Sharon's Reaction

Wow. I can honestly say that Kite Runner is now among my favorite books. I’m shocked by how emotionally invested I was in the story. Every page seemed to hold a new, tragic surprise. And though the story did explore the complex relationships between several main characters, it also educated me greatly on Afghani culture as well as provided an all-too-powerful look at the destruction currently abounding.

Of all the themes and occurrences in the book, what drew my attention most was the fact that everything seemed to run in a cycle. The story starts with Amir’s childhood days of kite-running and ends with him running a kite for the son of the boy who’d been his main kite-running helper. The tragic incidents with Assef were also another cycle; Assef may not have realized it, but he raped and stole the innocence and happiness away from not only a man (Hassan), but also his son (Sohrab). Even the fact that Sohrab save Amir with his slingshot is exactly like the scene from Amir’s childhood with Hassan. “For you, a thousand times over” also takes a special significance; the first time it was uttered, it started the chain of events that tore apart Amir and Hassan’s lives. Yet the last time it was uttered in the book, it represented a rebirth of sorts with Amir finally at peace with himself; in fact, while it had been originally spoken from Hassan to Amir, I felt it was altogether fitting for the story to close with Amir speaking the words to Sohrab.

The pomengranate tree also became another symbol that I kept thinking about. It represented both Hassan and Amir’s happiness and tragedy; from ‘sultans of Kabul’ to the day when Hassan smashed the seeds onto himself. This is particularly striking to me because upon hearing from Rahim, it is evident that Hassan’s favorite memories were those of the time spent by the pomengranate tree. The fact that the tree was the site of one of Amir’s first confrontations with Hassan made this fact surprising. It’s as if Hassan completely ignored what had happened towards the end of his time in Kabul. The tree then represents Hassan’s character and his love for Amir; it demonstrates the innocence of a time long gone. For this reason, it makes it even more bittersweet when Amir returns to find the tree carving still there; nothing ever changed, but then again, so much had.  

Another thing I couldn’t get over was the character of Assef. Hosseini has a gifted way of qualifying his characters so no one is either completely good or bad. Baba was too proud and did become intimate with his best friend’s wife, but he was generous and otherwise principled in life. General Taheri was also too proud and hard-headed, but in the end, his family was always the most important thing to him. Even Amir was neither completely good nor bad. Yet the character of Assef was the only exception. Throughout the course of the book, the only word I had to describe him was ‘disgusting’. In some ways, just like many of the other events, his behavior was foreshadowed; Assef used to idolize Hitler, and he now has become a second one. Hosseini wrote in a way that made it easy for me to understand the characters’ perspectives but Assef was a psychopath.

I feel that the sense of foreboding throughout the whole book only made the ending more powerful. While I did wish it could have ended happier, I couldn’t agree more that it fit perfectly into the context of the story. It was never supposed to be about happiness, but rather a look into redemption and how life does not always happen as we want it. A prime example of this was during Amir’s trip back to Kabul. In the beginning, Hosseini skillfully weaved the environment of Afghanistan into Amir’s childhood. The way the streets smelled, the excitement for the kite runners, the innocent way that Hazara discrimination and religion permeated into society. Upon Amir’s return to Kabul, Hosseini does the same thing and uses the juxtaposition between past and present to fully elaborate on the conditions of Afghanistan. While the story focused on Amir and his struggle for redemption, it was also significant in illustrating the current situation of the country. Like Amir, I was shocked to see the destruction and chaos; even thinking about seeing the Taliban in person versus on TV in the US is striking, and I think Hosseini portrayed that well. From the university teacher on the streets to the public stoning, The Kite Runner was a shocking first-hand look at current conditions.

I would wholeheartedly recommend the Kite Runner as it was worth the read. Though different, I liked this book more than Atlas Shrugged. There were definitely countless strong emotions that continually ran through my head as I read, but that’s precisely why I like it. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does, but Amir ultimately steps up to the plate. The characters and the setting make the book an incredibly powerful one.