Kite runners chase the last kite of a tournament, a coveted trophy. In the wintertime in Kabul, neighborhood children compete in a kite fighting tournament wherein kite fighters position their glass string to cut rival kites out of the sky. This encounter begins a cycle of violence that cascades through the novel, spanning out into their adult lives. When Amir runs afoul of Assef, a blond, blue-eyed Pashtun, Hassan appears from behind Amir with his slingshot and threatens to take Assef’s left eye if he does not leave them alone. Although they exist in separate strata of society, the two are inseparable. Hassan is an ethnic Hazara and a Shi’a Muslim, while Amir, the protagonist, is Pashtun. Although they do not know it when the narrative begins, Amir and Hassan are half-brothers by the same father, Baba, who lied to hide a secret affair he had with his servant’s wife. The narrative follows two friends, Amir-who narrates in the first person-and Hassan. Framed as a story of fathers and sons, the novel explores the region’s turbulent history of ground wars following the fall of the monarchy through to the Taliban control, illustrating and defining the lives of Afghani people interrupted by war. In The Kite Runner, Hosseini uses his intimate knowledge of the culture, its customs, and its people to break down stereotypical depictions of Afghanistan in Western media.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |