Themes & Relationships in The Kite Runner

CODEY CARTLEDGE: ENGLISH: THE KITE RUNNER: TRUDI:
THE KITE RUNNER:
THEMES, QUESTIONS
& QUOTES.

FRIENDSHIPS:
There are twomajor relationshipsinThe Kite Runner.One isbetweenthe protagonistandhisfather.
The other is betweenthe protagonistandhisbestfriend.Because the protagonist'sbestfriendis
alsohisservant,though,anda memberof the discriminatedagainstethnicminority,the novel
presentsarelationshipthatisfairlycomplex.Shouldloveforafriendoutweighthe divisionsof class
and ethnicity?Orare these divisionstoofar-reaching?Tomake mattersmore complicated,the
protagonistlaterlearnshisbestfriendisactuallyhishalf-brother.Insome ways,thisrevelation
dissolvesthe earlierproblems posedbyethnicity,andHosseini posesanew question:Canethnicity
divide the membersof afamily?
QuestionsAbout Friendship:
1.At the beginningof Chapter4,Amirsays:"But in none of hisstoriesdidBabaeverreferto Ali as his
friend."Whydoyou thinkBaba refusestoreferto Ali as his friend? Is it the divide between servant
and master? Does Baba consider Ali inferior because Ali is a Hazara? Does Baba feel guilty about
sleeping with Sanaubar and thus unworthy of Ali's friendship?
2.There'sanothergroupof friendsinThe Kite Runnerwhomyoumightpassoverat first:Assef,Wali,
and Kamal.Describe thisgroupof friends.How dothey compare to Amir and Hassan? Are there any
similarities between Assef's clique and Amir and Hassan?
3Early on, Baba seems like a distant myth instead of a father. Certainly, he and Amir aren't friends
while Amirisgrowing up. Their relationship changes significantly, however, once the pair settle in
Fremont, California. Does Amir eventually become friends with Baba?
4.Much of the novel is concerned with masculinity (e.g. what does it mean to be an Afghan man).
Almost all of the friendships in the novel are male. How do ideas about masculinity inform the
friendships in the novel?
QUOTES:
“Sometimes,up in thosetrees, I talked Hassan into firing walnutswith his slingshotatthe
neighbour’sone-eyed German shepherd.Hassan neverwanted to,butif I asked,really asked,he
wouldn'tdeny me.Hassan neverdenied me anything.And hewasdeadly with his slingshot.Hassan's
father,Ali, used to catch us and getmad,or as mad assomeoneasgentle asAli could ever get. He
would wag his fingerand waveusdown fromthe tree.He would takethe mirror and tell uswhathis
motherhad told him,thatthe devil shonemirrors too,shonethemto distract Muslimsduring prayer.
"And he laughswhilehe doesit," he alwaysadded,scowling athis son.
"Yes, Father,"Hassan would mumble,looking down athisfeet.But henever told on me. Nevertold
thatthe mirror, like shooting walnutsat theneighbour’sdog,wasalwaysmy idea.(2.2-3)”
Thispassage showsup earlyinthe novel andreallytellsusquite abitaboutAmirand Hassan's
friendship.HassanprotectsanddefendsAmirand,foreshadowinglatereventsinthe novel,refuses
to tell on Amir.(Hassanwill latertake the blame forthe wadof cash andthe watch.) We shouldalso
note that Amirseemslike the gangleaderinthispassage,gettingthe twoboysintotrouble.Does
Amircontrol the relationship?IsthiswhyHassanoftentakesthe blame forthings?DoesAmirever
take responsibilityforanythinginthe novel? (CHAPTER2)

“Then he [Ali] would remind us thatthere wasa brotherhood between peoplewho had fed fromthe
samebreast,a kinship thatnoteven time could break.Hassan and I fed fromthe samebreasts.We
tookourfirst stepson the samelawn in the sameyard.And,underthesameroof,we spokeourfirst
words.MinewasBaba.His wasAmir. My name.(2.34-37)”
There'sa primal closenessbetweenAmirandHassan.Later,we'll findoutthe twoboyshave the
same father,butnotice howHosseini islayingthe groundworkforthatrevelation.The twoboys
mightas well be brothers:theylearntowalktogether,theylearntospeaktogether,andtheyfeed
fromthe same breast.Whichbringsup an interestingquestion:WhatdoesRahimKhan'srevelation
– that AmirandHassan are half-brothers –reallychange?Aren'tthe twoalreadybrothersin
everything?Ordoes"blood"fundamentallychange Amir'srelationshipwithHassan? (CHAPTER2)
“Ali and Baba grewup togetheras childhood playmates –at least until polio crippled Ali's leg – just
like Hassan and Igrew up a generation later.Baba wasalwaystelling us aboutthemischief he and
Ali used to cause,and Ali would shakehishead and say,"But,Agha sahib,tell them who wasthe
architect of the mischief and who the poorlabourer?"Baba would laugh and throw hisarmaround
Ali. But in noneof hisstories did Baba ever refer to Ali ashis friend.(4.2-3)”
Baba and Ali'sfriendshipparallels AmirandHassan'sona numberof levels.First,asthispassage
indicates,there'sasimilarpatternof leadership(andpower):bothBabaandAmirhave dominant
rolesineach friendship.And,lestyouforget,BababetraysAli muchlike AmirbetraysHassan.As
theysay,two peasina pod.Or, maybe itwouldbe fourpeasina pod.We're not sure.Anyways,
afterAmirlearnsthat Baba liedtohimfor years,he says:"Baba and I were morealike than I'd ever
known.Wehad bothbetrayed thepeople who would have given their lives forus" (18.7). Fourpeas
ina pod. (CHAPTER4)
“But we were kidswho had learned to crawl together,and no history,ethnicity,society,or religion
wasgoing to changethateither.I spentmost of the firsttwelve yearsof my life playing with Hassan.
Sometimes,my entire childhood seemslike onelong lazy summerday with Hassan,chasing each
otherbetween tanglesof trees in my father'syard,playing hide-and-seek,copsand robbers,cowboys
and Indians,insecttorture – withour crowning achievementundeniably thetime we plucked the
stingeroff a bee and tied a string around thepoorthing to yankit back every time it tookflight.
(4.6)”
Amirlaysout the opposingargumentjustpriortothisparagraph. Init, he saysethnicitywill always
define arelationship.We believe Hosseini reallywantsustograpple withAmir'scontradictory
stances:DoesAmir'sfriendshipwithHassanevergetpasthistory,ethnicity,society,andreligion?
Later, Amirwill justifyhiscowardice inthe alleywaybyaskinghimself if he reallyhastodefend
Hassan (since Hassanisa Hazara). DoesAmirevergetpast hisprejudices?We're reallynotsure
aboutthisone.Hosseini devotesthe entire novel tothisquestion. (CHAPTER4)

“I know,"hesaid,breaking ourembrace."Inshallah,we'll celebratelater. Right now,I'mgoing to run
thatblue kite for you,"hesaid.He dropped thespooland tookoff running,thehemof his green
chapan dragging in thesnowbehind him."Hassan!"Icalled. "Comebackwith it!" He wasalready
turning the streetcorner, his rubberbootskicking up snow.He stopped,turned.Hecupped hishands
around hismouth."Foryou a thousand timesover!"he said.Then he smiled his Hassan smile and
disappeared around thecorner.Thenexttime I saw him smile unabashedly likethatwastwenty-six
yearslater, in a faded Polaroid photograph.(7.52-54)”
Yet again,HassandemonstrateshisloyaltyanddevotiontoAmir.If we were tojudge Amirand
Hassan's friendshipbyactionsandnotsimplyexpressionsof loyalty,the score wouldbe pretty
lopsided.(Of course,AmirsavesHassan'ssonat the endof the bookfroma pathological paedophile
so that countsfor something.) We alsowantto pointoutthe ironyin Hassan'sreply:"Foryou a
thousand times over!"Amirwill developaprettynastycase of insomniaasthe guiltpilesupinside
him.Really,Amirreturnstothe alleywaythousandsof timesinhismemorybefore he comesto
peace withhiscowardice.Andsothe phrase "a thousand timesover" iscolouredwithsome pretty
devastatingirony.Yes,Hosseini isusingironyagain. (CHAPTER7)
“[Assef:] "Butbeforeyou sacrificeyourself forhim, thinkaboutthis:Would he do the sameforyou?
Have you everwondered why henever includesyou in gameswhen he hasguests?Why he only plays
with you when no oneelse is around?I'll tell you why,Hazara.Becauseto him, you'renothing butan
ugly pet. Something hecan play withwhen he's bored,something hecan kick when he's angry.Don't
ever foolyourself and thinkyou'resomething more."
"Amir agha and Iare friends,"Hassan said.He looked flushed.
"Friends?"Assef said,laughing."You patheticfool!Someday you'llwakeup fromyourlittle fantasy
and learn justhowgood of a friend heis. Now,bas!Enough of this.Giveus thatkite." (7.106-108)”
Thisis a fairlycomplex scene.Assef,before he assaultsandrapesHassan,asksHassan whetherhe
reallywantstosacrifice himselfforAmir.We know Amirislisteningin – andwatching– this
exchange betweenAssef andHassan.Ina way,Assef'sspeechisnotpropheticbutdescriptive:Amir
isabandoningHassanrightnow.However,we wonderif Assef'sdescriptionisinaccurate.IsAssef
describinghisownrelationshipwithHazarasorAmir'swithHassan? Sure,sometimesAmirdoes
cruel thingsto Hassan,but he alsoreadsto Hassan and spendsalmostall hisfree time withHassan.
Amirmay hesitate tocall Hassanhisfriend,butperhapsthat'sbecause neither"friend"nor
"servant"reallydescribesHassan."Brother"might dothe trick,butAmirhas no ideaat thispoint.
“Lying awakein bed thatnight,I thoughtof Soraya Taheri'ssickle-shaped birthmark,hergently
hooked nose,and theway herluminouseyes had fleetingly held mine.My heartstuttered at the
thoughtof her.(11.104)”
Soraya doesn'tsoundthathot here.FromHosseini'sdescription,we picture the witchin"Sleeping
Beauty":hernose ishookedlike ascythe,andher eyesare glowinginapotion-inducedmania.
However,we dothinkSoraya'ssickle-shapedbirthmarkshouldremindyouof someoneelseinthe
book.Give up?That's right: Hassan.(Hassanhas a harelip.) WhydoyouthinkHosseini compare
these twocharactersthrough theirphysical features?Whatelse dotheyhave incommon?
(CHAPTER11)

“Nextto me, Sohrab wasbreathing rapidly throughhisnose.Thespoolrolled in hispalms,the
tendonsin his scarred wristslike rubab strings.Then I blinked and,forjusta moment,thehands
holding the spoolwerethe chipped-nailed,calloused handsof a harelipped boy.Iheard a crow
cawing somewhereand Ilooked up.The parkshimmered with snow so fresh,so dazzling white,it
burned my eyes.It sprinkled soundlessly fromthebranchesof white-clad trees.I smelled turnip
qurma now.Dried mulberries. Souroranges.Sawdustand walnuts.Themuffled quiet,snow-quiet,
wasdeafening.Then faraway,acrossthestillness,a voice calling us home,thevoice of a man who
dragged hisright leg. (25.150)”
We thinkthisisone of the mostbeautiful passagesinthe book.Hosseinimoveseffortlesslybetween
the past and present.SohrabbecomesHassan,andthe parkin Fremont,Californiabecomesasnow-
quietKabul.The smellsof Kabul mix withthe smellsof the New Yearcelebrationinthe park.
Perhaps,atleastinthe space of thispassage,Amirdoesfindpeace.AmericaallowedAmirtoescape
hispast forso many years;but,inthis moment,the twohomelandsmerge.Ali callsAmirhome,and
Amirdoesn'tseemtomind.

BETRAYL:
The plot of The Kite Runnerrevolvesaroundthe protagonist'sbetrayal of hisbestfriend.Inaway,
thisbetrayal drivesthe restof the bookand perhapseverythingthatprecedesit.Inhispre-betrayal
and post-betrayal chapters,Hosseini askssome importantquestions.Forexample,doyoubetray
someone withoutwarning,ordosmall betrayalsleaduptoa larger one?Canyou redeemyourself
afteryou've betrayedafriend?If yourfatherbetrayedhisfriendare youdoomedtorepeatthe same
mistake?Canyou redeemyoursinsandyour father'sat the same time?Or doesredemptionwork
like acoupon – onlyone percustomer?
QuestionsAbout Betrayal:
1.We think the main betrayal of the book happens in Chapter 7 when Amir doesn't protect Hassan
fromAssef.However,the novel has plenty of other betrayals in it. Tally them up. Does Baba betray
anyone?DoesAmirbetraymultiplepeople? Do smaller betrayals lead up to this larger one? Do the
other betrayals help us interpret Amir's abandonment of Hassan in the alleyway?
2. Baba nevertellsAmirhe fatheredHassan.AmirnevertellsBabahe left Hassan in the alleyway, or
that he put the watch and moneyunderHassan'smattress.Whatrole doessilence playinthe novel?
Can betrayal (like silence) be continuous?
3. Early on in the novel, Baba drops the following knowledge: "Now, no matter what the mullah
teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Do
you understand that?" (3.29). Through the character of Baba, Hosseini invites us to look at any
wrongdoing in terms of theft. Explain each betrayal in the novel in terms of theft. What has been
stolen? Is Baba's theory useful or has he been drinking too much scotch?
4. Do any betrayals happen on a larger, political scale? Do they map onto the betrayal(s) of the
individual characters?
QUOTES:
“Hassan'sfavoritebookby farwasthe Shahnamah,thetenth-century epicof ancientPersian heroes.
He liked all of thechapters,the shahsof old,Feridoun,Zal,and Rudabeh.Buthisfavoritestory,and
mine, was"Rostamand Sohrab,"thetale of the greatwarriorRostamand his fleet-footed horse,
Rakhsh.Rostammortally woundshisvaliantnemesis,Sohrab,in battle,only to discoverthatSohrab
is his long-lostson.Stricken with grief,Rostamhearshis son'sdying words:
If thou art indeed my father,then hastthou stained thy sword in the life-blood of thy son.And thou
didstit of thine obstinacy.ForI soughtto turn thee unto love,and I implored of thee thy name,forI
thoughtto behold in theethe tokensrecounted of my mother.But I appealed unto thy heartin vain,
and nowis the time gonefor meeting...
"Read it again please,Amir agha,"Hassan would say.Sometimestearspooled in Hassan'seyesasI
read him this passage,and Ialwayswondered whomheweptfor,thegrief-stricken Rostamwho
tears hisclothes and covershis head with ashes,orthe dying Sohrab who only longed forhisfather's
love? Personally,Icouldn'tsee the tragedy in Rostam'sfate.Afterall, didn't all fathersin their secret
heartsharbora desire to kill their sons?(4.23-24)”
Althoughyoucan readthe story of "Rostam andSohrab" as an allegoryforBabaand Amir's
relationship,we thinkthe mostobviousparallel istoAmirandHassan. Amirdoesn'tkill Hassan
directly,buthe doesbringaboutHassan's exile fromBaba'shousehold.Thisexile eventuallyplaces

Hassan ina situationwhere he iskilled.Amir,tosome extent,takesthe blame forHassan'sdeath.
Like Rostam,Amirfiguresoutmuchtoo late whofatheredHassan.We thinkyoucouldveryeasily
substitute "brothers"for"sons"inthe final sentence: "Afterall,don'tweall in oursecret hearts
harbora desire to kill our brothers?" ("CainandAbel"seemsjustasappropriate as"Rostamand
Sohrab.") (CHAPTER4)
“He turned to me. A fewsweatbeadsrolled fromhis bald scalp."Would I ever lie to you,Amir agha?"
Suddenly Idecided to toy withhim a little. "I don'tknow.Would you?"
"I'd soonereatdirt," he said with a lookof indignation.
"Really? You'd do that?"
He threw me a puzzled look."Do what?"
"Eat dirt if I told you to,"I said.I knewI wasbeing cruel, like when I'd taunthim if he didn'tknow
somebig word.Butthere wassomething fascinating –albeit in a sick way – aboutteasing Hassan.
Kind of like when we used to play insect torture.Except now,hewasthe antand I washolding the
magnifying glass.(6.29-34)”
Jeez,Amir.Notice howHosseini preparesusforAmir'smajorbetrayal of Hassan.Hosseini hasAmir
betrayHassan – or at leastbe cruel to Hassan – in all sortsof small ways.He insertshisownstories
intothe taleshe readsto Hassan. He flauntshisliteracy.He doesn'tdefendHassanfromthe
neighbourhoodboysandalmostblurtsoutthat Hassanis onlyhisservantandnot a friend.
(CHAPTER6)
“I stopped watching,turned away fromthealley.Something warmwasrunning down my wrist.I
blinked,sawI wasstill biting down on my fist, hard enough to draw blood fromtheknuckles.I
realized something else.I wasweeping.From justaround thecorner,I could hearAssef'squick,
rhythmicgrunts.
I had onelast chanceto makea decision.One finalopportunity to decidewho I wasgoing to be. I
could step into thatalley, stand up forHassan – the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the
past– and acceptwhateverwould happen to me.Or I could run.
In theend,I ran. (7.137-139)”
AmirleavesHassaninthe alleyway.Thispassage,alongwiththe passage inwhichAmirplantsawad
of cash andhiswatch underHassan's mattress, countsas Amir'stwomajorbetrayalsof Hassan.
Perhapsbecause of hisguilt,AmirnevertellsHassanhe saw whathappenedinthe alley.Which
bringsup an interestingside question:DoyouthinkAmir'ssilence isaworse betrayal thanAmir's
cowardice?(CHAPTER7)
“Early thatspring,a fewdaysbeforethe new schoolyear started,Baba and Iwere planting tulipsin
the garden.Mostof thesnowhad melted and the hills in the north were already dotted with patches
of green grass.Itwasa cool, grey morning,and Baba wassquatting nextto me,digging thesoil and
planting thebulbs I handed to him.He wastelling me how mostpeoplethoughtit wasbetterto plant
tulips in the fall and howthatwasn'ttrue,when I came rightout and said it. "Baba,haveyou ever
thoughtaboutgetting newservants?"(8.63)”
Amir'squestion,of course,mustpainBabaquite a bitsince Hassanis hisson.It seemsAmircan't
handle anythingthatremindshimof hiscowardice,evenif it'shisbestfriend.UnlikeAmir,Baba
keepsthe remindersof hisguiltaround.(Thosereminderswouldbe Ali andHassansince Babaslept

withAli'swife andfatheredHassan.) Doyoublame AmirabsolutelyforHassanandAli'sdeparture?
Doessome unconsciouspartof AmirsendHassan and Ali awayso he can have Baba all to himself?
(CHAPTER8)
“Then I tooka coupleof the envelopesof cash fromthe pile of giftsand my watch,and tiptoed out.I
paused beforeBaba'sstudy and listened in.He'd been in there all morning,making phonecalls.He
wastalking to someonenow,abouta shipmentof rugsdueto arrive nextweek. I wentdownstairs,
crossed the yard,and entered Ali and Hassan'sliving quartersby the loquattree.I lifted Hassan's
mattressand planted my newwatch and a handfulof Afghanibills underit.
I waited anotherthirtyminutes.Then I knocked on Baba'sdoorand told whatI hoped would bethe
last in a long line of shamefullies. (9.21-22)”
People dosomethingterrible inordernottodo any more terrible things.Thisbizarre logicguides
Amir.Inorder to notlie anymore,AmirneedsBabatofire Hassanand Ali.We finditquite sadthat
Ali,throughnofaultof his own,getscaughtup in Amir'sguiltandjealousy.Seriously,Aliiseven
more innocentthanHassan – Ali hadno part in the alleywayincidentandhasservedBabafaithfully
hiswhole life.SometimesAmirisajerk. (CHAPTER9)
“I flinched,like I'd been slapped.My heartsankand I almostblurted outthe truth.Then I understood:
This wasHassan'sfinalsacrifice for me.If he'd said no,Baba would havebelieved him becausewe all
knewHassan neverlied. And if Baba believed him,then I'd bethe accused;I would haveto explain
and I would be revealed forwhatI really was.Baba would never,ever forgiveme.And thatled to
anotherunderstanding:Hassan knew.Heknew I'd seen everything in thatalley, thatI'd stood there
and donenothing.HeknewI had betrayed him and yethe wasrescuing meonce again,maybefor
the last time. I loved him in thatmoment,loved him morethan I'd ever loved anyone,and Iwanted
to tell themall thatI wasthe snakein the grass,themonsterin the lake.I wasn'tworthy of this
sacrifice; I wasa liar, a cheat,and a thief.And I would havetold,except thata partof me wasglad.
Glad thatthis would all beover withsoon.Baba would dismissthem,there would besome pain,but
life would moveon.Iwanted that,to moveon, to forget,to startwith a clean slate. I wanted to be
able to breatheagain.(9.29)”
Amirisright aboutone thing:if Baba knew the extentof Amir'sdeception,he woulddisownAmir.
Meaning,if Baba knewAmirplantedthe watchandcash, andthat AmirabandonedHassanwhen
Hassan reallyneededhim,Baba'srage wouldknow nobounds.Notice AmirnevertellsBabawhat
happenedtoHassan,or howhe broughtaboutAli andHassan's departure.EvenafterAmirandBaba
arrive inAmerica,Amirdoesn'tconfesshismisdeeds.EvenwhenBabaisonhisdeathbed,Amir
remainssilent.Inthisway,Amiristotallyandtragicallywronginsayinghe's "[g]lad thiswould all be
overwith soon."
“I thoughtabouta commentRahimKhan had madejustbeforewehung up.Madeit in passing,
almostas an afterthought.Iclosed my eyesand saw him at the otherend of thescratchy long-
distanceline, sawhim with his lips slightly parted,head tilted to oneside. And again,something in
his bottomlessblackeyeshinted at an unspoken secretbetween us.Exceptnow I knew heknew.My
suspicionshad been right all thoseyears.He knew aboutAssef,thekite,the money,thewatch with
the lightning bolt hands.Hehad alwaysknown.
Come.There is a way to be good again,RahimKhan had said on thephonejustbeforehanging up.
Said it in passing,almostasan afterthought.(14.18-19)”

It's fittingthatRahimKhanpointsAmirtowardSohrab – a boy who'sbeingabusedbyAssef –as a
wayto redeemhimself.("There isawayto be goodagain.") Basically,RahimKhanissayingtoAmir:
"Here'show you can undothe damage you lavishedonHassan."BysavingSohrab,interventionwill
replace passivityforAmir.Whilewe're onthe topicof redemption:voice alsoreplacessilence
throughAmir'snarrationof the novel.Afterall these years,Amirhassaidnarya wordaboutthe
alleywayandthe mattressandnowhe letsloose 371 pagesworthof words.The man needssome
redemption. (CHAPTER14)
“I felt like a man sliding down a steep cliff, clutching atshrubsand tanglesof bramblesand coming
up empty-handed.Theroomwasswooping up and down,swayingsideto side. "Did Hassan know?"I
said through lips thatdidn'tfeel like my own.RahimKhan closed his eyes.Shookhishead.[...]
"Pleasethink,Amir Jan.It wasa shamefulsituation.Peoplewould talk.All thata man had backthen,
all thathe was,washishonour,hisname,and if peopletalked...Wecouldn'ttell anyone,surely you
can see that."He reached forme, butI shed his hand.Headed forthe door.[...]
I opened thedoorand turned to him."Why? Whatcan you possibly say to me? I'm thirty-eightyears
old and I've justfound out my wholelife is one big fucking lie! Whatcan you possibly say to make
thingsbetter?Nothing.Nota goddamn thing!"(17.57-63)”
RahimKhan tellsAmiraboutBaba'sbetrayal of him, Hassan,and Ali.Here'sthe story:Baba slept
withSanaubar,Ali'swife, andfatheredHassan.ButBabanevertoldAmiror Hassanabout it.We
wonderif RahimKhan'srevelationmakeslifeeasierorharderfor Amir.Onthe one hand, Amirsees,
for the firsttime,the similaritiesbetweenhimself andhisfather.Now he knowshe wasn'tthe only
one walkingaroundwithaton of bricks(a.k.a.secretguilt).ButdoesthisreallyhelpAmir?Isit
comfortingatall to knowhisfathermade similarmistakes?Amir'sbetrayal of Hassanbringshim
closerto Baba inwayshe couldn'thave predicted.Althoughthe twodon'tshare the same secrets,
theydo share the secrecyof guilt. (CHAPTER17)
“We said ourgood-byesearly thenextmorning.JustbeforeIclimbed into the Land Cruiser,I thanked
Wahid for his hospitality.He pointed to the little housebehind him."This is yourhome,"hesaid.His
three sonswerestanding in the doorway watchingus.Thelittle onewaswearing the watch – it
dangled around histwiggy wrist.(19.113)”
To undohis actions – or pardon himself –AmirgivesWahid'ssonsawatch. Where didwe see a
watch before inthisnovel?Ohyeah,the time Amirputawatch underHassan'smattressin orderto
gethis half-brotherdismissedfromthe household.Now thatwe thinkaboutit,thisstoryhasa lotin
commonwithOedipusthe KingandotherGreektragedies.(Here,letme betrayyou.What'sthat?
You're mybrother?Flip.) (CHAPTER19)
“[Amir:] "Well, Mr.Faisal thinksthatit would really help if wecould...if we could askyou to stay in a
homeforkids fora while."
[Sohrab:] "Homeforkids?"hesaid,his smile fading."You mean an orphanage?"
[Amir:] "It would only be fora little while."
[Sohrab:] "No,"hesaid."No,please."
[Amir:] "Sohrab,itwould be forjusta little while. I promise."
[Sohrab:] "You promised you'd never putmein oneof thoseplaces,Amir agha,"hesaid.His voice
wasbreaking,tearspooling in his eyes.(24.350-355)”

JustwhenyouthoughtAmirdidsomethingnice fora change...he goesbackonhispromise to
Sohrab.Amir'sbrokenpromise hasdisastrousconsequences:Sohrabtriestokill himself.DoesAmir
betrayyetanotherperson?Or,is this"betrayal"outof Amir'shands?If so,doesAmir'shelplessness
inthissituationforce youto reinterpretAmir'searlierabandonmentof Hassan?Doesthispassage
suggestAmirreallywasn'ttoblame forabandoningHassan? (CHAPTER24)

WARFARE:
In The Kite Runner,Hosseini directlycomparesthe arrival of warto a lossof innocence.(Soonafter
an invadingarmyshowsup,the narrator watcheshisbestfriendgetraped.) The bookalsoexplores
war as experiencedfromadistance,eitherthroughmemoryorthroughthe mediaandtelevised
war. Hosseini interrogatesthe effectof waron our social structuresas well:Doeconomicclassand
ethnicitydissolveinthe face of war or do these categoriesbecomeevenmore rigid?It'snotall
horror and gloom,though.Inthe end,Hosseini wantstoshow ushow honourand dignitycan
survive inthe midstof war.
QuestionsAbout Warfare:
Amirwritesa storyearlyon inthe novel in which a man kills his wife because he found a magic cup
that turns his tears into pearls. By killing his wife, the man weeps and becomes rich. When Amir
readsthisstory to Hassan,Hassan asksAmirif the manreallyhadto kill his wife in the story. Hassan
says, "In fact, why did he ever have to feel sad to shed tears? Couldn't he have just smelled an
onion?" (4.61).
1. DoesHosseini unnecessarily write about not only Afghanistan's violent history but a brutal
act? Or does Hosseini write about a necessary topic? Is Hassan missing the point?
2. Hosseini exploresthe Americanexperience of the Afghanwars,whichisfiltered through the
news media. He writes: "Now Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, and people sipping lattes at
Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz, the Taliban's last stronghold in the
north" (25.106). Is the book itself a mediated experience? Does Hosseini comment on his
ownbook(and hisreaders) inthisquote? Is this quote also a criticism of himself and Amir?
3. The book talks a lot about nang and namoos, the Afghan principles of honour and pride.
These principles survive (and even flourish) despite the multiple wars of the novel. Even
though these principles redeem certain characters from the horrors of war, can these very
principles cause wars?
4. In the middle of the book, we find out that Ali has stepped on a land mine and is dead. In
addition, Talib soldiers execute Hassan and his wife. Even further, Sohrab is (more or less)
abductedand forced to be a sex slave for a Talib official. All of these characters have an air
of innocence about them. War, for Hosseini, it seems, is indiscriminate and often murders
the blameless. At one point, Baba, Amir, Ali and Hassan even celebrate Eid-e-Aorban, the
holiday commemorating Ibrahim's near-sacrifice of his son to God. Is this celebration
intimately tied to Hosseini's concept of war?
QUOTES:
“We stayed huddled thatway untilthe early hoursof the morning.Theshootingsand
explosionshad lasted lessthan an hour,butthey had frightened usbadly,becausenoneof us
had ever heard gunshotsin thestreets. They were foreign soundsto usthen.The generation
of Afghan children whoseearswould know nothing butthesoundsof bombsand gunfirewas
notyet born.Huddled togetherin the dining roomand waiting forthe sun to rise, noneof us
had any notion thata way of life had ended.Ourway of life. If notquite yet,then at least it
wasthe beginning of theend.The end,the official end,would comefirst in April 1978 with
the communistcoup d'état,and then in December1979, when Russian tankswould roll into
the very samestreets whereHassan and I played,bringing thedeath of the Afghanistan I
knewand marking thestart of a still ongoing era of bloodletting.(5.5)”

If you were todescribe Afghanistan'spolitical situation,youmightdescribe itas"war-torn"or
"ravaged."Butthose descriptionsapply,really,onlyfrom1978 on – before then,Afghanistanwasa
relativelypeaceful country.Inthispassage,Amirdocumentsthe seachange the countryundergoes
inthe late '70s. A way of life ends –and, importantly,the childrenbornafterthisperiodwon't
rememberpeace because theyneverexperiencedit.Notice,too,thatHosseini placesAfghanistan's
lossof innocence rightnexttoAmir'sand Hassan's – the infamousrape scene happensonlytwo
chapterslater. (CHAPTER5)
“You couldn'ttrustanyonein Kabulany more – fora fee orunderthreat,people told on each other,
neighbouron neighbour,child on parent,brotheron brother,servanton master,friend on friend.[...].
The rafiqs,thecomrades,wereeverywhereand they'd split Kabul into two groups:thosewho
eavesdropped and thosewho didn't.Thetricky partwasthat no oneknew who belonged to which.A
casualremarkto the tailor while getting fitted fora suit mightland you in thedungeonsof Poleh-
charkhi.Complain aboutthecurfewto the butcherand nextthing you knew,you were behind bars
staring at the muzzleend of a Kalashnikov.Even atthedinnertable,in theprivacy of their home,
peoplehad to speakin a calculated manner – therafiqswere in the classroomstoo;they'd taught
children to spy on their parents,whatto listen for,whomto tell. (10.8)”
Of course,warchangeseverything.Butit'sstill surprising,somehow,thatthe home itself could
become a chargedand dangerousenvironment.Isn'tthe home supposedtobe a place where you
can relax a little?Where youcancount onthe loyaltyof yourfamily?Apparently,that'snotthe case
inShorawi-occupied(Soviet-occupied) Afghanistan.Hosseiniisdescribing,here,the dangersof
occupiedAfghanistan,buthe'salsoreferencingotherbetrayals.Laterinthe book,we learnHassanis
Amir'shalf-brother,thoughnoone tellsAmirthisuntil he's38.Later inthe book,we learnBaba,
Amir'sfather,knewall alongHassanwasAmir'shalf-brother.Count'emup.Brotherbetraysbrother.
Fatherbetraysson.So isHosseini onlytalkingaboutShorawi-occupiedAfghanistanhere?Unlikely.
(CHAPTER10)
“I overheard himtelling Baba howheand his brotherknew the Russian and Afghan soldierswho
worked thecheckpoints,howthey had set up a "mutually profitable"arrangement.Thiswasno
dream.Asif on cue,a MiG suddenly screamed pastoverhead.Karimtossed hiscigaretteand
produced a handgun fromhiswaist.Pointing itto the sky and making shooting gestures,hespatand
cursed at the MiG. (10.9)”
Well,there are plentyof DavidandGoliathreferencesinthisbook.Althoughthispassageprobably
isn'tactuallya reference tothatBiblical story,it'sinthe same spirit.Here'san Afghani smuggler
pretendingtofire ahandgunat a Russianfighterjet.CouldKarimbe anymore powerless?Couldhis
cursesand spittle meanless?Waitasecond.Don'tforgetthat the Russiansactuallygive upand
leave Afghanistan.David:1.Goliath:O. (CHAPTER10)
“By then – thatwould havebeen 1995 – the Shorawiweredefeated and long goneand Kabul
belonged to Massoud,Rabbani,and theMujahedin.Theinfighting between thefactionswasfierce
and no one knewif they would live to see the end of the day.Ourears becameaccustomed to the
whistle of falling shells,to the rumbleof gunfire,oureyesfamiliar with the sight of men digging
bodiesoutof piles of rubble.Kabulin thosedays,Amirjan,wasasclose as you could get to that
proverbialhell on earth.Allah waskind to us,though.TheWazir AkbarKhan area wasnotattacked
as much,so we did not haveit as bad assome of the otherneighborhoods.(16.41)”

We justwantto pointout howthe city,in a time of war (or after),canbecome a necropolis.
(Basically,acityof the dead.) NotonlydoesHosseinisaythatKabul became a "proverbial hell on
earth,"he alsodescribesmendiggingupbodiesoutof the pilesof rubble.Hell,whetheryou're inthe
Greekor Christiantradition,isaprettydarn goodexample of acityof the dead.And,if youadd, just
for kicks,like Hosseini does,the image of mendiggingupbodies,you've definitelytransformedan
active,livelycityintoagraveyard.
“The trek between Kabuland Jalalabad,a bone-jarring ridedown a teetering passsnaking through
the rocks,had becomea relic now,a relic of two wars.Twenty yearsearlier, I had seen someof the
first warwith my own eyes. Grim remindersof it were strewn along the road:burned carcassesof old
Soviettanks,overturned military trucksgoneto rust,a crushed Russian jeep thathad plunged over
the mountainside.Thesecond war,Ihad watched on my TV screen.And now I wasseeing it through
Farid'seyes. (20.2)”
The trek betweenKabul andJalalabadbecomesbothanactual,war-tornlandscape andamental
landscape.Letusexplain.Amirsees"relics"of the firstwarwiththe Soviets,whichisawar encased
inhis memory.He alsoseesremnantsof the secondwar(duringthe 1990s), whichhe experienced
throughTV. Now,listeningtoFarid,hisdriver,he experiencesthe landscape throughanother
person'seyes.Hosseini allowsAmir'snoggintoexperience the landscape inlayers:throughmemory
(hispast),representation(TV),andimagination(asif he'sFarid). (CHAPTER20)
“Rubbleand beggars.EverywhereIlooked,thatwaswhat I saw.I remembered beggarsin the old
daystoo – Baba alwayscarried an extra handfulof Afghanibillsin hispocket justforthem;I'd never
seen himdeny a peddler.Now,though,they squatted atevery streetcorner,dressed in shredded
burlap rags,mud-caked handsheld outfora coin.And the beggarsweremostly children now,thin
and grim-faced,someno olderthan five orsix. They satin the lapsof their burqa-clad mothers
alongsideguttersatbusy street cornersand chanted "Bakhshesh,bakhshesh!"And somethingelse,
something Ihadn'tnoticed right away:Hardly any of themsat with an adultmale – thewarshad
madefathersa rare commodityin Afghanistan.(20.11)”
The picture of war here justgetsworse andworse.AmiriswithFarid,drivingthrough Kabul,his
childhoodcity,andthingsgetgrimreallyquick.Notonlyhave the beggarsincreasedinnumbersince
Amir'schildhood,nowthey're mostlychildren.Youngchildren,too.Amiralsonoticesthatveryfew
of the childrenare sittingwithanadult male,whichmeansall the olderbrothersandfathershave
died.Hosseini,onone level,isgivingusa picture of Afghanistan;onanother,he'scommentingon
the situationof hischaracters.Don't forgetthat Amir'sownfatherhas recentlydied.AndHassan,
Amir'shalf-brotherandSohrab'sfather,diedduringTalibanrule.RahimKhan,afather-figure to
Amir,isdyingas AmirdrivesaroundKabul.Thisbookisaboutthe effectsof war onAfghani people;
but it'salsoabout the verypersonal losses –a fatherand a brotherand almosta nephew –
experiencedbyAmir. (CHAPTER20)
“Jadeh Maywand had turned into a giantsand castle.The buildingsthathadn'tentirely collapsed
barely stood,withcaved in roofsand wallspierced with rockets shells.Entire blocks had been
obliterated to rubble.I sawa bullet-pocked sign half buried at an anglein a heap of debris.It read
DRINKCOCA CO––. I sawchildren playing in theruins of a windowlessbuilding amid jagged stumps
of brick and stone.Bicycle riders and mule-drawn cartsswerved around kids,stray dogs,and pilesof
debris.A hazeof dusthovered overthecity and,acrosstheriver, a single plumeof smokerose to the
sky.(20.15)”

JadehMaywandis a bigavenue inKabul where kite shopsusedtosell theirwares.Now,afteryears
of fighting,it'sbeenturnedintorubble.Really,intodust("agiantsandcastle").Butsomethingelse
here caught ourattention.Yep,the bullet-pockedsign.Earlierinthe book,Amirmentionsall kindsof
AmericaninfluencesinKabul:movies,cars,bikes,jeans,andcowboyhats.Now,whenhe returns,he
finds– SYMBOL ALERT! – a half-legibleCocaColasign.Americaninfluence isinthe processof
disappearing.(CHAPTER20)
“We found theneworphanagein the northern partof Karteh-Seh, along thebanksof thedried-up
KabulRiver. It wasa flat,barracks-stylebuilding with splintered wallsand windowsboarded with
planksof wood.Farid had told me on theway there thatKarteh-Seh had been oneof the mostwar-
ravaged neighbourhoodsin Kabul,and,aswestepped outof the truck,the evidencewas
overwhelming.Thecratered streets were flanked by little morethan ruins of shelled buildingsand
abandoned homes.Wepassed therusted skeleton of an overturned car,a TV set with no screen half-
buried in rubble,a wall withthe wordsZENDA BAD TALIBAN!(Long livethe Taliban!) sprayed in
black.(20.68)”
War's influence iseverywhere.Eventhe orphanage hasturnedintoa"barracks-style building."
Nobody'slivinginthe homesinKarteh-Seheither. Perhapsmosttelling,though,isthe smashedTV
nearthe wall with"Longlive the Taliban!"spray-paintedonit.Inthe book,TVs are markersof
prosperityandAmericaninfluence.AmirpromisesHassanhe'll buyhimaTV whentheygrow up;
AmiralsotellsSohrabAmericanTVshave 500 channels.Buthere'sa TV,smashed,andneargraffiti
promotinga totalitarianregime.(CHAPTER20)
“I sawa dead body nearthe restaurant.Therehad been a hanging.A young man dangled fromthe
end of a ropetied to a beam,hisface puffy and blue,theclotheshe'd worn on the last day of his life
shredded,bloody.Hardly anyoneseemed to noticehim. (21.2)”
Thisis a smart move byHosseini.Nowthathe'saccustomedhisreaderstothe devastationof warin
the previouschapter, he casuallyintroducesashockingimage.We thinkmostreaderswill pause
here and say,"Gosh,thisis reallyawful,"andthenmove onbecause that'swhatHosseini does.
Hosseini knowshisreaders,like the Afghani citizens,are gettingusedtohorror.
Soonafterthe attacks,AmericabombedAfghanistan,the NorthernAlliance movedin,andthe
Talibanscurriedlike ratsintothe caves.Suddenly,people werestandingingrocerystore linesand
talkingaboutthe citiesof mychildhood,Kandahar,Herat,Mazar-i-Sharif.WhenIwasverylittle,
Baba tookHassan and me to Kunduz.I don'tremembermuchaboutthe trip,exceptsittinginthe
shade of an acacia tree withBabaand Hassan, takingturnssippingfreshwatermelonjuice froma
clay potand seeingwhocould spitthe seedsfarther.Now DanRather,TomBrokaw,and people
sippinglattesatStarbuckswere talkingaboutthe battle forKunduz,the Taliban'slaststrongholdin
the north.That December,Pashtuns,Tajiks,Uzbeks,andHazarasgatheredinBonn and,underthe
watchful eye of the UN,beganthe processthatmightsomedayendovertwentyyearsof
unhappinessintheirwatan.HamidKarzai'scaracul hat andgreenchapan became famous.(25.106)
Before September11,2001 most Americansprobablysaidthingslike Afghani-what?Now,Amir
hearsabout hishomeland(or,forthose of youkeepingtrackof the Dari language inthe book,his
watan) inStarbucksand in grocerystories.Ithas got tobe weird.Justimagine thatyourhometown –
for whateverreason –suddenlyattracts(inter)national mediacoverage.People like DanRatherare
talkingaboutthe park where youusedtopicnic,strangersweighinonthe strategicadvantage of the
hill where youusedtosled.Well,itwouldn'tbe exactlylike thatbecause Afghanistan isalotbigger
than yourhometown.Butyougetthe idea.

PRINCIPLE:
It's one thingif your fatherisa principledman.That'sall well andgood.We mean,moralityiskindof
important,right?Butwhat if yourfatherisn't justanyman? What if he's a legend,amyth,someone
withsuchforce of personalityyoucowerathisveryapproach?His principleswill probablyseemlike
divine mandates,orsomething.We know we've askedyoutoimagine alot.But now imagine that
youdisregardone of your father'smostvaluedprinciples.You're crazywithregret.Suchan action
leadstoguilt.It leadstoa crash inthe Stock Market of Self-Worth.Thisisprettymuchwhathappens
inThe Kite Runner.
QuestionsAbout Principles:
1. Describe Amiratthe endof the novel.DoesAmirbelieve inall of his father's principles? Has
he abandoned a few? Which ones does he hold sacred? Does Amir develop his own set of
principles?
2. Does someone like Assef have principles, too?
3. At times, Baba expresses some fairly strong views about honour and pride. But he also
seemsdismissive of the conservative Mullah at Amir's school. Is Baba a freethinking liberal
or a conservative moralist? Does place matter in this question? Meaning, is Baba a
freethinking liberal in Afghanistan but a conservative moralist in California?
4. Doessomeone aspure-hearted as Hassan even need principles? Are principles much more
useful to flawed men like Baba and Amir?
QUOTES:
“With me as the glaring exception,my fathermoulded theworld around himto his liking. The
problem,of course,wasthatBaba sawthe world in black and white.And he gotto decide whatwas
black and whatwaswhite.You can't love a person who livesthat way withoutfearing himtoo.
Maybeeven hating him a little. (3.12)”
A laterdescriptionreads:"[...]Babahadbeensuchan unusual Afghanfather,aliberal whohadlived
by hisownrules,a maverickwhohaddisregardedorembracedsocietal customsashe hadseenfit"
(13.97). Is Amirevendescribingthe same person –can someone bothsee the worldinblackand
white andbe a liberal maverick?Atfirst,Babamightseemjustlike Amir'steacher,MullahFatiullah
Khan,whomBaba criticizesforbeingself-righteousandstodgy.Don'tthose adjectivesdescribe
someone withablackand white approach?The difference,however,isthatBabachooseshis
principles.("[A] maverickwhohaddisregardedorembracedsocietal customsashe hadseenfit.")
Whichmakesthe character of Baba botha freethinkerandanold-fashionedmoralist.It'senoughto
make Amir'sheadspin.(CHAPTER3)
"Good,"Baba said,buthis eyes wondered."Now,no matterwhatthemullah teaches,thereis only
onesin, only one.And that is theft.Every other sin is a variation of theft.Do you understand that?"
"No,Baba jan,"Isaid,desperately wishing I did.I didn't wantto disappointhimagain.[...]
"When you kill a man,you steal a life," Baba said."You steal his wife's rightto a husband,rob his
children of a father.When you tell a lie, you stealsomeone'srightto the truth.When you cheat,you
steal the rightto fairness.Do you see?" [...]
"There is no act morewretched than stealing,Amir,"Baba said."A man who takeswhat'snothis to
take,be it a life or a loaf of naan...Ispiton such a man.And if I ever crosspathswith him, God help
him. Do you understand?"(3.29-34)”

As Amirtellsusabouthisfather,a portraitof an immenselylikable,dominant,andmoral man
emerges.ToAmir,Babais bothlarger-than-lifeandprincipled.The combinationof thesetwo
qualitiesmagnifies Amir'sshame whenhe abandonsHassaninthe alleyway.How couldyouevertell
a man whosupposedlywrestledabearthat youbroke one of hisprinciples?ThatyouallowedAssef
to steal Hassan'sinnocence andchildhood?Of course,all thisiscomplicatedbythe factthat Baba –
before Amirwasborn – stole Ali'shonour.Withthatinmind,Baba's bitof advice to Amircontainsa
gooddeal of self-loathing. (CHAPTER3)
“I heard the leather of Baba'sseatcreaking as he shifted on it. I closed my eyes,pressed my ear even
harderagainstthedoor,wanting to hear,notwanting to hear. [Baba:] "SometimesIlookoutthis
windowand Isee him playing on the street with theneighborhood boys.Iseehow they push him
around,takehistoysfromhim, givehim a shove here,a whackthere.And,you know,heneverfights
back.Never.He just...dropshishead and..."
"So he's notviolent," RahimKhan said.
"That'snot whatImean,Rahim,and you know it," Baba shotback."There is something missing in
thatboy."
[RahimKhan:] "Yes,a mean streak."
[Baba:] "Self-defensehasnothing to do with meanness.You know whatalwayshappenswhen the
neighborhood boysteasehim?Hassan stepsin and fendsthemoff.I've seen it with my own eyes.
And when they come home,Isay to him, 'How did Hassan get thatscrapeon his face?' And he says,
'He fell down.'I'mtelling you,Rahim,thereis something missing in thatboy."
"You justneed to let him find his way,"RahimKhan said.
"And whereis heheaded?"Baba said."A boy who won'tstand up for himself becomesa man who
can't stand up to anything."(3.60-66)”
Hosseini,youandyourirony.BabacomplainstoRahimKhan aboutAmir.Accordingto Baba,Amir
neverstandsupfor himself;he alwaysletsHassandefendhim.Andsomeonewhocan'tstandup for
himself can'tstandup fora friend,orhisprinciples,oranything.AmiroverhearsBaba'slittle speech
and ithurts himdeeply.Butthe ironycomesintofocuslaterwhenAmirwatchesAssef rape Hassan
and doesn'tintervene.SoAmirsecretlylistenstohisfathercriticize the betrayal he will latersecretly
commit.Ironyand foreshadowingatthe same time.It'slike aparty or something.(CHAPTER3)
“That waswhen Baba stood up.Itwasmy turn to clamp a hand on his thigh,butBaba pried it loose,
snatched hisleg away.When he stood,heeclipsed the moonlight."Iwantyou to askthis man
something,"Baba said.Hesaid it to Karim,but looked directly at theRussian officer."Askhim where
his shameis." They spoke."He saysthis is war.There is no shamein war."
"Tell him he's wrong.Wardoesn'tnegatedecency.Itdemandsit,even morethan in times of peace."
(10.18-20)”
Well,whenaman eclipsesthe moonlight,youshouldlisten.Notice how Amirdoesn'tlisten,though.
An Afghanwomanisabout to be rapedand Amirtriesto stopBaba from standingupto the Russian
officer.Remindyouof somethingAmirdoes(ordoesn'tdo) inanearlierchapter?Baba'sactions,
honorable astheyare,must compoundAmir'sguilt.HisfatherdoesexactlywhatAmir failedtodo.
Amireventriestostophis father – as if some unconsciouspartof himwantshisfather,andthe
othersinthe truck, to share hisguiltinsteadof magnifyingit.(CHAPTER10)

“The sameday he washired, Baba and I wentto oureligibility officerin San Jose,Mrs.Dobbins.She
wasan overweightblackwoman withtwinkling eyes and a dimpled smile. She'd told me oncethat
she sang in church,and I believed her – shehad a voice thatmademe thinkof warmmilk and honey.
Baba dropped thestack of food stampson herdesk."Thankyou butI don'twant,"Baba said."I work
always.In Afghanistan Iwork,in America I work.Thankyou very much,Mrs.Dobbins,butIdon'tlike
it freemoney."
Mrs.Dobbinsblinked.Picked up the food stamps,looked frommeto Baba like we were pulling a
prank,or"slipping her a trick" as Hassan used to say."Fifteen yearsI been doin' this job and nobody's
ever donethis,"she said.And thatwashow Baba ended thosehumiliating food stamp momentsat
the cash register and alleviated one of his greatestfears:thatan Afghan would seehimbuying food
with charitymoney.Baba walked outof the welfareofficelike a man cured of a tumour.(11.29-30)”
Evenin America,where Amirfinallyseesamore humanside of Babasince theystruggle tomake
endsmeet,Babaneverwaversinhisprinciples.One of which,itseems,istonotbe on welfare.This
probablycomesfromBaba's strongsense of independence andself-sufficiency.Thisepisode with
the welfare eligibilityofficermakesRahimKhan'srevelationof Baba'saffairwithSanaubarall the
more surprising.Babaseemsreadytosacrifice hiscomfort(here) andevenhislife (withthe Russian
soldierabove) forthe principle of honour(nang).So,how couldBababetrayAli?Andhow could
Baba literallylive withhisbetrayal (since he keepsHassanaround)? (CHAPTER11)
“[Soraya:] "Iheard you write."
Howdid she know?Iwondered if her fatherhad told her,maybeshehad asked him. I immediately
dismissed bothscenariosasabsurd.Fathersand sonscould talkfreely aboutwomen.Butno Afghan
girl – no decentand mohtaramAfghan girl,atleast – queried her fatherabouta young man.And no
father,especially a Pashtun withnang and namoos,would discussa mojarad with hisdaughter,not
unlessthe fellow in question wasa khastegar,a suitor,who had donethehonorablething and sent
his fatherto knockon the door.(12.40-41)”
OK,so you probably need sometranslationshere.Mohtarammeans"respected."A mojarad isa
single man.Nang and namoosmean "honor"and "pride,"respectively.And,though you can probably
figurethis one out,a khastegaris a suitor.”
Nowwe can get downto business.The Kite Runnerisobsessedwiththe practice of one'sprinciples.
We thinkyoucan divide the book'sprinciplesintotwocategories:ethical principlesandtraditional
principles."Youshouldn'tbetrayyourbestfriend(andhalf-brother)"isanethical principle."Afghan
girlsshouldn'ttalkwiththeirfathersaboutdatable single men"wouldbe atraditional principle.We
can all agree withthe ethical principlesinthe book,butthe traditional principlesespousedby
characters like Babaand the General sometimesseemslightlysexistorracist.Part of Amir'sdifficulty
inthe bookisthat he has to navigate betweenethical principlesandtraditional principles.These two
come intoconflictmore than youmightthink.Consider,forexample,the complexitiesof ethnicityin
the book.An ethical principle mightbe tolove yourhalf-brother.A traditionalprinciplemightbe –
accordingto Assef andthe General and lotsof Pashtuns – to treat Hazaras as inferiors.It'sgotto be
quite confusingforAmirattimes.(CHAPTER12)

“[Soraya:] "Theirsonsgo outto nightclubslooking formeatand get their girlfriendspregnant,they
havekids outof wedlockand no onesaysa goddamn thing.Oh,they'rejustmen having fun!Imake
onemistake and suddenly everyoneistalking nang and namoos,and Ihaveto havemy facerubbed
in it forthe rest of my life." (13.86)”
Soraya slamsAfghanculture foritsdouble-standardwithmenandwomen.Mencango outto the
cluband have sex;womencan'tevenhave sex withalong-termboyfriend.We wouldalsolike to
pointoutthat Baba has a double-standard.He criticizesAmirfornotstandinguptothe
neighbourhoodboys.Well,howdidHassangetintothisworld?Baba hadan affairwithAli'swife.
That doesn'treallycountas standingupforyour friend.
"I didn'ttell you,"Soraya said,dabbing athereyes,"butmy fathershowed up with a gun thatnight.
He told...him...thathehad two bulletsin the chamber,oneforhim and oneforhimself if I didn't
come home.Iwasscreaming,calling my fatherall kindsof names,saying hecouldn'tkeep me locked
up forever,thatI wished he were dead."Fresh tearssqueezed outbetween her lids. "I actually said
thatto him,that I wished he weredead."(13.88)
Wow.General Taheri showsupone nightto hisdaughter'sapartmentbecause she'sbeenlivingwith
an Afghanman.We guessit'sobviousfromthispassage how importanthonouristo General Taheri.
He's willingtokill bothhimself andSoraya'sboyfriendtosave notonlyherhonourbuthisown.
(CHAPTER13)
"You know,"RahimKhan said,"onetime, when you weren'taround,yourfatherand Iwere talking.
And you knowhowhealwaysworried aboutyou in thosedays.Irememberhe said to me, 'Rahim,a
boy who won'tstand up forhimself becomesa man who can't stand up to anything.'Iwonder,isthat
whatyou'vebecome?"(17.34)
RahimKhan hasjustaskedAmirto rescue Sohrabfrom Kabul.Amirisinitiallyresistant,soRahim
Khantriesthree timestoconvince Amirtoundertake the task.(The taskis obviouslyaredemptive
questbecause there'snoreasonAmirhasto rescue Sohrab.RahimKhantellsAmirhe has enough
moneytoget Sohrab,so itseemslike anyone couldhave performedthistask.) Anyway,RahimKhan
givesAmirthree reasonswhyhe shouldrescue Sohrab.One,becauseyourfatherthoughtyou
couldn'tstandup for anythingandhere'syourchance toprove himwrong.Second,it'smy dying
wishthat yourescue Sohrab.Andthird,Hassanwas actuallyyourhalf-brother,soyouowe ittohim.
We thinkall these reasonsaddupand Amiragrees torescue Sohrab.Of course,the thirdreason
sealsthe deal,butthey're all importantandendupmotivatingAmir.(CHAPTER17)
“How could he havelied to me all thoseyears?To Hassan?He had satme on his lap when I waslittle,
looked me straightin the eyes,and said,There is only onesin. And thatis theft...When you tell a lie,
you steal someone'srightto thetruth.Hadn't hesaid thosewordsto me? And now,fifteen years
afterI'd buried him, I waslearning that Baba had been a thief.And a thief of the worstkind,because
the thingshe'd stolen had been sacred:fromme the right to know I had a brother,fromHassan his
identity,and fromAli his honour.Hisnang.His namoos.(18.5)”
Amir'sguilt,all these years,haspartlyresultedfromBaba's verystrictadherence toa personal code.
Baba's setof principlesincludehonour(nang),pride(namoos),andloyalty.Now Amirfindsoutthe
following:notonlydidBaba"steal"Ali'shonourandpride,buthe stole a sense of self fromHassan,
and a brotherfromAmir.What are yousupposedtodo whenyoufindoutthe single mostimportant
figure of authorityandmoralityinyourlife strayedfromhisprinciples?That'sright,goon a personal
questof redemptiontorescue yourhalf-nephew fromasadistic, MeinKampf-totingmemberof the
Taliban.(CHAPTER18)

MASCULINITY:
There aren't a lotof womeninThe Kite Runner.Infact,Hosseini reallyonlyspendstimewithtwo
women:the protagonist'swife andmother-in-law.Further,ourprotagonistgrowsupina household
full of men,andhisfatherembodiesarobustmasculinity(honourandbrute strengthandall that).
One problem:the protagonistinThe Kite Runnerdoesn'tconformtotraditional model of manhood.
The novel askssome toughquestionsaboutwhatit reallymeanstobe an Afghanman – or a man in
general – andultimatelyembracessome ideasof traditional manliness.
QuestionsAbout Menand Masculinity:
1. Describe the womenonthe periphery of this novel: Amir's mother, Sanaubar, and Khanum
Taheri. Is Soraya different from these women? The same? Does Hosseini develop her
character more than these other women? If so, why?
2. Afghan's unofficial national sport is buzkashi, a game in which a skilled horseman rides
around with a goat or calf carcass and tries to drop it in a special scoring circle. The other
riders may kick and whip the rider with the carcass in order to stop him. Why does Baba
seemto love this sport? Why does it scare Amir? How does buzkashi embody the qualities
Baba often praises?
3. RahimKhan, Baba's good friend,alwaysseemstobe aroundAmir's house. He's more or less
a part of the household.DoesRahimKhanofferAmira different male role model? Is Rahim
Khan more "feminine" than Baba? Is this what attracts Amir to Rahim Khan?
4. What versionof masculinitydo characters like Ali and Hassan present? Do these characters
question or support Baba's version of masculinity?
5. In the end, what definition or model of masculinity does The Kite Runner embrace?
QUOTES:
“It wasRahimKhan who first referred to him aswhateventually becameBaba'sfamousnickname,
Toophan agha,or"Mr.Hurricane."Itwasan aptenough nickname.My fatherwasa forceof nature,
a towering Pashtun specimen witha thick beard,a wayward crop of curly brown hairas unruly asthe
man himself,handsthatlooked capableof uprooting a willow tree, and a black glare thatwould
"drop the devil to hisknees begging formercy,"asRahim Khan used to say.At parties,when all six-
foot-fiveof himthundered into theroom,attention shifted to him like sunflowersturning to thesun.
(3.2)”
It's safe to saythat in the novel – at leastforAmir– masculinityandBabaare inextricably
intertwined.Babaiswhatitmeansto be an Afghanman.Here,Amirrecountsthe utterpresence of
hisfather:a huge man withthickhair anda ferociousglare.Butwe atShmoop – at leastour
psychiatrydivision –thinkthere mightbe a tinyproblemwithAmir'spicture of hisfather.Thisisthe
stuff of mythology:Amir'sfatheruprootstreesandscaresthe devil.TowhatextentdoesAmir,by
mythologizinghisfather,mythologizemasculinity?Doesthismake masculinityunattainable for
Amir?(CHAPTER3)

“Of course,marrying a poetwasone thing,butfathering a son who preferred burying hisface in
poetry booksto hunting...well,thatwasn'thow Baba had envisioned it,Isuppose.Realmen didn't
read poetry – and God forbid they should everwrite it! Real men – real boys – played soccerjustas
Baba had when he had been young. [...].Hesigned meup forsoccer teamsto stir the samepassion in
me. ButI waspathetic,a blundering liability to my own team,alwaysin the way of an opportune
passor unwittingly blocking an open lane.I shambled aboutthefield on scraggly legs,squalled for
passesthatnevercame my way.And the harderI tried,waving my arms overmy head frantically and
screeching,"I'm open!I'mopen!"the moreI wentignored.(3.40)”
Amirisn'tthe masculine PashtunBabawanted.He isn'tasports-playing,bear-huntingmanof a boy.
(Really,Babawantssomeone like himself.) Saidanotherway,Baba'sdislikesAmirasa son. We might
questionBaba'sdefinitionof manhood(whatif youdon'tlike sports?) but,asa boy,Amirdoesn't
have that privilege.Babaiseverythingtohim.Thus,Amirneedstoacquire some manlinessif he's
goingto gainBaba's respect.This,of course,leadstodisastrousconsequences.(CHAPTER3 )
“But at themoment,I watched withhorrorasone of the chapandazfelloff hissaddleand was
trampled undera scoreof hooves.Hisbody wastossed and hurled in the stampedelike a rag doll,
finally rolling to a stop when the melee moved on.He twitched onceand lay motionless,hislegs bent
at unnaturalangles,a poolof his blood soaking through thesand.
I began to cry.
I cried all the way backhome.I rememberhow Baba'shandsclenched around thesteering wheel.
Clenched and unclenched.Mostly,Iwill neverforgetBaba'svalianteffortsto conceal the disgusted
lookon his faceas he drovein silence. (3.45-47)”
Baba takesAmirto a Buzkashi tournament.Inthissport,a skilledhorseman(chapandaz) picksupa
goat carcass and triesto dropit intoa special circle.The horsemandoesall thiswhilebeingharassed
by otherchapandaz.Soundsprettygory,right?The chapandaz at thisparticulartournamentis
trampled.AndAmircriesonthe way home,probablyshockedbythe violence of the sport.This
disgustsBaba.(Though,inan oddact of kindness,Babatriestohide hisdisgust.) Amirlearnshis
lesson,right?Whichis:If youwant to be a man, don'tcry and don'treact to violence.This"lesson"
bringsup an importantquestion:HowdoesBaba'spractice of masculinityactuallypreventAmir
fromconfessinghisbetrayal of Hassan?(CHAPTER3)
“We sawourfirst Western together,Rio Bravo with John Wayne,atthe Cinema Park,acrossthe
street frommy favouritebookstore.Irememberbegging Baba to takeusto Iran so we could meet
John Wayne.(4.8)”
Have you noticedhowmanyreferencesthereare inthisnovel toAmericanfilms,especially
Westerns?The Westernmythologizesitsmale heroes –they're unnaturallysilent,strong,andthey
accomplishridiculousfeatsof endurance.Nosurprise,then,thatBabaand Amirwouldshare a love
of AmericanWesterns.Bababecause itaffirmshisbrandof masculinityandAmirbecause itdepicts
menlike hisfather(menhe wisheshe couldbe like).

“Then,Baba and I droveoff in his black Ford Mustang –a car thatdrew enviouslookseverywhere
becauseit wasthe samecar Steve McQueen had driven in Bullitt, a film thatplayed in onetheatre for
six months.(4.10)”
Thisblack FordMustang goespart and parcel withBaba's conceptionof manhood.(We can'thelp
but notice the touchof ironylaterwhenBabagivesAmiranAmericanmuscle car – a Gran Torino –
as a graduationpresent.The muscle car,once the hottestthingon the road, isactuallyelevenyears
oldby the time Baba givesitto Amir.) How doesHosseini mythologizeBabaandotherAfghanmen
and simultaneouslymockthem?HowdoesAmir,inhisownlife,diverge fromhisfather'sideasof
masculinity?Inwhatwaysdoeshe subscribe tothem?(CHAPTER4)
“I ran becauseIwasa coward.I wasafraid of Assef and whathewould do to me. I wasafraid of
getting hurt.That's whatItold myself as I turned my backto the alley, to Hassan.That'swhatI made
myself believe. I actually aspired to cowardice,becausethealternative,the real reason I wasrunning,
wasthatAssef wasright: Nothing wasfreein this world.MaybeHassan wastheprice I had to pay,
the lamb I had to slay,to win Baba.Wasit a fair price? The answerfloated to my consciousmind
beforeI could thwartit: He wasjusta Hazara,wasn'the?(7.140)”
In thispassage,AmirwatchesasAssef rapesHassan.It's horrificandcruel.Somehow,Amirbelieves
he can winhisfather'slove if he bringsbackthe blue kite Hassanran down.Andhe'sright,to an
extent.Followinghisvictoryinthe kite tournament,Amirandhisfatherbecome closerthanever
before.ButAmirisalsotragicallywrong.Amirignores –by not defendingHassan –some of his
father'smostcherishedprinciples:honor,pride,andbravery.Inordertoseemlike aman inhis
father'seyes,Amiractuallydoesthe mostshamefulthinghe coulddo:abandon (andlaterbetray)
Hassan.(CHAPTER7)
“Baba would enlighten me with his politics during thosewalkswith long-winded dissertations."There
are only three real men in this world,Amir,"he'd say.He'd countthemoff on his fingers:America the
brash saviour,Britain,and Israel."The rest of them – " he used to wavehis hand and makea phht
sound "– they're like gossiping old women."
[...].In Baba'sview,Israel wasan island of "real men"in a sea of Arabstoo busy getting fatoff their
oil to care for their own."Israeldoesthis, Israeldoesthat,"Baba would say in a mock-Arabicaccent.
"Then do something aboutit!Takeaction.You're Arabs,help the Palestinians,then!"(11.3-4)”
Baba's ideasaboutmasculinityevenseepintohispolitics.America,Britain,andIsrael are the only
real menin international politicsbecausetheytake actioninsteadof simplytalk.Don'tforget,
though,howBaba's life changesonce he immigratestoAmerica,one of the "masculine"countries.
He diminishesinstature;he'snolongerthrowinglavishpartiesandbuildingorphanages,butinstead
workinglonghoursat a gas station.AndwhatcausedBaba to move to America?The SovietUnion
invadesAfghanistan,whichsoundslikeacountry"takingaction."The veryqualities –andcountries –
Baba praisesactuallyruin him.Isitpossible forHosseinitoinclude anymore ironyinthisnovel?
(CHAPTER11)
“What America and the world needed wasa hard man.A man to be reckoned with,someonewho
tookaction instead of wringing hishands.Thatsomeonecamein theformof Ronald Reagan.And
when Reagan wenton TV and called the Shorawi"theEvil Empire,"Baba wentout and boughta
picture of the grinning presidentgiving a thumbsup.He framed thepicture and hung it in our
hallway,nailing it rightnextto the old black-and-whiteof himself in his thin necktie shaking hands
with King Zahir Shah.(11.5)”

It's reallynosurprise Babawouldlove RonaldRegan.Firstoff,Reganletsthe SovietUnionhave it.
Thisshouldplease anyAfghanwholivedthroughthe Shorawiinvasionof 1979. But anotheraspect
of Reganmightattract Baba. Regan,as a politician,drew onthe Americanmythologyof the West,
the gunslingerwhosetsthingsright.Inhisdressanddemeanour,ReganremindedAmericansof
JohnWayne,the iconicstar of the Westernfilm.Reaganwaseveninafew Westernsduringhis
actingcareer. WithBaba and Amir'sdietof Americanmoviesinmind(actionflicks,Westerns),Regan
mustseemlike the shininggodof masculinityandhonour.(CHAPTER11)
"Rememberthis,"Baba said,pointing at me, "Theman is a Pashtun to theroot.He has nang and
namoos."Nang.Namoos.Honourand pride.Thetenetsof Pashtun men.Especially when it came to
the chastityof a wife.Or a daughter.(12.11)”
Well,Babagivesyoua prettyexplicitdefinitionof masculinityhere:honourandpride.Butwe also
wantto note – thoughhonourand pride are generallygoodthings –how nang and namoosaffect
Afghanwomen.Meaning,howdoBaba's(andGeneral Taheri's) ideasabouttheirownidentityaffect
theirwivesanddaughtersanddaughterin-laws?Well,the ideahere isthatwomenneedtobe pure
for men.A man's honouristiedup inthe purityof hiswife anddaughter.Granted,feministswould
have a fielddaywith thisone,butwe alsowant to pointoutthe irony(again!) of Baba's statement.
Didn'the steal Ali'shonourbysleepingwithSanaubar?Didthatact destroyBaba's honour,too,and
thushis masculinity?Are there anytrulyhonourable meninthisnovel?Or are the honourable men
onlyinthe moviesAmirandBaba usedto watch?(CHAPTER12)
“I kissed her cheek and pulled away fromthecurb.As I drove,Iwondered why Iwasdifferent.Maybe
it wasbecauseIhad been raised by men;I hadn'tgrown up around women and had neverbeen
exposed first-hand to thedoublestandard with which Afghan society sometimestreated them.
Maybeit wasbecauseBaba had been such an unusualAfghanfather,a liberalwho had lived by his
own rules, a maverick who had disregarded or embraced societalcustomsashe had seen fit. (13.97)”
Amirhas justdroppedoff Sorayaand wondersaboutthe double standardwomenare subjectedto
inAfghansociety.Itseemslike it'sOKformento sleeparoundbefore marriage,butit'snotOKfor
women todo the same.(Youhave to wonderwhothe menthinkthey're goingtosleepwith.) We
thinkthispassage isimportantbecause itpointsoutjusthow male Amir'shouseholdandupbringing
were.Andsince AmirbetraysHassanandis guiltyof cowardice,he musthave feltall the more
isolatedinhishousehold.Infact,itseemslike Amircravesa feminine mentorinthe Kabul house.He
readsall hismother'sbooksand writespoetryinsteadof playingsoccerorridingaroundon a horse
witha deadgoat in tow.

INNOCENCE:
Here'sa verybasicreductionof The Kite Runner'smainplotandsub-plots:people lose their
innocence andtryto regainit.In tellingthisstory,Hosseini askssome majorquestions:Canwe ever
regainour innocence?Canwe redeemourselvesandothers?Hosseini alsodrawsaparallel between
the storiesof individualsandthe storyof Afghanistanasa country.So,in a way,these same
questionsapplytoawar-tornregionandpeople.Asnovelistslike todo,Hosseini throwsinsome
complications.Some charactersseeminnocentnomatterwhat.Othersare fairlyevil andcould
probablykill acute little butterflyjustbylookingatit.We wonder,then,if Hosseini'srubricof
redemptionappliestoeveryoneorjusthischaracters caughtbetweengoodandevil.
QuestionsAbout Innocence:
1. The character Soraya presentsafairlycomplex exampleof lostinnocence.She movesinwith
an Afghanmanwhile inVirginia.Then,in a dramatic episode, her father "rescues" her from
herboyfriend.Now,mostAfghanmen won't date or marry Soraya because she's been with
another man. This doesn't bother Amir, however, and he promptly marries her. Was
Soraya's innocence everreallylost?How doesone lose one'sinnocence in The Kite Runner?
2. Compare the descriptions of war-tornKabul andthe descriptionsof HassanafterAssef rapes
him. How does Hosseini draw parallels between these two tragedies?
3. Assef describes his participation in the massacre of Hazaras at Mazar-i-Sharif: "You don't
know the meaning of the word 'liberating' until you've done that, stood in a roomful of
targets, let the bullets fly, free of guilt and remorse, knowing you are virtuous, good, and
decent" (22.24). Does a character like Assef even choose between good and evil? Could
Assef be innocent in ways Amir is not?
4. How does the character of Hassan remain pure and good even through tragedy and war?
DoesHassan justhave some sort of basic goodness?DoesHosseini, through Hassan and Ali,
reclaimphysical characteristics(theharelip,the limp) literature has traditionally associated
with evil or weakness?
QUOTES:
“We chased theKochi,the nomadswho passed through Kabulon their way to the mountainsof the
north.We would heartheir caravansapproachingourneighborhood,themewling of their sheep,the
baaing of their goats,thejingle of bells around theircamels' necks.We'd run outsideto watch the
caravan plod through ourstreet,men with dusty,weather-beaten facesand women dressed in long,
colorfulshawls,beads,and silverbracelets around theirwrists and ankles.We hurled pebblesat their
goats.We squirted wateron their mules.I'd makeHassan sit on the Wall of Ailing Corn and fire
pebbleswith his slingshotatthe camels' rears.(4.7)”
Is thisfromthe movie My Girl or isit ina novel aboutbetrayal andredemption?There'ssomuch
innocence:cute littleanimals,magical caravans,andplayful violence withoutanyreal consequences.
(Compare the violencehere withthe laterblindingof Assef.) There is,however,anemerging
violence. Soon,Babawill sacrifice alamb(notice the livestockhere) foraMuslimholydayand Amir
will watchas Assef rapesHassan.Inthat passage,AmirevencomparesHassan'sresignationtoa
lamb's.For now,though,everythingispeachy. (CHAPTER4)

“Every winter,districts in Kabulheld a kite-fighting tournament.And if you werea boy living in Kabul,
the day of the tournamentwasundeniably thehighlightof thecold season.Inever slept thenight
beforethe tournament.I'd rollfromside to side, makeshadow animalson thewall,even sit on the
balcony in the dark,a blanketwrapped around me.Ifelt like a soldier trying to sleep in thetrenches
the nightbeforea majorbattle.And thatwasn'tso faroff.In Kabul,fighting kiteswasa little like
going to war.(6.7)”
There'san innocence toAmir'sinsomniahere.AlthoughHosseini doesn'tspendalotof time talking
aboutAmir'ssleeplessness,he doesmentionitafew times.Amirstartsto have trouble sleeping
afterhe betraysHassan – andAmirneverreallyresolveshissleeplessnessinthe novel.Atthispoint,
though,Amirstaysup duringthe nightbecause nervousenergypreventshimfromfallingasleep.
Later guilt,anxiety,andall the darkerforcesof the brain will tormentAmir.(CHAPTER6)
“Assef knelt behind Hassan,puthishandson Hassan'shipsand lifted his bare buttocks.Hekept one
hand on Hassan'sbackand undid hisown belt buckle with hisfree hand.He unzipped hisjeans.
Dropped hisunderwear.He positioned himself behind Hassan.Hassan didn'tstruggle.Didn'teven
whimper.He moved his head slightly and I caughta glimpseof his face.Saw the resignation in it. It
wasa lookI had seen before.Itwas thelook of the lamb.(7.133)”
We're especiallyfrightenedbythispassage because Assef isonlyaboy,too.Can Assef evenknow
the repercussionsof hisact?DoesAssef,too,despite hiscruelty,retainatype of innocence?When
childrenare cruel to eachotherare theystill innocentevenintheircruelty?Don'tforget,either,
aboutAmirwho's watchingthe event.Infact,youmightbe able to say that Amir'sabandonment
and betrayal of HassanaffectsAmirmore than itaffectsHassan.Hassan retains – or at leastreturns
to – some measure of innocence.ButAmirisirrevocablychanged.(CHAPTER7)
“Tomorrowis the tenthday of Dhul-Hijjah,thelastmonth of the Muslimcalendar,and the first of
three daysof Eid Al-Adha,orEid-e-Qorban,asAfghanscallit – a day to celebrate how theprophet
Ibrahimalmostsacrificed his own son for God.Baba hashandpicked thesheep again thisyear,a
powderwhiteone withcrooked blackears. (7.134)”
Hassan certainlymeetsthe Hebrew'srequirementof the sacrificial animal:purity.DoesBabain
some wayplaythe Ibrahimrole andsacrifice Hassanbecause Hassanisa Hazara? Or doesAmir
sacrifice Hassan?Do AmirandBaba playthe same role – are theybothIbrahim?DoesBaba – by
refusingtolove Amirunconditionally –endupsacrificingAmir?Whoisthe victimhere?If thiswere
a multiple choice test,we mightchoose "D.All of the above."We can'ttake the testfor you,though.
(CHAPTER7)
“The Russian soldier thrusthis faceinto the rear of the truck.He washumming thewedding song and
drumming hisfingeron the edgeof the tailgate.Even in the dim light of the moon,Isaw the glazed
lookin his eyesas they skipped frompassengerto passenger.Despitethecold,sweatstreamed from
his brow.His eyes settled on the young woman wearing theblackshawl.Hespokein Russian to
Karimwithouttaking his eyes off her.Karimgavea curt reply in Russian,which the soldier returned
with an even curter retort. The Afghan soldiersaid something too,in a low,reasoning voice.But the
Russian soldier shouted something thatmadetheothertwo flinch.I could feel Baba tightening up
nextto me. Karimcleared his throat,dropped hishead.Said thesoldier wanted a half hourwith the
lady in theback of the truck.(10.13)”

Eek.The Russiansoldiersingsaweddingsongwhilehe choosesawomanto rape – that's really
creepy.Baba,unlike Amir,defendsthe possible victimandconfrontsthe Russiansoldiertopreventa
horrificevent.We wonder,then,if redemptiveacts,like thisone fromBaba,can returna character
to innocence.Don'tforgetthatBaba betrayedAli bysleepingwithSanaubar.Sowe wonderif Baba
redeemshimself,hishonour,andsomethinglikeinnocence bystandinguptothe Russiansoldier.
Likewise,doesAmirregainsome measure of innocence?Ordoesone neverregainlostinnocence?
(CHAPTER10)
“He had withered – there wassimply no other word forit. His eyesgaveme a hollow look and no
recognition at all registered in them.His shouldershunched and hischeekssagged likethey weretoo
tired to cling to the bonebeneath.Hisfather,who'd owned a movie theatrein Kabul,wastelling
Baba how,threemonthsbefore,a stray bullet had struckhis wife in the temple and killed her. Then
he told Baba aboutKamal.Icaughtonly snippetsof it: Should haveneverlet him go alone...alwaysso
handsome,you know...fourof them...tried to fight...God...tookhim...bleeding down there...his
pants...doesn'ttalkany more...juststares...(10.62)”
On theirwayto Pakistan,AmirandBaba discoverthatKamal,one of the boys whostoodby as Assef
rapedHassan, wasrapedin wartime Kabul.Kamal'sexperiencemirrorsbothHassan'sand Sohrab's.
Four people are involvedinthe rape (Amir,Wali,Kamal asbystandersandAssef asthe perpetrator).
Like Sohrab,Kamal refusestospeak.And,like Hassan,Kamal appearshollow andwithdrawn.Ona
largerscale,though,Hosseini commentsonAfghanistan'slossof innocence.Warbringsabout
Kamal'stragedyand the tragic lossof Kamal'smother.Often(butnotalways),the eventsinthe lives
of individualsinThe Kite Runnercanbe mapped ontothe nationof Afghanistan.(CHAPTER10)
“I unfolded theletter. It waswritten in Farsi.No dotswereomitted,no crossesforgotten,no words
blurred together– the handwriting wasalmostchildlikein its neatness.(17.7)”
First,it'samazingthat Hassan learnshow to readand write as an adult.Butevenmore amazingis
the aura of innocence still surroundingHassan.Hassanlivesthroughatragic attack at a youngage.
His bestfriend,Amir,betrayshim.He andhisfatherleave theirhome.Warcomesto Afghanistan.
But throughall this,Hassan holdsontosomethinglike innocence.(CHAPTER17)
“A scrawny boy in a tweed jacketgrabbed my elbow and spokeinto my ear. Asked me if I wanted to
buy some"sexy pictures."
"Very sexy,Agha,"hesaid,his alert eyesdarting side to side – reminding meof a girl who,a few
yearsearlier, had tried to sell me crack in the Tenderloin district in San Francisco.The kid peeled one
side of his jacketopen and gaveme a fleeting glance of his sexy pictures: postcardsof Hindimovies
showing doe-eyed sultry actresses,fully dressed,in thearms of their leading men. "So sexy,"he
repeated.(21.67-68)”
There'ssome charminginnocence here inthe midstof povertyandoppressionbyatotalitarian
regime.Thiskidistryingtosell picturesof fully-clothedactresses.(CHAPTER21)
"Bia, bia,my boy,"theTalib said,calling Sohrab to him.Sohrab wentto him, head down,stood
between his thighs.TheTalib wrapped hisarmsaround theboy."How talented he is, nay,my Hazara
boy!"hesaid. His handsslid down thechild's back,then up,felt underhis armpits.One of the guards
elbowed the otherand snickered.The Talib told themto leave usalone.
"Yes, Agha sahib,"they said asthey exited. The Talib spun theboy around so he faced me. He locked
his armsaround Sohrab'sbelly,rested his chin on the boy'sshoulder.Sohrab looked downathisfeet,

butkept stealing shy,furtiveglancesat me. The man'shand slid up and down theboy'sbelly. Up and
down,slowly,gently.(22.57-59)”
Assef issoevil.We wonder,though,how muchAssef (andthe guards) have affectedSohrab.Sohrab
staresat his feetandshylyglancesatAmir.Don't these gesturesstill have somethinginnocentin
them?Later,in theirhotel room,Sohrabwill tell Amirhow "dirty"he feels,butthese glancessuggest
that Sohrab,like Hassan,retainsanessential goodnessandinnocence despitethe evilof the world
aroundhim.(CHAPTER22)
"Because– " he [Sohrab] said,gasping and hitching between sobs,"becauseIdon'twantthemto see
me...I'mso dirty."He sucked in his breath and let it outin a long,wheezy cry. "I'm so dirty and full of
sin."
[Amir:] "You'renot dirty,Sohrab,"Isaid.
[Sohrab:] "Thosemen –"
[Amir:] "You'renot dirtyat all."
[Sohrab:] "– they did things...thebad man and theothertwo...they did things...did thingsto me."
[Amir:] "You'renot dirty,and you'renot full of sin." I touched hisarm again and hedrew away.
(24.87-92)”
AlthoughSohrabmisseshisfatherandmother(andgrandmother),he admitshe doesn'twanttosee
them.Or,rather, themto see him.All the terriblethingsAssef andthe guardsdidto himhas made
himfeel "dirty"andguilty.Sohrab'sfather,Hassan,seemslike the mostlovable guyinthe world.
Hassan does,however,hide histragedyfromothers,compoundingAmir'sguilt.How doesAmirhide
the fact that he abandonedHassan?DoesBaba hide anything?WhataboutSoraya?Why do all these
characters hide somuch?Will Sohrab,like them, hide histragicexperience?(CHAPTER24)

RACE:
Doesracial intolerance bringaboutourworstmomentsashumanbeings?The Kite Runnerexamines
the whole spectrumof racism:out-and-outhatred,religiousjustificationof racism, nonviolentbut
still nastyracism,racismwhichcoexistswithgenerosityandkindness,andinternalizedracismwhich
manifestsitself asself-loathing.However,the plotsuggests,the veryethnicitysomepeople treatso
poorlyiscloserto themthantheymightthink – Amirfindsoutthathis formerservant,a memberof
the ethnicminority,ishishalf-brother.Thus,the bookalsoexploresredemption.Canwe atone fora
past of intolerance?Or,evenfurther,canwe atone for the intolerance of ourparents?
Questions About Race:
1. When Amir sees Assef rape Hassan in the alleyway, he asks himself if he really needs to
rescue Hassan because "[h]e was just a Hazara, wasn't he?" (7.140). How much of a role
doesethnicityplayin Amir's abandonment of Hassan? How much of a role does jealously –
since Amir's father often favours Hassan over Amir – play?
2. Do youfindthe character of Assef believableordoesAssef strike youastooevil?If youdon't
find Assef's character believable, do you find Assef's brand of racism believable? Can you
think of dictators or historical figures Hosseini might have used to create the character of
Assef?
3. For Baba, nang(honour) andnamoos(pride) are the two central principles of Pashtun men.
Does this mean that for Baba Hazara men don't have nang and namoos? Is this why he
sleeps with Ali's wife?
4. How is ethnicity tied to other identities in the novel like economic class and religion? Do
religious differences motivate Assef's prejudice more than ethnicity does? Do class
differencesmotivate Baba'sprejudice more than ethnicity does? Or are all these identities
inextricably intertwined in the Afghanistan of The Kite Runner?
QUOTES:
“They called him "flat-nosed"becauseof Ali and Hassan'scharacteristicHazara Mongoloid features.
For years,thatwasall I knewaboutthe Hazaras,thatthey wereMoguldescendants,and thatthey
looked a little like Chinesepeople.Schooltext booksbarely mentioned themand referred to their
ancestry only in passing.Then oneday,I wasin Baba'sstudy,looking through hisstuff,when Ifound
oneof my mother's old history books.Itwaswritten by an Iranian named Khorami.Iblew the dustoff
it, sneaked it into bed with me thatnight,and wasstunned to find an entire chapteron Hazara
history.An entire chapterdedicated to Hassan'speople!In it, I read that my people,the Pashtuns,
had persecuted and oppressed theHazaras.Itsaid the Hazarashad tried to rise againstthePashtuns
in the nineteenthcentury,butthe Pashtunshad "quelled themwith unspeakableviolence."Thebook
said that my people had killed the Hazaras,driven themfromtheir lands,burned theirhomes,and
sold their women.Thebooksaid partof thereason Pashtunshad oppressedtheHazaraswasthat
PashtunswereSunniMuslims,whileHazaraswere Shi'a.The booksaid a lot of thingsI didn't know,
thingsmy teachers hadn'tmentioned.ThingsBaba hadn'tmentioned either.Italso said somethingsI
did know,like thatpeoplecalled Hazarasmice-eating,flat-nosed,load-carrying donkeys.Ihad heard
someof the kids in the neighbourhood yellthosenamesto Hassan.(2.23)”

EthnicityiscomplicatedinThe Kite Runner.AmirandHassanhave differentethnicgroups:Amiris
PashtunandHassan is Hazara. To make mattersconfusing,though,Pashtunsare Sunni Muslimsand
Hazaras are Shi'aMuslims.(Soethnicityandreligionintertwine.) Here,Amirtalksabouthow the
Hazara people have beenprettymucherasedfromofficial Afghani schoolbooks.Since the Pashtuns
are incontrol,the Hazaras don't getmuch space in the official historyof the country.There'salsoan
attempt,itseems,tocoverup the genocide committedbythe Pashtunsagainstthe Hazarasinthe
nineteenthcentury.DoyouthinkAmir'sbetrayal of Hassanisjustanotherinstance of Pashtuns
mistreatingHazaras – or doesAmir,by tellingHassan'sstory,attempttochange things?(CHAPTER2)
“But despitesharing ethnic heritageand family blood,Sanaubarjoined theneighbourhood kidsin
taunting Ali.I haveheard thatshemadeno secret of her disdain forhis appearance.
"This is a husband?"shewould sneer."Ihaveseen old donkeysbettersuited to be a husband."
(2.25)”
AmirpraisesSanaubar'sbeauty.Ali,onthe otherhand,isn'tknownforhislooks.Eventhough
Sanaubarstrikesusas cruel here,we can make sense of herdisdainforherhusband'sappearance.
Powerful people sometimesmockpowerlesspeople.Athleticpeople sometimesdislike clumsy
people.It'smean,butit'salsohuman.(Forexample,"If Ihave thistrait,whydon't otherpeople have
it?") However,we atShmoopthinksomething else isgoingon:self-loathing.Twoparagraphsbefore
thisone,Amirrecallssome of the terrible ethnicslursforHazaras.One of themis"load-carrying
donkey."Sanaubar,like Ali,isaHazara. Andso there'ssome self-hatredwhenshe says,"Ihave seen
olddonkeysbettersuitedtobe ahusband."Ina way,she'sadoptingthe slurthatthe Pashtunsuse
againstherown people.Itcouldbe thatshe has internalizedhatred.(CHAPTER2)
“The curiousthing was,Inever thoughtof Hassan and measfriendseither. Notin the usualsense,
anyhow.Nevermind thatwetaughteach otherto ride a bicycle with no hands,orto build a fully
functionalhomemadecamera outof a cardboard box.Nevermind thatwespententire wintersflying
kites, running kites.Nevermind thatto me,the faceof Afghanistan isthatof a boy with a thin-boned
frame,a shaved head,and low-setears,a boy with a Chinesedoll faceperpetually lit by a harelipped
smile. Nevermind any of thosethings.Becausehistory isn't easy to overcome.Neitheris religion. In
the end,I wasa Pashtun and hewasa Hazara,I wasSunniand he wasShi'a,and nothing wasever
going to changethat.Nothing.(4.4-5)”
Thispassage occurs inthe midstof tworelevantinsights:1) AmirneverhearsBabarefertoAli as his
friendinthe storieshe tells;and2) no amountof history,ethnicity,society,orreligioncanchange
the fact that Amirand Hassan spentall theirformative childhoodmomentstogether.Sowhatshould
we make of Amir'scontradictorystatementshere –doesn'the sayhistorybothdoesand doesnot
trumphis love forHassan?Saidanotherway: can historyandethnicitybreakthe bondsof family?
We're not sure.Thismightbe the paradox at the heart of the novel.(CHAPTER4)

RELIGION:
Early onin The Kite Runneritseemslike there are onlytwoapproachestoreligion.Eitheryou're an
extremistlike the protagonist'steacher,whoconsidersdrinkinganoffensepunishable byhell,or
you're liberal like the protagonist'sfather,whothinksreligionissillyanddrinkingisfun.Also,
religionjustifiessomeof the horrificactsinthe book.However,bythe endof the novel we dosee
the developmentof religioussentimentbasedonspiritual awakeningandrecourse toGodin times
of suffering.We wonder,however,if thisdevelopmentisenoughtocounterthe novel'searlier
depictionsof religionasajustificationforcruelty.
QuestionsAbout Religion:
1. Is the character of Baba just as close-minded about Islam as Mullah Fatiullah Khan (Amir's
teacher) is about Baba's occasional scotch? Or is Baba not close-minded at all and instead
just indifferent to religion?
2. What role does Amir's spiritual awakening play in the novel? Why do you think Hosseini
included it in the plot?
3. It's easy to forget about Ali's faith in the novel since Hosseini rarely mentions it. Hosseini
does, however, describe Hassan and Ali reciting their daily prayers. Do you think Amir
aspires to Ali's practice of faith later in the novel? Does Amir discard both his father's
approach to faith and Mullah Fatiullah Khan's in favor of Ali's?
4. Late inthe novel,AmirandFarid(Amir'sdriverinAfghanistanandPakistan) witness a public
stoning. Two adulterers are put in hole in the ground, blindfolded, and stoned. Baba also
commits adultery in the novel. Do Amir and his father avoid punishment for their "sins"?

ADMIRATION:
We're not sure if admirationisactuallya goodthinginThe Kite Runner.The protagonist'sintense
admirationforhisfatherleadshimto some fairlydastardlydeeds.Inthisnovel,the flip-sideto
admirationisjealousy,andjealousyleadstoall sortsof trouble.However,the protagonist'sbest
friendoffersanexampleof unflaggingadmiration,whichputsadmirationinabetterlight.His
admirationseemsmore likeloyaltyanddevotionthanajealously-inspiringobsession.Moral of the
story:Admire people inmoderation.
QuestionsAbout Admiration:
1. Do Wali and Kamal admire Assef?Ordotheysimplyfearhim?IstheirrelationshipwithAssef
different than Amir's with Baba's? How so?
2. Why doesn'tAmiradmire RahimKhanas muchas he admireshisfather? What does this tell
us about admiration (and its recipients)?
3. Contrast Amir's admiration for his deceased mother with his admiration for his father.
4. Does Amir admire his father less in Fremont, California? Or do their poverty and Baba's
deteriorating health increase Amir's admiration for his father?

LITERATURE & WRITING:
Whenthe protagonistof a novel isa writer,there'sa good chance the novel will have plentyof juicy
commentaryaboutwriting.That'scertainlythe case withThe Kite Runner.Some responsible and
some questionable writingpracticescropupthroughoutthe novel.Earlyon,literacybecomesatool
to manipulate the illiterate.Ona brighternote,however,literaturealsobuildsabridge tofamily
memberswhodiedbefore us,givingbreathandvoice toabsence.Writingbrieflybecomesamethod
of escape forour protagonist.Later,however,itturnsintoa niftydevice forself-exploration.
QuestionsAbout Literature and Writing:
1. A fewcharactersask Amirif he writesaboutAfghanistan.Do you think Hosseini, in the end,
endorseswildlyimaginative literature inThe Kite Runner?Or does The Kite Runner demand
literature tethered to our lives and the political events that shape them?
2. Amir treasures the leather-bound notebook Rahim Khan gives him but throws away the
biographyof HitlerAssef giveshim.Commentonthese twousesof writingandAmir'schoice
of the notebook.
3. Hassan seems to have a particularly pure love for literature. Does Hassan, in a way, teach
Amir how to love literature? Is Hassan Amir's first literary mentor (Rahim Khan being the
second)?
4. So, there's a fictional piece of fiction in The Kite Runner called A Season for Ashes. Amir's
novel tells the story of a professor who runs away with a clan of gypsies after he finds his
wife cheating on him with one of his students. Do you think Amir is proud of his book A
SeasonforAshes?Wouldyoube proudof it?How isits plotrelevantto The Kite Runner and
to Amir's life?

Themes & Relationships in The Kite Runner

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Themes & Relationships in The Kite Runner