The Kite Runner

So What?

Important Characters-

• Amir- The protagonist and narrator of the novel. He is always striving the best son for Baba, but often feels he fails. He also spends the majority of the novel trying to atone for neglecting to save Hassan and then betraying him. He is sensitive and intelligent and always trying to please Baba. He and Hassan are best friends and half brothers. Amir becomes a writer and novelist. Later in the novel, Amir returns to Afghanistan and redeems himself by saving Hassan's son, Sohrab, and runs his kite.
• Hassan- Amir's half brother and best friend even though he is Hazara. Hassan is always standing up for Amir and saving him from the neighborhood bullies. When he and Amir fight kites, Hassan runs the kite they beat out for Amir. After he retrieves the kite he is raped by Assef for being a Hazara and also as payback for standing up for Amir. He and his wife are later killed by the Taliban and Amir adopts their son which serves as atonement.
• Baba- Amir 's father. He is the actual father of Hassan even though most believe it was his friend and servant Ali. His is a wealthy and well respected business man in Kabul. Baba has a string personality and strong beliefs and is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in.
• Ali- Hassan's father even though he was technically Baba's son. He is a servant in Amir and Baba's house and Baba regards him as a friend.
• Sohrab- Hassan's son who is saved and adopted by Amir after his parents are murdered and he is sent to an orphanage where he is taken by Assef and it is assumed he has been repeatedly sexually abused by him. Sohrab saves amirs life and they leave. When he learns he may have to return to an orphanage he attempts suicide and stops talking all together.
• Assef- Hassan's rapist and Sohrab's abuser. As a child he is a bully and terrorizes Amir and Hassan is always saving him. Since Hassan is always protecting Amir Assef rapes him. Hassan later becomes a leader of the Taliban and is responsible for killing Hassan and his wife and abusing Sohrab.

Essential Plot Elements-

• The novel begins in Kabul, Afghanistan prior to the Soviet invasion. After the king is overthrown, things change and Assef and his bully friends make fun of Amir for being friends with Hassan, a Hazara. Hassan saves Amir with his slingshot.
• The story then skips to winter where Amir and Hassan fight kites and when Amir cuts the final competitors kite and Hassan runs the kite.
• After Hassan successfully runs the kite, Assef wants the kite and threatens Hassan and when he refuses to give it up, Assef rapes Hassan while Assef's "friends" hold him down.
• Amir witnesses the rape and does nothing.
• Amir is racked with guilt and decides either he or Hassan must leave so he puts a watch and money under Hassan's pillow and tells Baba he stole it. HAssan admits to it and then Hassan and Ali move away.
• Amir and Baba then flee to America after the Soviet invasion. Amir finishes high school, college, and begins writing. Amir and Baba sell things at the flea market for extra money. And this is where AMir meets his wife, Soyara, the daughter of General Taheri, an old friend of Baba's. Baba is diagnosed with lung cancer and dies shortly after the wedding. Amir and Soyara try unsuccessfully to have a child while he works on his writing career.
• Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan. He returns to Kabul where Rahim Khan tells Amir what has happened since he left and explains that Hassan and his wife were killed by the Taliban and that their son is still alive and in an orphanage.
• Amir goes to look for Sohrab and learns he is no longer in an orphanage, but instead with Assef. Sohrab is a sexual servant to Assef and Assef attacks Amir and Sohrab saves him with a slingshot.
• Amir then takes Sohrab and tells him he will be taken to America. When it becomes clear this will be very difficult to accomplish since he cannot prove his parents are dead and Amir tells Sohrab he may have to return to an orphanage Sohrab slits his wrists. He lives but stops speaking.
• When they finally reach California Sohrab still does not speak and at the end of the novel when Sohrab fights kites and cuts his final opponents string he smiles and Amir sets off to run the kite.

Setting-

• The novel begins in Kabul, Afghanistan in a time of relative peace prior to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. There is some racism towards the Hazara people who were generally poorer and considered inferior to other Afghanis. Kabul is described as beautiful. However, the Soviets invade Afghanistan and the mood changes there. The setting then moves to California where Amir and Baba flee to and they live within an Afghani community even in the United States. At the end of the novel the action returns to Afghanistan which is in turmoil and destroyed since the Taliban has taken over. There is a fearful tone and Amir does not even recognize most of the country.

Central Conflicts-

• The central conflict in the novel is Amir's guilt and desire for atonement after he fails to intervene in Hassan's rape. This desire for atonement drives the entire novel forward, after witnessing the attack and betraying Hassan, Amir cannot forgive himself, even as an adult.

Major Themes-

• The Past- The story is told from the point of view of reflecting on the past. Characters and events from the past are repeated and characters are given second chances. The effects of the past on characters constantly drives their actions.
• The Search for Redemption- After Baba and Amir flee to America, Amir spends his entire life trying to atone for what betraying Hassan. Baba is also on the search for redemption. He treats Hassan very well for a servant because Hassan is his son and he vetrayed his friend and servant Ali through his adultery.

How?

• Structure/Function- The way the novel is written, the narrator is telling a story. This allows the affect of the events on the characters to be witnessed by the reader. The novel is a story of the past. It is Amir's road to redemption from betraying his friend and brother.
• Motifs- Motifs in the novel such as rape and irony create conflict and tension in the story. Rape is the biggest thing that Amir must atone for. He did not stop Hassan's rape ad e has to save Sohrab from continued rape. Irony also is very important because often the characters make choices that would seem to be the correct choice to them but often result in the opposite reaction. For example, Amir wants to give Baba the kite to prove he is not a coward, but in not preventing Hassan's rape he is even more of a coward.