knuckles, but Hassan comes to his rescue. Hassan defends Amir by threatening to shoot Assef’s eyes using a slingshot. This treat worked for the advantage of Amir and Hassan because assef backed off though he still plotted revenge against them. On a certain day, Amir won Baba’s praise when he won the kite fight. Hassan runs for the last cut kite saying to Amir, “for you, a thousand times.” On the process of finding the kite, Hassan meets Assef in an alleyway. Assef harasses him by beating him and eventually raping him since Hassan was unwilling to give up the kite to him. The key agenda in not giving up the kite was for the maintenance of his status as a brave boy. His willing to protect his image results in guilt since he understood that his cowardice would deprive him Baba’s affection, so he decides not to say a word about the incident. Amir witnessed the fight but did not come to Hassan’s rescue thus he keeps distant from Hassan due to the guilt. Furthermore, Amir realizes that life without Hassan is easier since he get Baba’s undivided attention so he begins to plot against Hassan. So he plants some money and a watch under Hassan’s bed with the hope that Baba would make him leave. Hassan however does not defend his innocence when confronted by Baba, so he falsely confesses. Baba was forced to bend his belief that "there is no act more wretched than stealing", so he goes forth and forgives Hassan. Sorrow creeps into Baba’s heart because Ali and Hassan left anyway. Amir is liberated from the daily memory of his cowardice and betrayal, but he still lives a lie. He livesunder the shadow of his own deceit. Part 2 In the year 1979 which is five years after Ali and Hassan left, the Soviet Union militarily intervenes in Afghanistan. This intervention forced Amir and Baba to escape to Peshawar, Pakistan and then later to Fremont, California where they lived in a rundown apartment. Their individual lives resume the norm when Baba got a job in the gas station. On the other hand, Amir takes classes from a local community college after graduating from high school, so as to develop his writing skills. They however made a living through the sale of used goods in a market at San Jose and it is here that Amir meets his fellow refugees, Soraya Taheri and her family. Baba however is diagnosed with terminal cancer but grantsAmir one last favor. He asks Soraya’s father to allow Amir to marry her daughter, the father accepts, the two marry then Baba dies thereafter. The marriage was invaded by sorrow at the realization that they cannot conceive. Amir works on his career as a novelist. Fifteen years later, Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan who offers a solution to his problem by asking him to return to Peshawar. Amir accepts and goes. Part 3 Amir’s return to Peshawar revealed so many secrets. Rahim Khan revealed to Amir that Ali was killed by a land mine. Hassan and his wife were also killed when Hassan declined the Taliban’s confiscation of Baba’s house in Kabul. He also reveals that Hassan was Baba’s son, so he was Amir’s half-brother. Furthermore, Amir was called to Peshawar for a rescue mission and not solving his sterility problem. They were to rescue Hassan’s son from an orphanage. Amir in the company of Farid, an afghan taxi driver and a veteran of the war with the soviets, launched Sohrab’s search. A Taliban official occasionally takes girls from the orphanage and a time boys were taken. RecentlySohrab was taken but the orphanage director directs Amir and his team on how to find the official. Farid deceitfully succeeds to book an appointment with the Taliban official, by claiming that he has personal business with him. Sohrab was sexually abused and force to dance dressed in women’s clothes. The Taliban official turns out to be Assef who asks to relinquish Sohrab in exchange with thoroughly beating Amir. The beating was interrupted by Sohrab who shoots Assef’s left eye with his slingshot and thus fulfilling his father’s threat. Amir informs Sohrab of his plan to take him to the United States, but he was forced to temporarily break this promise since the relevant authorities insisted on the completion of paperwork before migration into the United States. Amir eventually manages to take Sohrab to the United States and adopts him. However, Sohrab refuses to associate with both Amir and Soraya unless he is shown Hassan’s kite tricks. Eventually, Sohrab gives a lopsided smile, but Amirembraces it whole heartedly as he runs the kite for Sohrab saying, "For you, a thousand times over." Characters Amir – he is the protagonist in the novel. He is regarded as a coward since he fails to come to the rescue of his friend Hassan. He was born in a Pashtun family in 1963 and his mother dies while giving birth. He enjoysstorytelling, an art that was appreciated and supported by Rahim Khan. At the age of 18, he and his father flee to the United States to escape the war back home. In the United States he pursues his dream. Hassan – a Hazara, China doll faced withgreen eyes, and harelips is his perfect description. He was Amir’s closest friend since childhood. He also turns out to be Baba’s son although Hassan never discovered this during his life time. Therefore, he is a Pashtun and not a Hazara as a result of his actual parentage. However he later dies under the Taliban rule when he refuses to give up Amir’s property. Assef – he is the antagonist in the novel. He is born of an afghan father and a German mother. He also advocates for Pashtun dominance over Hazara. Assef has been notorious all his life; he rapes Hassan as a kid and sexually abuses Sohrab as an adult. Baba – a wealthy businessman, he is Amir’s father. He also turns out to be Hassan’s father. This fact however remains hidden among his children. He also tends to prefer Hassan to Amir. In his later years he works at a gas station after fleeing to America. He later dies of cancer in 1987 after Soraya and Amir’s wedding. Ali – He is Baba’s servant and Hazara who is believed to be Hassan’s father. He was adopted by Baba’s father after a drunk driver ran over his parents. Before the period in which the novel was set, Ali was struck by polio paralyzing his right leg and this makes his vulnerable to torment by children on the street. Ali later dies from an explosion by a land mine in Hazarajat. Rahim Khan – Baba’s best friend and business partner. He was also Amir’s mentor since he supported Amir’s writing. Rahim Khan later dies peacefully after informing Amir that Hassan was his half-brother and he should save Sohrab. Soraya – an afghan woman thatAmirmeets and marries in the United States of America. Before meeting Amir, she had run away to Virginia with an afghan boyfriend. This therefore renders her unfit for marriage according to the afghan tradition. Amir loves and marries her because his past was not perfect either. Sohrab – he is Hassan’s son who is sent to the orphanage after his parents died. Assef buys him from the orphanage and abuses him sexually and makes him dance dressed in women’s clothes. He also accomplishes his father’s treat to Assef by shooting his left eye. He slowly adjusts to his new life in the United States of America and develops into an exact copy of his father. Farid – he is an afghan taxi driver who helpsAmir on his quest to rescue Sohrab. Farid was initially abrasive towardsAmir but he later befriends him. Farid had seven children of which two were killed by a land mine. After spending a night with Farid’s brother impoverished family, Amirhides a bundle of money under the mattress to help them. Themes The novel addresses various themes which include: theme of friendship, guilt, betrayal, redemption and the uneasy love between father and son. This themes are however universal since they are not limited to the Afghans only. Therefore, the book cuts across all ages, cultural believe, religiousbelieves racial distinctions and gender gaps. TheKite Runner therefore is a novel that is favorable to people of all backgrounds thus making it a popular novel. Therefore this review focuses on the general plot and characters. How Islam is portrayed in the novel All characters in the novel are Muslims but they defy Muslim stereotype since the author is not focusing on the role of Islam in the world but it is rather a family story. The novel describes an Islamic family as one in which a son redeems himself in the sight of his father through bravery. We therefore see that Amir’s quest to redeem himself in Baba’s eyes is greeted by a harsh ending since it results into deterioration of Baba’s family. The novel also portrays an Islamic family as being secretive since Baba’s never owns up that he is Hassan’s father throughout his life time. On the other hand Sohrab goes through a difficult time getting over his parent’s death because of the strong family ties that they were bound in. In addition, bravery as a determinant of a father’s love for a son results in Hassan’s rape since he did not want to stain his image so he tried to resist giving up the kite to Assef. Forgiveness is also a key virtue in an Islamic family since Baba defies his own principals that regards theft as the worst crime, his goes forth and forgive Hassan even though Hassan was implicated and he falsely confesses. Islamic families are also portrayed as being hospitable since Baba offers Ali accommodation after his parent died and Amir also does the same to Sohrab. Work Cited Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York. Riverhead Books. 2003. Print Read More