Review: "The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hosseini

Introduction: Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster from the very first page to the very last. His novel explores the life of Amir, a young Afghan boy who now, as an adult, reflects on an event that "changed everything and made him what he is today." (2. Hosseini) The five most prominent characters are Amir, his father, Baba, Rahim Khan, Amir's childhood friend, Hassan, and Hassan's father, Ali. Khaled begins his novel with adult Amir receiving a phone call from an old friend, Rahim Khan. Though Amir currently lives in San Francisco, Rahim mentions that he should visit Pakistan for "there is a way to be good again." As we learn later, Hassan was Amir's servant's son yet they grew up together. Whilst Amir goes to school, Hassan remains in their estate and buy groceries, or cleaning up after Amir and Baba. Without doubt, Hassan was the ever so loving and loyal friend in which Amir always yearned to be like yet failed. Desperate to attain Baba's fatherly love and jealous of the way Baba loved Hassan, Amir often ridicules Hassan for his ignorance. However, everything changes between the boys when Hassan is raped by Assef, and Amir decides to run off without helping. Distressed, Amir finds it difficult to confront Hassan out of guilt and shame until one day he decides that it is time to do the right thing and save Hassan's son. Overall, it is a story rich with Afghan culture and filled with symbolism of loyalty and betrayal, two of the novel's major themes which will be explored in this blog.

Levels of Loyalty:

In terms of The Kite Runner, Hassan can be used to represent the idea of loyalty. Throughout the entire novel, Hassan's devotion to Amir is never once curtailed, instead, it only grows stronger as the years pass by. Even though Amir's character evolves over time, Hassan remains a forgiving, self-less, and gracious character. That being said, it is no doubt that loyalty is one of this novel's chief themes. Loyalty by itself can be described as the state of being utterly faithful or devoted to a person, place, or even a thing. In short, loyalty to a human means forgiveness, acceptance, and despite the given conditions, an interminable love will surpass all other emotions. Given those terms, The Kite Runner is rich with events which depict loyalty in varying levels, particularly through Hassan and eventually through Amir. Some instances of Hassan's allegiance can be seen when he refuses to tell Ali that doing mischief were Amir's ideas, when he admits that he would eat dirt if Amir asked him to, when he refuses to hit back Amir, and when he died protecting Amir's old house. However, two of the most prominent examples which sit on different levels of loyalty can be seen in chapter nine when Hassan lies to protect Amir and then, in chapter eighteen when Amir decides that it is his time for loyalty.

1. The first level of loyalty portrayed in the novel reappears several times through Hassan. His novelty however reached its climax when he admitted to stealing. Distressed by Hassan's loyalty, Amir decided to frame Hassan for stealing, hoping that he would tell the truth, and Amir would then pay the price for not defending Hassan while he got raped. However, the ever so loyal Hassan confessed to the crime, therefore protecting Amir from the hatred of Baba. Hassan's lie, as Amir noted, was "Hassan's final sacrifice" (103) for him. As if that realization was not enough to further Amir's guilt, he then understood that Hassan knew everything. As Amir recollected, "He knew that I'd stood there and done nothing. He knew I had betrayed him and yet he was rescuing me once more." (103) In short, Hassan chose to lie to protect his friend from being criticized by his father. He valued the happiness of Amir before his own, risking his life and his father's, simply to ensure that his beloved friend, and brother, Amir would continue to enjoy the happy life he lived.

2. The second level of loyalty is seen in chapter eighteen when Amir makes his decision to save Sohrab, Hassan's son. After receiving a call from Rahim Khan, Amir learnt that there was "a way to be good again," (226) in other words, a way to get redemption for his actions. After years of overpowering guilt, Amir knew that it was time to set things right and Rahim's call provided that window of opportunity. However, though "Hassan was gone now, a little part of him lived on. It was in Kabul. Waiting." (227) If Amir was to rectify the way he betrayed his brother, he could have done so by saving Sohrab, something he failed to do with Hassan. In short, Amir's decision to go to Kabul in search of this little boy sheds light on how his character evolved into being loyal. His decision then, fits perfectly on another level of loyalty as he discovers how to be faithful after many years of failure.

In short, Hassan's loyalty can be classified as one which persists throughout the novel whilst Amir's loyalty can be classified as one which is attained through a method of redemption out of sheer guilt for previous betrayals.

For even more examples of loyalty, Shmoop explains some of the greatest friendship quotes from the novel.

Levels of Betrayal:

Betrayal refers to a sense of disloyalty and the act of deceiving someone or something. Throughout the novel The Kite Runner, betrayal takes on many forms and can be seen within almost every character. To begin with, Hassan is betrayed by his mother when she leaves him five days after he is born, and both Amir and Hassan are betrayed by their father, Baba, who keep the truth about their brotherhood a secret. Disloyalty can even be found between Amir and Hassan on many instances where Amir betrays his friend without reasons. As a result, betrayal ranks as yet another important recurring theme in the novel, alongside loyalty. Despite the many examples however, the two most prominent paradigms of betrayal are seen in chapter seven when Amir abandons Hassan in his time of need, and later, in chapter seventeen when Amir learns of Baba's betrayal to his friend, Ali.

1. Towards the end of chapter seven, after winning the kite tournament, Hassan promised Amir that he would run the kite once more and return it to him so he could show Baba. However, in the midst of the alleyway, Hassan was confronted by Assef and his two friends who insult him. Having refused to give Assef the kite, thereby withholding his loyalty towards Amir, Hassan became a rape victim to Assef. However, Amir witnessed all of it and possessed every opportunity to save his friend. As Amir stated, "I had one final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan --the way he did for me all those times in the past-- and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run." (77) Unfortunately, Amir chose to run, unveiling a lifetime of impending guilt for one betrayal. Moreover, not only did Amir abandon Hassan, but he also claimed that "the real reason he ran was because Assef was right." (77) He comforted himself with the thoughts that maybe "nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price [he] had to pay, to win Baba." (77) This entire incident therefore proves Amir's disloyalty toward the loyal lamb, Hassan. Amir's decision to run and his thoughts of Hassan's rape being a sacrifice, shows just how selfish and treacherous Amir was toward Hassan, who did nothing but live for Amir.

A more detailed explanation on how Amir viewed Hassan's rape as a sacrifce can be found at Sparknotes.

2. The second form of betrayal was seen in chapter seventeen when the truth about Hassan's legitimate father was revealed. When Amir went to Pakistan to seek redemption for his guilt, Rahim Khan gave him a letter from Hasssan and asked him to rescue Sohrab in Kabul. Rahim told Amir that "Ali was sterile," implying that Ali was not Hassan's father yet Amir "knows who." (222) Therefore, Baba would have had betrayed Ali, his childhood friend, by sleeping with his wife, who gave birth to Hassan. Moreover, Amir remembered how his father loathed thieves and how he said "when you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth." (225) As a result, Baba's own words justified how guilty he was for betraying Ali. What made the act even more disloyal however, was that Baba never told Ali nor sought forgiveness. He simply buried himself with the truth, depriving Ali of the truth, therefore committing the worst sin of all: theft.

Cultural Contex:

Kite running has always been one of the most well-known activities especially for Afghans. Hundreds of people, mainly children, would gather in groups and let their kites roam into the sky. The strings were coated with a special mixture whilst the thread was wound clockwise. Typically, the kite flyer's assistant controlled the spool to the left and the kite flyer would control the kite itself. The goal was to cut down as much other kites as one could and if the kite was knocked down, the runner would fetch the flying kite. Often times, the dye on the thread left red stains on the runners' hands, which resembled blood from afar. In addition, many times, the boys would fight to catch the kite.

In terms of the novel, The Kite Runner, Hassan was depicted as a very skilled runner. Amir even commented on the way he tended to predict where the kite would fall way before it came down. Nonetheless, kite flying was an activity both Amir and Hassan enjoyed as childhood friends. To Amir, winning the tournament was a way to win Baba's love and praise. Amir comments on how liberating it felt in that moment of flying the kite. Indeed, kite flying made one feel free however, it was also the thing that "tied" Amir down in terms of his thoughts. After witnessing Hassan being raped and failing to defend him, Amir was plagued by guilt and avoided everything related to Hassan. It was only until he rescued Sohrab and became "healed" by Assef, was he able to rejoice in that liberating feeling of kite flying once again. To Hassan however, the way he stood beside Amir, guiding the kite and running after it, emphasizes his place in society and acts as another symbol of his loyalty. The notion of kite running however not only relates to the novel but it can also be related to the people of Afghanistan during that time. To begin with, Kite Running is known as competition of not only skills, but also to showcase one's strength, and endurance. After all, the goal of the game is not to fly the highest, but to cut the most kites. Under such conditions, it can be assumed then, that such an activity was used in the novel to portray how the Afghans endured the horrors of the Taliban, the Soviets, and other powerful rulers who destroyed their home. Additionally, the fact that the dye on the thread resembled blood can be interpreted further to symbolize how Afghans endured suffering yet greeted life with smiles and determination. The cuts from the strings could be used to represent the ways in which Afghans would have suffered under bad conditions yet, like Hassan, they were contented with life; a perfect representation of the strength in an Afghan person.

Also, I found a really interesting article which explains, in detail, the custom of Kite Running and what it means to Afghans.

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