The Kite Runner Study Guide
Not everybody likes historical novels. And not every story makes a good inspiration source for a book. But some events are best to learn about from the literary genre. The Afghan war is one of them. An American author of Afghan origins wrote “The Kite Runner” where he talks about the Soviet intervention, a fallen regime, and the establishment of a Taliban movement.
The novel is fine and ironical, it also has a bit of sentimental taste to it. Khaled Hosseini tells a touching story of his countrymen. The text is emotional and makes the reader think about the characters long after the book is finished. Even years after reading the book you will remember the feelings it evoked in you.
The protagonist of the story, Amir, grew up in Kabul. He is from a rich family, they have a nice house and servants. He has a close relationship with a son of their servant who is of ethnic minority origins. When the government changes, so does the relationship between the two boys. The social narrow-mindedness and stigma take over the life and minds of people. Amir is still a young boy who is a bit scared, lost and can’t stand up to his true values.
The book describes some terrible events and the guilt that followed them. These events include the war invasion and a personal hate for those who are not like the rest. Eventually Amir’s family ends up in the USA where he married and tried to establish his own family.
“The Kite Runner” is a heartfelt story about friendship and loyalty, but it’s also about weaknesses and redemption. The book reminds us that some things are worse than death. Some actions steal the human dignity and others burden the mind forever. Is there such a thing as redemption and how to live your life thinking whether you could have prevented something terrible that happened?
Author: Craig Brown
New Essays
Toward the beginning of the novel, Amir and Hassan have a very close brotherly relationship when they are alone. Amir is afraid to be Hassan’s true friend in public because they are from two different social classes (Amir being a Pashtun and Hassan being a Hazara). Hazaras are thought of to be...
"It may be unfair? In a single day can change the coarse of a whole life time. " That one-day in 1975 made Amir who he was to become in 2001. Discuss. In the novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini, we find a grown man name Amir, still struggling to over come his past sins of betrayal and...
" Then he would remind us that there was a brotherhood between people who feed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break. Hassan and I feed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. "(p...
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a powerful novel about two friends whose only similarity is the wet nurse they were fed from when they were little. Because the novel is not informative in purpose and as American, we know little about the history and politics of Afghanistan, its culture, Islam...