Amir sees Hassan as his servant and feels no need to treat him well. Around the same time, Baba got sick. The author, Khaled Hosseini, spends much more time on characterization than action in this section. Sorayas uncle. Alis leg was damaged by polio and his face paralyzed since birth, and Hassan was born with a cleft palate (a harelip, as Amir describes it). ", "Book Buzz: 'Kite Runner' celebrates 10th anniversary", "A Woman's Lot in Kabul, Lower Than a House Cat's", "Khaled Hosseini: 'If I could go back now, I'd take The Kite Runner apart', "Wrenching Tale by an Afghan Immigrant Strikes a Chord", "The Kite Runner: Is Redemption Truly Free? After Rahim Khan left to seek medical treatment in Pakistan, the Taliban showed up at Baba's house. Study Guide Questions The Kite Runner In San Francisco, Amir and Soraya bought a house and discovered they were infertile. Yet when Amir wrote his first short story and read it to Hassan, it was the latter who found the plot hole in the story. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Amir is born in Afghanistan and remains living there until the age of 18 when he emigrates to the USA with his father. [8] His editor, Cindy Spiegel, "helped him rework the last third of his manuscript", something she describes as relatively common for a first novel. Sanaubar was nineteen years younger than Ali, beautiful, and reputedly immoral. (one code per order). Hassan takes the blame because he loves Amir, and this unconditional love and willingness to sacrifice himself for those he loves are part of Hassans true nature. Continue to start your free trial. Erika Milvy from Salon praised it as "beautifully written, startling and heart wrenching". LitCharts Teacher Editions. Amir mixes his memories of Baba in with this information. Hed also have to reveal that the encounter occurred soon after Amirs mother had died. He is in many ways the stereotypical Afghan male, both in his roles as a father and husband. Sorayas father and a friend of Baba. He makes a point of buying Hassan exactly the same things as Amir, to Amir's annoyance. WebWhile traveling in a taxi with an Afghan native named Farid whom Rahim Khan put him in contact with, Amir struggles with his car sickness. Baba did not subscribe to popular belief, preferring to cast his own opinions about issues. He found him dying in the bathtub, having slit his wrists. Amir met an old beggar who was once a professor at the university alongside Amir's mother. Chapter 23 is divided into brief episodes, which indicate Amir's slipping in and out of consciousness. Among other injuries, Amir suffers from a ruptured spleen, seven broken ribs, a punctured lung, lacerations, and a fracture of the eye socket bone. (including. Among other injuries, Amir suffers from a ruptured spleen, seven broken ribs, a punctured lung, lacerations, and a fracture of the eye socket bone. After hours of searching he found him staring up at the city's big Shah Faisal mosque. 9. The Kite Runner Over the phone, Soraya told Amir her shameful secret. [34] Directed by Marc Forster and with a screenplay by David Benioff, the movie won numerous awards and was nominated for an Academy Award, the BAFTA Film Award, and the Critics Choice Award in 2008. When defeated kites fell out of the sky, boys chased them to try to bring them home as trophies. Complete your free account to request a guide. WebIn his fleeting moments of clarity, he sees a caretaker named Aisha, a doctor, and Farid-although he cannot remember names. Tempe, AZ 85281. www.asugammage.com. After all their years of marriage, he finally told her what he did to Hassan. Baba wished Amir was athletic and brave like him instead of cowardly and bookish. The orphanage director tells Amir how to find the official, and Farid secures an appointment at his home by claiming to have "personal business" with him. The soldier refers to Hassan as a Hazara, which we learn is a persecuted ethnic group in Afghanistan. The section additionally introduces the reader to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and the location of the events. A former mujahedin fighter, Farid is at first gruff and unfriendly. His rape is an early catalyst in the story, and even though he is not present in a significant portion of the novel, he plays a major role throughout. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. This is the first time Amir has stood up for Hassan, by saving his son. Not affiliated with Harvard College. The key is to a safe-deposit box that contains a significant amount of money that should cover Amir's expenses. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Once, while looking through history books, Amir discovered information on the Hazara. He has a chance to be forgiving of As children, Amir and Hassan would climb trees and use mirrors to reflect sunlight into a neighbors window, or they would shoot walnuts at the neighbors dog with a slingshot. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. This also represents a kind of unity between Pashtun and Hazara, a unity that is necessary if Afghanistan is ever to heal. Amir and Sohrab play cards to pass the time. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! | Amir takes us back to his childhood, in the final decades of the monarchy in Afghanistan. Want 100 or more? [23] Throughout the story, Amir craves his father's affection;[22] his father, in turn, loves Amir but favors Hassan,[20] going as far as to pay for plastic surgery to repair the latter's cleft lip. Chapters 1415. Discussion Questions 19-25 Farid was so enranged at the man that he tried to strangle him to death, but Amir intervened. Despite their differences, Amir and Hassan were inseparable. She can be strong-willed like her father, General Taheri, and deplores the way women are often treated in Afghan culture. Appropriately, he opens the novel in the present then quickly jumps back in time. [33], Four years after its publication, The Kite Runner was adapted as a motion picture starring Khalid Abdalla as Amir, Homayoun Ershadi as Baba, and Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada as Hassan. Why does Amir accept Soraya even after she tells him of her past? Hassan was actually the son of Sanaubar and Baba, making him Amir's half brother. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! The story is narrated from the year 2002. Hassan made sure that Sohrab was loved, literate, and great with a slingshot. Rahim Khan knew that if and when Amir returned with Sohrab, Amir would realize the lie and bring the boy to him. Amir was disgusted to see him teasing Hassan during the party. However, American authorities demand evidence of Sohrab's orphan status. Rahim Khan is dying and wishes to spend his last days alone, not raise Sohrab or explain his actions to Amir. [31], The film generated more controversy through the 30-second rape scene, with threats made against the child actors, who originated from Afghanistan. He was seriously ill and was living in Peshawar. Hassan is a successful "kite runner" for Amir; he knows where the kite will land without watching it. Also, in many ways Amir and Hassan act for each other as a kind of substitute parent, looking out for the other and providing companionship. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Amir learns only a few random facts about his mother from the man, but this is still more than Baba ever told him. It is a story set in a culture that has become of increasing interest to Americans since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The Kite Runner Chapter 23 on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Though nobody thought he would marry well because he wasnt from a prominent family, he married Amirs mother, Sofia Akrami, a beautiful, intelligent woman who came from a royal bloodline. Amir embarks on a successful career as a novelist. He said he hoped Amir would return to Afghanistan and that they would reunite. Rahim Khan asked Amir to go to Kabul and bring Sohrab back to Peshawar. As a child, Amir sometimes treats Hassan badly partly because of class distinctions. [28] Zekeria Ebrahimi, the 12-year-old actor who portrayed Amir, had to be removed from school after his Hazara classmates threatened to kill him,[32] and Paramount Pictures was eventually forced to relocate three of the children to the United Arab Emirates. [7] For example, he did not decide to make Amir and Hassan brothers until after he had "doodled it". In 1986 he went looking for Hassan and found him living in a small village with his pregnant wife, Farzana. General Taheris wife and Sorayas mother. This would cure some of Amirs guilt for betraying Hassan, and also help with the emptiness he feels for being unable to have a child. Hassan cried all night and in the morning, he and Farzana moved in with Rahim Khan. Amir flew into a rage and ran out of Rahim Khan's apartment. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. He had an innate sense of where a kite would land. 2. Soraya was very supportive and promised to call her cousin Sharif, who worked for the INS. In 1979, five years later, the Soviet Union militarily intervened in Afghanistan. Then one day Baba collapsed with seizures in the flea market; the cancer had spread to his brain and he did not have long to live. He believes it to be a fundamental part of who he is, and no matter how far he is in time or location from his childhood in Afghanistan, the events of that period are always with him. He agrees and the two marry. Sohrab is being kept at Assef's house as a dancing boy. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Where does Amir find Hassan and what is the conflict? $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Hassan did not want to come to Wazir Akbar Khan until Rahim Khan told him about Baba's death. After graduating from high school, Amir takes classes at San Jose State University to develop his writing skills. Having been "a fan of comic books since childhood", he was open to the idea, believing that The Kite Runner was a good candidate to be presented in a visual format. The period is December 2001, and our narrator, who tells his story in the first person, recalls an event that occurred in 1975, when he was twelve years old and growing up in Afghanistan. "[2][11] Regardless, he maintains that the plot is fictional. What has Rahim Khan really done by telling Amir that the Caldwells will take Sohrab when he knows that no such family exists? Why doesnt Amir help Hassan in the alley? Hassans wife and Sohrabs mother. [14] In 2013, Riverhead released the 10th anniversary edition with a new gold-rimmed cover and a foreword by Hosseini. 2. Amirs suspicions were true, and Rahim Khan did know of his betrayal, and asked him to save Sohrab in part to give Amir a way to redeem himself. Amir's closest friend, the harelipped Hassan, was also his servant and a Hazara. What would you have done if you were Amir? 20% Chapter 8-10 1. (including. Amirs died giving birth to him, and Hassans ran away after having him. Removing #book# He felt dirty and sinful from being abused. He has his own vulnerabilities, however, particularly regarding his mother. The Kite Runner Summary Hosseini has commented that he considers The Kite Runner to be a father-son relationship story, emphasizing the familial aspects of the narrative, an element that he continued to use in his later works. 10. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. "[9] It started appearing on best seller lists in September 2004 and became a New York Times bestseller in March 2005,[3] maintaining its place on the list for two years. Chapter 19 Summary While traveling in a taxi with an Afghan native named Farid whom Rahim Khan put him in contact with, He doesnt always listen to religious authorities either, evidenced by the fact that he disregarded Mullah Fatiullah Khan saying it is a sin to drink alcohol. . TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. WebBaba and Amir are in Fremont, California, where they have lived for nearly two years. Amir was furious; he told the general never to refer to Amir that way again. Rahim Khan asks our narrator, whose name is Amir, to come to Pakistan to see him. Assef is the main antagonist of the novel. Amir (named Amir Qadiri in 2007 film adaptation, surname is not given in book) is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. 11. Why does Amir ask Baba if he has seen Amirs new watch? I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me. But Amir heard Assef tell Hassan that he will let him keep the kite so it will remind him of the rape. Why does Amir sometimes treat Hassan badly in childhood? Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Since Baba likes soccer, Amir tries to like it as well, albeit unsuccessfully. Soraya is steady, intelligent, and always there for Amir when he needs her. A boy from Amirs and Hassans neighborhood. He also never lets anyones lack of belief in him stop him from accomplishing his goals. Amazingly, Amir won, and Hassan went to run the last kite for him. Discount, Discount Code Farid drove him there, but Amir went in alone. Baba wishes Amir were braver and stronger and that he could openly express his love for Hassan. In addition, not only does Amir take Sohrab in, but he tells him the truth about who Hassan is. What are Ali and Hassan's distinct physical characteristics? WebThe Kite Runner Chapter 24. This struggle is a conflict between the kind of man that Amir believes he is, and the kind of man that Baba is. Luckily, Amir and Baba managed to emigrate to the San Francisco area. Soon after, they noticed a green kite closing in on theirs. After Amir helps Sohrab win his first kite fight, Sohrab only gives a lopsided smile, but Amir takes it with all his heart as he runs the kite for Sohrab, saying, "For you, a thousand times over" like Hassan did many years ago. The novel is also available in a multi-CD audiobook read by the author. However, after finding the kite, Hassan encounters Assef in an alleyway. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! The last king of Afghanistan, who rules for 40 years. WebThe Kite Runner is the story of Amir, a Sunni Muslim, who struggles to find his place in the world because of the aftereffects and fallout from a series of traumatic childhood events. For Amir, America represented a fresh beginning, free of all his haunting memories of Hassan. for a group? Asnes, Tania. Baba was aloof and did not pay Amir much attention. Why does Amir want Hassan to hit him with pomegranates? Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. In the wake of what happened, Amir found it strange to hear people on the news and on the street talking about the cities of his childhood. Eventually, he received the good news that Sohrab was alive. Even after leaving the country, moving to America, marrying, and becoming a successful writer, he is unable to forget the incident. He had left Amir money in a safety deposit box, which the key would open. Assef came to the party and gave Amir a book about Hitler. Continue to start your free trial. From that point forward, he is driven by his feelings of guilt as he searches to find a way to redeem himself. Chapter 23. The Kite Runner Every other sin is a variation of theft. creating and saving your own notes as you read. [5] The book received the South African Boeke Prize in 2004. The play was produced at Arizona Theatre Company in 2009, Actor's Theatre of Louisville and Cleveland Play House in 2010, and The New Repertory Theatre of Watertown, Massachusetts in 2012. Thats because, for Amir, the past is not over. God help us all if Afghanistan ever falls into their hands, he says, after calling Mullah Fatiullah Khan and those like him self-righteous monkeys.. Baba forgave him immediately, but Hassan and Ali were too humiliated to stay. Why did Baba lie about Hassan being his son? The repetition of "clean down the middle" followed by the fragment "like a harelip" seems to indicate that readers will not or cannot make the connection on their own. When he did not, Sohrab put out his eye. [13] Marketing director Melissa Mytinger remarked, "It's simply an excellent story. WebThough people said he had no business sense, he became one of the most successful businessmen in the city. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Wahid's boys were malnourished and later that night, Amir heard one of his two wives complaining that he had given all the food to their guests. Want 100 or more? Among the refugees were Amir's schoolmate, Kamal, and his father. 30. Then he announced that he and Amir would fight to the death and none of his guards were to intervene. In the end, however, Babas guilt led him to do good. After his adoption, Sohrab refuses to interact with Amir or Soraya until Amir reminisces about Hassan and kites and shows off some of Hassan's tricks one day. Amir feels incredibly guilty but knows his cowardice would destroy any hopes for Baba's affections, so he keeps quiet about the incident. Amir is now beginning to positively act for good, like Baba did, to try and amend his past wrongs. Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs When Amir goes after Hassan he finds him in an alley, trapped by Assef, Wali, and Kamal. Why does Amir want Hassan to hit him with pomegranates? People experience their lives against the backdrop of their culture, and while Hosseini wisely steers clear of merely exoticizing Afghanistan as a monolithically foreign place, he does so much work to make his novel emotionally accessible to the American reader that there is almost no room, in the end, for us to consider for long what might differentiate Afghans and Americans. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Soraya moved in with Amir and Baba so they could spend his last days together. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. He explained that the Taliban had destroyed Afghanistan as they knew it and the people there were in grave danger. Farid and Amir went to a soccer game at Ghazi Stadium. WebThe Caldwell family doesn't exist. Baba says Amir is not like other boys, and he worries that if Amir cant stand up for himself as a child, he will not be able to do so as an adult. The Kite Runner Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Well-written, published at the 'right time' by an author who is both charming and thoughtful in his personal appearances for the book. Please wait while we process your payment. Many people attended Baba's funeral, each with a story of how Baba had helped them in Afghanistan. [20], The American Library Association reported that The Kite Runner was one of its most-challenged books of 2008, with multiple attempts to remove it from libraries due to its "offensive language, sexually explicit [content], and unsuit[ability for] age group. Amir's guilt intensified at the lavish thirteenth birthday party that Baba threw for him. (one code per order). Amir asks Baba if he has seen Amirs new watch as part of his plot to have Hassan sent away. The section also establishes a context for the information: Amir, our narrator, is an adult living in the United States and looking back on his childhood years in Afghanistan. He told Amir, "There is a way to be good again." The project is planned in a way that every person in the globe can take part in the workshops, social events and network building through online participation. Flying kites was a way to escape the horrific reality the two boys were living in. Afterwards, Amir keeps distant from Hassan; his feelings of guilt prevent him from interacting with the boy. Why does Amir want Hassan to leave Babas household? Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Baba and Amir are both healthy, but Ali and Hassan both suffer from problems affecting their faces. A nurse's assistant helps Amir walk around. The way the content is organized. Assef, an older boy with a sadistic taste for violence, regularly mocks Amir for socializing with a Hazara, whose members, according to him, belong only in Hazarajat. Later, however, he becomes instrumental in helping to get Sohrab into the United States. on 50-99 accounts. The Kite Runner This guilt, in fact, informs the entire narrative. Even though Amir has no desire to go back into the danger place, Kabul, he is willing. He found Hassan confronting Assef and his two friends in an alley. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. He pretended not to know what happened and did not tell Ali the truth when he asked. [3] Though the book sold well in hardback, "Kite Runner's popularity didn't really begin to soar until [2004] when the paperback edition came out, which is when book clubs began picking it up. 1200 South Forest Avenue. Amir, Farid, and Sohrab get a hotel room (it's much nicer than the dump in Kabul no bloodstains, clean towels, etc.). Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs $24.99 Sohrab helps Amir out of the house, where he passes out and wakes up in a hospital. He follows this recollection by telling us about a call he received last summer from a friend in Pakistan named Rahim Khan. Farid drove them away and Amir passed out. [8] Hosseini submitted copies to Esquire and The New Yorker, both of which rejected it. Farzana appears only briefly, but in that time she is portrayed as a loving mother. Finally, Rahim Khan tells Amir that the reason he has called Amir to Pakistan is to ask him to find and rescue Hassan's son, Sohrab, from an orphanage in Kabul. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. At the flea market, Amir fell in love with a young woman named Soraya Taheri. Miller, W.C. ed. [28] Afghanistan's Ministry of Culture banned the film from distribution in cinemas or DVD stores, citing the possibility that the movie's ethnically charged rape scene could incite racial violence within Afghanistan. Sohrab revealed that he was afraid God would punish him for what he did to Assef. Around the same time, the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, but new conflicts erupted. Assef represents all things wrong in Afghanistan. [9][11][19] As a child, Amir fails to save Hassan in an act of cowardice and afterwards suffers from an all-consuming guilt. But he worries his father does not see these as manly pursuits. Sometimes it can end up there. Teachers and parents! Wed love to have you back! One day he even suggested to Baba that they get new servants. Amir seeks information about her at various points in the novel. In fact, history is an important theme in the novel, and looking back on the past is a recurring motif. Amir noticed the smallest hint of a smile on Sohrab's face. Farid drove Amir to Baba's house, which had become decrepit and was occupied by the Taliban. Very soon after, Amir asked Baba to go khastegari, to ask for Soraya's hand in marriage. Baba is diagnosed with terminal cancer but is still capable of granting Amir one last favor: he asks Soraya's father's permission for Amir to marry her. Hassan was the best kite runner anyone had ever seen. Read more about the persistence of the past as a theme. He told Sohrab that Hassan was the best kite runner he had ever known and asked Sohrab if he wanted to fly the kite. The book mentions some of the derogatory names they are called, including mice-eating and flat-nosed, and says part of the reason for the animosity is because the Hazara are Shia Muslim while the Pashtuns are Sunni Muslim. Then he called in Sohrab and made him dance for them. He hid his wristwatch and money under Hassan and Ali's mattress. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link. Five days after Hassan was born, she ran away with a group of traveling performers.