Final Blog

The Kite Runner was told simply yet extremely emotional and a story that’s hard to forget. I was happy that I got to read a book from this perspective because honestly, I could not tell you anything about Afghanistan culture, or even about Russians invading their country. It shows how we are only exposed to certain events and ideas to make up our sense of history. Most people’s limited or ignorant knowledge of Afghanistan culture probably starts with 9/11. Baba’s character proved wrong how everyone in Middle East are crazy religious extremists who want to bomb America. Baba was a respectable man in his society who didn't necessarily adhere to the stereotypes we unconsciously place  to Afghanis. Something I never knew was the dynamic between the Pashtun and Hazara,  and it definitely reminded me of American history and I find it odd that common cultural dynamics can form in places that on the outside seem to have very few similarities. Even though a western societal woman and an Afghan woman seem to not have anything in common, they still have similarities in culture. The way we teach women to aspire to marriage and to have that stability in your life is similar to Afgan women. A promiscuous woman could be looked at as a whore while a promiscuous man is simply a “player” or just doing what boys do. Sometimes before American’s as a whole stereotype certain cultures we, we should go back and look at ourselves. 

Overall one thing that stuck out to me the most was the father-son dynamics throughout the story. Baba and Amir, who initially seem to get together like oil and water, actually suffer from the same feeling of overwhelming guilt. Even though expressed differently, and created different consequences, the guilt of one relationship stained the rest of their lives. Both of the guilt was for the same person, Hassan. Hassan and his son suffered a lot from what Amir and and Baba kept from them, yet it’s ironic because Hassan would’ve done anything for either one of them, and it caused him his life in the end. Baba could never feel complete closure from what he cause in Hassan’s life. Amir was able to confess and redeem himself, however it was interesting that Baba hated theft more than anything but he and his son were just that. It kind of shows that you hate and fear the most what you fear in yourself. 

Hassan and his son had some obvious similarities like standing up for others, being rapped as a child, and of course slingshot skills. Amir help prolog Hassan’s pain but also ended the painful cycle with Sohrab. I felt like at the end of the book Amir had finally grown up, and what signaled that was the beginning of a new father-son relationship between him and Sohrab. Amir was still gentle and affectionate, but he grew a lot stronger. He started being able to stand up for himself especially to General Taheri and the way he wasn’t afraid of Aseff, but at the same time he wanted to be there completely for Sohrab unlike how Baba was emotionally there for him. 

Something that really daunted me was Sohrab’s suicide attempt. He had hit rock bottom, his parents dead, innocence shattered, and on top of that he did not know where he would be living in the next month. He had nothing solid ground in his life at all. It interests me as much as it scares me if people are really capable of committing suicide at such a young age. It’s sad that a child would even be able to conceive that as an option. I am not sure if I would consider him strong for enduring the pain to feel the ultimate  release, but that was an extremely emotional part of the book.

I find it interesting that when things are going good in people’s life, it’s easier for them to forget about religion. When Amir was starting to move on from his father’s death and his and his wife’s career and relationship were doing well, he did not turn to his religion to thank his God for what he had. It was not until Sohrab was in the hospital that he immediately turned to God. I just am not sure if God appreciates people ignoring him when he’s doing things right, but just use him when there are things going wrong. It common because that happens much more then just in Amir’s case. Maybe things would not get so bad if people were able to be more thankful when everything is going right instead of just desperate when things are going bad. Another aspect of religion in the book that I thought was interesting was that the Taliban thought that they were doing God’s work. Everyone thinks that God is on their side when really no one can prove who’s right or wrong.