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| The original cover to The Kite Runner |
The Kite Runner In-depth Analysis Chapters 1-8
Gabriel Vallarino
About the Book:
The Kite Runner is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini which was published in 2003 by Riverside Books. The story tells about a Amir, a young Afghan boy who lives in Kabul who is a Pashtun, who has a very close "friend" named Hassan, a Hazara who is the son of Ali, Amir's father's servant.
In the first 8 chapters of the novel we learn about both boys, they're families, the setting and environment around them, and most importantly the relationship that Hassan and Amir have. Hassan thinks that Amir is his best friend and that they have an excellent friendship, but Amir doesn't think the same way.
Plot/Character/Development:
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| Amir reading stories to Hassan |
Amir is the first character we're introduced when we start the novel. He is the narrator of the novel. We learn that Amir is the son of a very wealthy man, therefore with that money he was able to receive education and therefore he became very intelligent. Amir also loves his dad, he loves spending time with him to the point that he even dreams about it, but he is very jealous when his father pays more attention to other people instead of him, especially Hassan. Amir's mother died when she gave birth to him and this has made Amir think that his father hates him for that and I personally think that Amir started writing and reading poetry to fill the hole in his heart that wasn't filled with the presence of his mother. Amir admires Baba but it seems that Baba doesn't feel the same way. As the story progresses we learn more about Amir's relationship with Hassan. They have been close since Amir was born, but their relationship is pretty strange. Since Hassan is Ali's son, who had the same relationship with Baba since they were also very close since a young age and as they were growing up Ali was the one who did all of the chores and who served Baba, Hassan does the same things for Amir to the point that Hassan has to stand up for Amir, causing Baba to focus a lot on Hassan much to Amir's dismay. You see, Baba is the complete opposite of Amir, in fact he said so himself, "If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I'd never believe he's my son." Page 23. Baba loves playing and watching soccer, when Amir prefers reading books and writing stories/poetry, Baba is very manly, even to the point of having a rumor of him beating up a bear, Amir is not very manly and he is very nice and gentle. If you think about it Amir is kind of a hypocrite. He is jealous of Baba wanting Hassan to be his son, but Amir wants Rahim Khan, Baba's friend, to be his father. Rahim Khan is very different to Baba, he pays much more attention to Amir than Baba does, and he is willing to read and criticize Amir's writing when Baba shooed Amir away. Rahim Khan reads Amirs work and congratulates him for writing such a wonderful story which makes Amir very happy. Since Amir was intelligent and Hassan was illiterate, Amir would read stories to Hassan under a tree, so he decided to show off to Hassan by reading the story he wrote and Rahim Khan said was great. Amir thought that he was going to surprise Hassan, but he ended up being more surprised himself. Hassan criticized the ending of Amir's story, which made Amir very angry. We're later introduced to Assef, a teenager who is tall and handsome Pashtun who is excellent in soccer and is able to get people to like him easily. In the outside he seems like a sweet boy who is basically perfect, but in the inside he is a complete bully who torments Amir and Hassan, but he hates Hassan deeply, not for anythin Hassan has done himself, but for being a Hazara. Ali was also bullied not only for being a Hazara, but for having certain deficiencies. Ali's parents died in a car accident and he was adopted by Baba's father. Ali was also affected by Poliomyelitis, a viral disease that affects the nerves and can cause permanent paralysis, which caused Ali's right leg to be useless. Because of his leg and being Hazara, Ali was tormented as a child, just like Hassan. During the course of the story, we learn that Hassan and Amir love kite-fighting, in fact they attend a tournament that Amir won, but Amir didn't really like winning. He didn't like winning because even if he was able to win such a prestigious tournament and earn the respect of his father and the relationship he has always wished for with his father, he feels that the relationship is just an illusion that is going away. He feels that he doesn't love Amir for himself, he loves that Amir won the tournament, he even brags about it to anyone around him when he has a chance.
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| Baba proud of Amir |
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| Ali and Hassan together |
Themes:
Racism: There are two ethnic groups in the story: Pashtuns, the rich ethnic group which populates most of the country, and the Hazaras, the poor group which is a much lower class than the Pashtuns and they are usually servants of the higher class. Amir is respected for being a Pashtun and for his father being a wealthy man, in the other hand Ali and Hassan are often stepped upon and bullied by others, to the extent of Hassan being raped and Amir watching it unable to do anything. This caused Hassan and Ali to leave the house. Amir didn't really mind, in fact, he kind of wanted Hassan to leave, it was partially his fault for hiding a birthday present from Baba and getting Baba to think Hassan stole it, but Baba was extremely sad, it was the first time Amir saw his father cry. There is still discrimination going on in Afghanistan, for example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjlW4AFqA-A
This video shows Afghanistan women being discriminated in their work place.
War: While everyone was asleep, gunshots started appearing and it alarmed everyone in the house, which was Amir, Hassan, and Ali. It was the fall of the Afghanistan monarchy. This caused Ali, Amir, and Hassan to stay together and Baba come running towards them. Baba was worried about their safety, but glad they were all safe.
Jealousy: There is a lot of jealousy throughout the novel, but it is focused only in Amir. Amir is jealous of anyone who gets more attention from Baba than himself. He gets furious especially when Hassan gets Baba's attention, which is most of the time because Hassan is the ideal son for Baba.
My Personal Opinion:
I really like this story, in fact I was very surprised. The people in my class seem to dislike it, and others who've already read it say that this is the "boring part" of the book and what's going to come in the future is much better. I've already enjoyed this book a lot! From how we're introduced to the characters and each of them having their own personality that makes them unique, to how their relationships with each other change during the course of the novel. It's difficult to give a better opinion giving the fact that I've only read 8 chapters. I'm looking forward to what's going to come in the future and the surprises that this book is going to give me and the emotions I'll feel along the ride. I'd recommend this book to people of any age, but be sure that you're mature enough to enjoy an amazing novel.
