Themes: The Kite
Both Amir and Hassan have an interest in flying kites during their childhood. Living together until Amir moved to California with Baba, they often participated in many tournaments. Although their friendship is shared by a tight bond, their social statuses are polar opposites. Hassan and his father are servants for Amir and his dad, but Amir and Hassan both ignore (and don't realize) the fact that they are from different classes. When Amir and Hassan are flying kites, they are one unit and the fact they aren't the same is forgotten. Flying a kite requires the work of two people... Although they are one unit the social stratus is still evident in the pattern they fly kites in, Amir is the one who controls the kite while Hassan holds the string. Hassan "holds Amir's string" in a literal way too. He cleans dishes in his house and tends to his father at hand and foot. Amir controls what Hassan does in a way through his superiority and he often makes decisions for both of them. Amir is Hassan's master so Hassan often anticipates what to be told, just like he anticipates to be told what to do in kite flying contests. Amir is always praised for his achievement during the contests and Hassan isn't recognized for his participation. This foreshadows and relates to the event of Hassan's death, after Amir moves to California Hassan is unrecognized by his former friend and never is able to see him again. Hassan wrote Amir numerous times, but his letters never got to Amir until he traveled back to Afghanistan. Amir experiences sorrow and guilt that he never saw his kite flying parter again and regrets never trying to contact him.
Like Father Like Son, right???
Amir and Baba have an awkward relationship in the beginning of the novel. Amir is smart and enjoys literature, and is ashamed of himself at times thinking that Baba doesn't like his son and would rather have a more athletic and build kid who is interested in sports opposed to flying kites. Baba never compliments Amir on his achievements because doesn't understand why Amir isn't identical to him. He notices his father's disinterest with him after eavesdropping in on a conversation Baba is having with one of his best friends. "He's always buried in one of those books or shuffling around the house like he's lost in some dream... I wasn't like that. Baba sounded frustrated, almost angry." He gives up on Amir often and is too stubborn to realize Amir won't be like him if he doesn't even attempt to talk with him or start a simple conversation. Even though Baba never appeared fully dedicated to Amir, he was always there for advice relatable to life. "Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft... When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness... There is no act more wretched than stealing, Amir." Amir relied on this statement to guide him throughout his life and appreciated his father's words of wisdom, taking them to heart. Once he got older he came to have a better relationship with his dad and they lived together up until his death. The bond they shared was almost inseparable, and the rest of his life he relied on Baba's wisdom and honesty, up until he visits Afghanistan again, where he is told by a former friend that Hassan was his half brother. A secret kept by Baba throughout the entirety of his life, never once mentioned to Amir. After the immense shock and lengthy pondering, Amir realizes that Baba had lied to him the whole time and is unable to talk himself into forgiveness. The realization immediately turns into another realization, that Amir would have to become a father after agreeing to take in Hassan's orphaned son. He has no idea what to expect once he gets him, the child doesn't either. Sorhab is his name, he was named after a hero in a book Hassan and Amir used to read when they were kids. Amir has to go through the biggest obstacle of his life to obtain his soon to be adopted son, but it is worth it in the end, as he forgives Baba and realizes that his father's wisdom came in handy, and that love for a child may not be emotionally expressed but sometimes can just be held in for good reasons.
Farsi Terms used in The Novel
Balabu- "Boogey Man." This is a reoccurring statement to describe Ali, Hasssan's father, in the beginning of the novel. Some of the children make fun of Ali because he looks funny and walks with a limp due to polio. Ali, however, is the complete opposite of any sort of monstrosity in the book, tending to Baba and Amir's house and playing with Hassan and Amir.
Saratan- Cancer. Baba is affected with lung cancer when he and Amir move to California. Baba is stubborn, so he thinks he can make it through it without treatment and if he dies he's already lived his life to the fullest. Amir on the other hand, insists that he needs the treatment and wants his father to stay alive because they have become so close over the past few years. This correlates to the opposite mindsets of Baba and Amir, they think differently and view things differently.
Allah-u-Akbar- "God is Great." A prayer often said at a mosque, this is mentioned by Amir only a few times in the novel, but they both have major importance. Once is when Amir finds out Baba has been diagnosed, he goes into a room and recites prayers on a prayer rug. The next time is over fifteen years later when his half-nephew and soon to be adopted son stabs himself in the bathtub. While in shock at the hospital, he again finds a prayer rug and begins reciting prayers he barely remembers but reassures him of hope and confidence
Watan- Homeland. Amir grew up in a flourishing Afghanistan, filled with hope and an outlook for a bright future. He lived in a nice neighborhood with his best friend, his best friend's father, and his father. Amir and Hassan would often explore every day in the backyard and on hillsides full of lush green grass. When Amir and Baba move to America, the homeland he once trekked through with his best friend would be completely changed from the next time he'd see it. Once he returned he was rattled by his driver while heading to Kabul, the driver stated that Amir had never experienced the real Afghanistan filled with beggars and children on the streets and the threat of the Taliban. Either way everyone who grew up with Amir experienced a different Afghanistan than the one that he goes to during his return.
Hijabs- Scarves. Worn by women in the novel, a symbol of the diminishing rights of women in the middle east. Because the book is written through a man's perspective, the effects the Taliban had on women in Afghanistan isn't fully explained like it is in a Thousand Splendid Suns.
Balabu- "Boogey Man." This is a reoccurring statement to describe Ali, Hasssan's father, in the beginning of the novel. Some of the children make fun of Ali because he looks funny and walks with a limp due to polio. Ali, however, is the complete opposite of any sort of monstrosity in the book, tending to Baba and Amir's house and playing with Hassan and Amir.
Saratan- Cancer. Baba is affected with lung cancer when he and Amir move to California. Baba is stubborn, so he thinks he can make it through it without treatment and if he dies he's already lived his life to the fullest. Amir on the other hand, insists that he needs the treatment and wants his father to stay alive because they have become so close over the past few years. This correlates to the opposite mindsets of Baba and Amir, they think differently and view things differently.
Allah-u-Akbar- "God is Great." A prayer often said at a mosque, this is mentioned by Amir only a few times in the novel, but they both have major importance. Once is when Amir finds out Baba has been diagnosed, he goes into a room and recites prayers on a prayer rug. The next time is over fifteen years later when his half-nephew and soon to be adopted son stabs himself in the bathtub. While in shock at the hospital, he again finds a prayer rug and begins reciting prayers he barely remembers but reassures him of hope and confidence
Watan- Homeland. Amir grew up in a flourishing Afghanistan, filled with hope and an outlook for a bright future. He lived in a nice neighborhood with his best friend, his best friend's father, and his father. Amir and Hassan would often explore every day in the backyard and on hillsides full of lush green grass. When Amir and Baba move to America, the homeland he once trekked through with his best friend would be completely changed from the next time he'd see it. Once he returned he was rattled by his driver while heading to Kabul, the driver stated that Amir had never experienced the real Afghanistan filled with beggars and children on the streets and the threat of the Taliban. Either way everyone who grew up with Amir experienced a different Afghanistan than the one that he goes to during his return.
Hijabs- Scarves. Worn by women in the novel, a symbol of the diminishing rights of women in the middle east. Because the book is written through a man's perspective, the effects the Taliban had on women in Afghanistan isn't fully explained like it is in a Thousand Splendid Suns.
"Below My Feet"
You were cold as the blood through your bones
And the light which led us from our chosen homes
Well I was lost
And now I sleep
Sleep the hours and that I can't weep
When all I knew was steeped in blackened holes
I was lost
Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
And I was still
I was under your spell
When I was told by Jesus all was well
So all must be well
Just give me time
You know your desires and mine
So wrap my flesh in ivy and in twine
For I must be well
Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Oh keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Oh keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
You were cold as the blood through your bones
And the light which led us from our chosen homes
Well I was lost
And now I sleep
Sleep the hours and that I can't weep
When all I knew was steeped in blackened holes
I was lost
Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
And I was still
I was under your spell
When I was told by Jesus all was well
So all must be well
Just give me time
You know your desires and mine
So wrap my flesh in ivy and in twine
For I must be well
Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Oh keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Oh keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
This song is about not giving up hope when you think all hope is lost, even when you have been through every kind of hardship. Amir went through many hardships throughout his life. When Baba died, he felt lost in the world he lived in and had to rely on his wife and in-law's persistent encouragement to help lift him up. When he travels to Afghanistan and the realization hits him that Hassan wrote him letters and died without ever seeing again hurts him, but he perseveres through it. When he's about to take home Hassan's son back to America and Sorhab tries to kill himself, he feels hopeless, and realizes his hands could have prevented the death of two of his closest companion's death, his childhood best friend and his childhood best friend's blood. But he never gave up and the light at the end of the tunnel arose at the end of the novel when he takes Sorhab back to America and he discovers his nephew shares the same interest as Amir and Hassan did; kites. Amir is the new Kite Runner and he passes it on to his best friends son.
Amir and Baba compared to Mariam and Laila
The relationship between father and son and mother and daughter are prominent throughout both books. When Baba dies, Amir is shocked and disgruntled. He realizes that Baba had lied to him his entire life, hiding from Amir that his best friend was his brother. His forgiveness though eventually returns when he adopts Hassan's orphaned son. He and his wife had attempted having a child for years but never could. Bringing Sorhab into his life made him step into Baba's shoes and realize the difficulties of becoming a father. Sorhab wouldn't speak to Amir, just like Amir wouldn't speak to Baba when he was younger because he was afraid of how his father will react. The book concludes with Sorhab and Amir discovering they share a similar interest and bonding as a father and son. Mariam was never able to have a daughter. But when Laila came into her life it was basically like the daughter she never had appeared at her doorstep. At first they didn't get along, just like Baba and Amir. They eventually sorted out their differences and worked together when struggling through life. Mariam never had the joy of raising a child, and Laila's parents died when she was young, so the benefits were mutual. Laila's children were joy in Mariam's life as well, as she could share the experiences of raising young children and making the ultimate sacrifice for them as well.
The relationship between father and son and mother and daughter are prominent throughout both books. When Baba dies, Amir is shocked and disgruntled. He realizes that Baba had lied to him his entire life, hiding from Amir that his best friend was his brother. His forgiveness though eventually returns when he adopts Hassan's orphaned son. He and his wife had attempted having a child for years but never could. Bringing Sorhab into his life made him step into Baba's shoes and realize the difficulties of becoming a father. Sorhab wouldn't speak to Amir, just like Amir wouldn't speak to Baba when he was younger because he was afraid of how his father will react. The book concludes with Sorhab and Amir discovering they share a similar interest and bonding as a father and son. Mariam was never able to have a daughter. But when Laila came into her life it was basically like the daughter she never had appeared at her doorstep. At first they didn't get along, just like Baba and Amir. They eventually sorted out their differences and worked together when struggling through life. Mariam never had the joy of raising a child, and Laila's parents died when she was young, so the benefits were mutual. Laila's children were joy in Mariam's life as well, as she could share the experiences of raising young children and making the ultimate sacrifice for them as well.