The Kite Runner

Amir finds Rahim Khan and Rahim begins to tell Amir what has happened in his absence. He tells Amir that in 1986 he went to go find Hassan in Hazarajat out of loneliness and to take care of Baba’s house. Rahim is introduced to Hassan’s pregnant Hazara wife, Farzana. It is discovered that Ali died by stepping on a landmine which is when Rahim offers Hassan and his wife to move into Baba’s house. Hassan politely declines the offer, which leads Rahim to tell him Baba had passed. This leaves Hassan heartbroken, as stated: “ Hassan buried his face in his hands and broke into tears. He wept like a child for the rest of that night” (Hosseini 218). Baba has been a father figure to Hassan and hearing about his passing fills him with despair. The next morning Hassan changes his mind and returns to Baba’s house with Rahim. Although there were countless empty rooms in Baba’s house, Hassan and his wife stay in the mud hut as a sign of respect. In the fall, Farzana had a stillborn baby which they later buried in the yard. Farzana becomes pregnant again a few years later and Hassan’s deserted mother shows up at Baba's house. She is very weak and has been beaten. This shocks Hassan initially, but he comes to his senses and helps his mother back to health. Hassan tells his mother: “She should cry if she wanted but she needn’t, she is home now, home with his family” (Hosseini 222). Hassan and his mothers' relationship grows over time as time heals their wounds. His mother, Sanaubar, helps with the birth of Hassan’s son that winter. Sanaubar loves this child deeply, and they have a very strong connection. Hassan names his child Sohrab after his favourite character in a book from his childhood. Sanaubar passes after Sohrab is four, which leaves everyone mournful. In 1996, the Soviets left Kabul, but there is still much violence in Kabul. Hassan teaches Sohrab how to run kites, but soon the Taliban takes over Kabul and bans kite running.       

Amir exits Rahim’s recall in a haze, trying to come to terms with the events that have occurred. Curious about Hassan, he asks of him, and in return, Rahim hands him an envelope containing a photograph and letter. Amir is taken aback at the similarities that Hassan and his son share, and the pure joy that is captured in the Polaroid. The letter contains the horrors Hassan had faced in Afghanistan after Amir fled to California. Hassan wrote of the poverty, killings and mistreatment of his wife. He also reads of Rahim’s decline in health, and the hopes that Hassan has for his future. Once Amir finishes reading the letter, Rahim finally divulges his secret; Hassan had been executed in the streets months prior. Rahim continues, explaining how the Taliban had taken over Baba’s house and that Sohrab is in an orphanage in Karteh-Seh. He concludes his story with a request for Amir; to collect Sohrab from Kabul and bring him to Americans named Thomas and Betty Caldwell. Despite Amir’s apprehension, Rahim advocates; “Children are fragile, Amir Jan. Kabul is already full of broken children and I don’t want Sohrab to become another” (Hosseini 232). Desperate to convince Amir of helping, Rahim gives further insight as to why he should help Sohbar; “‘Ali was sterile” (Hosseini 234). It is here that Amir realizes the situation at hand; “‘You bastards,’ I muttered. Stood up. ‘You goddamn bastards’... ‘How could you hide this from me? From him?’” (Hosseini 235). Hassan is revealed as Amir's half-brother. After this revelation, Amir storms from the apartment stung with shock and betrayal.

Kites: A kite symbolizes quite a few different key moments in Hassan’s life, such as friendship, freedom and childhood. It symbolizes friendship as it was an activity in which he and Amir would bond. Years later, it was still memorable to Hassan as he asked Rahim Khan: “Did you still fly kites and go to the cinema?” (Hosseini 218). This also is a symbol of his childhood, as it was a favourite pastime. Hassan eventually taught his own son, Sohrab, how to run kites too, a tributary to his own youth. Freedom is a related aspect to kites due to the Taliban. Following the Taliban’s rise to power; “A few weeks later, the Taliban banned kite fighting” (Hosseini 225). The ban on kite fighting a subtle indicator of the power the Taliban had, and how much further they were willing to abuse it. 

Blood: Blood symbolizes the violence and hardships that many faced in Afghanistan, which is displayed through Sanaubar. She appears at the gate of Baba’s house: “One of the cuts went from cheekbone to hairline and it had not spared her left eye on the way” (Hosseini 221). Although it is unclear if the cut was recent, this signifies the struggles that Sanaubar has been through. The once beautiful woman now mutilated is yet another example of the consequences of violence, and that very few people were left unscathed.     

Blood: Blood is repeatedly evident throughout the entire book including chapter 17. In this chapter, Amir sits down to talk to Rahim Khan about what he missed when he was gone. Rahim Khan is noticeably ill, a similar illness to Babas. He's become very fragile and weak and often coughs up blood. Rahim's health condition is stated in Hassan’s letter to Amir: “Rahim Khan is quite ill. He coughs all day and I see blood on his sleeve when he wipes his mouth” (Hosseini 229). The blood symbolizes the gross amount of pain that Rahim Khan is going through and reinstate his fleeting time on earth.  

Dreams: The motif of dreams is found in Hassan’s letter to Amir. Hassan oftentimes has dreams that have a deeper meaning. Earlier one of his dreams connected to him getting raped but in the letter, he states he has a variety of good and bad dreams. Hassan tells Amir some of his dreams when he says: “I have been dreaming quite a lot lately. Some of them are nightmares, like hanged corpses rotting in soccer fields with blood-red grass. Mostly, though, I dream of good things, and I praise Allah for that. I dream that Rahim Khan will be well. I dream that my son will grow to be a good, a free person, and an important person” (Hosseini 229-230). Hassan’s dreams regularly foreshadow events that will occur. For example, the nightmare of dead hanging bodies in a soccer field somewhat comes true when Amir witnessed two people get stoned to death on a soccer field. It is obvious that dreams often have a deeper meaning in the book and foreshadow future events.   

Kites: Kites symbolize Amir’s guilt and joy throughout the book. In this chapter the kite symbol is reinstated when Amir is having flashbacks as he is stricken with the news of Hassan’s passing. Amir has a memorial for Hassan in his head as recurring memories pop up out of nowhere. Readers are reminded of Hassan’s loyalty for Amir when it came to kite running and Amir connects this to Hassan’s last moments on earth. Amir contemplates: “A man dressed in a herringbone vest pressing the muzzle of his Kalashnikov to the back of Hassan’s head. Hassan slumps to the asphalt, his life unrequited loyalty drifting from him like the windblown kites he used to chase” (Hosseini 231). As memories and his imagination flashback, his guilty conscience reappears. The reference to a kite in this chapter correlates to Amir's guilt flooding back to him after he's in his hometown, the place he's been at his worst.   

Imagery: When recalling his journey to reconnect with Hassan, Rahim Khan uses imagery: “But I remember it was a scorching hot day and I was driving up a rutted dirt road, nothing on either side but sunbaked bushes, gnarled, spiny tree trunks, and dried grass like pale straw. I passed a dead donkey rotting on the side of the road” (Hosseini 215-216). Perhaps this sight is significant to him as he was not familiar with this type of terrain, instead a wealthy businessman of Kabul who frequented large, extravagant houses in the city. 

Allusion: Rahim Khan reveals the origins of Sohrab’s name: “They named him Sohrab, after Hassan’s favorite hero from the Shanamah, as you know, Amir jan” (Hosseini 222). This allusion is to the Shannameh, a lengthy poem written by Ferdowsi between 977 and 1010 C.E. In the poem, the character Sohrab is depicted as a strong man and natural leader.

Simile: Hassan and his son share a love for kite running and would compete in the few competitions that were still operating during Sohrab’s childhood. They would proudly display their trophies from kite running as if the kites were a beautiful piece of artwork that belonged in a museum: “At the end of winter, Hassan and Sohrab would hang the kites they had run all winter on the walls of the main hallway. They would put them up like paintings” (Hosseini 224).

Foreshadowing: The final sentence of chapter 16 foreshadows the fate Hassan and his family face. Rahim Khan recounts the turmoil in Afghanistan: “A few weeks later, the Taliban banned kite fighting. And two years later, in 1998, they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif” (Hosseini 225). The Taliban has gained power which they are abusing, and it is revealed that following their rise to power they kill hundreds of Hazaras. This signifies the violence that is once again in Afghanistan and hints at the terrors that are yet to come. Times are getting darker, and as Hazaras, Sohrab and his family are in imminent danger. 

Imagery: Imagery is often used throughout each chapter of the book, especially chapter 17. Imagery is evident when Amir describes the polaroid picture of Haasan, as stated: “A tall man dressed in a white turban and a green-striped chapan stood with a little boy in front of a set of wrought-iron gates” (Hosseini 227). This was Amir’s first time looking at Hassan since he left for America.

First-person point of view: Throughout this chapter, readers are seeing Amir’s perspective. As the main character in the book, we often read about his point of view as described: “I tore the sealed envelope. Inside, I found a Polaroid photograph and a folded letter” (Hosseini 227). Here, Amir is opening his letter from Hassan while using personal pronouns.

Symbols: Blood, kites, and physical deformities are all symbols that are present in this chapter (Hosseini 229-230). These symbols deepen the text and allow for crucial thinking.

Situational Irony: Situational irony is evident when Amir, a Pashtun, finds out he is a half brother to his servant, Hassan. Amir is frustrated after only finding out when Hassan has passed, as stated: “I’m thirty-eight years old and I’ve just found out my whole life is one big lie!” (Hosseini 232). Readers did not expect Amir and Hassan to be related, creating situational irony.

Amir agha,

I write to you again, yet now it is done with shame and desperation. Life has become more troublesome than some have let on, my friend, and it has become too much bare. I have contemplated writing to you for many months because it was never before thought that I ask you for help. It has always been my job to care for you. But I am now a father and a husband, and my family comes before all others.

I still dream of running kites as we did when we were children, the proud look that would flash upon your face when we collected them before all the other neighbourhood boys. But a dream is all that can ever be now. Afghanistan has become too dangerous for a Hazara to live, and I fear that Sohbar, Farzana and I may face the same fate as those of Maza-i-Sharif. 

I am in need of some guidance, you see. You have already made the journey out of Afghanistan to safety many years ago. And that is what I am in need of, a way out of the country. I have heard many stories and am aware of the risks of this, yet is the only way I can see Sohrab living a long, fulfilling life.

If you have any advice or contacts to help me plan this mission, please Amir agha, write as soon as you can. I do not think that there is much time left for us.

I know that it is much to ask, and I am already in life debt for your kindness, but it is one of the few chances I may have left to save my family. Time is of the essence.

Please know that I am forever grateful to you, our friendship and brotherhood. You have always been a good man.

May Allah bless you.

-Hassan

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