Book Club Discussion on "Kite Runner" - Khaled Hosseini (development, movies)

[katzenfreund]

I felt the same way, Amir came full circle. In the beginning he lets Hassan run the kite for him and in the end he does it for his (Hassan's) son. He has grown as a person and is now able to give, not just take. Rahim Khan was such an important person in his life, I think without him, his life would have been so very different and he probably would have felt guilty and unhappy his entire life. Amir was very lucky to have the love of two great human beings, Rahim and Hassan.

[gemkeeper]

My feelings exactly, katzenfreund. I know that Amir was wrong in the way he treated Hassan, but he lived a life of remorse, regret and self-hatred from the time he was a little boy until he finally was able "to be good again".

Rahim Khan saw this in him and refused to give up on him. Hassan found something in Amir that demanded his absolute devotion. He fully accepted his station in life and would do anything to help Amir find happiness.

Amir had to find it for himself through his redeeming act of saving Hassan's son - their son.

[gemkeeper]

I have been thinking about this for a day or two and would like to mention it as a possible discussion point. The Kite Runner is a story with all of the main characters being male, yet there are some secondary female characters.

I think in particular of Amir's and Hassan's mothers, even after death, they have a strong role to play in the lives of their sons. Very different women from different social classes, but influencial in the story's telling.

There is the woman on the truck who has been ordered to have sex with one of the soldiers when Baba and Amir are leaving Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion. She plays a duel role as an example of the plight of so many Afghan women and, also, to provide us with some insight into Baba's character.

We meet General Taheri's wife, a seemingly strong-willed woman loved and respected by her husband and others. But, there is something missing in her life. Does she, too, reflect the status of Muslim women through the knowledge that she is a wonderful singer, but does not sing, because he husband will not permit it?

Finally, there is Amir's dear wife, Soraya Taheri, who although a traditional woman in many respects, has brought dishonor to herself and to her family, but rises above it. Is her acceptance by her family something that may take us by surprise knowing the mores of Islamic culture? Does Amir's deep love for Soraya, even knowing of her past, tell us something about Amir's character and heart? What effect does Amir and Soraya's childless marriage have on the tenor and outcome of their own story?

Perhaps, we can explore some of these ideas or some of the symbolism that has captured readers' interest this evening.

[tigerlily]

Does Amir's deep love for Soraya, even knowing of her past, tell us something about Amir's character and heart?

Amir admits after Soraya tells him of her past that a big part of his acceptance of her clouded past is that his own past is his not quite so sterling either. He concedes there is a "double standard" for Muslim women, but also that Baba's was an independent who disregarded customs and rules and that philosophy played a part in his acceptance. However, Amir's comment conflicts with the rules and regulations Baba imposed on Amir when he tried to court Soraya.

I was also thinking of Hassan's mother. She is portrayed as a "loose" woman who ran off with another man and not having maternal feelings for Hassan. I wondered if she left because she was shamed and the man provided her with an excuse to leave. Perhaps, that is why she shunned Hassan believing he might have a better life without her presence.

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by tigerlily

Does Amir's deep love for Soraya, even knowing of her past, tell us something about Amir's character and heart?

Amir admits after Soraya tells him of her past that a big part of his acceptance of her clouded past is that his own past is his not quite so sterling either. He concedes there is a "double standard" for Muslim women, but also that Baba's was an independent who disregarded customs and rules and that philosophy played a part in his acceptance. However, Amir's comment conflicts with the rules and regulations Baba imposed on Amir when he tried to court Soraya.

I was also thinking of Hassan's mother. She is portrayed as a "loose" woman who ran off with another man and not having maternal feelings for Hassan. I wondered if she left because she was shamed and the man provided her with an excuse to leave. Perhaps, that is why she shunned Hassan believing he might have a better life without her presence.

I agree with you about Amir's acceptance of Soraya's past, tigerlily. I can't help but think that Amir loved Soraya so by this time that he would have forgiven her past in any case. I enjoy the way that each reader sees something a little different with various characters and events. It makes me, for one, to think more about what I have read.

When Amir asked Soraya to marry, she asked him if it bothered him. He admitted that it did a little. He tells the reader that he did not like the thought of her having been with another man, especially when he had never been with a woman. He knew of her past before he asked her to marry him and admits to the reader that he did "ponder this quite a lot in the weeks before I asked Baba to go khastergari." As he pondered it, he often thought "How could I, of all people, chastise someone for their past?"

When Soraya asked Amir if it bothered him enough to change his mind about marrying her, he answered, No, Soraya. Not even close. Nothing you said changes anything. I want us to marry." Now, whether this deep forgiveness and acceptance was a result of true, young love and a good heart, or simply a reflection of Amir's guilty secret, is a question only the reader can answer. I tend to think (and this is definitely a Western perspective) that Amir's love for Soraya was so intense that he would forgive "a thousand times over".

He wanted to leave his past and he was willing to let Soraya leave hers, as well.

With Hassan's mother, I think that shame, indeed, played a central role in her abandonment of Hassan. Amir tells the reader that she was she joined the neighborhood children in their taunting of the limping, frozen-faced Ali and "made no secret of her disdain for his appearance. 'This is a husband?' she would sneer. 'I have seen old donkeys better suited to be a husband.'" What a cruel woman she must have been.

When she gave birth, Amir tells us that she told Ali, "There. Now you have your own idiot child to do all your smiling for you!" She never even held Hassan before leaving.

I think the shame her was the shame that Sanaubar felt over her husband, and now her son, because of their physical appearance. I think that Ali must have felt shame because of Sanaubar's reputation and her abandonment. I don't think that she considered that Hassan was better off without her. I think that she felt that she was better off without them.

Very interesting points you brought out, tigerlily. It is so intriguing that we all read from our own perspectives and get different ideas on some events and similar ideas from others. I like the way you have interpreted these events in the book. It gives us another thing to think about.

[RDSLOTS]

This thread has been more difficult for me. I read The Kite Runner, years ago, when it first came out, and even skimming the book second time around left some of the details 'fuzzy,' so I have been hesitant to post here.

That, and this reaction to Spring I seem to be having!


This many years out -- I feel that one of the things that stands out in either of Hosseini's works is his imagery. The beautiful scenes of Afghanistan, even war-torn as some of it is, and with the scourge of the Taliban, not only endear the nation, but make it real for me, and not the Afghanistan stereotypical of the media.

I love his descriptions of the buildings, and the homes, and the landscape, down to the tree in the yard of Baba's dwelling where the boys' initials are carved. (That was in the yard, wasn't it?) I feel as if I am truly there, and Hosseini's love for his native country is so apparent.

I also appreciate how he weaves the words and customs of his people into the story without giving away the definitions, and subtleties of the customs, even down to the characters' mannerisms and dress. It's as if I am on a grand adventure in foreign land, and I can almost feel the sunshine and smell the dry, sun-baked earth, become covered in the Afghan dust.

The complexity of his characters amazes me. Assef is not simply evil, nor Amir just filled with adolescent angst, and Hassan, easily one of my favorites, is never reduced to, say, the blind loyalty of a labrador retriever -- he is a person in his own right. It has been interesting to follow the discussion here of the women and their roles as secondary characters. He so expertly uses them to move the story, and reveal even more of the males' characters -- like that of Baba, relative to the incident on the truck, or Hassan's despicable mother.


I could so easily see myself working either of these selections into a World Lit course generally mandated in the public schools. Would have provided an incredible opportunity to educate the students, without being perceived as 'preaching'. . . the empathy would come naturally, much like it did for me as I read Hosseini's works.

I feel hard-pressed to find anything to find fault with, or criticize, in either The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, and yet I question, can anyone write THAT well? Apparently Hosseini can, and does. I almost wish we had someone here on the Forum who could find fault with the works, if just to toss some ideas around. I feel like all I do is praise the author and his works.

[gemkeeper]

I think that you expressed the feelings of most readers here, and obviously worldwide, RDSLOTS, when you ask if anyone is able to write THAT well. I thoroughly enjoyed your post; it was very touching and reflective.

I think one of the reasons that Hosseini is able to capture us so, and allow us to so completely place ourselves into this story is through his obvious love for Afghanistan. It becomes impossible for this reader not to own this intrinsic love, also. His affection for everything that Afghanistan is shines throughout the story. Yet, it is so subtle that I never felt that he was trumpeting the culture or the country; just informing us in a gentle, caring way.

He does feel deeply for the people there still suffering through the growing pains of a country long ripped and torn apart by different factions. He is so graceful in his storytelling that it all becomes a dance for us to sway to as we move from one character to the next, from one scene to the next, from one period to the next without missing a step.

I, too, love the way that he uses words so gracefully and describes so richly our surroundings as we move through the story. He knows his characters so well. The funny little name that the boys gave to the small garden in the yard - "the wall of wailing corn". So like 12 year old boys to call the ailing corn something so silly and then to giggle as the skip off for their fun.

I like your reference to the pomegranate tree, RDSLOTS, at the top of the hill not far from the house where Amir carved "Amir and Hassan, the Sultans of Kabul". This was one of those instances that showed me how deftly Hosseini revealed the personalities of his characters. Amir, of course, carved his name first, although he did include Hassan as an equal by allowing him the privilege of being a sultan, also. It shows Amir's very complex feelings for Hassan. So much a friend and companion, yet also, a threat to his relationship with Baba. He

Amir is shown time and again giving to Hassan, but always taking something back just to insure that Hassan won't have TOO much.

I appreciated the return to the pomegranate tree when Amir returned to Kabul on his search for Sohrab. His affection for Hassan and the life they had together meant enough to him that he was drawn back to the tree to see the carving once again. It was too much for his conscience to bear. Very telling, very astute and subtle of Hosseini.

Consider that just a short time before Amir read the letter that Hassan had given to Rahim Khan. In it, Hassan told Amir that the pomegranate tree on the hill had not born fruit for years. How this mirrors the boys' broken relationship. Their youth, their friendship was shaped sitting in the branches of that tree as they ate and toyed with its fruit. Just as the relationship of Amir and Hassan fell dead, no longer bearing fruit, the pomegranate tree suffered the same fate. A wonderful bit of irony and symbolism that Hosseini gently offers us.

A more sensational scene that cannot escape being recognized for its ironic justice is the final fight for repentance that Amir must wage against Assef. His long-awaited chance to right a terrible wrong; a chance to be good again. Long ago in 1975 a small Hazara boy bravely came to the defense of his friend and master's son with the threat of putting out the left eye of Assef. All knew that Hassan never missed a shot with his slingshot and Assef swore that Hassan and Amir would pay for the humiliation that he suffered that day.

On the day that Amir finally was to receive that punishment from Assef in a fight to the death for Sohrab, it was Hassan's son who came to the defense of Amir, now brave undeterred Amir. Sohrab, a small terrified child used all his skills that he learned from his father to use the mighty slingshot to put out the left eye of Assef - as promised. Very obvious irony that Hosseini offers us in a "Hooray" moment, but not at all corny or overdone. It was poetically justified and necessary for the story. My heart raced all through that scene. I could not digest the words fast enough to rush to the expected outcome. It was a glorious finish to a horrid, wicked Assef. Hosseini handed us a treat!

I loved the subtle injection of the women in this story, also, RDSLOTS. They may seem insignificant to some, but they also told a powerful tale of the role of women, even loved and respected women, in a Moslem family. I particularly savored the position of Soraya's mother, Khala Jamila. She had a dynamic influence on her family's life. She seemed to be a force to be reckoned with using her illnesses like a little stick to prod all of her caterers to do her bidding. The general seemed to allow this bit of manipulation from his wife. Yet, this was a family governed by their adherence to Islam. Although Khala Jamila loved to sing as a young woman and was appreciated by all who heard her lovely voice, she no longer sang. Why would a woman who knew her own mind not sing? Her life, her actions, her desires were still choreographed by Moslem tradition and law. Her husband forbid it.

I think that The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns would be wonderful books to use with a high school literature or social science class, RDSLOTS. I agree with you that a class would feel great empathy with a part of the earth that they now probably perceive through the media's eyes. These books would be a gift for young people who are still shaping what kind of world citizen they will choose to be. I hope that you seize that opportunity.

Many would be inspired to adjust their view of all peoples of the earth and maybe learn just a little more respect for our differences and appreciation for just how alike we all are. I feel gifted to have read these books and will continue to seek out good literature of other cultures. Hopefully, I may lose my own narrow view of the world that I have possessed, through lack of knowledge, by being chained to Western world authors til now.

[RDSLOTS]

Hosseini's works have had the very same effect upon me, gem, in that I look at Afghanistan, and much of the Middle East, through different eyes now. I mean, I always knew they were people, with the same desires of life, the same frustrations, pains, and joys, but he actually gave the Afghans faces and names, and put them in places I recognize now.

Shame to think I didn't 'get it' before.

I also am drawn to the symbolism in his works, and I recall the pomegranate tree, and the lack of fruit. I wonder if the tree blooms again when Amir makes his amends -- nice, too, that Hosseini lets the reader imagine for himself. I also saw a lot of symbolism in the actual chasing of the kite -- while they are running after the same thing, the boys are equals, and the glory in having the kite is the same for either.

[katzenfreund]

Interesting comment about the pomegranate tree! I wonder if the lack of fruit was due to the political climate in Afghanistan, the suppression of all things beautiful and nourishing to the soul, music, art etc. I hope one day there will be positive change for the people there. I can not imagine living there, it seems like a very sad existence to me.
We used to go to an Afghan restaurant in Maryland which was run by a wonderful woman. After 9/11 her restaurant was vandalized and she was threatened. Absurd.

[gemkeeper]

Nice reflective comments, RDSLOTS and katzenfreund. The future of Afghanistan is precarious to be sure. Lets's hope that the individual life lessons that Amir, Baba, Hassan, Rahim Khan and other the characters who whose lives were so changed by small wars in their own lives will bring about resolution of the war between the brothers of Afghanistan.

I really was touched by the tree symbolism. I would expect that the tree that bears fruit for Afghanistan and its people will once again bear delicious fruit when they become reuntied. I think of the terrible riff in our own country in the 1860's with the Civil War. Men at that time thought that the country would never be healthy again. On the contrary, solidarity and the hope for a better US made it stronger and very fruitful. I hold out the same hope for the Afghans.

The kite was symbolic in so many ways, as you mentioned RDSLOTS. I particularly was taken by the pain and abuse that the kite runner's and flier's hands took. Those participating thought that the blood spilled was worth the victory. That, too, could mirror what is happening in Afghanistan. The Afghans are willing to shed blood and endure pain for the victory of peace and an independent Afghanistan again.

Hosseini tells us in the story that just like watching the cinema for Afghans, it isn't the beginning, or the middle of the movie that is important, only the ending. They ask "Does the girl fall in love and marry well?" and "Does the boy find happiness?" One can leave out everything else in the telling of the movie and Afghanistan's struggle. All the people want to know is how does the movie and Afghanistans's troubles end.