Kite Runner Discussion

Discussion for what I missed on 11/20/07

I absolutely hated this section of the book! Hopefully the content will start changing so I can enjoy it! After all it is a best seller!

Throughout chapters 6-9 I wanted to strangle Amir! How could any human being treat a fellow human being in this manner, especially with how close Hassan and Amir were? With every new event I knew Amir could not get any worse, but it just kept escalating. This section truly lets Amir’s true character shine. I understand obtaining the blue kite is important for Amir’s relationship with his father, but he let Hassan get raped in exchange! “Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 77). This is terrible! I know Amir wants a true father-son relationship, but he should figure out by now that this is never going to happen. Even though he wins the tournament and gets the blue kite, within weeks their relationship goes back to the way it was. Amir should realize that his relationship with Hassan is more important, and now because of his cruel actions it will never be the same!
I could also not get past how Amir describes Hassan’s face right before he gets raped. “It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb” (76). He goes on to say that the lamb had a look “that its imminent demise is for a higher purpose” (77). Since Amir is comparing Hassan to the lamb, he is comparing himself to a higher purpose. Again he is showing his power over Hassan, and again I want to strangle him.

As the book continues, poor Hassan feels he is the one to blame for the new rift in their friendship. He tries to make things better by talking to Amir and asking him to go play. “I don’t know what I’ve done…You can tell me, I’ll stop doing it” (88). Amir should be the one who feels bad not Hassan. Amir should be begging Hassan to forgive him and to play with him, not the other way around! When Amir finally does go to supposedly read to Hassan, he turns on him once again. He repeatedly throws pomegranates at him, wanting Hassan to throw them back. Again Amir is being selfish trying to rid himself of guilt, but he is just hurting Hassan even more.

No matter what Amir does, Hassan will not turn his back on him. He is a loyal friend and servant. This whole thing would not have started if Hassan had not stood up for Amir against Assef in the first place. The ultimate loyalty was from Hassan taking the blame for the stolen money and watch. He could have said he did not take it and Baba would have believed him, but he did not. He knew that all Amir wanted was a good relationship with his father, and he was willing to lie to help his friend. I heard that in class you guys discussed Hassan as a Christ figure, and I strongly agree with this correlation. Hassan took all the beatings, all the hard events in order to protect and help Amir. This is just like Christ dying for us. Hassan is an amazing character! I just wish for once he would turn around and tell off Amir or punch him, but that would change all of his views.

I could talk forever about this section of Kite Runner! There were so many passages that aggravated me, upset me, and angered me. I wanted to cry and scream at the same time!

Also, one last question. I noticed a lot of description in this section including colors. Does anyone have any thoughts on why Hosseini did this or if there is any symbolism in it?

In response to your comments flgirl073, I'd like to bring up the fact that those in the lower class in both Kite Runner and God of Small Things ironically seem to be more righteous and "rich" in true character than those of the upper class who are supposed to be better than the subordinate people in all of their attributes. Yet, the fact that they are essentially better in humanistic qualities is protrayed in both their actions with an accomdating literary element of symbolism. For instance, Velutha's name means white in Malayalam even though Velutha was outwardly black in color. This could perhaps symbolize the typical pure sense that he attains within him that remains untainted. In addition, the fact that Hasan is a symbol for a lamb is quite intriguing to me because lambs are typically white thus exemplifying his purity as well. However, Hasan's purity is tainted by the blood that spilled in a particular scene (when he was being sacrificed). Perhaps both authors were using their novels to demonstrate their discontent for labeling humans for just their blood and not by their deeds and personalities.

I think that there is a great deal of racial/social discrimination in the Kite Runner that affects the characters. It is a huge factor in Amir and Hassan's relationship. It helps explain Hassan's feeling of inferiority and his loyalty to Amir, because their society views Hazaras as inferior. This is why Hassan does not have the opportunity to obtain the education that Amir has. "Words were secret doorways and [Amir] held all the keys" (30). Amir also uses it to try to justify not helping Hassan when Assef attacks him; "[Hassan] was just a Hazara, wasn't he? (77).

I also noticed a similarity to God of Small Things in The Kite Runner with the use of music. In the God of Small Things, music is used as a symbol of feminism for Mammachi and Ammu. When Mammachi is married, she is forced to give up her passions (her music). This happens in the Kite Runner as well with Khala Jamila. When she marries the general, she must also forfeit her passion for music; "That she never sing in public had been one of the general's conditions when they had married" (177). Music is a symbol for both women's liberation to pursue their happiness that is denied by the men in their lives.
I also noticed that the small things are also valued highly in the Kite Runner. Amir comments about how little things make marriage more special; "Soraya and I settled into the routines- and minor wonders- of married life. We shared toothbrushes and socks, passed each other the morning paper. she slept on the right side of the bed, I preferred the left. She liked fluffy pillows, I liked the hard ones" (181). He also mentions it when he talks about his mother later on in the book.
This does not relate to God of Small Things, but I loved what Amir says about cliches; "I always thought cliches got a bum rap. Because often, they're dead on. But the aptness of the cliched saying is overshadowed by the nature of the saying as a cliche" (197). I thought this view of language was fascinating, and very accurate. Amir hit the nail on the head with this one. ha ha ha Anyway, it's interesting to see how the words and phrases that we choose are really important, especially to a writer like Amir.
One other part jumped out at me from this section when Amir is speaking to Rahim Khan. Rahim says, "We're a melancholic people, we Afghans, aren't we? Often, we wallow too much in ghamkhori and self-pity. We give in to loss, to suffering, accept it as a fact of life, even see it as necessary" (201). This is so true of Amir. He cannot forget what happened in his past, and instead of trying to make amends, he lets it haunt him. However, it is not true of all Afghans in this book. Much like Velutha, Hassan focuses on the good things in life, and trys to be happy. Letting guilt eat away at you is a terrible way to deal with problems. Amir, Estha, and Rahel show that it is impossible to just pretend like the bad things didn't happen. The only way to healthily deal with problems is to confront them directly.

Hi
i just finished the book and i loved it. Books really get me, and this one was very powerfrul.
there are some very powerful quotations:
" as words from the koran reverberated through the room, i thought of the old story of baba wrestling the black bear in baluchistan. baba has wrestled bears his whole life" (174).
the "bears" in everyone's life defines him or her. they represent sorrow, loss, fear, and rejection. for baba, the loss of his wife and homeland help define his character, and shape him into the man he has become.
"i reached across the table and put my hand on his. my student hand, clean and soft, on his laborers hand, grubby and calloused. i thought of the all the trucks, train sets, and bikes he'd bought me in Kabul. now america. one last gift for amir" (130).
these gifts symbolize baba's love for amir. amir does feel that his brother hates him becuase he cries and is not tough, but ultimately baba loves amir. he may seem to be "buying" amir with all the toys and material gifts baba gives amir, but baba's sacrifice of his homeland was out of love for amir.
"well, people need stories to divert them at difficult times like this" (139).
this line reiterates the fact that many people divert their attention to other's stories so he/she does not dwell on his/her sorrow. these stories come in many forms, such as, books, television, or gossip. these stories allow one to drift from reality and focus on someone else's misfortunes.

This book really reached out to me. It was very emotional, and was able to convey emotions to the reader, an exceptional piece of work. More than once I was brought to tears while reading this book. Sohrab attempting suicide was one of those moments. This book reached into my soul and evoked such powerful emotions that when I put down the book I suddenly realized how much I had read, and how long it had been and was amazed at how much I had covered without realizing it.

The pomegranate tree is cherished in Central Asian cultures as a sustainer of life. In Kite Runner, the two principle characters exchange stories under the shade of such a tree. But, we are told, the tree does not bear fruit. Its barrenness is a reflection of the utterly sterile character of some people, and indeed of society, in the book. This was best illustrated by Hassan who was not Amir's cousin, but his half-brother! In his brief life he did not know that his father was sterile and, evidently, neither did anyone else.


Amir is deprived of the moral character to fight unlike his huge father. He is so deprived of manly character that he is saved by Hassan and later by the child Sohrab.

Afghani politics is mentioned throughout the book and it is clear that the author views that society as one lacking rectitude, constructivism, and progress. It is a society whose weakness of character literally invites the type of exploitation and depredations that were brought on the Mongol hordes, the Soviets, and now the Taliban.

Thus, the pomegranate tree (a supposed sustainer of life) reveals a story or series of stories, not of life and of progress, but one of decay and moral sterility.

On page 213 it says "'The war is over, Hassan,' I said. 'there's going to be peace, Inshallah, and happiness and calm. No more rockets, no more killing, no more funerlas!' But he just turned off the radio and asked if he could get me anything before he went to bed.
A few weeks later, the Taliban banned kite fightin. And two years later, in 1998, they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif."

It's ironic because the Taliban were their saviors, they pushed out the Russians. Yet they are far worse than the Russians, worse than the Vietnamese or the Koreans in fact. It reminds me of a short story I once read called the "Monkey's Paw" or something like that. Anyway in that story the one who owned the monkey's paw had three wishes; there was however a deadly catch. You would get what you wished for, but you would have to lose something else because nothing is free. So the man who obtained it wished for 200 pounds (money not weight) and he got it, but his son died for it.

Same thing in Kite Runner the people wished/prayed for the Russians to leave/be defeated, and it happened, but something worse took their place.

On page 300 a curious thing occurs, "Aisha asked him something in Urdu. He paid her no attention and scanned the room with his eyes. I thought he looked at me longer than necessary. When the nurse spoke to him again, he just spun around and left."

First thought in my head was "oh no Assef has found him." It could possibly have foreshadowed his execution by the Taliban. Fortunately he was able to get out of that area before anything materialized.

Overall, this book was FANTASTIC!
No wonder it's a bestseller!

It's interesting how almost all of the characters have some kind of secrets hidden from each other and they all come out at the end. Also, some of the characters change so much after they have moved. For example, Baba changes the way he feels about Amir's writing, and for once, he is proud of Amir. In the end, Amir learns his lesson and gets what he deserves. But I was thinking about this quotation: " 'It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime' " (Hosseini 142). This made me realize that if only Amir had stood up to Assef twenty years earlier, maybe Hassan would be in America with him and Baba.

This novel was emotional and intense. I have NEVER cried while reading a book, but this book changed that too! The emotions are extremely intense and understable to any human being. I enjoyed this book a lot!

After reading the Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam, I saw so many comparisons between it and The Kite Runner.

First of all talk about irony, which of course fills the pages of the Kite Runner. It was completely depressing how Sohrab spends so much of his time looking for his father and his father ends up being the man who slays him, and in Rostam's point of view he kills the person he cares for the most in the world.

Second I saw so much of a comparison between both Hassan and Sohrab.
Both Baba and Rostam are seen as these great men who in secret had some sort of realtionship with women they were not supposed to be with (Baba: a Hazara, Rostam: a Turkish princess) and in result their sons are born without their knowledge. So when Sohrab and Hazan grow up niether know who their father's are and yet both of them end up dying for them in some way. Sohrab dies by his father's hand not knowing it was his father at first, and Hassan dies in trying to protect the house for Baba and Amir without knowing that Baba was actually his father.

here is my chunck from the day i was absent...i decided i should probably put this up before we completely finish this unit :P

"I don't know at what point I started laughing, but I did. It hurt to laugh, hurt my jaws, my ribs, my throat. But I was laughing and laughing. And the harder I laughed, the harder he kicked me, punched me, scratched me" (Hosseini 289).

There were so many ironic situations to chose from in these chapters. However, I found this passage to be particularly ironic because Amir is laughing at Assef just like Assef laughed at the guard on page 283. It is expected to be painful when one is beaten; however, Assef laughed when he was beaten because of his relief of having passed his kidney stone. Not only is it ironic that Assef found relief in his abuse, but it is also ironic that the same situation was reflected on him with Amir. Assef thought that he was teaching Amir a lesson and hurting him when Amir actually felt "healed" as a result and laughed because of this.

Hey everybody!

The latest book we have completed is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. There were many literary aspects in this novel including wheater symbolism and irony. A literary aspect that continued to show up in class discussions was Bibical references and Christ like figures amongst the characters. These literary characteristics were also present in the Poisonwood Bible, but this book was one where the main characters were Christian and readers of the Bible. In the Kite Runner this is not the case. We also know that the author of this novel is not Christian but is Muslim like the characters of his novel. Do you think that the characters who do have a Christ like figure in the novel were meant to actually represent somebody else? Do you think that the author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor was biased towards his literary conclusions? (I am not trying to offend anyone from this discussion! I just thought about this during class a lot and was wondering if anyone questioned the same things i did.)

I ended us choosing this passage from chapter 18:
“How could he have lied to me all those years? To Hassan? He had sat me on his lap when I was little, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, There is only one sin. And that is theft…When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. Hadn’t he said those words to me? And now, fifteen years later I’d buried him, I was learning that Baba had been a thief. And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he’d stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor. His nang. His namoos…
Here is another cliché my creative writing teacher would have scoffed at; like father, like son. But it was true, wasn’t it? As it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I’d ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us. And with that came this realization: that Rahim Khan had summoned me here to atone not just for my sins but for Baba’s too” (225-6).
I chose this quote because not only is it ironic in and of itself, but it also ironically contrasted to my last chunk on characterization. Amir felt his “sin”—betraying Hassan—made him so different from his father. He has spent much of his life trying to please Baba and mimic his father’s life. It is ironic that now, all these years later, when he discovers he and had father were so similar, it sickens him rather than bringing him joy.
In Lit Prof, he continually states that irony goes against what you think will happen. I never would have dreamed that Baba’s greatest sin would be theft on so many different levels (stealing wife, purity, truth) and gone against the nang and nomoos he so adamantly preached to his son.

There was so much irony in chapters 16-25 that i had a hard time selecting the most ironic part.

I liked this book when I first read it. Had tears too in my eyes. It is wonderfully written in places. But somehow I think it is one of those books in which the West brings its 'freedom' to the East so to speak. And I find this concept heavily prejudiced. US bombing on Afghanistan is never spoken of for instance.

I read it for a project for my english class and it's phenomenal.