Shanelle Da Costa Ms. Fearon ENG-3U1.3 May 21, 2024 Diverging Destinies in The Kite Runner Maya Angelou, an American memoirist, civil rights activist, and poet once said, “Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.” In The Kite Runner, many problems stem from prejudice and discrimination. These unaddressed issues enlarge and begin destroying relationships, lives, and entire countries. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini follows the story of Amir, an Afghani boy who struggles to embrace adulthood because of childhood trauma and guilt. Although disturbing, the well-being of the two main characters is determined at birth primarily due to their lineage. The stark contrast between Amir, a wealthy upper-class Pashtun, and Hassan, a poor Hazara servant, not only represents the deep divisions in …show more content…
When the Soviets invade Afghanistan, Baba and Amir have the funds to be able to flee to America. Amir survives in Fremont, California because of Baba’s hardworking mentality and discipline. Despite being rich, Baba set his ego aside and worked at a gas station. Through persistence and grit, Baba saved enough money to send Amir to college. “My cheeks burned and guilt coursed through me, the guilt of indulging myself at the expense of his ulcer, his black fingernails. But I would stand my ground, I decided. I didn't want to sacrifice for Baba anymore” (Hosseini 142). Amir is in a place of privilege, he is studying in college in America after formerly being in a war-torn country with no future. By simply being in a first-world country and getting an education, Amir has many opportunities for success. Being an esteemed author is much easier in America compared to Afghanistan. Secondly, Hassan's life takes a turn for the worse. When Amir is reunited with Rahim Khan in Peshawar, they begin discussing
Kite Runner depicts the story of Amir, a boy living in Afghanistan, and his journey throughout life. He experiences periods of happiness, sorrow, and confusion as he matures. Amir is shocked by atrocities and blessed by beneficial relationships both in his homeland and the United States. Reviewers have chosen sides and waged a war of words against one another over the notoriety of the book. Many critics of Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, argue that the novel would not have reached a lofty level of success if the U.S. had not had recent dealings with the Middle East, yet other critics accurately relate the novel’s success to its internal aspects.
The history of Afghanistan influences the way Amir’s life develops by affecting his relationship with himself, Baba, and Hassan. People are greatly influenced by the culture that they grow up in, and a community’s culture is shaped by the events that they go through. Throughout the book, the reader can see that Amir struggles with his self-confidence and often-times looks down on himself as a weak and unworthy human being.
Notwithstanding difficult and exhausting, characters in The Kite Runner try to prove that redemption is feasible. Amir, a young, cowardly Pashtun boy brought up in riches and luxuries, Baba, a father that works hard to prove his worth, and Sanubar, a mother and wife who abandoned her family in search of a more gratifying life each have their own stories filled with heart wrenching and unanticipated circumstances that lead to the questions, why did they choose to search for redemption? And had they ever attained it?
Khaled Hosseini is the author of “The Kite Runner” the first Afghan novel published in English is a story set in the mid 1970’s to the early 2000’s is about a young Pashtun boy named Amir and his friend/servant and someone who he soon realizes as his half-brother a Hazara boy named Hassan , shows us that Amir goes through man changes as a person would in real life, these changes are what people of all cultures, religions and regions experience without any boundaries stopping them from doing so this is what is known as the human experience. Many experiences such as overcoming obstacles to suffering from disease or illness are all incorporated thorough out Hosseni’s novel. He uses Amir, the main character; to show the readers that in the beginning of the novel how a young boy, naïve to all that is around him can develops into a grown man because of his experiences such as loss of family members, happiness, and friendship something that all of us can experience as human beings and make us who we are.
The Kite Runner “illuminates ethnic tensions, political turmoil and Taliban repression in Afgahnistan through the story of boyhood friendship and betrayal” ('Kite Runner' Shines A Light On Afghan Sport). By intertwining the real life struggles of Afghani people and the characters of this fiction novel, “Hosseini brings us into the politically chaotic but beautiful world of Afghanistan and one man’s journey through guilt and trauma from his childhood” (Pearson 66).
It is difficult to face anything in the world when you cannot even face your own reality. In his book The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses kites to bring out the major themes of the novel in order to create a truly captivating story of a young boy’s quest to redeem his past mistakes. Amir is the narrator and protagonist of the story and throughout the entire novel, he faces enormous guilt following the horrible incident that happened to his closest friend, Hassan. This incident grows on Amir and fuels his quest for redemption, struggling to do whatever it takes to make up for his mistakes. In Hosseini’s novel, kites highlight aspects of Afghanistan’s ethnic caste system and emphasizes the story’s major themes of guilt, redemption and freedom.
*Hassan was crying because of the shame he felt after the encounter with the soldier who said he had slep with his mother at some point.
The hardships that life reveals can either affect a person in a negative or positive way. They can strengthen or weaken the development of one’s character. Khaled Hosseni’s The Kite Runner is a novel that tells the story of two boys – Amir and Hassan, his childhood friend and servant– who spend their lives attempting to overcome their obstacles. These obstacles create experiences that will shape them for the rest of their lives. Firstly, Hassan and Amir share similar hardships, however Hassan learns and grows from them, and Amir lingers over the negativity, allowing it to destroy his life instead of moving forward. Secondly, Amir is always rescued, which allows him to feel a sense of entitlement, while Hassan fights his own battles, resulting in a greater amount of inner strength. Lastly, as Amir and Hassan become adults in opposite ends of the world, they battle hardships that are very different. The differences within their adulthood continue to show who is the more honourable character. Ultimately, in Khaled Hosseni's The Kite Runner, Hassan is a stronger character than Amir, despite the fact that they both battle similar hardships.
Amir now has the skills needed to continue his life in America as being independent and the man of the house. The future is bright for Amir, as one can see a fortified, relieved, and joyful version of him compared to the accustomed one in Kabul. Amir is able to purge his sin of silence and lying by using his newfound life to forget all that has occurred in Kabul. This new land of opportunity also brings Baba and Amir closer, for they need to look out for each other as a way to be successful and survive in the land of the free.
War establishes many controversial issues and problems within society and can often expose an individual to many economic and sociopolitical hardships; thus creating an altercation in the way they view life. Amir, from the novel The Kite Runner and the novel’s author Khaled Hosseini, both saw the harsh treatment toward the people of Afghanistan through a series of wars, invasions, and the active power of a Pashtun movement known as the Taliban. Amir, much like Hosseini, lived a luxurious and wealthy life in Kabul. He is well educated and immerses himself in reading and writing. After transitioning from a life in Afghanistan to a life in the United States, both Hosseini and Amir faced obstacles in order to assimilate to American society. In The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist Amir parallels the experiences and hardships that Hosseini endured in his own lifetime.
After Amir wins, he turns back to look at Baba and he sees Baba “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 that roof, proud of me at last”(66). Baba now had something to be proud of in Amir. Baba had now accepted his son but Baba’s true transformation would come later when he and Amir leave Kabul and go to America. Baba leaves all his wealth, his power and all the respect he gained in Kabul to escape to America where he would end up working at a gas station and making close to minimum wage. Even though Baba moves to America, he never changed his principles; he just changed the way he acted around Amir. When Baba goes to the social services office, he “dropped the stack of food stamps on her desk. "Thank you but I don 't want," Baba said. "I work always. In Afghanistan I work, in America I work. Thank you very much, Mrs. Dobbins, but I don 't like it free money" (130). Baba acting differently in America was not all contributed to not having his wealth, but rather the way he lived. Baba did not feel as guilty living in America as he did in Kabul. While Baba was in Kabul, he could not share his wealth with his other son, Hassan, but now that Baba was in America with no wealth, he could focus on his relationship with Amir. On Amir’s graduation day, Amir says, “This was his day (Baba) more than mine. He
Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, grew up in prejudiced Afghanistan during the 1960’s as a middle-class Pashtun living with Hazaras working for his family. His move to America after the Communist Coup proved difficult for his family, especially his father. In his novel, Hosseini writes through a young boy, Amir, very similar to himself, who grows up with his father and two Hazara servants in Afghanistan at the time of the Taliban attacks. Both Amir and his father, Baba, treat their servants, Hassan and Ali, like family. Society, however, does not approve of such relationships between Pashtuns and Hazaras. As Amir hides and watches horrified, another Pashtun boy rapes Hassan. This leads to the continuation of Amir’s internal conflict about the treatment of Hazaras by the public, and also makes him feel guilty and self-conscious throughout his entire life. In addition, Amir strives for affection and attention from his rather indifferent father. Amir’s outward conformity to societal values in his relationships with both Hassan and Baba, as a result of his inner struggle and guilt, contribute greatly to the significance of The Kite Runner.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a novel based in Afghanistan that shows the betrayal between two boys with two different social backgrounds. Four years later “The Kite Runner” was filmed by David Benioff, which shows the meaningful message that the book delivers in a movie. Throughout the book and movie, Amir the protagonist must live the rest of his life with guilt from his childhood. Although the movie gave the same meaningful message that the book delivered, the book was further developed, which had more detail and kept the readers wanting more. Ultimately these details that were present in the novel gave the readers a better understanding of the characters, which led to the relationships
-School integration has proven to be of the most effective reforms in the US education System since its inception, academic success has been achieved among the marginalized groups such as the African Americans and the Latinos. It has also given the African Americans an opportunity to seek better employment opportunities than the normal unskilled labor jobs that they were used to. Overall, the school integration has created huge differences in the lives of minorities allowing them to have better and healthier lives. Previous studies conducted showed that African Americans that attended desegregated schools have a higher probability of attending college and securing good jobs than those who attended segregated schools (Crain and Wells, 1997
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a heart breaking novel. It features events that bring tears to the eyes of its readers, as well as a look into the world outside our own. This book deals with tragic adult themes such as racism and child rape. The story takes place in two different countries, Afghanistan, and later the United States. The novel is in the point of view of the main character Amir and it begins as he recalls events from his childhood in Kabul, Afghanistan in a time on the brink of civil war, when the Afghanistan king is overthrown.