Kite Runner First Reaction

Hosseini begins his story with 2 pages that contain some grave foreshadowing. He makes references to a past that the main character seems to either fear or regret. I believe Hosseini was clever in doing this because by establishing this foreshadow he quickly draws the reader in. The next few pages after are somewhat slow as Hosseini focuses on describing characters. The way Hosseini goes on to describe these different characters is, in my opinion, genius, and it is also what stood out to me the most from what I have read so far.

For starters, Hosseini uses an analogy to characterize Hassan very effectively. He is compared to a “Chinese doll chiseled from hardwood” and his cleft lip, which seems to be emphasized by Hosseini, is made out to be a mistake by the Chinese doll maker.  Hosseini also does a tremendous job in attesting to Hassan’s character. By mentioning little things that Hassan does, such as his undying loyalty to Amir and unwillingness to hurt anything, Hosseini is able to develop Hassan’s character.

Hosseini then goes on to characterize Ali, Hassan’s father. Ali is described as having congenital paralysis of his lower facial muscles. I think that by doing this and by establishing the idea that the eyes are the windows to the soul, he both describes how Ali looks as well as his personality. His personality is given by his circumstances. In other words, Ali’s condition gives him an honest quality to him.

First Reaction to Kite Runner

            The Kite Runner is the story of a man, who I assume, will take us through his life and along the way teach us lessons and help us to better understand ourselves through his story.  In the first 40 pages, the story centers on his early childhood.  This opens the reader to a completely different culture and set of customs.  I instantly picked up on the racial hatred between the two types of Afghans.  Amir’s close relationship with Hassan is breaking the normal racial hatred at the time, showing that friendship crosses the boundary of physical appearances and differences in culture.  Yet those around him push him to give up his friendship with his closest friend for no reason except for the fact that Hassan is racially different from him, and follows a different sect of Islam.  Amir has also experienced the tragic event of losing a parent.  He has never known his mom, and this has made it difficult for him.  Being more of his mother’s child, loving literature and quiet time, his father is distanced from him.  This adds an unnecessary strain on the relationship between him and his father.  His father’s anger towards his differences comes from the fact that his father doesn't understand him, a problem that could have been solved most likely if his mother was around.  There is also a conflict building into the winter of 1975, in which his life is going to change.  Amir has already told the reader that his friendship with Hassan is going to end, but how this is going to occur is hidden from the reader.      

Alex's First Reaction to The Kite Runner

     The Kite Runner is very different from Atlas Shrugged in terms of the density of the book, the ease of reading, themes and the dialogue between characters. Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, I felt, was more like propaganda. She emphasized political and economic themes that were hard for me to follow and uninteresting. I can tell within the first 40 pages of The Kite Runner that I am going to enjoy the novel. I found myself reading further than the pages assigned because I was reading out of pleasure, not because it had been assigned. 

     The Kite Runner opens up with the main character, who reveals himself well into the first chapter. The novel initiates with present-day Amir and then quickly jumps into flashback. Here, Amir’s relationships with the people whom he lives with are introduced. Contrasting Amir’s relationship between his brother-like friend, Hassan, and his father, Baba, it was easy for me to recognize his feelings of misplacement. His father finds it hard to accept him or even think of him as his son because he does not meet the standards of a stereotypical masculine boy. Amir’s deceased mother seems like more of a parent than his father, who constantly pushes him aside and ignores him. I find myself appreciating the friendship between Amir and Hassan because although they come from completely different lifestyles, cultures and backgrounds, they understand each other better than anyone else. 

     These 40 pages conclude with a violent outbreak in Afghanistan which marks the end of their childhood and the country as a whole. This event is probably what causes Amir’s feelings of nostalgia. I am eager to see how the relationship between the characters will develop, specifically Amir and Hassan's. 

Kite Runner 1st reaction

           I started out this novel with the glowing recommendations from my mother, sister, grandmother etc. Truthfully, anything would look stellar after my difficulty reading Atlas Shrugged. But I can already tell that I will honestly enjoy this book by the style of the writing as well as the tension that has already begun in the first chapter. 

                 I like how the novel is set up almost in a flashback frame story. From the get go, Amir distinctly points out the importance of the event that occurred in 1975. I find that this method of storytelling is very clever from the author because I immediately wanted to know what was the importance of this event. Did something horrific happen? Will the entire book lead up to this event? Or will my questions be answered soon? All these questions I had made me want to keep turning the pages, which for me, is the indication of a good read.

                       I can't say that I dislike Baba, but I certainly didn't like when he basically gossiped about his own son to Rahim... I think it's very premature to say that your son will grow up to be weak seeing as the boy is only 12 years old or so. I'm not familiar with Afghan culture, but I wonder if there is a lot of emphasis placed on the first son? Based on other literature as well as movies such as Shine, Amadeus, father "expectations" and disappointment often lead to very unstable and problematic children plagued with the sensation of failure. I hope this does not occur to Amir but I wouldn't find it surprising based on the way Baba treats him. It's even more ironic that Amir's first word was Baba, signaling that he literally came into this world attached and wanting to please his father. 

 

Kaylee's First Reaction (pgs.1-40)

            After reading the first 40 pages of The Kite Runner, I can already tell this book tells a powerful story with themes relevant to people of all walks of life.  It reviews and ratings say the same. The novel opens with ambiguity of a life-changing event that happened in the winter of 1975. From the first sentence, you are begging to know what happened. Amir and Hassan might have the cutest relationship I have ever read about, but the whole rich kid and servant thing makes me sad. I honestly want to hug Ali and Hassan and never let go. They live the simplest of lives and although they are constantly tormented for their ethnicity and religion they manage to maintain a positive outlook on life. I respect them the most out of the characters mentioned so far in the novel.

            Baba is man of great respect, however is surrounded by doubt in his abilities. His situation is ironic because just like his son, he did not turn out like his father. He blames Amir for being nothing like him. Amir senses his lack of acceptance. As a result, he is constantly trying to gain the appreciation and affection of his father. He fears his power and abilities, yet simultaneously idolizes him for these same qualities. Amir feels eternal guilt for stealing the life of his mother from Baba. I feel bad for Amir because as his father points out there is something missing inside him, he is different from the other boys. I’m curious to find out what this is exactly. So far I really like this book and I’m looking forward to reading it (forreal). 

Maya's Reaction pgs. 1 - 40

           Not only is The Kite Runner easy to read, but I want to keep reading; I found it hard to put it down at certain points even though nothing particularly climactic has happened yet. Something about Hosseini’s writing style makes all the images he presents seem very real. I think this is what reels the reader in during these first forty pages. 

            Even though this is only the first forty pages, certain points in the plot are heartbreaking. Amir, even though he is still young, battles for his father’s attention. He wants to be a part of his father’s life but his father seems to be occupied with something else most of the time. He seemed impatient when Amir came to him after learning about sin from the Mullah. However, Baba did tell his son something that holds a lot of truth. When he described all other sins as “variations of theft”, I completely agreed. I also think it was best that Baba told Amir to not let the “self-righteous monkeys” brain wash him. Nonetheless, Amir feels hated in his own home, a feeling that no child should ever have to experience. He blames his mother’s death on himself, thinking he “robbed” his father of his beloved wife. Amir even hears his father repeatedly say that there was something wrong with him, something was missing in him just because he was different. 

          Then, there is Hassan. Hassan’s poor father, Ali, has to deal with the taunts from others because he is disabled. It has apparently happened so much that Ali now has no reaction to the jeers, he just keeps on going. But, Amir is an admirable man. Sanaubar, Ali’s former wife, is obviously still a child herself when she gives birth to Hassan. She shows no love whatsoever for her child. This indifference is apparently so great that she leaves just five days after having him. Her behavior obviously goes on to haunt Hassan being that when he encounters the soldiers when he is walking with Amir, they make derogatory remarks about her. I am in no way saying that one is better than the other, but Amir knows his mother is deceased so she will not come back because of that; Hassan has to live with the fact that his mother is alive and has chosen to never see him because she does not love him at all.

Raoul’s First Response to the The Kite Runner

After reading the first forty pages of The Kite Runner, I was in shock. My first impression of Khaled Hosseini’s work showed me that he is an amazing writer. He wrote The Kite Runner “with sound, grammar, and interesting style” (pg. 32); however, I find the significance and power of his story to be on a level that I have never read before.

            As a Muslim and Arab descendent, who lives in the western world, I know little of the Middle Eastern genocides and power struggles. I like that The Kite Runner is showing me the history behind the problems in Afghanistan. I never fully understood the struggle between Shi’as and Sunni’s, but I believe that The Kite Runner is going to grow my understanding of the problem.

            On the down side, I found the names hard to keep up with. There were a lot of names thrown out in a short period of time, and because they are unfamiliar names for me, (an American) they are harder to memorize. But honestly I am not the best person with names, so it is probably just me. Other than that I found nothing, in the first forty pages, that I did not like.

I kind of want to know if this is a true story, but I also refuse to Google The Kite Runner because I am scared of seeing any spoilers. If any one wants to be a good friend and tell me whether or not it is a true story, it would be awesome J. 

First Reaction to Kite Runner

        I can tell that I’m going to enjoy reading this book no matter how heartbreaking it seems as if it’ll be. From the start, Hosseini has created a vivid image of the characters and society they live in, threading the details through Amir’s innocent point of view. It’s clear that Amir and Hassan are childhood friends, yet Amir always belittles the latter. This is particularly striking to me because Amir factually thinks Hassan is beneath him as a conditioned statement in his life; he knows it’s due to social class, religion and ethnicity, yet doesn’t actually understand the meaning behind it. For example, Amir’s daily school mornings when Hassan makes his breakfast and bed for him, and then stays at home while Amir drives off to school –underneath the fun they have together, Hassan will always be the servant to Amir and it’s something both don’t question. Their childhood innocence is the only thing keeping them close as brothers and friends.
        I’m also conflicted because Amir’s jealousy towards Hassan makes it difficult to pinpoint his personality. Amir may be spoiled and mean-spirited, but his contempt is because Hassan has the one thing he will never: a father’s unconditional love. Amir understands Baba will never be proud of him, but I was shocked that he thought it normal for ‘fathers in their secret hearts harbor a desire to kill their sons’. For this reason, Amir’s character is marred by rejection and jealousy, constantly feeling like a failure; he demeans and holds his literacy as power over Hassan because it makes himself feel less unworthy.
        I’m looking forward to reading further; in particular, I would like to know what happens that makes Amir mention forebodingly that the future of his and Hassan’s lives seem connected to the first words they uttered as babies: “Amir” by Hassan, and “Baba” by Amir.

Ryan C's First Reaction

The beginning of The Kite Runner has been very engaging as Hosseini introduces the characters and builds tension. The novel offers an interesting point of view, as Hosseini is an adult writing from the perspective of a young child experiencing the world for the first time. Hosseini maintains the sense of innocence on inexperience of Amir by constantly realizing he does not know what certain words mean. Hosseini also does a good job of depicting the omnipresent sense of religion that existed in Afghanistan as the clergy runs Amir’s school. However, I think it’s interesting that Amir’s father tells Amir that he will learn nothing from the clergyman in a clearly theocratic society. Amir’s relationships within the novel are very revealing. Amir clearly longs for a father figure a he sometime wishes that Hassan’s father was his father. I sympathize for Amir because his father basically does not approve of Amir, telling him that poetry is not for real men and at one point confesses that if he did not see Amir being born he would not believe Amir is his son. Furthermore, Baba does note even offer to read Amir’s story that he is clearly proud of. The disconnection between Amir and Baba is most clear when Amir admits he was slightly happy that there was an attack on Kabul because his father embraced Amir the next morning. Amir and Hassan also have an interesting relationship. The two are childhood friends but Amir notes hat they will always be fundamentally different as one is Sunni and one is Shi’ite. Amir enjoys having a sense of power of Hassan as Hassan is illiterate and Amir takes full advantage of this fact, seen when he purposely tells Hassan the incorrect definition of “imbecile”. However, Amir does feel bad about lying and justifies the trickery by giving Hassan a toy and a shirt.

Ciara's First Reaction - Pgs. 1-40

I love Hosseini’s writing style.  He has complete control over the reader’s feelings, and even in the first forty pages, I already have concrete ideas and feelings about each character based on various scenarios he provides.  I remember seeing the movie about four years ago, but I barely remember what it was about, and I am not even sure if I saw the whole thing.  I am glad about this because I always prefer to read a book over watching a movie, especially when there is a gifted author at work.

I can already tell that this book is going to focus a lot on the differences of social classes, and what this all means.  Amir was born into a wealthy family with a powerful father who is ashamed of Amir, his only son, because Amir is not manly enough for him; Amir thinks his father hates him, and spends a large chunk of his time unsuccessfully trying to please him.  More than anything, Amir wants his father’s love and approval.  Hassan, on the other hand, was born into a family of disgrace and servitude; however, Ali loves Hassan more than anything and shows him nothing but love and care.  Even Baba approves of Hassan more than he does of Amir.  Despite their social situations, I pity Amir over Hassan because I am confident that if Amir had to choose, he would elect to be poor and powerless if it meant having Baba’s love and approval.  This is why Amir feels the need to taunt Hassan about his  lack of education; even though he knows Hassan has no access to it, it makes Amir feel good about himself that he can be “better” at something than Hassan.  It is a coward’s game, but I understand why Amir feels to play it.  I can already feel this story touching on the big question: does our social standing really make us superior to another?  Superior in being?

Alexa Ferrer 1st Reaction

            I read the Kite Runner in eighth grade. However, I am happy to read it again because I do not remember very much of it and at 13 years old, there is a lot I did not pick up on and did not understand. What I do remember is that it has been one of the greatest books I have ever read, and reading it again 4 years later will definitely be a different and better experience considering I will be able to take more from it.

            I have mixed feelings about Amir during the first 40 pages of the book. We all know he is going to do something horrible because of how the book started and even though I read it already I cannot remember the details. I do have a horrible feeling something terrible is going to happen to Hassan and while I am remembering bits and pieces of the book I forgot exactly what happens to which characters.

            Every time the Pashtuns and Hazaras are compared by Amir breaks my heart because he is such a young boy, yet he already has such a strong opinion on how people should be treated based on where they come from. Amir clearly shows some awful qualities when it comes to how he treats Hassan, his jealousy towards Hassan, and the lies he tells to get his father’s attention. I put complete blame on Baba. Rahim was completely right when he referred to Baba as the most selfish man because despite his business achievements, Baba is a horrible father. Because he has denied his son the love and attention a child needs from at least one parent growing up, Amir now possesses horrible qualities that will compel him to do whatever it is he will end up being so regretful of. 

Natalie: Reaction 1

            I have to say I was very relieved when I opened The Kite Runner and realized that it did not have 8-point font or 1069 pages. I had heard many good things about The Kite Runner and so far I must say that it has lived up to my expectations.

            The beginning of The Kite Runner has a very ambiguous tone. It opens up with the narrator explaining what happened to him in 1975 when he was a child living in Afghanistan. Although he doesn’t say exactly what occurred he explains that this story has made him the person he is, even though in the moment he did not know its importance. He reflects on his childhood and mentions a couple of friends that he had. He then switches the tone when he recounts that he had recently gotten a Rahim Khan who tells him to return to Pakistan. This leaves the first chapter concluding in a very ominous tone, it seems that something bad must have occurred to him in 1975 and left me questioning why his friend requests he returns to Pakistan.

            When the narrator, Amir, begins telling the story of his childhood, I immediately felt bad for him. Amir is clearly always looking for his father’s approval yet his father, Baba, is very reserved and distant from him. There was one moment in this section that left me feeling extremely sad for Amir. This was when Amir listens in on Baba’s conversation with Rahim Khan. He over hears Baba state that he is basically embarrassed to have him as his son because he doesn’t act the same way he did as a child. Baba wants Amir to be the typical masculine boy, he doesn’t want him to be into literature instead he wants him to share his same love for sports and be able to stand up and fight for himself. This was a really sad section because no child deserves to hear this from their own father especially since his mother passed away and he really has no one else. This is also really prominent when Amir gets jealous of Hassan for being hugged by Ali, clearly he wish’s he had this same relationship with his father because in the end he is a child and needs this comfort.