Alex's Final Kite Runner Reaction

     My reaction to the Kite Runner as a whole was that it was one of the best books that I have read in regards to human relationships. It is an exploration of a different culture and a sentimental journey through a traumatic event set in a desolate landscape. However, the plot seemed to be too contrived. In life we get little chances to undo great harm, like the one that Amir inflicted on Hassan. I felt that the opportunity given to Amir to redeem himself after the war was much too unrealistic. What are the odds that Amir and Soraya would not be able to have children? What are the odds that Hassan and his wife would die and Amir would end up adopting Hassan’s child? What are the odds that Assef would reappear to harm Sohrab in the same way he did his father? Or that Amir and Hassan are half brothers? The plot, I felt, was too neat/ too rounded out and had a sort of “Hollywood” style ending. 

     I found it hard to relate to these characters because they are so different from Americans. They subscribe to these honor codes that are different from anything in America where status in society depends on race, not on hard work or education. It is a hard life over there, the men seem violent and fearful of each other and differing with the political party because of a lack of freedom. This idea of the honor code is such an ancient concept, created by those who first developed the different Afghan tribes. Those tribes who have maintained this concept of the honor code have “earned” their superior lifestyles. This aristocratic lifestyle of having underpaid servants tend to their every need has created a strong barrier between the classes. I found it hard to relate to the people in this society who have all these divides. Whether it involves honor, their expectations, their morals, their system of law, and not to mention the war going on around them, America encompasses one main concept that the middle east does not- freedom. It is difficult to relate to or be compassionate because we do not have the same ethical system.

     Violence seems to be a recurring theme in the novel. In a country where the Machista culture is fully relevant, women are given little thought- and in fact, there are very few women who appear in the novel. Due to this idea of Machismo, Assef was forced to hide his homosexuality, acting out on it only as a source of emitting violence on others. I thought the novel gave great insight to the relevance of Middle Eastern violence through the lives of two children, contrasting innocence versus brutality. However, Amir and Hassan’s relationship serves as a microcosm of the larger political unrest. Amir disregards the importance of his relationship with Hassan since he is a Hazara. As a result, he is disloyal, dishonest and betrays him. This betrayal was one of the reasons why I did not ache for this friendship. Although the author made a point in sparking some kind of compassion for this friendship by using the symbolism of the kite/pomegranate tree and creating all these metaphors, there was always this underlying sense of envy and jealousy, which we later find out was due to Hassan’s true origins (it is as if they unconsciously knew). I found it interesting that Baba would often preach about the ultimate commandment being theft, when in fact, he had broken his own commandment when he stole Hassan’s right to discovering his true origins and stealing Ali’s wife. 

     I think it is important for novels like this to be written and for Americans to read them because it gives the enemy a human face. We do not refer to them as “the other”, instead we learn to create a tolerance towards our enemy and begin to respect differences.