The Kite Runner By: Khaled Hosseini

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The Kite RunnerBy Khaled Hosseini

• PowerPoint By Jarad Held and Gabe Adorni

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Authors Date of Birth and Cultural Perspective

• Khaled was born in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 4,
  1965.
• In 1975 he moved to Tehran, Iran for 3 years, and
  then moved back to Afghanistan. They moved again
  in 1976, this time to Paris. In 1978 the Afghan
  Government was overthrown and the family moved to
  America and applied for political asylum.

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Opposing Forces in the Conflict

• Amir must reconcile himself with his past after
  he lets his best friend, Hassan, get raped and
  then betrays him soon after.

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Important Places

• Kabul, Afghanistan-Amir grew up here and it was
  the first influence on him.
• San Francisco, America-The area that Amir moved
  to when he left Afghanistan. This is where he
  attempts to drown himself in the American culture
  to forget his past.

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Symbols

• The stories of Rostan and Sohrab in the Shahnamah
  represent Hassan.
• The Blue Kite-It represents Hassans loyalty to
  Amir, as he holds onto the kite even when he is
  getting raped by Assef.
• Sohrab- Hassans son, he is an example of the
  story of David and Goliath. Also, by using the
  slingshot just as his father had to protect Amir,
  he represents how his father is reborn through
  him.

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Conflict With Self

• He must reconcile himself with his past and atone
  for his sins. Letting Hassan get raped as he
  watched and then betraying him immediately
  afterwards are his two major inner conflicts.

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Conflict With Society

• Amir must attempt to retain his Afghan heritage
  even when he is in America. In the process
  though, he must Americanize some in order to
  become successful. He must also come to terms
  with the new culture of Afghanistan.

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Setting Influence Anyone?

• Kabul, Afghanistan was where Amir grew up. As a
  result he is very used to the Afghanistan culture
  and its traditions. However, he must become used
  to the American culture once he moves there and
  find a balance between the two cultures. Baba
  has a hard time adjusting to America, however,
  because he was too used to the culture of
  Afghanistan.

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Anyone Under an Illusion?

• Amir is under the illusion that he can drown
  himself in the American culture to forget his
  transgressions in Afghanistan. He later comes to
  realize that this is not possible, though.
• Assef is under an illusion, or delusion, that
  Hitler was great and should be imitated. He
  believes that he has absolute power in the new
  Afghanistan and can abuse whoever he wants.

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Anyone Idealistic?

• Rahim Khan-He is the one who tells Amir that
  there is a way to be good again. Even after
  all the years that Amir has spent running from
  his past, Rahim still believes that Amir can save
  himself.
• Hassan-He remains loyal to Amir no matter what
  ways Amir abuses or neglects him.

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Anyone Make an Important Mistake?

• Amir makes two huge mistakes. The first is when
  he lets Hassan get raped, while he watches. The
  second is when he betrays Hassan to try and get
  him out of his life by framing Hassan for
  stealing his possessions.

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Anyone Change?

• Amir changed a lot throughout the story.
  Originally he was a young boy in Afghanistan who
  was primarily focused on protecting himself at
  the expense of others. He was fairly selfish.
  At the end of the story he is able to make some
  great sacrifices, even going to the length of
  saving Sohrab in Afghanistan even though it could
  possibly take his life.
• Babas relationship with Amir changed as well.
  Baba originally was not proud of Amir, however,
  after they moved to America and Amir began to
  succeed there, Baba began to be proud of Amir and
  their relationship improved.

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Is There a Villain?

• Assef is the villain in the story. He is a
  sadistic boy who lives in Amirs neighborhood
  during Amirs early childhood in Afghanistan. He
  believes that Hitler was a great man and that his
  policies should be followed. He loves to abuse
  people, and is one of the new corrupt leaders of
  the Afghan people after the revolution.

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Is Friendship Important

• Amir and Hassan are the primary example of how
  friendship can be important. The two are fast
  friends, although Hassan is more loyal to Amir
  than Amir is to Hassan. Hassan will repeatedly
  defend Amir no matter what it takes, giving
  everything to their friendship. Even after Amir
  betrays him Hassan still remains loyal to him.

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Is the Narrator Important?

• The narrator is Amir, so the story is told from
  his point of view. As a result you can see his
  inner feelings and thoughts. A more personal
  view of the situation and the world is allowed
  through Amir being the narrator.

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Are Family Relationships Important?

• Baba and Amir- A typical father son relationship
  where the son is trying to gain the approval of
  his father. Amir seeks to live up to Babas
  standards in order to make him proud, and it is a
  constant struggle for him. However, he does
  manage to succeed with time and the two build a
  strong relationship.
• Amir and Hassan- Although not known at the
  beginning of the story, the two are actually half
  brothers, with Hassan being illegitimate. There
  is a sense even at the beginning of the story
  that the two are closer than friends, that they
  are more like siblings, showing how strong their
  familial bond was even if it was not known.

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Some Human Value Asserted?

• Forgiveness and Reconciliation are two human
  values that are constant throughout the book.
  Hassan is able to forgive Amir for his betrayal,
  but Amir must find a way to reconcile his
  betrayal with himself. Rahim Khan is the
  character who brings this struggle with
  reconciliation within Amir into the light when he
  tells Amir that there is a way to be good again.

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Anyone Lost or Alienated?

• The Afghan refugees are lost and alienated to a
  certain extent because they were forced to leave
  their homeland. However, they are able to form
  communities in America, reducing this feeling of
  loss and alienation.
• Sohrab- Hassans son, who is currently and
  orphan. His father is dead, and so is all of his
  family. He is abused by Assef, and is severely
  depressed. Without a family and with a
  horrifying history of abuse, he is incredibly
  lost and alienated from society.

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Cultures at Odds?

• The best example of this would be the immigration
  of the Afghan refugees to America. Afghan and
  American cultures are very different, and in some
  cases the culture did not mix well. For example,
  Baba was never able to adjust to American society
  very well, retaining his Afghan heritage. Most
  Afghans reacted by forming their own communities
  in America as well. Amir on the other hand
  adjusts very well to American society.

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Parallels or Contrasts to Other Works?

• This is similar to Things Fall Apart with the
  clash of cultures. As in Things Fall Apart, the
  culture of the Afghans in The Kite Runner does
  not mix well with the new culture that they
  encounter.
• It is also similar to Owen Meany in that the main
  characters of each book were strongly influenced
  by their best friend and end up changing because
  of them.

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Tone? Diction? Genre? Irony?

• Tone- It is thoughtful with a twinge of regret.
• Diction-It is written in American English,
  however, there is a large amount of Arabic in the
  story as well.
• Genre-Manipulative Fiction/Historical Fiction
• Irony- Baba always said that it was wrong to
  steal anything from anybody else, however, he
  committed this sin himself by stealing another
  mans wife. Also, Hassan had a cleft lip when he
  was born, which was later surgically fixed. When
  Amir goes to save Hassans son, he also gets a
  cleft lip, which is once again surgically
  corrected.