Category Archives: NCEA

The Kite Runner – Chapter 17

This chapter is the only one narrated by another character (Rahim Khan) and it covers the events in Kabul since Amir has been gone. A great number of events both political and domestic are covered. Rahim Khan has a different tone than Amir as he is more philosophical about what has happened and he accepts the past. When he talks about Hassan he speaks of him with affection and without guilt.

We also learn about Sanaubar’s return and how hard her life has been. She has paid a terrible price for being a ‘dishonourable’ woman. Sanaubar returns to a traditional role and moral salvation and she is able to die peacefully.

Rahim Khan does not tell Amir why he had to come back urgently and there is still more to be told.

The Kite Runner – Chapter 13

The “giving word” ceremony takes place at Soraya’s parents’ house. Amir is happy when Baba tells him that this is the happiest day of his life. A great deal of this chapter is about the customs and culture surrounding Afghan ceremonies. Hosseini explains the significance of these ceremonies. Note that Soraya’s character allows Hosseini to discuss the role of women in Afghan society. Her treatment from the Afghan community highlights the double standards applies to men and women in that community.

Soraya decides that she and Amir will move in with Baba so that she can dedicate herself to his care in his final days. Baba dies and many people mourn his death. When the mourners offer Amir their sympathies, he realises that much of who he is has been defined by Baba and the marks he made on people’s lives. Amir knows that he must know find his own path and he is scared.

“How much of who I was, what I was, had been defined by Baba and the marks he had left on people’s lives. My whole life, I had been ‘Baba’s son’. Now he was gone. Baba couldn’t show me the way anymore; I’d have to find it on my own.”

Amir attends San Jose State University where he studies English and Soraya continues teaching studies, a decision that her father constantly criticises. In 1988 Amir learns that his book is going to be published. Soraya and Amir are elated and Amir wishes that Baba could have seen what he has achieved. Amir reflects on his success and he wonders whether he deserves it.

Amir and Soraya begin trying to have a child but they have no luck. Amir’s guilt about Hassan resurfaces and he feels that maybe they can’t have children because “perhaps something, someone, somewhere, has decided to deny me fatherhood for the things I had done.” As he lies in bed he feels “the emptiness in Soraya’s womb” and it “sleeps between (them) like a newborn child.”

Chapter 13 is really at the mid-point of the novel. This chapter is important for Amir because he crosses from adolescence to adulthood. In a very short time he is married, Baba dies and his first novel is published. Amir meets Soraya and he discovers the ‘tenderness of a woman’. We see that Hassan is never far from his mind, which foreshadows that he will someday atone for what he has done to him as Amir will never really be a man until he shows moral courage.

The Kite Runner – Chapter 12

Amir continues to develop his relationship with Soraya. Baba tells Amir to be careful as General Taheri is a proud Pashtun and he will defend his ‘honour’ and the ‘chastity’ of his daughter.

Much of this chapter is set at the flea market and it shows the Afghan immigrants have set up a small version of their society in America. We are told Taheri is “Pashtun to the root” and that protocol surrounding women in Pahtun society must be followed so as not to disgrace Pashtun men. Note that Soraya’s loss of virginity has destroyed her chances at a respectable marriage.

Baba has cancer and it is terminal and although he is very ill he helps to arrange Amir’s marriage to Soraya. Soraya tells Amir about her past and gives him the chance to pull out of the marriage. He is bothered by her loss of virginity but realises “How could I, of all people, chastise someone for the past.” Amir envies Soraya because her secret is out and his betrayal still eats away at him just as Baba’s cancer is consuming him. Amir thinks Soraya’s courage is “one of many ways” that she is better than him.

The Kite Runner – Chapter 11

Baba and Amir are in America but Baba has difficulty in adjusting to life there. Baba’s political views cause tension. Baba still responds with violence when angry and there is a nasty incident with the elderly Vietnamese couple in the grocery store. He works long hours at a petrol station and won’t take any help. Baba refuses food stamps as this is an insult to his pride.

Amir is relieved to be in America as it is a place “with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins.” When he graduates from high school Baba tells him that he is proud and takes him out for a celebration. Typically, Baba buys drinks for all the patrons in the bar. He buys Amir a car but then he adds “I wish Hassan had been with us today.” Baba wants Amir to study medicine but Amir decides to study English as he “didn’t want to sacrifice myself to Baba anymore. The last time I had done that, I had damned myself.”

Amir and Baba start selling things at a flea market and it is there that Amir meets Soraya. Amir remembers that there was some gossip about her. Baba tells Amir that there had been a man once in her life and that things did not go well. Although, Soraya is a decent person none of the Afghani men are interested in her. Baba observes, “It may be unfair, but what happens in a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime.” Baba’s statement that what happens in a single day can change the course of a whole lifetime is ironic, because that so true for Amir. As we know this is also true for Baba as we will see later in the novel when his past is revealed. The introduction of a love interest for Amir is interesting, because Soraya is also “damaged goods,” just like Amir.

The symbolic significance of kites

We have discussed the symbolic use of kites in The Kite Runner and although to many of you they reflected Amir’s use of cliche they are worth discussing. Kites are popular today but they have ancient origins. It is believed that they date back at least three thousand years and originally came from China. Kites are particularly popular in Afghanistan as they symbolise national pride, history, independence, personal pride and religion.

Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites, red with long blue tails, soaring up in the sky. They danced high above the trees on the west end of the park, over the windmills.

This description from the novel appears on page one. The kites represent the relationship between Amir and Hassan, they float close to one another occassionally bumping each other accidently or manipulated on purpose. As the kite flyer and the kite runner they are a perfect team as each is an expert in their own right.

Every winter, districts in Kabul held a kite-fighting tournament. If you were a boy living in Kabul, the day of the tournament was undeniably the highlight of the cold season … In Kabul, fighting kites was a little like going to war.

In Amir’s case this war takes a number of forms in the novel. There is the actual kite-fighting battle, his internal conflict over not protecting Hassan, the battle to win Baba’s attention and to earn his praise and finally the battle over whether to get involved in rescuing Sohrab. Another interesting thing about kites are that they are the only thing that Amir and Baba have in common. Their hopes, dreams and personalities are very different but kites are “the one paper thin slice of intersection between spheres of their existence.” Baba and Amir do eventually come to understand one another but it takes a long time to get there.

The end of the novel was hard for many of you to believe in because of the use of cliche and this was even more evident in your reactions to the film but remember that in Afghanistan kite-flying and fighting only have one rule and that is winning. This not only makes the fight scene between Assef and Amir more believable but it also reminds us why Amir is so desperate to win. Remember, to bring home the last fallen kite is a great honour. Amir betrayed Hassan to get it. Now Sohrab is that last fallen kite and Amir needs to not only win against Assef, he must also bring Sohrab home. It costs Amir and Sohrab a great deal but the final kite-flying scene suggests that Amir by taking on Hassan’s role for Sohrab has finally redeemed himself and has found goodness and redemption.

The Kite Runner – Chapter 10

It is now 1981 and the action focuses on Amir and Baba’s escape from Soviet occupied Kabal. They secretly leave and hurriedly leave with other refugees in a truck. Amir again embarrasses Baba by being carsick. In this part of the novel the horrors of the Soviet occupation are suggested. We note that Amir still thinks of Hassan and the thought that the friend he betrayed is still in the Soviet controlled country makes him physically ill.

The scene where Baba intervenes when a Russian soldier threatens to rape one of the refugees is a direct contrast to Amir and Hassan. Baba’s action is a testament to courage and principles as he is willing to stand up and defend a woman he doesn’t even know while Amir couldn’t defend the friend that he had grown up with.

The reappearance of Kamal is a variation on the same theme. The reader notes that it is ironic that Kamal, who participated in Hassan’s rape, has gone silent, because he, too, was raped.  Kamal’s did not rape Hassan but he allowed it to happen. His rape appears to be a chilling example of natural justice. Kamal’s reaction to the trauma he suffered is also significant as he has basically had a breakdown. It makes the reader reflect on how Hassan must have felt after his rape. The act of rape is about brutal domination and in this chapter it can be seen as symbolic of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.

After Kamal dies in the petrol tanker his father kills himself in despair. He is symbolic of the despair of many people in Afghanistan. Kamal’s father’s suicide is also symbolic in that it represents the dying of the old life they all are leaving behind. This can be seen when Baba gathers up the dirt of his homeland to hold next to his heart. It foreshadows to the reader that Baba will never come back to Afghanistan.

The Kite Runner – Chapter 9

Only another sixteen to go …

The next morning, Amir opens all his presents. He reflects bitterly that “Baba would never have thrown a party like that if he hadn’t one the tournament.” Amir sees the gifts as blood money. He does receive two significant presents – the writing journal from Rahim Khan and the illustrated edition of the Shahnamah from Ali and Hassan. The book is expensive and one that they can barely afford.

The next morning, Amir waits until Ali and Hassan leave to do the shopping. He picks up his new watch and some cash and takes them to their hut. Amir places the items them under Hassan’s mattress. Shortly after, he goes into Baba’s study where he reports the ‘theft’. When Baba asks Hassan if he stole Amir’s gifts, Hassan says yes. Amir understands that this is Hassan’s final sacrifice for him. He also understands that Hassan knows that he watched everything that happened in the alley and yet he is rescuing Amir once again. Baba forgives Hassan but Ali announces that they are leaving. He is cold to Amir and he shows that he also knows about the rape and Amir’s betrayal.

The reader’s sympathy for Amir is challenged by his calculated actions in this chapter. Morally, it is Amir’s lowest point. However, the narrative voice gives no excuses for Amir’s shameful behaviour. Amir’s guilt is so great that all he knows how to do is to deny it. The only way he can do that is to turn his back on Hassan. By framing Hassan for stealing his gifts he forces Ali to insist on leaving. It is ironic that this is that it will only make his guilt greater. Note as Ali and Hassan leave in Baba’s car the rain begins to fall. The image of rain is suggestive of deep sorrow – Amir’s and for the death of a close friendship. Amir’s guilt is deepened as we see that Hassan has once again sacrificed himself to protect Amir.

The Kite Runner – Chapter 8

Chapter eight focuses on Amir’s attempts to forget what he has done to Hassan. He treats him like a servant instead of his friend, he lies about him being ill, he hits him with the pomegranates, and Amir even asks Baba to get new servants. Amir is racked with guilt.

The relationship between Baba and Amir improves after the kite flying tournament, which confirms Amir’s belief that Baba wants him to be more like him. As Amir’s and Baba’s relationship improves Amir’s and Hassan’s deteriorates because of Amir’s guilt.

Amir asks Baba if they can go to Jalalabad because he wants to spend time alone with him. He is not happy about Baba’s suggestion that Hassan comes with them and he is jealous that Baba is worried about Hassan’s health. Baba manages to invite two dozen people and Amir is very uncomfortable with the praise he receives about the tournament. This is also indicated by his travel sickness and his insomnia.

The boys go to see their favourite pomegranate tree and Amir is upset by the words carved into the tree. He pelts Hassan with pomegranates. The boys’ friendship continues to deteriorate and Amir pushes Hassan away and rebuffs any attempts at communication. Amir asks Baba about the possibility of “getting new servants”. Baba is very upset and he tells Amir that, “you bring me shame.” The relationship between father and son weakens again.

The trip to Jalalabad and Amir’s birthday party reinforce Baba’s position in society. Amir sees the hundreds of guests at his party and the pile of presents as a tribute to the power of his father. He sees the presents as ‘blood money’.

At his birthday party Amir has to deal with the emptiness inside him every time he is congratulated for winning the kite tournament and he has to stand speechless while Hassan has to serve Assef. Assef presents Amir with a gift- a biography of Hitler, Amir reluctantly accepts it but later throws it away. Rahim Khan tells Amir that he can talk to him anytime and gives a blank book for writing.

This chapter with the trip to Jalalabad, the birthday party and celebrations of Amir’s victory show how his self-loathing increases. His illness and insomnia show how guilt is affecting him. Amir can no longer sleep well because he does not have a clear conscience.

Chapter 7 is very important!

When I started posting on the chapters of The Kite Runner it didn’t seem a daunting task but as I am only up to chapter seven … maybe I was wrong.

So here goes –

In chapter seven Hassan dreams that Amir conquers the monster in the lake. Amir prays to win the competition – which he does and Hassan runs to retrieve the losing kite. Assef and his gang trap Hassan in an alley and Assef rapes him. Amir sees the rape but he runs away and pretends nothing has happened.

This is the most important chapter of the entire novel as it presents the problem that Amir will have to deal with the rest of his life. It shows his greatest sin and what Rahim Khan had referred to when he said, “There is a way to be good again.” The dream is used to foreshadow Amir’s victory in the tournament, but there are still monsters to deal with: Assef of course, and Amir himself. Amir’s cowardice is made clearer by Hassan’s courage in standing up for him the year before. The tournament is Amir’s greatest moment in his search for approval from Baba, but in the end, it is his worst moment because of what he allowed to happen to Hassan. This event will form the basis for the remainder of the novel. Note that the foreshadowing set into place with Assef’s warning that he was a patient person and would have his revenge eventually has come true. Hassan will pay a terrible price for that revenge, but then so will Amir.

So to be clear – the seventh chapter is very important. The key scene in which Amir witnesses the rape of Hassan and does nothing to protect him is the central event in the novel. This is the event that has haunted Amir. As readers we condemn Amir’s cowardice and feel some repulsion at Amir’s failure to defend Hassan. However, it is important to note that disgust for his cowardice is also shared by Amir himself. Amir knows that his abandonment of Hassan can be viewed as a sacrifice to win Baba’s approval. Amir is afraid that he let Hassan get raped because he is “just a Hazara”. Also note how Hassan’s attackers, Assef, Wali and Kamal attack Hassan’s ethnicity. Hosseini is making it clear to the reader just how embedded the idea that Hazara are inferior in Afghanistan is. I will mention at this point the image of the slaughtered lamb which recurs through the novel and is obviously developed further in this chapter. The key scene reinforces the idea the Amir had to sacrifice Hassan in order to win Baba’s approval.