Book Review of the Kite runner
“Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof we spoke our first words. Mine was baba. His was Amir. My name. Looking back on it now, I think the foundations of what happened in the winters of 1975 – and all that followed – was already laid in those first words” - The Kite Runner, page 11
Using the simplest words and language possible, Khalid Hosseini paints a realistic picture of an Afghanistan without Taliban, where we travel through crowded streets and climb tall trees along with Amir and Hassan , the two principal characters of the book. The themes dealt with in this book are universal: the horrific realities of war, the relationships between father and son, jealousy and betrayal among friends, the unforgiving caste system and above all redemption.
Being an upper class Pashtun, Amir’s earliest memories are those of a life of luxury, education, physical comfort and a playmate who constantly supports him in the form of the son of his father’s longtime Hazara servant, Hassan. However, what Amir really yearns for is the approval of his father which he wishes to do so by winning the local kite flying tournament. Hassan agrees to help him saying, “For you, a thousand times over”, not knowing how that fateful day was going to change their lives forever and that his Amir was going to fail him.
This first failure in the form of betrayal rages on as an inner conflict inside Amir, even when he lives in America, until he is requested to return to his homeland by an old family friend. This inner conflict is the underlying theme of the book which spans form the peaceful 70s to the violent 90s when almost all of Afghanistan has been subjugated by the Taliban.
Another point that the author probably wants to draw attention to is the dilemmas faced by migrants from Afghanistan to America. While Amir and his father reside comfortably in U.S.A, their homeland is destroyed by almost constant warfare. It is then we realize the immense irony in the title of the book; the childhood innocence in “kite running” can no longer be found in the battle hardened children of Afghanistan: “There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but no childhood”.
The ending of the book is written in powerful yet unbelievably simple words. It displays the immense capacity of kindness in the human race; the power of love to heal all the wounds that life has given and that it is only by committing mistakes we become the men that we are supposed to be and by seeking forgiveness for such mistakes we discover the childlike joy in “ kite running”.
Prathamesh Kumar
2009EE20452
"For you a thousand times over"
ReplyDeleteEven now after having read so many other novels, I classify Kite Runner as a seperate genre. The novel has a soothing as well as troubling effect consistently, and as the reviewer states rightly focuses on a plethora of themes, but the one which associates with the reader most closely is of course "redemption".
Although the world of course looks Afghanis in a very negative light after the 9/11 attacks, especially Indians, Hosseini reflects the distressed situation of his country in such manner, that it results in pathos. After reading it, probably you would know more about Afghan caste system than our own Indian caste system- about Pashtuns, and the suppressed Hazaras.
The mental backlog in the religion of Islam is implicit, although there are no provocations explicitly criticizing. The novel is a first-person narration by Amir, and the author has used it to the best possible manner, letting the reader know his emotions, which form the crux of the story. Kite Runner can perhaps be viewed as a buildungsroman, if seen from Amir's point of view and noticing how his thoughts and even their pattern change over the years, from when he was a jealous kid to a merciful grown-up man.
The poor condition of women in the society is reflected numerous times, evoking disgust and sometimes the revolutionary feeling of getting up from seats to do something about it. Another strong character is Baba's, who despite his huge respect in society stands up to give away his life to a Soviet soldier, who demanded sexual favors of a Muslim woman. He is also a reflection of family ties, good decision-making and at times, diaspora and at times even orthodoxy.
Hasan is more than a character. He is the silent voice of the suppressed Hazaras, who devotes his life to Amir, despite deception with an unending fate to protect "his master" Amir. Hasan is a symbolism of unconditional sacrifice, and his brutal killing is a reflection of how Taliban has over-taken innocence in the land of Afghanistan.
The ending is neither, happy or sad, just optimistic. Hosseini has succesfully made the best possible use of his English vocabulary to depict complex emotions, ending with a masterpiece, which is simple yet highly powerful.
Siddharth Bhattacharya
2008MT50461
Group-1
http://messingtheunmessed.blogspot.com/2009/05/kite-runner.html