Nicholas Grande 9/11/15 Period 4 Summer Reading: Kite Runner Compare & Contrast This summer, just like any other summer, I was enslaved in my own home, enforced to read a book. This time, it was The Kite Runner, which I also had to watch the movie. The book, The Kite Runner, is about a man named Amir, a Muslim, who struggles to find a reason behind his placement in this world because of a series of traumatic experiences in his childhood. The novel begins with an adult-version of Amir with an unclear reference with one of his traumatic events, where the novel then sends the reader to Amir's childhood in Afghanistan. In addition to everyday childhood experiences, Amir longs a closer relationship with his father, Baba, by trying to determine his nature around the Muslim servant, Hassan, which eventually causes pre-adolescent decisions that have lasting repercussions. Throughout the story, the readers are able to experience growing up in Afghanistan with one parent, in a tight situation that contains remarkable similarities to contemporary households. …show more content…
During a crucial episode, which takes place in an important kite flying tournament, Amir decides that he does not want to confront his bullies where he has the chance to, and this conscious choice of inaction sets off a chain reaction that leads to lies, betrayals, and guilt. Because of the alternating political climate, Baba and Amir are enforced to flee to the United States, bringing an opportunity to leave his past behind him. Although Baba and Amir struggle to create a new life for themselves in the States, the past is unable to stay buried. When things get out of hand, Amir is forced to return to his birthplace to face the demons and decisions of his youth, with only a slim chance to fix what he had
The Kite Runner is the first novel of Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. It tells the story of Amir, a boy from Kabul, Afghanistan, whose closest friend is Hassan, a young Hazara servant. Novel turns around these two characters and Baba, Amir’s father, by telling their tragic stories, guilt and redemption that are woven throughout the novel. Even in the difficult moments, characters build up to their guilt and later on to their redemption. Their sins and faults alter the lives of innocent people. First, Amir and Baba fail to take action on the path to justice for Ali and Hassan. Moreover, Amir and Baba continue to build up their guilt due to their decisions and actions. Although Amir builds up more guilt than Baba throughout the novel, he eventually succeeds in the road to redemption unlike his father. After all, Amir and Baba have many chances to fix their atonements but Baba chooses not to and Amir does. Baba uses his wealth to cover up his sins but never atone himself while Amir decides to stand up and save Sohrab and finally finds peace. Amir and Baba’s reaction to sins essentially indicate their peace of mind and how they react to guilt and injustice.
In his critically acclaimed first novel, The Kite Runner, author Khaled Hosseini tells the story of a 12-year-old Afghan boy named Amir, who seeks his father’s love but is hindered by his own cowardice. Both Amir’s cowardice and his father’s lack of attention are compounded by the people and events surrounding Amir, until they feed into each other in a vicious, never-ending cycle.
The Kite Runner and Osama are very correspondent and very different. The differences between Osama and The Kite Runner are as followed: in Osama the story was based around on a girl and what she went through, the agitations of women in the Taliban, and a lot more brutality was in this rather than in The Kite Runner. In, The Kite Runner the Taliban wasn’t as prominent in the beginning as to where in Osama that was the main aspect of the movie. In The Kite Runner, there was definitely sadness, and the martyrdom of the people, but it wasn’t as bad as Osama. The similarities between the two: The Taliban are taking over the county, Hassan takes up for Amir like Espandi takes up for Osama, both are Middle
Redemption can come in many different forms for different people. In The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, a story of an Afghani man’s lifetime and all of the troubles that he has experienced is told. Amir’s childhood takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan alongside Hassan, his Hazara servant and half-brother. The two grow up as best friends until one day when Amir does nothing to help Hassan out of a life changing incident with the town bully. Their friendship is severely affected for the rest of their lives until Amir meets Sohrab, Hassan’s son. After finding out Hassan has passed away, Amir is sent off to retrieve Sohrab and bring him to a better place than the Taliban-ruled Kabul. The connection between the two new acquaintances is like a new beginning for many aspects in Amir’s life. Sohrab and Amir’s relationship acts as a way for Amir to rid himself of guilt from his childhood and provide his wife with a child, supporting the theme of redemption in The Kite Runner.
“That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” (Hosseini 1-2) Khaled Hosseini published the book The Kite Runner in 2003. This book includes the characters Amir, Hassan, Baba, Rahim Khan and many more. This book is mainly about Amir’s childhood in Kabul, his move with baba to California, and lastly his return to Kabul. Amir is also someone who falls in the shadow. He doesn't really know who he is because of the things that happened to him in the past. In this book he also gives the reader an understanding of what
Throughout the novel, “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini, Amir is haunted by memories of his past. The theme has been, betrayal, loyalty, guilt and honor. The tone throughout is confessional. Amir the main character, is constantly troubled by his memory of Hassan’s rape and believes “he became what [he] is today at the age of 12,” because of his own cowardice at not stopping Hassan from being raped. After Hassan’s rape, Amir spends the rest of his life trying to redeem himself for his betrayal of his loyal friend. The rape leads Amir to his final quest for redemption when he is told “there is a way to be good again.” The climax of “The Kite Runner” is when Amir seeks to rectify the wrong he did to Hassan and finally finds Hassan’s son, Sohrab.
There is a raging theme between both works that has to deal with a father/son relationship. With Amir just wanting his own father's approval, and Oedipus murdering his father (and sleeping with his mother, but that’s not really “important” right now”).
The Kite Runner is a powerful book contrasting selfishness and selflessness. The book follows the life of Amir, a character who experiences guilt and tragedy throughout his life. While growing up in Kabul, Amir witnesses the imperfect and prejudice society in his country. Within an imperfect society, there are many who are self-invested, and among those, there are those who are selfless. Characters Amir and Hassan possess selfish and selfless traits. The traits that these characters possess are influenced by fear, victimization, and loyalty, ultimately leading them to inaction and action.
Many authors often use two contrasting places, such as two different countries, to emphasize the differences in ideas and reinforce opposed forces that are central to the work. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, two countries that are seen as two polar opposites, Afghanistan and America, are brought together to reinforce two completely different lifestyles for a boy named Amir. Growing up in a country known as a land of terrorists and war changed him as he moved to America, known as the land of opportunity and freedom.
In the novel, Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist, Amir, is torn between two truths as he lived associated with different kinds of religious groups in Afghan society: Pashtuns and Hazaras. Each identity played a unique part in Amir’s life. Whether they had a positive or negative effect, both changed his values and beliefs. Individuals also shaped Amir’s character. Baba, Assef, and Hassan were major influences upon Amir’s growth throughout the book; their differences shaped Amir into the man he later became as all three represented a different side of Afghan society.
Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is a remarkable coming-of-age novel describing and revealing the thoughts and actions of Amir, a compunctious adult in the United States and his memories of his affluent childhood in the unstable political environment of Afghanistan. The novel showcases the simplistic yet powerful ability of guilt to influence decisions and cause conflict which arises between Amir’s childhood friend and half-brother, Hassan; Amir’s father, Baba; and importantly, himself. Difference in class The quest to become “good again” causes a reflection in Amir to atone for his sins and transform into the person of which he chooses to be.
The Kite Runner is a well crafted story about the many struggles of the main character and narrator Amir’s life concerning social class, relationships with family, and intense regret when your morals and identity are threatened. The book begins in San Francisco and is narrated by an adult Amir. Throughout the story, Amir has flashbacks to his life as a kid in Afghanistan as he contemplates the obstacles he went through and the choices he is still haunted by. One of Amir’s biggest regrets is when he saw one of his friends Hassan being raped and he neglected to step in and stop it. Instead, Amir pretended like he had no idea what happened and didn’t even tell Hassan that he had watched it. In accordance with this internal struggle of Amir’s,
The story is based on the life and journey undertaken by Amir, the protagonist. Hosseini expresses essential ideas in his novel through the themes of redemption/atonement, the relationship between father and son and lastly, the theme of degradation/discrimination. The author expresses these themes through the setting and characterization. Hosseini presents characters from different social status in Afghanistan and how this affected their childhood. Amir despite coming from a privileged class had to work hard for his atonement by going back to Afghanistan to face his demons as well as to mend his relationship with his father who had rejected him since his birth. On the other hand, Hassan, from the minority class suffered because of his social status after he was abused and mistreated by those in power. The Kite Runner is a story about two boys who grew up in different worlds because of the presence of various social classes in
The Kite Runner is a story of an Afghani boy named Amir who makes a life changing decision that forever impacts his character. The book starts around 1975 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir lives in a nice neighborhood with his father (referred to as Baba), a successful businessman. Amir’s mother died giving birth to him. Baba and his business partner, Rahim Khan, are both very wealthy. The family is taken care of by two servants, Ali and his presumed son Hassan. Amir grows up with Hassan, like they are brothers, but their relationship is strained because of a class divide and Amir’s life changing decision. Amir’s character and the path of his life are greatly influenced in both positive and negative ways by Baba, Hassan and Rahim Khan.
The kite runner is a book about unfortunate circumstances and upbringing of the main character Amir. Impacted greatly by the lack of affection from his father, Amir unintentionally traded his childhood friend’s innocence for a material object during a confrontation with a trio of bullies. He did this by not standing up to the bullies and by not telling Hassan to give them the object when they threatened him for it. The object was a kite, which he believed to be the tether for building a relationship between him and his father. Consequently, Hassan was raped by Assef (the leader of the three) as an act of dominance. Due to the rape Hassan moves out of Kabul where later he and his father are killed. Hassan, however, leaves a son behind, Sohrab. All the above triggered grief and regret in Amir, all of which he perceived to be unatoned until the conclusion of the book. Amir achieves redemption at the end when he tries to connect with Sohrab and brings him to a safe country.