Forever Typing: Use of Fatherhood in “The Kite Runner”

“The Kite Runner” by Kahleed Hosseini has been deemed a ‘big hit’ by Craig Wilson, journalist for USA Today, selling more than 1.4 million copies, and requiring 17 printings at the time the article was printed, April, 2005. Some have called it a “certifiable phenomena for a first-time author in today’s anemic book market” (Singh), others still have said “is about the price of peace, both personal and political” (Hill). Hosseini has already made himself a success with The Kite Runner. Hosseini, in his novel The Kite Runner, illustrates that by being a father, one opens himself to a guilt that can destroy.

In “The Kite Runner” there are many fathers we introduced to : Baba, Rahim Kahn, Ali, and eventually, the narrator, Amir. However, I have to chosen to focus on Baba, Amir’s father and Hassan’s illegitimate father. Baba is a man of his own making, making it very reasonable that he is the cause of his guilt as well. But, as Foster says, “…characters aren’t built like pickup trucks…They’re sketched…” (Literature). Baba is an especially interest character simple because he is so ‘sketchy’. In fact, we know very little about Baba’s emotions throughout the novel. Hosseini demonstrates Baba to be a business person, a man to be respected by his child, the narrator. The fact that narrator is his child is an interesting choice. As evidenced in Foster’s, “How to Read Novels like a Professor”, the voices of a novel often change the way a novel is viewed. Amir’s voice and viewpoint allows us to see how Baba is feeling through a child’s eyes, and even though this view is limited, it allows us to see the world through a child’s eyes first. For example, when Baba is teaching Amir that “there is only one sin...and that is theft”, and then learnin...

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Singh, Amardeep. "The Kite Runner." Lehigh University, 10 Aug. 2005. Web. 8 Nov. 2011. .

Hill, Amelia. "Observer Review: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini | Books | The Observer." Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian. The Observer, 6 Sept. 2003. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. .

Wilson, Craig. "USATODAY.com - 'Kite Runner' Catches the Wind." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. 19 Apr. 2005. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. .