Conclusion

            So here I am, finished with the reading of The Kite Runner and left to reflect. Amir’s journey was one of many emotional and character based changes. Amir in particular changed 180 degrees from the egocentric little boy that had inhabited his body at the beginning of the book. I thought it interesting that the major character changes that Amir experienced occurred once he returned to his childhood home.

            Hosseini uses the massive up stir of emotions conjured by Amir’s return home in order to prove his main idea; it is never to late to do the right thing. Amir recognizes, by returning home, that he must save Sohrab in order to make up for his lack of loyalty to his friend Hassan. Amir sees that even if it means facing a feared childhood bully turned Taliban leader, it is time to stand up and do the right thing. By returning home and facing his past, Amir realizes that redemption is always possible.

            I realized after some thought that many authors use this idea of a return to the past in order to change the future for a character. One example, outside of The Kite Runner, would be Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. In the end of Song of Solomon Milkman returns to his hometown of Detroit and finally recognizes how his immaturity and selfishness has affected those around him. This lesson is one that is developing through Milkman throughout the book, but it does not become clear to him until he returns to his home and sees his faults first hand. It seems that for characters such as Milkman and Amir they can’t progress without returning and reliving the past. A return to home brings a surge of memories, which provides a refreshed remembrance of the character’s past actions. Once they stop repressing those memories and decide instead to learn from them, they change drastically as a character.

            After reading, and contemplating The Kite Runner, I have decided that all journey stories have one common trait: In order for the main character to fully understand their past faults and change for the future they must return home and face the past.

The Message

            So I’m coming to the end of The Kite Runner, and realizing that it is time to make an assessment on the meaning of the work as a whole. There are so many themes that develop as the book moves along. For example, loyalty, fear, and love play major roles in the progression of the story. None of these aspects fully characterize the meaning of the work in it’s entirety. All of these themes come together in order to form a major message. For me, the main idea is as follows: no matter how terrible of a mistake you make there is always opportunity to do the right thing.

            In the beginning of the book Amir watches as his loyal friend/half brother, Hassan, as Assef rapes him. Amir makes it clear that his lack of action haunts him even in his adulthood, but clearly doesn’t understand that there is still opportunity to make up for his cowardice. When Rahim Khan summons Amir to Pakistan, he does so with the promise that, “there is a way to be good again (192).” Rahim explains to Amir that Hassan was killed by the Taliban after refusing to leave the house of Baba. He thinks that he has lost his chance of redemption until Rahim Khan informs him that Hassan’s son still resides in Kabul. Even though Hassan is dead, and Amir will never have the opportunity to apologize for his lack of loyalty, he can still make things right by saving Hassan’s son.

            Amir travels to Kabul despite his best judgment in order to retrieve Hassan’s heir, Sohrab. In order to obtain Sohrab, Amir has to “fight” Assef. Assef has turned into the leader of the Taliban group in the Kabul area. He is a heartless and ruthless man. He says that if Amir kills him in hand-to-hand combat he may take the child with him and walk out the front door. Amir, no doubt, considers the possibility of leaving without the child, but instead decides to finally stand up for his late friend Hassan. Amir takes a terrible beating, but is able to (I don’t want to spoil the story) escape with Sohrab. Amir wanted to run, rather than stay and fight his old enemy. He even shared that he is so terrified that he, “[has] a sudden urge to urinate (278).” But he knows that saving Sohrab is the only way to repay his old friend. Amir finally stands his ground and redeems himself for his lack of loyalty towards his old friend Hassan.

Here is my conclusion, a mistake is only becomes shameful if no good comes from it. In other words, if you make a mistake, do not burry in the deepest part of your soul as Amir tried to do. Instead, it is important to move forward and do what you need to do in order to make up for that mistake. There is always opportunity for redemption in one way or another, and it is important to take that opportunity. Finally, Amir goes out of his way in order to, “be good again” and to repay his debts to his friend Hassan. Through Amir’s incredibly emotional journey the message that it is never too late to do the write thing emerges as the major theme of the book.  Until next time.

Nolan “the breeze” Burgundy

Amir's Major Change

            I am about three quarters of the way through The Kite Runner now, and things have really heated up. Amir travels to Pakistan to see Rahim Khan who is on his deathbed. When he gets there Rahim Khan explains to him that Hassan had built a life for himself including a wife and adoring son. Rahim then goes on to explain that the Taliban executed Hassan right by the front gates of Baba’s old house. Then, in one of Hosseini’s favorite plot changing one-liners, Rahim asks Amir to go back to Kabul in order to retrieve Hassan’s young son. The resulting actions by Amir very well categorize the changes that his character has undergone throughout the story.

            You will recall that Amir was a selfish young man. He allowed Hassan to serve him with endless loyalty, and when Hassan needed him the most he faded into the background and covered his ears to the sounds of Hassan’s cries. Initially, when Rahim Khan requests for Amir to travel to Kabul in order to find Sohrab (the son of Hassan) he has a similar response to that of the day in which Hassan was raped. Rahim Khan recognizes this response and addresses Amir’s cowardice by sharing that Baba use to worry that Amir might become a, “‘… man who [can’t] stand up to anything’” (221). Amir storms off, but after reflection realizes that this is the opportunity to make up for his lack of loyalty to one of the people that loved him most, Hassan. He realizes that in the days where Hassan would fight off the bullies for Amir, he would stand by and watch but never jump in to help. In his own words Amir was always, “held back by something” (255).  He decides that it is time to stand for something, time to have his friend’s back. Amir eventually accepts this journey to find the son of his fallen brother as a final thank you the years of unyielding friendship that Hassan had blessed him with.

            Amir’s willingness to carry out a mission which puts himself into immediate danger shows his maturation as a character. After he decides to go on the trip to Kabul he is a changed man. He starts to take responsibility for his actions in the past and begins to be a more loyal friend to those that need him. This transition in Amir’s character is a refreshing change and brings about two essential lessons of the novel. The first of which is that everyone makes mistakes in their lives that they cannot go back and fix. However, you can always learn from those mistakes to make yourself a better person for the future. In this case, Amir made the mistake of standing back as Hassan was raped. This memory haunted him for his entire life until he makes the decision to learn from his mistake and finally be the loyal friend that Hassan deserves. He does this by rescuing Hassan’s son from Taliban rule. Even though Hassan is dead, Amir is putting himself at risk in order to save the life of Hassan’s child. This action shows a tremendous amount of loyalty and selflessness, traits which Amir did not posses during his childhood. The second lesson is that sometimes you have to put the needs of those you love before your own. In Amir’s story, returning to Kabul could mean that he would never leave. He risks never seeing his wife again in order to help the son of his late friend. He knows, however, that he needs to be there in Hassan’s time of need. Hassan, although in the grave, would have wanted someone to rescue his young son from the brutalities of the Shari ‘a law. The strong moral obligation that Amir feels to save the son of his half brother Hassan shows not only a major development in his character, but also some of the main ideas that Hosseini is trying to display. That’s all for this section, I’ll see you next time!

Nolan “the breeze” Burgundy

AP Worthy?

I am now about one half of the way through The Kite Runner (Chapter 9-14). As I have progressed to this new checkpoint, it has become an incredibly emotional journey. The story is extremely intriguing, but is the book of enough literary merit to be put to use in an AP course?

For me, the answer to this question is yes. I say this for a few reasons. First, I think that this book fosters independence. What I mean by this is that in each of Amir’s story’s a new lesson is introduced; whether that be about loyalty, love, responsibility, gender inequality, or even ethnic prosecution, there is always a message. I’m sure that all of these collective ideas will arise to a greater ultimate meaning at the end of the book, but as the reader follows Amir on his journey he/she is allowed to latch on to any such lesson that they please. Isn’t this what literature is about? Conveying ideas through words and allowing the recipient to make what they please from them. I think this is an essential theme that every Advanced Placement English student must realize at some point, we need to be able to think for ourselves and draw our own conclusions from literature. Hosseini creates these heart-wrenching stories in order to allow the reader to make their own conclusions. Because of this quality I believe that The Kite Runner is an AP quality piece.

Secondly, The Kite Runner is filled to the brink with strong characters that could easily be weaved into most AP English exam questions. An example of one of these multi dimensional characters would be the main character Amir. He begins the story as an extremely selfish and cowardly young man.  He watches the rape of his loyal servant and lifelong friend Hassan because he doesn’t want to risk losing the final kite in the kite running ceremony. He lets Hassan get punished for stealing after he places money in Hassan’s bed. And he breaks the forty-year brotherhood between Baba and Ali. But when Baba sacrifices everything to bring Amir to the United States, he finally realizes the ends that people have gone to in order to make his life meaningful. After Amir’s graduation Baba buys him a used car. He has a moment of realization about the kindness of his father and wants to, “tell [Baba] how touched [he] was by [Baba’s] act of kindness, how much [he] appreciated all that [Baba] had done for [him], all that [Baba] was still doing” (133). This scene shows Amir’s development, he is becoming less selfish and more appreciative. He begins to value, and spend time with his well-respected father. He finally begins to begins to understand what it means to become a man. His new character development especially shows when he marries a beautiful young woman named Soraya. Although Soraya has made mistakes in her past, ones that are seen as unforgivable by the Afghani society, Amir fully accepts her and even defends her. Soraya reveals to Amir that when she told him about her past mistakes she was sure that he would, “‘change [his] mind,’” (179) about the marriage. Amir responds by saying that there was, “‘not a chance of that” (179). This newly gained courage and sense of loyalty is a new development to his character. These journey characters who grow and develop with the challenges that they face in their lives tend to be great tools when it comes to the AP test. Amir is one of many diverse characters in the novel, which would make great subjects for a piece of an AP essay.  The ever-developing characters of The Kite Runner are another reason why it is worthy of use in an AP English course.

In conclusion, I think that The Kite Runner would be a great addition to any AP reading curriculum. It’s welcoming of independent thought is great for developing students, and it’s strong characters would be extremely helpful for the AP exam. This story, however, goes past the AP exam. The lessons that it holds, and it’s shocking storyline make it a worthwhile read for anyone. It really does give a sense of perspective to someone like myself who has had the privilege of living in the United States for my whole life. So, yes, throw it on the reading list. It won’t disappoint! Until next time,

Nolan “the breeze” Burgundy

Stylistic Development

As I continued to progress through the book (Chapter 4-8) some stylistic devices have emerged as common pieces of Amir’s story.  Hosseini commonly uses a storytelling model in order to move through Amir’s experiences and convey the major messages of the book. Each chapter is broken into short first person narrative flashback stories told by the main character Amir. This first person point of view is very beneficial to the reader. It allows the reader to see what it was like to live in Afghanistan as times of turmoil emerged. In the early stages of the book Afghanistan has a relatively stable society, but as a reader you get to experience the ethnic supremacy of the Pashtuns over the Hazaras. For example, Amir describes the typical school day. Amir is driven to school in his father’s muscle car while Hassan is left at home to do chores with his father Ali. Hassan is illiterate and relies on Amir to read him stories. Amir says that his favorite part of reading to Hassan is, “when [they] came across a big word that he didn’t know. I’d tease him, expose his ignorance (28)”. Amir reveals that he would feel bad, but he doesn’t have too because Hassan is only a Hazara. Hosseini’s choice to use first person storytelling from an upper class Pashtun boy tends to be very revealing. It truly shows the lack of empathy for the Hazaras. Although this is just a single example, Hosseini constantly uses the storytelling technique in order to provide important plot and the major messages of the novel.

            Storytelling is not the only stylistic technique that Hosseini has utilized, however. He also frequently drops one-liners at the end of chapters, which foreshadow what is to come or even help to uncover the meaning of the previous story. For example, after Hassan has a surgery to fix his cleft lip Amir says that it is ironic that he had it fixed because, “that was the winter that Hassan stopped smiling (47).” This one line cliff hanger foreshadows future events in the novel.

            Finally, Hosseini makes use of metaphors commonly throughout the book. The metaphor that really stood out to me came after Hassan runs down the final kite from the kite running competition (a day in which all of the children fly kites and try to battle each other out of the sky). The final kite that falls is the most valuable one, so Hassan runs to retrieve it in order to please Amir. Amir hopes that if he can bring home the final kite, Baba will accept him. Some time passes, so Amir goes looking for him. When he finds Hassan, he sees that Assef (a bully who terrorizes all of the boys) is ready to attack Hassan if he doesn’t hand over the kite. Hassan refuses because he can’t let down Amir, and is raped by Assef as punishment. As Amir watches this horrific scene, he thinks of the days of “Eid Al-Adha” when they would sacrifice a sheep. He imagines that the animal understands that, “its imminent demise is for a higher purpose (77).” He incorporates this flashback into the story of Amir’s rape in order to compare Hassan to the sheep. Amir thinks that Hassan’s well being may just be the price necessary to please Baba.  Metaphors such as these contribute to the plot as well as develop some of the main ideas such as the cultural strife between the Pashtuns and Hazaras.

            It’s interesting to see all of the different stylistic devices that Hosseini utilizes in order to enrich his writing. I think that they will soon come together to form a strong central meaning for the book. Thanks for reading! I’ll keep you posted.

Nolan “the breeze” Burgundy