Raoul’s Response to pages 75-100 of The Kite Runner

All over our copy of The Kite Runner there are quotes about the book. Most of them are saying that The Kite Runner is a powerful book. But I believe powerful is an understatement for the intensity of The Kite Runner. There is no way of being ignorant when reading The Kite Runner, everything is disillusioned; nothing is hidden. Khaled Hosseini wrote The Kite Runner in the straightest forward way, using no euphemisms; he portrays how truly bad it can get. For me this is what makes The Kite Runner such a good book.

During pages 75-100 the characters of The Kite Runner are suffering the psychological consequences of an event that accord in the prior installment. For me it is interesting to investigate the how Hassan and Amir respond. I believe that Hassan and Amir are foils of each other, especially in their responses to the event. Hassan the direct victim, who lost his innocence, was willing to move on, after a while. He wanted to be friends with Amir again. On the other hand, Amir, the guilty bystander, was not willing to move on. The guilt that Amir contained destroyed his relationship between him and his best friend. Even after Hassan’s repeated attempts to re-friend Amir, Amir rejected Hassan out of guilt. In the face of this challenge we can see Amir and Hassan’s true colors. Amir has proven repeatedly that he is a coward and that he is selfish. On the other hand, Hassan has proven to powerful and loyal. I feel as if Hassan’s power and loyalty makes Amir even more mad, this is why Amir threw the fruits at Hassan.

In the last scene of the last installment it is Amir’s birthday party and Assef, the perpetrator shows up with his parents. This was is one of the most frustrating scenes in the book for me because I wanted to go into the novel and punch Assef in the face (but obviously I cant L). The installment ended with Hassan serving Assef drinks like a loyal servent. This was one of the most painful things to read, because Assef ruined Hassan’s life; however, Hassan has accepted his life as a servant.

So far I am loving The Kite Runner not only because it is much easier than Atlas Shrugged but also because it is an amazing novel.