Does This Novel Deserve Literary Merit?

            After completing The Kite Runner, I was able to reflect on the literary merit of the novel.  This novel is worthy of having literary merit and being studied in an AP class due to the stylistic techniques and consistencies throughout the book.  For example, the first part of the novel focused on Amir looking back on his childhood and seeing the mistakes he made.  In this portion, traditional Farsi language was dropped into the dialogue focused the reader’s attention on the culture differences.  The difference that stuck out the most to me when Amir is reflecting on his childhood is the idea of family trust, reliance, and helping the group.  The idea of servants was common at this time in Afghan culture, which is a sharp contrast from how life in America was.  Not only was life with servants different, this novel gave a different perspective on father-son relationships and how they stack up compared to American father-son relationships (which we have previously studied).  These distinct differences between Afghan culture and American culture showed how not only does the author’s unique stylistic approach prove to be worthy of literary merit, but should also be recognized for its cultural merit. 

            The Kite Runner will not only help me think about the world from a different cultural perspective, it will help me in my academics, especially on the AP exam.  This novel would help me on the AP exam because it has straightforward human connections and motifs that are easy to identify and analyze for a free response question.  Although this novel would be extremely helpful for the AP exam this May, I would not suggest this novel to be added to the curriculum.  I would not suggest the novel because compared to other books we have read as part of the curriculum, there wouldn’t be much controversy in discussions.  The author writes the novel at an elevated level, but finding motifs, symbols, and themes of the novel are easy to identify.  Instead of The Kite Runner, I would suggest novels that had more hidden symbolism so that the class could analyze the novel together.  This book is a great free-choice book where a student can analyze the entire book on their own. 

Family Extensions, Sacrifices, and Acceptance

This week I finished The Kite Runner, and it was an emotional rollercoaster.  This novel was able to incorporate social, family, and religious conflicts.  All three of these conflicts helped the novel become more complex when discussing how Afghanistan used to be versus how it is now.  Khaled Hosseini’s writing was beautifully executed, ensuring that when the reader finished the novel, they are able to have a better understanding of Afghan customs and how different Afghan and American cultures are. 

Not only did I feel that I was more educated about life in Afghanistan, I was able to see the bonds that are made when family matters above all else.  This was shown when Amir takes Sohrab under his wing and is able to keep him out of the orphanages and that Amir has “a way to be good again” just like his father (310 Hosseini).  By caring for Sohrab like his own son, he is able to be the father figure that Sohrab needs, even if he is a quiet child.  By refusing to give up and holding “him tightly, and rock[ing] him back and forth” Amir is able to show Sohrab that he is a trustworthy figure and would only do what is in the best interest of Sohrab (342 Hosseini).  The development of Amir becoming the caretaker shows the reader how much Amir has grown from his beliefs as a child when he only thought of himself and not others.  Now, Amir thinks about how his actions affect Sohrab as well as his wife.  

Hosseini’s focus on the family and religious values led the novel to develop the idea of how we see the world from a western standpoint, and if we are categorizing harshly, not understanding the situation before making a judgment.  This novel was written shortly after the tragedy of 9/11, which I think, drove a lot of discussion about Afghan culture.  This discussion showed the development of how we view Afghanistan from actual accounts versus the media.  When Amir traveled back to Afghanistan, he is shocked about how different the country is from how the media described in America.  The very apparent differences in media description versus how a conflict is lends to how accurately we “understand” different conflicts around the world.

This idea of media corruption as well as the focus on father-son relationships has both been addressed in other novels we have read throughout the class.  The idea of media corruption in Fahrenheit 451 and the focus on father-son relationships has been focused on in The Song of Solomon.  The most prominent line on the bond that he has created with Sohrab was on the last page when Amir goes to run the kite that Sohrab and him have cut, and says the line “For you, a thousand times over!”  (371 Hosseini).  This line brought the novel full circle form when Amir and Hassan were little boys to when Amir was a father figure to his nephew, Hassan’s son, Sohrab. 

Khaled Hosseini's Style and How it Affects Amir's Journey Back to Afghanistan

I have just finished about three-quarters of the novel, and the tensions in Afghanistan have heated up since Amir’s return.  The author, Khaled Hosseini, presents the conflict in this novel and the sense of urgency clearly through word choice and sentence structure when Rahim is telling Amir about how Afghanistan has changed.  

The extensive use of intricate details is a stylistic choice used by the author in this section of the novel in order to show the reader how much Amir needed to know about the new challenging lifestyle of Afghans.  Rahim Khan explains each important event of the past twenty years in utmost detail, hoping for Amir to feel that he was in Afghanistan when the events occurred.  Rahim Khan’s description of Hassan’s first child is extremely in depth, almost as if Rahim is trying to make Amir feel that he was there with them when “Hassan kissed the baby’s lifeless face, and we buried her in the backyard, near the sweetbrier bushes” (Hosseini 209).  Rahim wants to make Amir feel that even though he left Afghanistan, he is always welcomed back and in those twenty years he was gone but not forgotten. 

Hosseini uses very few words when trying to describe a powerful scene.  For example, when Amir is in shock once he hears about Hassan’s death all he says is “’No.  No.  No’ over and over again” (Hosseini 218).  By repeating the word no, the reader was able to feel the heartbreak that Amir feels when he hears that his half-brother is dead.  Hosseini’s careful placement of word choice especially at conflicting parts of the story helps the readers feel the emotions that the characters are feeling.    

            Not only does the author excessively pay attention to small details, he also incorporates Afghani words into the novel, specifically the dialogue.  For example, when the reader assumes that the conversation between Rahim Khan and Amir is in English, a Farsi word is dropped into conversation occasionally.  The subtle use of Farsi language in the novel is used to show that no matter what, the culture Amir was raised with is of utmost importance and that he was always see Afghanistan as his home, even though he does live in America.  Words such as “jan” are placed following ones name to show that they are good friends, family, and that they respect one another as loved ones.  Other words are slipped into conversation such as “Tashakor” meaning thank you and “Salaam” meaning hello, show how the author is trying to show the reader a glimpse of traditional Afghan culture by not only telling a story of Afghan life, but through their traditional Farsi language. 

             Khaled Hosseini has made his writing style unique and easy for a reader to appreciate.  Hosseini definitely showed his audience the gift he has for writing.  His style of writing keeps his readers on the edge of their seats, quickly turning the pages of the book hoping to find out what comes next!

Afghan v. American Cultural Norms

            Over the past week, I have read another portion of the book and am at the halfway point.  Journeys have been made and deaths have occurred in this section.  I noticed that the author focused the second quarter of the novel on the Afghan customs versus the American customs.  Amir and his father migrate to the United States and are living in Freemont, California as U.S. citizens.  However, Baba passed away due to lung cancer shortly after Amir got married to another Afghan, Soraya.  Amir and Baba stay true to Afghan customs in California, which made it easy for them to reconnect with other Afghans in the area.  Throughout this section, how they view trustworthiness and forgiveness struck me the most as cultural differences.  The opinions on these three cultural values show how difficult it is to assimilate into a new country. 

            Shortly after arriving in America, Baba saw how America was not seen as trustworthy as Afghanistan when writing a check to store clerk to buy fruit.  While handing over the check, the clerk asks for an ID from Baba, which makes Baba explode with rage shouting, “What kind of a country is this?  No one trusts anybody!”  (Hosseini 128).  This incident is a great example that captures the differences in American trust and security.  As a country, the United States wants to ensure that everyone is who he or she says they are and check that with identification.  Although you could be going to the same store for years, clerks still check identification because there can be no special treatment for loyalty to a store.  This confuses Baba because he is used to the Afghan lifestyle where everyone trusts everyone and credit cards are made out of branches, with cuts in the branch to mark transactions.  America finds it difficult to trust others because of the national threats and terrorist attacks on our soil in the past.

            The motto in America for forgiveness is that if you make a mistake, you can do everything in your power to fix it, and if not, everyone makes mistakes at some point in their lifetime.  “America was different.  America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past.  I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far” (Hosseini 136).  America is a clean slate for Amir, letting him remember his wrongdoings in Afghanistan, but allows him to move on.  America is forgiving of the past, which is necessary for him to make a new lifestyle for himself in this country.  Amir knows that in Afghan culture, once a sin is committed, the sin stays with you forever.  I think that leaving Afghanistan and migrating to America was the best decision for Baba and Amir.  Now not only are they safe, but Amir can finally build the life he wants and become a writer.  Amir was struggling a lot with facing Hassan after knowing what happened to him; Amir needed a fresh start in order to start this new chapter of his life as a mature adult. 

            Afghan moral values when compared to the traditional American values were very interesting when looking at how all of these values were packaged together to shape Amir in the novel.  Since Amir successfully connected Afghan and American values together, he is able to be a traditional Afghan husband, but also is understanding and follows the American values of his wife being seen as an equal. 

            The novel’s connections between Afghanistan and the United States are very interesting and I am interested in how the rest of the novel turns out.  So far so good!

Father-Son Relationships and Brotherly Bonds

This week, I began reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This novel focuses on modern day life in Afghanistan and the story is told through the interactions between five characters: Baba, Amir, Hassan, Ali, and Rahim Khan.  I wanted this first blog post to focus on who the key characters are in the novel, setting the base for the rest of my posts about this book.

Baba is the father of Amir and in the district he is known as a businessman.  When Amir begins to show an interest in kite fighting and running, Baba also gains interest because he feels that this is the only way to connect to his son.  “Baba would buy us each three identical kites and spools of glass string.”  Baba’s interest in kite fighting is only due to his son’s interest in the sport, and feels that kites is the only way to connect to him.  Baba’s character brings up the question of if parents are too focused on what can be measured success of their child over their child’s happiness?  I’m hoping that as I continue to read, Baba’s parenting style changes as his child’s attitude and interests change.

            Amir is the son of Baba and the main character of the novel.  Currently, Amir is a child that is about twelve years old, and acts as if he is brothers with his servant’s son, Hassan.  Amir’s true personality shines through when he is unable to support Hassan, and "ran because [he] was a coward.”  When Amir chooses to be a bystander and not do anything to help Hassan, who is the closest person he has to a brother, it shows where Amir’s priorities truly lie.  Depending on his actions to protect Hassan and stand as an individual or go along with a group will decide Amir’s personality and true priorities.

            Hassan has also been going through a difficult time trying to balance being Amir’s servant as well as his friend.  In the first five pages, the reader notices that Hassan is so loyal that from Amir’s perspective that “he wouldn’t deny [him]” of anything.  Hassan’s unwavering support is clearly shown during the winter when the two of them are a team for kite fighting and running.  Once Amir cuts the last kite, Hassan runs to go and catch the kite “for [Amir] a thousand times over!”  The need to please Amir shows how loyal he is.  Hassan proves his loyalty to Amir time and time again, yet, Amir does not reciprocate his feelings.

Ali is the father of Hassan, while he is a father he is also a servant to Baba and his family.  When Ali was a young child he was an orphan, since he had no place to go and no parents to raise him, Baba’s father adopts Hassan.  Ali is raised with Baba and has the same relationship their sons have with each other.  The brotherly bond between Ali and Baba is strong, but unspoken.  Ali and his son are practicing Shi’a Muslims as well as Hazaras, which is the minority currently in Afghanistan.  Ali has been with Baba and in his family for over forty years, and Baba’s father “loved Ali like his own son.”

Rahim Khan is Baba’s best friend and his business partner. Rahim shows his support for Baba as well as Amir by offering to “hear any story [Amir has] to tell. Bravo.”  Amir shows Amir that Rahim will support his interests, even if they are not his interests as well.  From my perspective, Rahim is the father that Amir has been looking for because he genuinely supports Amir.  I think that many readers will enjoy Rahim’s character throughout the novel because he is Amir’s outsource to having someone to turn to when he needs the traditional model of a father.