Kite

Sohrab had been enveloped by silence, his misery and horrific past had finally caught up to him. The childlike spirit in his eyes was only returned after he rediscovered the glorious addiction of kite flying. Amir takes the young boy out in his attempt to rekindle their relationship, after defeating a kite in the kite competition, Amir offers to run the kite for young Sorhab "'for you, a thousand times over,' I heard myself say" (371). He was mimicking Hassan when he screamed "'for you a thousand times over!'" (67). Hassan began on his chase for the blue kite and as expressed in an early blog was a symbol of his loyalty.

This repetitive quote creates a contrast as Amir changes from the young boy who betrayed Hassan, to an adult attempting to win over the trust of Sohrab. Amir had won over Sohrab, who had been scarred by male adult interaction. Later he promised to adopt him and never take him to another orphanage, later saying he might have to go to an orphanage to facilitate the adoption "'you promised you'd never put me in one of those places," (341). The trust was broken there and he slipped into his misery complete with an attempt at suicide (343) as well as his silence (365). Only to be broken by the kite race "a smile... lopsided... hardly there... but there" (370). Amir saw this as a sign, this kite race was a snowflake "when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting" (371). The first time he had reached through to him as his wife Soraya had "gradually abandoned her attempts at engaging him (367). The very activity that symbolized his father's loyalty to Amir, shows the unbound devotion that Amir has for Sohrab. Sohrab being the son of Hassan, whom Amir betrayed. Creating a theme involving the devotion and endless loyalty and betrayal throughout relationships.

Having read passages by Foster and Perrine both authors have influenced the way I read greatly. Perrine emphasizes the importance of what is in the text, not including prior knowledge acquired from outside the reading. Foster more predominantly has helped me notice technique and patterns, extending beyond the techniques I have mentioned in prior blog posts. I have noticed the prevalence of significant marks, such as Hassan's cleft lip (10), similarly Amir's scar that resembled a cleft lip (297), and Ali's leg damaged from polio (25). As well as the possibility of Hasan being a Christ figure. Furthermore I had noticed political tones throughout the book, however I don't think that the political aspects are used as anything more than plot. The social divide between the Hazaras and Pashtuns (40) as well as the Taliban presence in Afghanistan (213), are obviously present within the book but function as a means of moving the action and creating backgrounds for the divides and conflicts. The novel becomes more focussed on the reoccurring elements of betrayal and loyalty of  life than the specifics of the betrayal and loyalty in the context of the Taliban rule.

In conjunction with the discussions occurring in class regarding the truth of stories such as The Things They Carried and the importance of such validity, there are similar concepts running through this novel. In the beginning of the book he makes references to the similarity of Amir's childhood and his own childhood (xii), the book is also narrated from the first person perspective of Amir who's an aspiring author (32). Similar to the author of The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien plays with the truth writing from the first person perspective and making his characters and fellow soldiers seem to come alive, he goes even further and creates the narrator with the same name as the author himself. But don't get confused the author is not the narrator, which is where the ambiguity sets in. The ambiguity makes it hard to accept that the novel is fiction. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini pulls of the very same style, not quite as flawlessly but breaks down the barrier regarding the clear line between fiction and nonfiction, though the story of The Kite Runner is far too perfect to be real. The sense of perfect being the circle ending with Aseef's appearance in the beginning and the end and his relationships with both Hassan and Sohrab, as well as the mirroring incidents of kite running and fighting.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini while a very dark book draws the reader in making it difficult to separate from the story. I recommend reading this book not only for the literary elements and masterpieces of it but as well as the story. The story shows the evolution of a boy as well as his country which changes drastically, the beginnings (childhood and former country) show echoes throughout the book as memories and images haunt him. The book offers endless literary patterns to be analyzed as each layer is uncovered in this novel.

Like Father Like Son

Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is written with the first person narrative of the main character Amir. He makes his thoughts clear throughout the book as he continues to emphasize how he was an awful person as a child and as an adult he was punished in certain areas of his life for what he did, or rather didn't do as a child (188). His guilt haunts him throughout adulthood, though the whole novel is filled with disgusting and immoral actions, his actions can't even begin to compare to those of others.

The character most disturbing is none other than Aseef, the epitome of villain who evolves from neighborhood bully to local Taliban leader, or as Amir remarks "years later, I learned an English word for the creature that Aseef was... sociopath" (38). Aseef is the embodied stereotype of Afghanistan, which sadly stereotypes the whole country as terrorists (281). This result is not surprising as Aseef as a young child made comments such as "Hitler. Now there was a leader. A great leader," (39) "they dirty our blood... To rid Afghanistan of all the dirty, Hazaras" (40). His hatred for Hazaras, put the basis for his career within the terrorist group.

His hostility towards Hazaras are heightened when he is the one to rape Hassan (77). His perverted instincts do not hinder him as he joins the Taliban where he is known to take children from the orphanage and sometimes return them sometimes not (256). One of the children he never returned was Sohrab, Hassan's orphaned son (257). This begins the immense contrast of Hassan and his son, "the resemblance was breathtaking" (279). This was no secret to Aseef that the two boys he had raped were of relation "I never forget a face" (281). Aseef creates another similarity amongst the father and son. Hassan as a child protected Amir one day as Aseef began to pick on the two boys, Hassan handy with a slingshot was readily prepared "they'll have to change your nickname from Aseef 'the Ear Eater' to 'One-Eyed Assef,' because I have this rock pointed at your left eye" (42). Ultimately Aseef leaves the two boys alone. His son Sohrab unknowingly finished the ordeal as Amir and Aseef engage in a fist fight to the death "Sohrab had the slingshot pointed to Aseef's face" (290), "he put his hand where his left eye had been just a moment ago" (291).

This poses the question, as Amir's guilt haunts him though finally relieved during his beating from Aseef "but I felt healed. Healed at last," (289). Will Amir take the extra step and take in Sohrab as his own son? It is known that he is unable to have children with his own wife with "unexplained infertility" (185) as well as that Sohrab was to go and live with an American couple living in Pakistan (220). Those two elements in combination with his guilt, is practically giving him a way to correct the wrong he had done to loyal Hassan.

The Blue Kite

As The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini progresses, the action moves towards Amir's experience as a young adult. His dismal future begins as Hassan, his young loyal servant, is raped and Amir continues with his selfish motives which eventually leads to the loyal servants moving out. His life drastically changes after the Russian occupation of Kabul as well. He is no longer the son of a mogul in Kabul, he and his father are forced to abandon Kabul and become refugees in Pakistan with only two suitcases of possessions. The small family later moves to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1980s, where Amir's father, Baba, makes the family's living by working at flea markets and a gas station.

A blue kite appears within the story creating a symbol which finds more depth in the title (65). Amir wins the kite fighting competition which ultimately creates the much wished for bond between Amir and his father. Hassan chases after the fallen blue kite as a loyal gift to Amir, "I'm going to run that blue kite for you," (66). Hassan runs into the bullying boys who believe Hitler is god and Hazaras are the poison (40), they torment him and ultimately rape him "the blue kite resting against the wall" (75). Amir runs away failing once again to be the hero his father so desperately wanted him to be "some hero I had been, fretting about the kite. Sometimes, I too wondered if I was really Baba's son" (116). However, after the rape Hassan comes to Amir "he had the blue kite in his hands" (78). Amir goes running home "I put the kite down and walked into his think hairy arms" (79). The kite becomes a symbol for Hassan's loyalty. Amir remarks Hassan's devotion to him exemplified in his hunt for the kite "Hassan never missed any of the five daily prayers... He was going to miss prayer tonight, though, because of me" (69). Hassan could have easily ran away or given the kite to the boys and escaped the following horrific events but he didn't, Amir even uses Hassan's loyalty to win over his father. Hassan being the one he saw as the greatest competition for his father's love and affection "maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay... to win Baba" (77). Hassan continued to be loyal as Amir tortured him and went to all lengths for Hassan to get some type of revenge "I wished he'd give me the punishment I craved," (92). Hassan even lies to save Amir's reputation with his father which leads to Hassan and his father's decision to leave "this was Hassan's final sacrifice for me" (105).  The guilt that Amir carries with him of his betrayal of the boy most loyal to him "Kabul has become a city of ghosts for me. A city of harelipped ghosts" (136).

The blue kite will continue to haunt Amir as he lives through his life, especially with the intrigue that Hassan took in his story writing and Amir is finally able to pursue his story writing with the approval of his father "'Amir is going to be a great writer.' Baba said" (139).

The Divide and Connection

The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini focusses on the life of young Amir and his life through the political turmoil and revolution in 1970s Afghanistan. The first portion of the book describes life in Afghanistan prior to any unrest within the country, or at least any unrest visible to a young boy. Hosseini admits that Amir's childhood mirrors very much so of his own childhood (xii). The book is written from first hand emotions and memories riddled with fiction.

The Afghanistan described is much more liberal and free than that of the image that has populated the news of today. However, the young boy Amir unknowingly shows many signs of prestige and supremacy over other races and classes. Amir grew up with the servant's boy, Hassan, who was a Shi'a Muslim and an ethnic Hazara (8). "He said the word Shi'a, like it was some kind of disease"(10). Being Shi'a was not considered a good thing, "the Pashtuns, had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras" (9). Hassan and his family were considered second class citizens purely for their race, a theme that is common throughout the world. These norms had polluted Amir's young mind so deeply that he "never even though of me and Hassan as friends" (25). They had grown up together yet what separated was their ethnicity. Hassan furthermore was a different class and therefore considered lesser and not to be friendly with. Amir emphasizes the differences between the two boys through their class difference, however, Hosseini makes a contrast by emphasizing the connection between the two. The same nursing woman was hired to nurse both boys and Ali, Hassan's father and Amir's caretaker/servant, always said "there was a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast" (11). Creating an almost spiritual obligation towards each other while society rejects it.

There is also a very prevalent lack of female figures in the young boys' lives. Amir's mother died during his childbirth while Hassan's mother left him after a week to join travelers (6). No mothers were present for either childhood as the boys were raised by their single fathers. These relationships with these male figures are very prominent in the emotions of the Amir, as he struggles to gain approval from his sole parent. Amir describes a family photo in which he, his father, and his father's best friend Rahim Khan are depicted. His father was holding him "but it's Rahim Khan's pinky my fingers are curled around" (5). Even as Amir grows, Khan is the one to encourage Amir in his endeavors and the care he wished to have "I sat on my bed and wished Rahim Khan had been my father" (32). Amir and his father had always struggled to relate "I always felt like Baba hated me a little" (19). Amir although struggles with his relationship towards his father he loves and cares about his father very much (13). Amir's devotion towards his father is only heightened by the jealousy that is created when he over hears his father makes comments in favor of Hassan, "Hassan steps in and fends them off" (23). Furthering Amir's feelings of not being sufficient for his father as well as adding in extra levels to the relationship between Amir and Hassan.