The Kite Runner: A Book Review

Khaled Hosseini’s (2003) The Kite Runner deeply explores betrayal, guilt and quest for redemption. At the same time, the publication of this novel has also drawn global attention to Afghanistan and the Taliban. The story takes place from the 1970s to the early 2000s, with Afghanistan, the United States and the Soviet-Afghan War as the background settings. Amir’s journey – from shame and betrayal to redemption – demonstrates that true growth comes from bravely confronting our past and striving to remedy our faults.

The Kite Runner tells the complex story of the friendship between the protagonist, Amir, and his loyal servant and best friend, Hassan. The story begins in Kabul where Amir wins a kite-fighting competition. Hassan runs to collect the last cut kite for Amir. However, he is brutally raped by a local bully named Assef. Amir witnesses the assault but is too afraid to help. Amir feels shame and guilt. He begins to distance himself from Hassan and ultimately frames him for theft, which causes Hassan and his father, Ali, to leave Amir’s house. This betrayal stays with Amir throughout his life. Later, Amir and his father flee Afghanistan for the United States during the war. Years later, Amir returns to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, seeking redemption for his past cowardice. The novel not only explores themes of friendship, betrayal, guilt and redemption, but also demonstrates that great brilliance is hidden in human weakness. This is clearly shown through Amir’s growth and transformation from selfishness to selflessness. Additionally, the story also highlights the challenging social conditions and difficult lives of people living in Afghanistan.

The characterization of The Kite Runner is very successful. The author skillfully creates Amir as a well-rounded and complex character, and his internal conflict in emotion drives the novel’s development. Especially, when it comes to describing his feelings of shame and betrayal. Amir selfishly sacrifices Hassan as the price to earn his father’s love: “Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 85). After Amir “lets” Hassan be assaulted by Assef, he is too afraid to face him “in the fading light”, confessing that “I was grateful for the early-evening shadows that fell on Hassan's face and concealed mine. I was glad I didn't have to return his gaze” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 86). Later, after a small party, when everyone is asleep, Amir quietly whispers to himself, “I watched Hassan get raped” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 93). He wants to admit his betrayal and make a confession, but lacks the courage to do so. To ease his guilt, he tries to get punishment from Hassan by provoking Hassan to hit him. None of these attempts work, and it seems the only way left is to forget about it. Eventually, Amir frames Hassan for stealing his money and watch, trying to get him out of the family. Through Hosseini’s writing, Amir becomes a living, breathing person with real and complex humanity. Moreover, the author also reveals various forms of human weakness and selfishness by characterizing Amir successfully.

The theme of redemption is central to The Kite Runner. The author brings his understanding of redemption through a letter from Rahim Khan, a friend of Amir’s father, in which he says, “And that, I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to good.” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 326). As an adult, Amir feels deeply guilty for betraying Hassan during childhood, and this guilt becomes the driving force for his quest for redemption. Initially, when Rahim asks Amir to return to Kabul, Amir is afraid of war, the Taliban, and losing his beautiful life in America: “I can’t go to Kabul, I had said to Rahim Khan. I have a wife in America, a home, a career, and a family” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 244). However, a line from Rahim keeps rising in Amir’s mind: “There is a way to be good again” (Hosseini, 2003, pp. 2, 207, 245), which acts just like a call for redemption within Amir’s heart. Ultimately, Amir bravely returns to the war-torn Kabul to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab. I agree with the author’s view that before truly going on the path of redemption, we must go through many inner struggles, following our conscience is one of the essential steps in this process. 

The road to redemption is not easy and demands a price, sometimes including even physical suffering. For example, when Amir returns to Kabul to rescue Sohrab, he confronts Assef and nearly loses his life. He reflects on his injuries: “I thought about what had happened to me. Ruptured spleen. Broken teeth. Punctured lung. Busted eye socket” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 321). Here, the author uses a powerful and touching metaphor: during the struggle, Amir gets a scar that is similar to Hassan’s, and the scar here symbolizes that he is taking on the burden of his past wrongs. Though the journey is filled with pain and sacrifice, Amir ultimately finds a sense of inner peace and redemption, and he is truly free, as he states, “My body was broken - just how badly I wouldn't find out until later - but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 321). 

Additionally, the author also cleverly uses the “kite” as a symbol that runs throughout the entire story. At first, the kite represents the connection between Amir and Hassan — Hassan is willing to chase the kite for Amir countless times: “For you a thousand times over!” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 73). However, the kite also becomes the trigger for the rupture of their friendship. At the end of the story, the most touching moment of the novel, Amir flies a kite together with Sohrab, with Amir repeating the phrase, “For you a thousand times over” (Hosseini, 2003, p. 401), to Sohrab, symbolizing that Amir will follow Hassan’s footsteps and be Sohrab’s lifelong protector, and that he has finally begun to achieve true redemption and make amends for his past mistakes. 

As I mentioned at the beginning, this novel has drawn public attention to Afghanistan and the Taliban. Published in 2003, over two decades ago, it remains relevant today as the Taliban continue to control and torture the people of Afghanistan. This reality truly calls for our reflection, reminding us to cherish and strive to maintain the peace in our society. That is why I agree with the author Edward Hower (2003), who notes that The Kite Runner is an “engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence – forces that continue to threaten them even today”. Additionally, I truly realized that the unrest in Afghanistan is not merely a matter of internal strife but also the result of direct and indirect involvement by different countries worldwide. This is what the reporter Amelia Hill (2003) writes about Afghanistan's horrible history: “Over the last three decades, Afghanistan has been ceaselessly battered by Communist rule, Soviet occupation, the Mujahideen and a democracy that became a rule of terror. It is a history that can intimidate and exhaust an outsider's attempts to understand.” I cannot believe that this country has become a battleground for the global powers. Moreover, I also feel that this novel not only expands my interest in understanding the situation in Afghanistan but also increases my sympathy for the people living there. I truly hope the world can come together to help Afghanistan restore peace. Therefore, I totally agree with CharlieB (2014), who reviews the book in The Guardian: “it offers a small sense of hope for both the future of its characters, and perhaps for war-torn Afghanistan as well.”

In conclusion, The Kite Runner is a novel that successfully helps global readers understand Afghanistan’s cultural, religious, and political complexities. As redemption is the core of this novel, it delineates much more than Amir’s personal journey. On the road to redemption, Amir truly grows and transforms from being selfish to selfless. This moment also calls for global powers to reflect on themselves: what is their own path to redemption? Afghanistan is still waiting.

References

CharlieB. (2014, July 30) . “The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini”. The Guardian. 

Hill, A. (2003, September 7). “An Afghan hounded by his past”. The Guardian.

Hosseini, K. (2003). The Kite Runner. Riverhead Books.

Hower, E. (2003, August) . “The Servant”. The New York Times.

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