The Kite Runner End

Kite

The kite is mentioned throughout the book. Khaled Hosseini makes it obvious that the kite is supposed to mean something but never makes it clear as to what it means. Throughout the book, the kite is only mentioned when Amir is talking about his past. 

"For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his."(Hosseini, pg 129). Amir goes to America in hopes that he can forget about his past but is reminded  of it when he sees kites. 

The kite represents that Amir is holding onto his past and the kite is him letting go of his past. The kite represents his past and he is letting go of it and accepting what he did.

The Kite Runner Middle

                                                        

Friendship Testing

Friendship can be one of the best things in the world, but sometimes you test it to make sure that it is true. This happens throughout the book. 

     The first time that Amir and Hassan's friendship was tested was when they were in the tree and Amir told Hassan to shoot a at the neighbor's  one-eyed dog and he did it. Although by doing that Hassan proved that he was loyal to Amir, he also proved his loyalty by taking all the blame when they got in trouble for being in the tree. 

      Another time that their friendship was tested was when Amir asked Hassan if he would eat dirt if Amir told him to and he said yes. Hassan then asked Amir if he would ever ask for such a thing and Amir felt that Hassan was testing him back. 

      Even though the both knew that they were loyal to each other, Amir felt that he was not loyal to Hassan. Part of it is caused by him feeling that his father would rather have Hassan as his son rather than him, but also because of when Hassan got raped and Amir didn't say anything to anyone due to him being scared. He was told by his dad, "A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything." (Hosseini, pg 22). 

The Kite Runner Beginning

Who is Your Real Son?

     The Kite Runner, a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, illustrates self-hate and being neglected by having the main character as the narrator and explaining his life story to us. 

As the book begins, we are in the present day life of the main character.  He begins to mention the kites and hints that they are important.

      He goes on to explain the life he had as a child and how he regrets what he did to make himself the man that he is today.The main character is on the phone with Rahim Khan, his dad's close friend, when he thought to himself, "Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasn't just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins." (Hoesseini, pg 1). This gives us insight on what the main character thinks about himself . Another way that we are told about what the main character thinks about himself and his childhood is when he is still on the phone with his dad's close friend and is told by him, "There is a way to be good again." (Hosseini, pg 2). When he says this, the main character gets the memories of his childhood and regrets all the mistakes that he has made. This also shows that not everyone thinks that he is such a bad person and shouldn't be blaming himself for everything. 

    Another popular topic in this book is how the main character, Amir, felt neglected by his father and felt that his father would rather have Hassan, Amir's best friend, as his son than Amir. His father would never spend time with him and make up the excuse that it's "grown up's time" (Hosseini, pg 5). He would always spend time with his friends in his study room and tell Amir that he should go read a book or something when Amir would ask to join them.  "One time at Ghargha Lake, Hassan and I were skimming stones and Hassan made his stone skip eight times. The most I managed was five. Baba was there, watching, and he patted Hassan on the back. Even put his arm around his shoulders." (Hosseini, pg 13-14)