Book Notes #1

Setting: 


The Kite Runner is initially situated in San Francisco however the book flashes back to Kabul, Afghanistan. This is where Amir, the main character and narrator of the story grew up and this is where we learn about Amir’s childhood experiences. Throughout his experiences it’s learned that is what shaped him to be who he is today. Amir’s go way back to the 1960’s as a youth and then to where he is a teenager. Amir and his father around the 60’s is where the Soviet invasion took place thus forcing them to immigrate into the United States. In Afghanistan’s they were considered to be quite well off and with the invasion they had to leave all their possessions and starting life over in San Francisco was difficult. The time frame of the story goes through three times frames; childhood, teenage, and adulthood.

Characters:

Amir- The main character of the story but also the narrator. His age in the story bounces as the story starts when Amir is a child and we see him go through his teenage year as well as his adulthood. Amir matures quickly as he has gone through a lot of horrible and terrifying things. After he “allowed” his friend Hassan to be raped, Amir becomes very quiet and wants little to do with the outside world. On the contrary, Amir feels a sense of relentless and guilt as hes realizes allowing that specific event to take place his selfishness costs him happiness.

Hassan- A loyal and yet brother like friend to Amir. He is a servant to Baba and Amir, and he is responsible for things such as reading stories to Amir for school, getting groceries and essentially running the household. Hassan early in the story gets raped and to witness it was Amir yet he did nothing to help. Throughout that experience surprisingly Hassan remains to be a loyal friend.

Baba- The oldest male figure of the story being Amir’s father. Baba is a determined man but he also is independent which has its negative affects on Amir. Being the one to make the call to leave home was very stressful on Baba being a well respected citizen of the community and also wealthy. The move to San Francisco resulted in Baba leaving his wealthy lifestyle to a Gas station tenant. Through the life changing experiences Baba had to take his son Amir through, the relationship between them became much stronger.

Conflicts (Initial) - The Kite Runner has several conflicts throughout. The main external conflict in the story is betrayal, and sacrifice. Each character must come face to face with the conflict physically, mentally, and emotionally. Amir’s point of betrayal was when Hassan needed him the most and he just sat back in shock not knowing what to do. This was the point in which Hassan was getting raped and Amir didn’t want to get hurt therefore he decided to observe the torture taking place rather then trying to help it. Amir’s father Baba also betrayed his closest friend as a child Ali, when he slept with his wife.

Theme:

Guilt- Amir feels an extreme level of guilt towards Hassan. During the time Hassan was being raped rather then Amir trying to help Hassan he stay back a distance and simply views the inhumane act taking place. During that point in the story Amir tells us how he wants to help his friend but he does not want to get hurt. In this case wouldn’t you do anything you could? Hassan is a best friend to Amir…

Lying- Baba has fallen under the theme of lying because of what he hides from Hassan and Amir. Amir grows up believing that the servant in the house and best friend of his is just someone Baba hired. When in actuality, Hassan is Amir’s half brother. However, Baba fails to mention the fact.

Honor- Baba’s secret that is hidden from Amir and Hassan about them being half brothers. Baba knows that they are related but does not want anyone to know this because he is afraid of what people will think of him. Society might think less of him because it is suggesting that a couple has possibly not been faithful to each other and/or Baba had a child with another woman. This is a significant issue back in the 60’s as well as now and it is quite possible his reputation could slide.

Active Reading:

Kites flying (metaphor) – Kite flying is an activity in which the opponents objective is to eliminate the other player and take out the kites in the sky. The war in Afghanistan during that time period can be metaphorically seen because kite flying involves a common purpose and conflict as well as the war.

Personal Analysis- Personally I find the story to be quite interesting and I like the way it is written. Initially It starts with the main characters being situated in San Francisco after the emigration from Afghanistan. Soon after the story has a flashback to their life in their homeland. I certainly find this is an effective way to keep the reader interested because you are always wondering how everything ties together. The story has its dull points but it seems that there is always something like a “twist” that keeps my interest to read the next chapter. Without a doubt if someone was to ask if I recommend reading this novel I would say that it would be an excellent choice.