The Kite Runner Chapters 9-17 In Depth Analysis

The Kite Runner Chapters 9-17 In Depth Analysis
Gabriel Vallarino

Grown up Amir

The first eight chapters of the novel The Kite Runner are pretty much talking about Amir's past and his life in Afghanistan. We see the story through his eyes, therefore we see his opinion on the different things that are going on in the novel, such as different characters that are introduced, different events, or what he is thinking. But in chapters 9-17 the story does a complete 180 spin and turns from a novel about the rise and falls of the relationship of 2 similar yet different boys, to a dark novel filled with drama and violence.
In chapters 9-17 we see that Amir wants to get rid of Hassan as a method to get rid of the memories of Hassan getting raped and his guilt for not helping him. We also see how the Afghanistan monarchy falls in the hands of the Soviets, and how the Talibans take over Afghanistan and transform it from a cheerful yet corrupt state, into a very strict state.

We start off when Amir is opening his birthday presents that he has received from some people who are very close to him, which he is very thankful for, and others that are from people he doesn't even know. He is given a wristwatch from Baba and he uses the wristwatch to get rid of Hassan and the dark memories that Hassan has given Amir. Amir hides the wristwatch and tells Baba that he can't find it anywhere, and Baba blames Hassan for stealing it. Amir is surprised at what Hassan did, even though he didn't steal it, he said he had stolen it so Amir wouldn't get in any trouble. Later we see that even Baba isn't mad, but Hassan is forced to tell Ali about what happened to him with Assef and his friends, and Ali decides that it's time to leave the house. Baba is shocked yet devastated and Amir is in a complicated place. He feels that he should convince Ali and Hassan to stay, yet he wants them to go away with the tormenting memories that they have given him. After they left, Amir's life became blend. Baba was very sad, and Amir felt the same as before, guilty, things became so bad to the point that Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviets and it caused ruckus and destruction all over the city. Baba and Amir, along with most Afghans, were forced to leave Afghanistan. They saw how everything had changed around them, people were running the streets crying, everything around them was being blown up to pieces, and even Amir points out that he was unable to recognize one of Assef's friends due to his state of shock. Amir and Baba are stuck in trouble inside a gas tank and Amir is having trouble breathing. Baba tells Amir to think of something happy and to relax, and Amir thinks of Hassan. A memory he had with him, filled with happin

Hassan attempting to reconcile with Amir

ess and hope, but then he sees how horrible their life's had become. I think that at this point Amir might have taken guilt about the soviets destroying Afghanistan, he might feel that it was some sort of God's judgement upon him for his actions.

Amir and Baba are able to flee to United States, and even if they escaped what was going on in Afghanistan, their lives weren't that much better in the US. Yes, they escaped all of the war, but they moved to a place that is extremely different from what their used to in their everyday life. They left their friends and relatives behind, they have to speak fluently a new language and learn about their culture, and most importantly, they were rich and famous in Afghanistan, in the US they're nobodies. Baba is employed in a gas station and is having trouble adjusting to life in the US. For example, Baba tries to pay in a store with a check because in Afghanistan everyone trusts each other in payments, but it's not

Amir graduating

the same in the US. But Amir has changed, for the better. Amir has become more self confident, he can now stand up for himself. He is about to finish high school and go to college and he tells his dad that he wants to become a writer. Baba tells him that it was useless becoming a writer, but Amir had made up his mind and was confident. Even though Baba didn't like that he wanted to become a writer, he was proud of his son, he even buys him a car, an old Ford Gran Torino, as a present for his graduation. Then we see that Baba is speaking to a man, who is later introduced as General Taheri, and we also are introduced to Soraya, Taheri's daughter. Amir looks into her eyes and instantly falls in love. He asks Baba all about her on their way home and Amir falls asleep thinking about her.

Amir and Soraya

After that we learn that Baba is very ill, he has cancer, and that even if Amir loves Soraya, he isn't brave enough to talk to her, until General Taheri leaves. Amir talks to Soraya for weeks, but as he is telling Soraya one of his many stories, General Taheri walks in on them and kicks Amir out. We later focus more on Baba and his cancer. We learn that Baba doesn't want anyone to treat him or anyone else than Amir to know about it until one day he gives up and collapses. His cancer has spread to his brain and he was very ill. Amir tells Baba on his bedside that he wants to marry Soraya, Baba happily agrees and he asks General Taheri if his son could marry his daughter. General Taheri accepts and Soraya happily accepts as well. Because Baba is so sick, they want to do the wedding very quickly. Baba spends his savings on an banquet hall, an engagement ring, Amir's tuxedo, and everything else necessary for the wedding. That is the first day that Amir and Soraya say I love you to each other, but tragically Baba dies shortly after.

Amir and Soraya getting married

Amir was besides Baba most days taking care of him, but the person who helped Baba the most was Soraya, that's when we learn how kind and warmhearted Soraya is. After the wedding we learn that Soraya and Amir are unable to make a baby, even though they both say to each other that it's nothing big, it causes a problem in their marriage, a problem that Amir sees and hates.

In the start of the next chapter, Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan, Rahim Khan asks Amir if they can meet. Amir leaves to Pakistan and sits with Rahim. Amir tells Rahim how he's married to Soraya, about Baba, and about how he is becoming a writer. Rahim tells Amir that he never doubted that Amir would become a writer. Well, if we think about it Rahim was the first person who read Amir's work and he instantly criticized it positively. The conversation then turns to Rahim's point of view. He talks about how the taliban took over and how he got the scar in his eye. A man next to him cheered in a soccer game, a guard walked up to Rahim Khan and smash his face with the bottom of his rifle. Amir also sees that Rahim is coughing blood and Rahim tells him that he might not even live through the summer. Amir also learns that Rahim was the one who took care of Baba's house when Amir and Baba fled, but Rahim was lonely. Rahim went to look for Hassan because he was so lonely, much to Rahim's dismay. Rahim Khan went to Hazarajat and found Hassan's home, a small mud house with Hassan in the back yard. They made eye contact and finally reunited after so many years. Hassan takes Rahim inside and introduces him to his wife, a pregnant woman named Farzana, a Hazara. They both sit down and Hassan tells Rahim about how Ali was killed by a land mine. I think that it probably was because of Ali's bad leg, Rahim even thinks that it was finally the moment that his bad leg betrayed Ali. Rahim asks Hassan if he could come back with him to Baba's house to take care of it but Hassan declines, saying that he now feels that Hazarajat is his home and he doesn't want to leave it. Hassan then asks many questions about Amir and how he has been, but Rahim tells Hassan about Baba's death and

Rahim speaking to Amir

Hassan is devastated, but the next morning, Hassan tells Rahim that he wanted to go with Rahim to Baba's home, but soon after they move in back to Baba's home, something unexpected happens.

Hassan doesn't want to live in the large house, even though Rahim asked him many times, he refused and he says that he wants to live in the small servant's hut in Baba's property. Hassan cleans that house with his wife and helps Rahim support the house. A few months later, Farzana gave birth to a stillborn child, and they had to bury them in their yard. Can you imagine how that would fell like? Waiting so long for a baby to be born, but when it's finally born, it dies. No wonder they both are devastated, but unexpectedly Sanaubar, Hassan's mother, appears on the front gate of Baba's house and her face is filled with severed cuts. Hassan and Farzana bring her in the house and take care of her, making Hassan and her mother connect, even though when her mother confesses that she was really Hassan's mother, Hassan ran away to the tree that Amir would read him stories, a place that he feels comforted, a place where he feels safe, symbolizing Amir's and Hassan's friendship. Saunabar is also pregnant and soon after she delivers a baby boy, a boy that she wants to give to Hassan and Farzana as an apology for what she did to Hassan. Sanaubar loves the baby very much but she only lives until the baby is four. The child asks around for Sanaubar, which made Hassan and Farzana very sad, but the child forgot about it soon after. The son is named Sohrab after the character of one of Hassan's and Amir's favorite characters on one of the stories they read together.

After that the story shifts back to Amir, about what he thinks about what happened in Rahim's past and what has happened in Afghanistan. Amir asks Rahim if Hassan is still in Baba's home, but Rahim doesn't reply. Instead he hands Amir an envelope with a picture of Hassan and a letter for Amir. The letter was written from Hassan, and it talks about how the Kabul they used to know was gone. He gives an example, such as how a man who was partly deaf, so Farzana had to raise her voice, but she was hit because women can't raise their voice now. That's how cruel and strict Afghanistan had become, in fact, it still happens until this day. For more information watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PUYn2BTIx0 
Hassan then brights the letter up, with his love for his family and son, and how if Amir ever came back, he would have his faithful and best friend waiting for him with open, warm arms. I think that Amir was hit by this letter very hard, it shows how much Hassan loved Amir, and how Amir betrayed their

Amir reading Hassan's letter

friendship, but even till this day Hassan still loves Amir. Then Rahim Khan starts talking again and says that after arriving in Pakistan, he received a call from a neighbor in Kabul. The Taliban had gone to Baba's house and found Hassan and his family their. They didn't believe that Hassan, a Hazara, could own a place that size. So because of racism and disbelief, they killed Hassan with a shot in the head and Farzana as well for trying to defend the love of his life. The taliban took over Baba's place, and Sohrab was taking to a orphanage, who was later adopted by an American couple. Later Rahim tells Amir that Baba was worried about Amir in his youth, about how he couldn't stand up for himself, and he tells Amir one more thing, that Ali was unable to have children and Hassan's real father wasn't Ali.

There are many themes through these chapters, such as Karma, Assef's friend, Kamal being raped by soviets, and then dying because he had hurt Hassan, also Racism, Hassan being killed because the Talibans didn't believe that a Hazara could live in such a mansion,  and discrimination, Fazara was hit because she raised her voice.

I've really liked how the story has turned out. Even if I said that I liked the first half, about their childhood a lot, I like this part even better. Their childhood was a bit slow paced and I felt that this was the part in the story where the plot really kicks off and hooks the reader. From a happy yet saddening story about the childhoods of 2 kids, to how the world around them has turned since they were ripped apart. I've loved this novel so far and I can hardly wait for what is going to come in the future.