Ryan Pearson's Fourth Reaction

            I really enjoyed reading The Kite Runner this week. So much has happened in so few pages. As the story has developed, I have found myself growing to like Amir more. I was disappointed by his actions, which eventually led Ali and Hassan to leave. That being said, I think it is unfair to completely blame the turn of events on Amir.  Even at my age, sometimes I do things without completely thinking through the repercussions. There isn’t always a perfect answer to an issue I am facing, and sometimes I make a mistake. Later in the reading, I noted a certain passage where the very mentioning of Hassan’s name makes Amir feel like someone is strangling him. His feelings are definitely real, and his guilt has lingered through his adolescence and beginning of adulthood.

            Aside from this, I found the tale of his escape from Kabul very real and saddening. The ride in the gasoline truck with the other refugees was filled with imagery. The descriptions of the dark, the stench, and the sounds were very compelling. Two scenes in particular were worth noting. First is the encounter with the soldier who wants to rape the female refugee. Baba risked his life for someone he didn’t know at all, to stand up for his beliefs. While unbelievably admirable, I thought this was short-sided of him, as he risked abandoning Amir on this lonely and dangerous journey. The other scene of interest was when Kamal died, and his father killed himself. To me, this event symbolized Amir’s crossing over into adulthood and his loss of innocence. Apart from the raping of Hassan, this was his first encounter with the real world. What a harsh and intense way to turn such an important page in one’s life.

            Suddenly, the year is 1980 and our protagonist and his father are living in Fremont, California. Perhaps I am incorrect, but it appears that the duo is very well acclimated for such a short transition period. They seem to be on much better terms, with Baba even buying Amir a car to take to junior college. It looks like Baba is more on the same page with his son’s choice to write fiction for a living. I’m not sure where the encounter with the General from Kabul and his daughter will take the next part of the book, but I am eager to see what, if anything, transpires from Amir’s interest with Soraya Taheri.

Ryan Pearson