The Kite Runner

1485 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How did Khaled Hosseini develop the theme throughout the novel? the kite runner essay

The Kite Runner Reading for leisure provides valuable insight into the author’s imagination or prior experience giving the reader a different perspective on a certain topic or culture. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, we are introduced into a world of privilege in Afghanistan for the main character, Amir, combated with his best friend and half brother Hassan, their lowly Hazara servant. The two boys were raised together but being a Hazara is seen as an inferior race to many of the other more privileged Afghan boys, in particular a vile aggressive boy named Assef. The novel gets its name from a leisure activity known as kite fighting in Afghanistan in which Amir takes part as the main fighter while Hassan is his kite runner. Amir loves the kite fighting tournament as it is one of the only ways he is able to make his father, Baba, proud of him. Baba is a strong, wealthy, well respected man in the community and he wishes that Amir was interested in sports and in becoming a strong, popular man rather than always reading and writing stories by himself or with Hassan. Anyway, on the day of the tournament, Hassan is running to get the last kite when he is confronted by Assef and his two friends who proceed to viciously rape Hassan in the alley. When Amir goes to look for Hassan, he sees everything but is too much of a coward to stick up for his friend even though his friend had many times before and is then forced to live with that guilt for the rest of his life. Amir gets Hassan and his father to leave their servitude and go find another job, much to the dismay of Baba, and then Baba and Amir are forced to flea to Pakistan and later California as the Russians invade Afghanistan. Amir and Baba are forced to live a poverty stric... ... middle of paper ... ... previous country they might have been part of the elite or empowered class. It is scary to think about if I was forced to flea to another country, especially to one in the Middle East or somewhere not so globally integrated where I would lose my status and privilege. Through reading this novel, I feel like I have a better understanding of Afghanistan’s culture and history, and I feel like I have a newfound respect for some of the immigrants living in our country. In conclusion, The Kite Runner is a story of love, war, and ultimately redemption. It is a prime example of how leisure reading can provide insights and concepts in different cultures and lifestyles while broadening the readers’ ideas about diversity. I really enjoyed the story and feel like I learned a lot about people and how the culture one is raised in has a tremendous affect on who that person becomes.

Show More
Related

  • The Power of the Written Word in The Kite Runner by Hosseini

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Kite Runner is a powerful story of love and trust blended with elements of deception and human wickedness at its worst. The full beauty of the story lies in the sundry

    Read More

  • The Power of Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

    2126 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Kite Runner

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, follows the maturation of Amir, a boy from Afghanistan, as he discovers what it means to stand up for what he believes in. His quest to redeem himself after betraying his friend and brother, Hassan, makes up the heart of the novel. For most of the book, Amir attempts to deal with his guilt by avoiding it and refusing to own up to his mistakes. Because of his past, Amir is incapable of moving forward. His entire life is shaped by his disloyalty to Hassan and his desire to please his father over helping his friends. Throughout the novel, his attempts to atone for his sins end in failure, as neither physical punishment nor rescuing Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from Assef prove to be enough for Amir to redeem himself. Only when he decides to take Sohrab to the United States and provide his nephew with a chance at happiness and prosperity that was denied to his half-brother does Amir take the necessary steps toward atonement and redemption. Khaled Hosseini uses a series of symbols to reinforce the message that atoning for one’s sins means making up for past mistakes, rather than simply relying on forgiveness from either the person one betrays or from a higher power.

    Read More

  • Kindness In The Kite Runner

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Kite Runner, a novel by Khaled Hosseini, is a story about Redemption. In this novel, two kids always run kites together when they are young. One is Amir, a rich boy living in a high-status family; the other is Hassan, Amir’s loyal servant and playmate. One day, Amir wins the kite running tournament, and they need to run to get their trophy, the last fallen kite. Hassan tries to get the kite for Amir. He gets it successfully, but he is raped by the local bully, Assef. Amir sees everything behind a corner; however, he doesn’t do anything and runs away because of fear. He betrays Hassan, his friend. What’s more, he accuses Hassan of stealing in order to dislodge him because he is afraid

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner: A Hero's Journey With Characteristics Of A Tragedy

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, The Kite Runner is a hybrid of an epic and tragic structure. I found evidence from my articles, Aristotle’s, and Foster’s that it was a Hero’s Journey with a tragic character, Amir shared both traits throughout the story.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner Quote Analysis

    353 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Kite Runner is a rite of passage novel, yet shares similar characteristics to a bildungsroman. The novel illustrates Amir’s journey from a childhood error that haunts him until he is mature--- enough to attempt for redemption.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Book of Genesis in the Old Testament or from the Hebrew Torah. What may be less familiar to

    Read More

  • Redemption in The Kite Runner

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing contribute to the omnipresent theme of redemption throughout The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini ties together seemingly unimportant details of the story to create irony, and juxtaposes segments of his book to show redemption.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Infancy is the rudimentary status of human beings, which the ways for the rest of one’s life is determined. Unforgettable events may generate certain emotions in childhood. Thus, it modifies the nature of that person as an adult. Setting in the 1970s in California, the historical and fictional novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, illustrates the main character through his determinations to lengthy life conflicts. The novel outlines Amir’s assorted feelings of love and jealousy towards his best friend, Hassan. Despite their distinctive economic and social classes, they grow up in the same household facing strenuous hardships, resentments, and guilt together. However, the two boys reach a decisive point when the neighborhood bullies Hassan severely. As Amir sees his best friend getting a torture, he tries to provide an assistance. Unfortunately, he gets afraid and watches and does nothing. Amir's guilty, caused by the fear of avoiding his friend’s struggle, eventually leads him to betray his friend. Through the use of irony, foreshadowing, and metaphor, Amir’s childhood experiences harass him into his adulthood.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Kite Runner focuses on the relationship between two Afghan boys Amir and Hassan. Amir is a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara and a Shi’a. Despite their ethnic and religious differences, Amir and Hassan grow to be friends, although Amir is troubled by Hassan, and his relationship with his companion, one year his junior, is complex. Amir and Hassan seem to have a "best friend" type relationship. The two boys, Hassan and Amir, are main characters in the book titled, The Kite Runner. The two boys have a relationship that is significantly different compared to most. There are many different facets that distinguish the relationship the boys possess. The boys do write their names in a pomegranate tree as the "sultans of Kabul" (Kite Runner 27) but, their friendship is not strong and it is one sided. Hassan has love for Amir. He loves him like a brother. Hassan is exceedingly loyal to Amir. The relationship between the two boys is emotionally wearing and rather gloomy for the most part. The main reason for their complicated relationship is the fact that Amir is Pashtun, and Hassan is Hazara. The Afghan society places Hassan lower than Amir. Hassan is Amir's servant. The placement of Hassan in the Afghan society disenables Amir from becoming Hassan's true friend. Amir sees Hassan as lower than human. Amir ruins the chance for friendship between himself and Hassan because he is jealous of Hassan, he thinks of Hassan as a lower human, and because Amir possesses such extreme guilt for what he has done to Hassan. Amir is an unforgivable person overall.

    Read More

  • Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner

    1589 Words  | 4 Pages

    Writer Ayn Rand once said that, “Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.” This happiness is not what a person feels when common pleasures occur in their lives, such as the purchase of a new car, or a promotion at work and an increase in salary. The feeling of genuine inner well-being and peace is a completely separate state of being that can be witnessed in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. The two key characters to the story, Amir and Hassan, share a very unique relationship. They achieve the deepest longing of humanity to achieve happiness through the different choices they make and experiences they have. Hassan proves to be on the proper path to happiness early on with a strong moral conscience in his life, sense of purpose to serve others, and the self-confidence to be independent. On the other hand, Amir struggles to achieve these same qualities as Hassan; to do the right thing, to think of others, and to carry his own weight with confidence.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    In my view The Kite Runner is an epic story with a personal history of what the people of Afghanistan had and have to endure in an ordinary every day life; a country that is divided between political powers and religiously idealistic views and beliefs which creates poverty, and violence within the people and their terrorist run country. The story line is more personal with the description of Afghanistan's culture and traditions, along with the lives of the people who live in Kabul. The story provides an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political chaos. Of course there are many things that are unsaid and under explained in this tragic novel which, in my observation, is an oversimplification. There is also a heavy use of emotional appeal, and an underlying message. This is a flag for propaganda.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    As implied by the title, kites play a major role in the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. They appear numerous times within the text and prove to be surprisingly versatile in their literary function. They provide common ground for characters whose interests do not normally intersect. They are also present as a very powerful symbol, which adds an extra dimension to this already literary rich novel. Reversing the roles transcending generations, it shows itself to be a multifaceted medium.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner Comparison

    1549 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, several major themes arise. One of the most pronounced theme is the idea of redemption for one’s past wrongdoings. The protagonist, a wealthy envious Afghan boy named Amir, retells the traumatic story of his childhood. The main characters are Amir and his childhood friend and house servant, Hassan. The story explains the trials and joys of fathers and sons, friends and bullies, and cowardice and bravery. Amir struggles throughout the novel between getting acceptance from his father Baba and being a friend to Hassan. A meaningful quote from Hassan, “for you a thousand times over”, is a repeating theme throughout the novel. It eventually guides and drives

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner Book Report

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about The Kite Runner

Open Document