Ciara's Final Reaction

I watched this movie a few years back, so when I found out we would be reading it, I figured that I already knew all there was to know about the story, and that my experience would be dull and repetitive.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Reading The Kite Runner was an entirely different experience because I believe words have the capability of providing an unmatched emotional impact that visuals cannot sustain.  The book is told in first person through Amir’s eyes so the reader is able to get a more personal understanding of the situation, whereas the movie is more of a scope of the whole scene.  Amir’s development throughout the book is crucial to the story, and I believe that his thoughts are a necessary accompaniment for the full experience.  All those years ago, the book had an influence on me, but nothing compared to the emotions evoked by the novel.

This brings me to Hosseini’s writing.  The way he manipulates language is like a conductor managing an orchestra: the words are a symphony of literary strategies all working together to become one fluid, cohesive image, all at the mercy of Hosseini’s baton.  Frankly, he makes language his bitch.  Even though this was Hosseini’s first novel, he writes this novel like my grandma bakes the famous family recipe for apple pie.  Probably about half way through the book, I realized that this is the kind of writer I want to be one day. 

Recently, I have thought about writing as being a possible profession, whether it is songwriting, novels, or articles; I have tried my hand at them all.  After finishing this book, I am even more inspired.  If I could ever make people feel the emotions Hosseini invoked in me, I would know I was making the right choice in profession.  He has a line on page 333 that reminded me of a line in one of Kaylee Fantis’s stories about staying in the shower, trying to wash away dirt that lies far beneath the skin.  Amir is referring to the fact that Sohrab takes extended baths everyday, and he thinks to himself, “Do you feel clean yet Sohrab?”  Immediately, I understood that Hoisseini was referring to the impurity Sohrab felt in his soul, not any visible dirt on his clothes. He was insinuating the mental scarring, not his physical pollution.  This was only one of the many lines that had me setting down the book, dumbfounded at how beautiful language could be, with the right dictator of course.  I sound corny as f*uck right now, but I just think there is something beautiful about being able to dig up emotions in a reader that he/she may not have felt in a while, or ever, for that matter.

The character developments were exceptional in The Kite Runner.  Hosseini exercises complete control over how the reader feels about each of his characters.  In the beginning of the novel, I was making every excuse for Amir so as not to despise him.  His selfishness and cruelty made him impossible to like, especially in comparison to Hassan’s purity.  However, as the book progressed, I slowly began to root for Amir.  His guilt, in essence, made him a better person, a more likeable person.  He spent the rest of his life trying to make up for that cold, damp day from his childhood that ultimately changed the entire course of his life.  Baba changed throughout the novel as well; I went from hating him for his harsh treatment of Amir to understanding his motives in Amir’s upbringing through their experience in America.  The only character that kept consistent the entire time, from youth to death, was Hassan.  Despite Amir’s taunts, he loved him.  Despite Amir abandoning him in his time of need, he cared for him.  Despite Amir planting the watch and money under his bed, he protected him.  Despite Amir’s lack of apology all those years, he reached out to him.  From start to finish, Hassan was a symbol of untarnished purity, and I believe this was what allowed Amir’s guilt to preserver until the end of the story.  Hassan’s goodness was always present in Amir’s mind as a figure of comparison, either to remind himself of his own immorality, or to convince himself to do the right thing. It was necessary that Hassan’s character remained constant, even in death through memories, so that the other characters had something consistent to develop off.

This is only a snippet of my thoughts on this powerful, riveting novel.  I only hope that I I come across many books that are able to grip me like The Kite Runner did.  And maybe, if things work out a certain way, I’ll have the capability to end up producing something as influential and substantial as this brilliant piece, because this book was fucking amazing.  The end.