1.
“I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.”Amir’s tone in this quote is bland; due to the fact that he feels what he did was acceptable in order to receive Baba’s approval and interest. Instead of attempting to gain sympathy by using heavily emotional words and emphasis on forgiveness, Amir feels he did what he had to do and at that moment has no regrets.

I caught a flurry of movement out of the corner of my eye. The a blur of something zipping across the room, and the next thing I saw was Karim slammed against the wall, his sandaled feet dangling two feet above the floor. Wrapped around his neck were Baba's hands. (10.40) The author has chosen the style to be that of an action movie, at least that’s what us readers portray his words to represent. The use of the words like “zipping”, “slammed”, and “dangling” suggest that something is going down, and it’s serious! The use of these words enhances the “action” part of this scene by allowing us to experience the gruesomeness of this scene.

2. 
Amir undergoes the most dramatic transformation of the other characters, and grows into a mere opposite of his childhood. Now living in California, after the main chunk of the novel has passed, Amir has developed a whole new attitude for life and responsibility. He manages to balance his career, his hobbies, and his sparking new love life. Amir marries while in California and becomes a successful author. To us, his life is as perfect as perfect as the ending to a romantic Hollywood-based movie. To say that he is living the American Dream is an understatement. Amir is as lucky as a miner who just struck gold. His development into the perfect individual is completed when he returns to Afghanistan to retrieve his nephew, Sohrab. This shows that he no longer cares about himself, but about his newly wed wife, and his family. Amir has changed from a selfish, arrogant, jealous child, into a confident, successful, and proud husband that we cannot help but feel attachment to. 

 
1.
“Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended.” (p. 36) 

This quotation reveals that the protagonist is beginning to enter a time of conflict by which he states, “live had ended”. He no longer will experience the feelings of happiness and the freedom to roam the streets and fly kites with his friends.

“My body was broken—just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later—but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed.” (p. 289)

This quotation is about Amir and his conflict of finding punishment for his actions. He finally, after countless attempts on his part, receives punishment for letting Assef rape Hassan. This reveals that Amir feels guilty for his actions, until his confrontation with Assef, which despite the physical pain, made him feel psychologically “healed”.

2.
Amir finally gets the beating he was looking for!

This quotation is about the desire for punishment that Amir feels he should receive from Assef. Amir feels guilty because he was given the choice to save Hassan, which would result in him being physically tortured, or to let Assef rape Hassan. The conflict is Amir’s search for punishment, which he doesn’t receive until he’s beaten by brass knuckles. 

Confusion arises about unfamiliar vocabulary spoken on radio!


When Russia invaded in 1979, gunshots were part of a coup in which Daoud Khan took over the government. This resulted in the streets being closed down. Curious about the change, Amir and Hassan tune into the morning radio to hear talk of what happened on the radio, but they don’t understand what it means that Afghanistan has become a republic. The confusion doesn’t remain implanted for long in their brains as they depart and climb a tree shortly after. The conflict in this is the takeover occurring in Afghanistan. The effect could be the physical, mental, and economical issues that are evident in a warzone area.

Boy plays “Bystander” during back alley confrontation!

When Amir wins the local kite flying competition, it sends Hassan running for the recently let lose kite (the losing one). Hassan vows to bring the kite back for Amir, which is why he is on pursuit. Amir searches the neighborhood, asking homeowners if they have seen the boy, until finally he stumbles across an alleyway. Hassan has Amir’s kite and is surrounded by Assef and two other boys. Assef tells Hassan they will let him go only if he hands over the kite, which Hassan refuses. He states that he ran the kite fairly, and it belongs to Amir. Assef says Amir wouldn’t be as loyal to him, “an ugly pet Hazara”. The boys and Assef charge Hassan, and all Amir does is watch form behind the corner. The conflict here is ultimately between Amir and Hassan. Does Amir step in for Hassan, or does he listen to what the others are saying about him? For Hassan, does he continue to hold onto the kite and have faith that him and Amir are friends, or does he subside to the “bullies”, give the kite away, and accept that Amir isn’t as loyal as he thought? The effect, Hassan is beaten and raped, while Amir will have to live with the guilt as he watches it all go down.

Insomniac arises in the darkness beneath us!

Shortly after the rape, Amir is forced to attend a large traditional Afghan dinner, one which he doesn’t enjoy as its in recognition of Amirs placing in the tournament. The guilt he feels overrides any feelings of happiness or success in the young boys mind. After the dinner, they all lie down in the same room, but Amir cannot sleep. Amir is faced with a problem. Does he tell everyone about the rape and risk being punished for not helping, and he will have to deal with the guilt associated with just that? Or does he pretend like nothing ever happened and skip the physical punishment and just live with the mental punishment? He says aloud that he watched Hassan get raped, but nobody is awake to hear him. It is after this unheard confession that he states “this is the night I became an insomniac”. From now on, Amir has chosen to take the silent route and refrain from telling anyone the events he witnessed.

Christmas, a time to mentally play those closest to you!

On the morning of Christmas, Amir opens his presents. Amir is troubled by the presence of Hassan and Ali to leave. Meanwhile, he takes the birthday money and a watch that Baba gave him and stuffs everything under Hassan’s mattress. He then goes on to tell Baba that Hassan stole them. When Alo and Hassan return, Baba confronts Hassan, and to Amir’s surprise, Hassan “confesses” to stealing it. Amir realized that Hassan saw him in the alleyway, and he was well aware that Amir was playing him at that moment. Once again, both characters face conflict. Does Amir confess to Hassan and apologize for not stepping in to help, or to call for help? Or does Hassan confront Amir and attempt to make him feel less guilty by saying things like “it wasn’t your fault”, ”there's nothing you could have done”, etc. Hassan could also pretend that he DIDN’T see Amir in the alleyway, and he WASN’T aware that Amir was playing him by pretending he stole the goods. The result, Amir confronts Hassan and wishes that he be punished for his non-actions in Hassan’s rape. He pelts Hassan with pomegranates, expecting that Hassan will fight back, but nothing happens! 

 
1.     “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” This quote reveals that Amir regrets his actions in the past and he is aware that the wronging’s he did in the past are beginning to creep up on him. The guilt he feels from allowing his best friend, Hassan, to be raped, is becoming overwhelming and uncontrollable to deal with!

2.     “Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended.” (p. 36) Amir says this as they hide inside from the gunfire they hear in the street that signals the coup by Daoud Khan. This quote shows that Amir realizes his life will no longer revolve around the luxury of flying kites, going to school, and playing with his friends. This starts the realization that the book is no longer about the happiness shared between young kite flyers. This initiation sets the theme for which the book is based primarily on. 



Picture
This licence plate may be the title of the book, however, it is our first introduction into the relationship between Amir and Hassan, one which the novel revolves around. Both boys spend all waking hours of the day flying kites and practicing for the kite competition. When the war begins, the devastation of not being able to fly their kites begins to take its toll on the innocent children, whom are only looking for a way our of the bloody, and seemingly endless revolution.
 
1. At the beginning of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, we are immediately introduced into the mindset of the narrator/principle character by a recollection of his childhood, which sets the scene for which he bases his historical story on. "I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years."(Chapter 1. Although the war is just beginning to become an issue in the novel, we know that this will create a suspenseful, emotional, and exciting journey throughout the book. “We stayed huddled that way until the early hours of the morning. The shootings and explosions had lasted less than an hour, but they had frightened us badly, because none of us had ever heard gunshots in the streets. They were foreign sounds to us then. The generation of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of bombs and gunfire was not yet born.”(Chapter 5, paragraph 5). The quotation clearly portrays that the setting of the novel is in Afghanistan, where a war is taking place. Since the setting is in Afghanistan, it’s almost assumed that the novel is going to include the struggles of living in a warzone, and the effects it has on its citizens. The novel, however, is set in the past, as the main character/narrator currently lives in the United States. The entire novel is a recollection of his childhood in Afghanistan. When we learn that Baba, Amir’s father drives a "Black Ford Mustang – a car that drew envious looks everywhere because it was the same car Steve McQueen had driven in Bullitt, a film that played in one theater for six months", a little research shows that this movie played in the early 1970s. It should also be noted that this car is a showpiece, and helps portray Baba as a very wealthy businessman. 

2. 
a) The Kite: this symbolizes the friendship between Amir and Hassan. Flying Kites is something that the two children’s lives revolve around, as they are preparing for the major kite tournament that year. It is how they occupy their time, and it’s a manner of living in their lives. The kite is the last fond memory between Amir and Hassan, quickly followed by the attacking of Hassan.

b) Brass-Knuckles: Owned by Assef, which I believe to be in fear. Whenever Assef would meet with Hassan and Amir, he would be wearing the brass knuckles, ready to fight! The fear could be associated with the fact that they are living in a warzone, however, I think its related to a much deeper problem that we haven’t been shared yet.

C) The Slingshot: Used by Hassan to stand up to Assef (The man with the brass knuckles). This represents courage and devotion, as it isn’t easy for Hassan to go up against and fight Assef. Hassan also stands up for his friend Amir when he is picked on while walking home from school, a fight in which he gets a scratch on his face.

D) The Lamb: In Islamic culture lambs are a cultural significance and represent the sacrifice of an innoce.t Amir describes both Hassan and Sohrab as looking like lambs waiting to be slaughtered. Both Hassan and Sohrab are innocents who are figuratively sacrificed by being raped. The meanings may be different, but the core theme is disturbingly similar.