American Literature

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini fulfills many universal themes that explore some of most fundamental issues of humanity, themes that are timeless and mostly familiar. Themes are universal that includes family relationship particularly father and son, inhumane realities of class system, the horrific brutalities of war, the life in America as an immigrant and the real meaning of friendship. Those themes will be perceived after you are being swept with the emotions caused by violence, human rights abuses, love, and redemption. It is a story that basically illustrates the realities of class struggle and Afghanistan s political turmoil and how it greatly affected the lives of those participants. The beauty of this novel and the acquisition of the humanistic insights lie in its characters and story telling. Moreover, it could be set to any kind of culture since it deals with the issues that are universal by which anybody can relate. The plots and twists enriched the characters especially the main protagonists Amir who assumed to be the novel s narrator.
Just by reading the title, a reader can tell that kites are the central symbolism of the novel. The kite symbolizes Amir s and Hassan s childhood memories during monarchical Afghanistan when they still have rich cultural heritage that deeply values tradition and cultural identity. Amir enjoys the unlimited opportunities, the luxury of education and material comfort. The book initially depicts the tension between the Afghanistan different ethnic groups. Amir, the narrator, started his story reminiscing the old days with Hassan, a Hazaran servant and playmate. A Hazaran is one of the ethnic groups in Afghanistan which during those times was considered a minority group that was known for being a servant. A Hazaran with limited opportunities due to discrimination often choose to be a servant thus illiterate. Hassan often receives judgment, persecution and discrimination from some upper class teenagers. Hassan was a servant to Amir yet a companion, a loyal friend, his protector and the one, aside from his Baba s friend, who truly appreciates Amir s gift in creating literature. But Amir and Hassan s sense of attachment and companionship was never considered and realized as friendship by neither Amir back then nor Baba who grew up with Hassan s father, Ali, before the generation.
Never mind those things they (Ali and Baba) share because history isn t easy to overcome. Neither a religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi a and nothing was ever going to change that. (Hosseini 2004, p. 25) Amir.
The friendship of Hassan and Amir primarily symbolizes one of the most debated issues until today- class struggle. Kites became a significant symbolism towards class struggles that greatly govern and dictate Hassan s and Amir s friendship. Even though Hassan shares the same excitement towards kite fighting and even though Hassan is obviously more skilled than Amir, he does not have actually have control over the kite. Hassan may be the one giving techniques and instructions and the one who helps Amir  lift and dive  but at the end it is Amir who claims victory. The kite always belongs to Amir. Their different race and origin automatically defines their role in kite flying. However, flying kites is an activity that brings them together and it allows them to momentarily escape their differences and enjoy a shared sense of attachment, exhilaration and most of all freedom.
The most remarkable part of Amir s life though is when he witness Hassan brutally raped by the upper class teenagers after running his kite. Amir who is being dominated by cowardice did nothing to save Hassan. Amir s childhood in Afghanistan continually haunts him when he failed to protect his loyal and angelic childhood friend Hassan from a savage assault after he was brutally raped by the upper class teenagers in a kite flight. Amir despite Hassan s loyalty did not manage to Amir s betrayal with Hassan sets his life with guilt and the desire to mend his soul. Amir with his deep guilt feeling made him very uncomfortable about what happened. Every time he sees Hassan and his father Ali who continually work with them faithfully reminds him of his cowardice so he selfishly finds a way to get rid of Hassan and his servant father from the house. Amir was subtly cruel to Hassan just as much as he values his friendship. Amir s guilt and realization from Hassan as a loyal friend lead him to the realization of what it means to be a friend, to be human person and ultimately the realization of the bitter realities of those who belong to the lower class.
    The political events and civil war that challenged Afghanistan that destroyed their country, their livelihood and their families  motivated immigrants, which were mostly Muslim to go to the United States and create a new life Amir and Baba were one of those immigrants who struggled to create a new life in America. Baba and Amir went to US because they can afford it but how about those who can not like Hassan and Ali They stayed there facing the civil war with no choice to escape especially with the painful persecution. They were weak and vulnerable with no means of fighting, no education and no sense of pride because of the constructed roles given to them. Worst there was no one to save them. This story also illustrates the life of the immigrants who escaped from their struggling nation who adjust from a different culture and political orientation. The political change and influence brought by the Soviet and the Taliban troops affected those who stayed and those who chose to leave the country. One of the painful consequences of the brutalities of war was the exploitation and destruction of one s tradition and culture (Nyrop, Seekins p.xxi).
    For Baba, Amir s father, United States will always be a foreign country where he can not fully express himself and where he can not fully explore his potentials. Afghanistan and its culture suit his character because he became rich and influential. For him, America s optimism and freedom of choice are far too much which do not conform to his social and cultural orientation. In America, due to multicultural and their feeling of superiority, Baba suffers humiliation and forced to work in a gas station in order to survive. America will never be a home for Baba. For Amir however, America is not only politically free but more importantly America is free of Hassan and his memories. He describes how America affects him like that of a flowing river that cleanse and frees. He willingly opens his wide arms to America from education to lifestyle though he still follows Afghan tradition in terms of courtship and continually creates literature about Afghan setting.
When Amir learned that Hassan is his half brother by which Baba concealed in the longest time up to his grave, his determination to redeem himself grew stronger. He decided to go back to Afghanistan to bring back and to free Sorab, Hassan s son, from the cruelties of Taliban. Amir promises to raise Sorab like his own son in America.  At the end of the novel, Amir is very willing to take all the injuries and pains on Sorab s behalf during kite flying. It was Amir who catches the kite for Sorab just like how Hassan does it for him back their childhood days. He realizes as well that the peaceful Afghanistan he had experienced before will no longer exist. Afghanistan is now dominated by war and terrorism. Amir does not suffer much just like his fellow Afghans who stayed and so he does not belong anymore.
Amir s inability to please and earn the love of his philanthropically generous but emotionally withholding father illustrates the never ending struggle of a son to please and reach the expectations of a father. Baba who demanded Amir to play soccer and kite flying, Baba who perceived Amir s love for books and literature unusual for a boy, Baba who was disappointed that Amir as a boy can not protect himself physically and Baba who as a father was so hopeless that his son can not be like him. They were two extremely individuals who were born with the same gender but different gifts and mind setting. That is part of humanity how parents and sons can not fully accept the individuality of each other that sometimes haunts them deeply for the rest of their lives. The hardest part though is how to face guilt and redemption. People with flaws, who experiences guilt and who recognize their imperfections unconsciously find ways on how to forgive themselves for redemption.
Sometimes, I think everything he your father did, feeding the poor on the     streets, building the orphanage, giving money to friends in need, it was all his     way of redeeming himself. And that, I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir     jan, when guilt leads to good (Hosseini 2004).
Baba is a representation of a typical father who came from the higher class. He anticipated too much from Amir forgetting the reality that his son has his own sense of individuality who finds his own way using his potentials, talents and free will. Baba though was aware of his imperfections but he coped up and faced it through doing good works for other people. His way of redemption benefited many people. For Amir however, redemption means forgiving oneself and accepting his chance to be good again. Rahim Khan tells Amir that there s A way to be good again