Overall, I thought that the “Kite Runner” was an insightful look into a life that has been discriminated in the American culture for so long that it is almost nonexistent in literature.
Personally, I truly did enjoy reading this story. At times, I thought that the plot moved pretty slow. For example, the time period following Hassan’s rape prior to Amir leaving for the United States seemed to last forever. I understand that you feel guilty, but get over yourself and talk about something different. The aspect that I really did enjoy, however, was how realistic the author made the stories. Although some of the things are notably far-fetched, like having all of these things happen in just one person’s life, the events that occur are truthfully eyeopening. For example, Amir’s return to Afghanistan after many years of turmoil provided an insightful view into a country that I knew very little about up until I read this novel. Overall, the imagery and description utilized allowed me to immerse myself fully into this reading.
From the beginning, several apparent themes appeared to me as a reader than seemed to continue for the entirety of the story. The first of which appears to be the concept of betrayal and redemption. Amir is born automatically trying to redeem himself for the death of his mother, which in Baba’s eyes, was directly caused by Amir. Later on, Amir watches Hassan’s rape and does absolutely nothing about it. This act carries on for the entirety of the novel as Hassan is constantly tormented with this guilt. Another example of guilt in this novel does not come up until a later portion of the plot. In an unexpected twist, Baba is found to be just as guilty as Amir in that he slept with his best friend Amir’s wife who then gave birth to a child. Both of these characters try zealously throughout the novel to right the wrongs they knowingly committed. Amir struggles at first with this concept. He refuses to confront this guilt and instead creates the situation leading to Hassan’s departure from his life, inevitably forever. He does not seem to ever forgive himself during the story, but one can definitely tell that he is making progress toward forgiving himself at the end of the story beginning with Raham Khan’s note recognizing Amir’s actions. I think that Amir trying to adopt Hassan’s son was a way for him to try to gain some sense of forgiveness for himself in that since Hassan is obviously beyond help, he can help his kin. Baba, on the other hand, proves to be a more prideful individual and seems to do more indirect things in order to cope with his undeniable guilt. Afghani people, whether they be in their native land or in San Francisco, recognize Baba as a generous man. Numerous stories are told at his funeral of this supposed selfless generosity. However, the truth behind this generosity does not come to light until Amir learns that Hassan was his half-brother. It is evident, from this point on, that Baba built these orphanages and donated so much money and hosted such lavish parties in order to make himself feel better from the sin of “thievery” that he had committed, that is stealing a woman from her husband.
From the beginning, several apparent themes appeared to me as a reader than seemed to continue for the entirety of the story. The first of which appears to be the concept of betrayal and redemption. Amir is born automatically trying to redeem himself for the death of his mother, which in Baba’s eyes, was directly caused by Amir. Later on, Amir watches Hassan’s rape and does absolutely nothing about it. This act carries on for the entirety of the novel as Hassan is constantly tormented with this guilt. Another example of guilt in this novel does not come up until a later portion of the plot. In an unexpected twist, Baba is found to be just as guilty as Amir in that he slept with his best friend Amir’s wife who then gave birth to a child. Both of these characters try zealously throughout the novel to right the wrongs they knowingly committed. Amir struggles at first with this concept. He refuses to confront this guilt and instead creates the situation leading to Hassan’s departure from his life, inevitably forever. He does not seem to ever forgive himself during the story, but one can definitely tell that he is making progress toward forgiving himself at the end of the story beginning with Raham Khan’s note recognizing Amir’s actions. I think that Amir trying to adopt Hassan’s son was a way for him to try to gain some sense of forgiveness for himself in that since Hassan is obviously beyond help, he can help his kin. Baba, on the other hand, proves to be a more prideful individual and seems to do more indirect things in order to cope with his undeniable guilt. Afghani people, whether they be in their native land or in San Francisco, recognize Baba as a generous man. Numerous stories are told at his funeral of this supposed selfless generosity. However, the truth behind this generosity does not come to light until Amir learns that Hassan was his half-brother. It is evident, from this point on, that Baba built these orphanages and donated so much money and hosted such lavish parties in order to make himself feel better from the sin of “thievery” that he had committed, that is stealing a woman from her husband.
Another theme that comes into play throughout the story is the theme of love and the different types of love that a person can have. Hassan has love for Amir that is completely and utterly selfless. He is willing to do whatever is necessary in order for Amir’s happiness to come to play. Whether that means moving from a comfortable home, a seeming punishment, after a rape or taking care of Amir’s house long after he left, Hassan is truly a good person. Amir, on the other hand, seemed to only love Hassan for artificial reasons in the beginning. He loved to have a friend in Hassan since he did not have many growing up. He loved having somebody to play with, somebody to pick on, but never seemed to love Hassan for being the loving and caring person that he really was.
All in all, this story proved to be incredibly informative in a variety of topics. From the various socioeconomic classes present in the Middle East to the segregation and brutal punishment of the Taliban regime. This story, in all, was moving and ended on a high note that forced me to look at the protagonist, Amir, in a different light. This story shows that no matter what you do, you can always persevere and succeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment