The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

Part of the reason Amir did not stand up for Hassan, was because he cared too much about others opinions , especially his fathers. Amir was constantly tormented about what he thought his father thought of him, and tried relentlessly to do what he thought would make him proud. Part of the reason Amir left Hassan in that alley, was because he thought that by bringing the kite back, and winning the competition would make his father proud. Amir would do whatever he could to make his father proud, even if it came to such dramatic circumstances. Throughout the novel, Amir realises that his loyalty to his father should not influence his better judgement. He himself needs to know right from wrong, and act upon his morals. It is this fire within him that partially inspires him to protect Sohrab from Assef, because this time, he knows it’s the right thing to do. Secondly, although Baba is not very fatherly, he does teach Amir to be strong. Baba was never very fatherly to Amir, and certainly never coddled him. This forced Amir to learn to fend for himself a lot sooner than most children. Although it took some time for him to really grasp this fact, Baba did have an impact on how strong and passionate Amir turned out when he grew up. Amir describes Baba as a legend, stating, “Lore has it my father once wrestled a black bear in Baluchistan” with his

Amir’s cowardice led to guilt, which is why he searched for redemption the rest of his life. Baba states one of Amir’s major flaws, his cowardice, and Baba shows how much he values standing up for what is right. “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything” (22). Baba is reluctant to praise Amir because he feels Amir lacks the courage to stand up for himself, which leaves Amir constantly craving Baba’s approval. Amir is ashamed of not being the child Baba wanted, which leads to him feeling guilty. ¨After all, I had killed his beloved wife... The least I could have done was to have had the decency to have turned out a little more like him. But I hadn’t turned out like him. Not at all¨ (19). Amir is weak and a coward, whereas Baba is strong and will stand up for anybody. Amir’s fear shows again when Baba stands up for a woman who was threatened to be raped. “Do

“There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft... 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” (Hosseini, 2004). Though this quote by Khaled Hosseini is written concerning a situation in fictional story, The Kite Runner, the words still ring true in our lives. A large portion of our days consists of communication and interactions between one another at work, home, and social groups/events, even though a large part of those interactions are not pure. Lying is becoming more common in individuals of all age groups. In fact, it is estimated that individuals lie 1.65 times per day according to an article written by Gad Saad (2011), but why do we lie so often when we ultimately crave the truth, especially when the truth is a pivotal point in business decisions? In this paper we are going to investigate the types of lies people tell, why they tell them, the repercussions of their actions, and what human resources can do to help diminish this type of communication in the workplace.

The human body is built to attack infections, cuts, bruises, or bacterial cells as a way to repair the damages caused. The human mind, will not repair the damages by itself; it usually needs an outside source to heal. One outside source that could heal a mind is the act of forgiveness. In the novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir’s body could fix itself after the physical injuries Assef caused, but his mind took years to heal from guilt, if it ever did. It can put a guilty conscience at peace. Amir wished for his absolution, but it took decades to find it. “...it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws it’s way out...I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years” (1). Amir mishandled finding forgiveness in his childhood by treating Hassan and Ali badly, attempting to remove them from his house, demanding Hassan to throw a pomegranate at him and then as an adult, he found relief by being beaten by Assef and a sudden realization of tranquility.

In Islam, the pomegranate tree is a representation of beauty and it is said that those who eat from it will encounter a prosperous future. To contrast, Christians believe that the pomegranate tree embodies traits that are parallel to the end of the world. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini exemplifies the beauty as well as the inelegance of Amir and Hassan’s friendship through the symbol of the pomegranate tree. At the prosperous times of their friendship, the tree being lush and blooming paralleled their lives that were full of promise and companionship. As the novel progressed and their relationship soon diminished, the pomegranate tree was bare and failed to blossom corresponding with their non-existent friendship. The challenges of Amir and Hassan’s friendship contribute to the protagonist’s desire for redemption for the reason that Hassan’s adherence to Amir induces the protagonist’s resentment, Amir’s fear of external judgement creates a tense atmosphere, and finally their friendship is composed of themes that demonstrate their fluctuating relationship.

“People find meaning and redemption in the most unusual human connections.” (Khaled Hosseini) The wise man that spoke these words also wrote the book The Kite Runner. Hosseini wrote this eye opening book to create awareness of what life is like in the Middle East. Since September 11th there has been a lot of prejudices against Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent. This book does not only open ones eye to life in the Middle East but it also there was a pernicious act that changes the protagonist and not for the better. How often does one stop and think, "How will this affect everyone else in my life?" Amir is given that opportunity in the alley, to put Hassan first and change the path of both their lives. In the alley at that time

The imagery, styles and the concerns used in the novel foreshadows the rape scene that happened in the grand kite tournament of 1975 which sets a cycle of betrayal and redemption into motion, around which the story revolves. The rape scene represents the entire novel; it’s related to Amir’s life as he spends the whole novel dealing with the incident, which affects his entire life. It also symbolises the racism in Afghanistan, and how the country is dealing with such an issue, beauty of the Afghanistan is fading just like Hassan and Amir’s friendship.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a tragic tale of guilt and redemption. The book details the life of Amir as he wrestles with the guilt of seeing Hassan raped, and later redeems himself by helping Hassan’s son Sohrab cope with extreme abuse at the hands of Assef. While some would argue the main theme of the book is redemption, I believe that the theme is simple: the past does define us, but it is through the past that we find ultimate significance.

Connection is one of the most basic human needs that people require in order to live content and prosperous lives. It may not seem as vital in comparison to other primal needs such as sustenance or shelter, but it is absolutely essential in order to find the path to hope and happiness. In Khaled Hosseini’s book The Kite Runner, the author weaved a stirring tale of loyalty and betrayal, of how the bonds that bind could also easily be severed when one submits to fear and cowardice. The majority of this enthralling novel was focused on the main character Amir and his struggle to rein in the guilt he experienced after allowing his best friend Hassan to be raped. The book also revolved around Amir’s strained father-son relationship with Baba, his passion for writing which was only ever encouraged by Baba’s best friend, Rahim Khan and the gripping account of how he eventually ended up finding redemption for his past transgressions by saving the life of Sohrab, Hassan’s son. Throughout his life, Amir was heavily influenced by his relationships with Baba, Rahim Khan, Sohrab and Hassan, who all for better or worse, had a significant impact on the person he grew up to be.

‘Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in remembrance.’ -Richard von Weizsaecker

When Amir and Baba went to the lake one day when Baba had built the orphanage, Amir exclaimed, “he asked me to fetch Hassan too, but I lied and told him Hassan had the runs” (13). This associates the power Aamir wants in order to impress his father. Furthermore it embellishes the fact that Amirs quench for power over Hassan was growing since the beginning of the book, Hassan was always, “steps in to fend them off” (22), which made Amir feel weak and powerless. This enraged the evil that was brewing inside him, and created a dynamic of always wanting more. The power that came from Baba’s approval always came so easily to Hassan, However for Amir, he always went out of his way to be vengeful towards him. Hosseini depicts this constantly throughout his life, for example when he graduated highschool in California and Baba mentioned how good it would be to have Hassan there with them in the new car they had gotten, Amir said, “a pair of steel hands closed around my windpipe at the sound of Hassan's name” (134). Hosseini wants us to see that Amir is constantly wants that power over his father’s relationship with him, but Hassan always gets in the way of that. Even when Amir was doing an act of good to save Sohrab, he “hadn’t felt happy and [he] hadn’t felt better, not at all” (289). Amir began to laugh during the time that he

Symbology is defined as objects, characters, figures and colours use to represent abstract ideas or concepts (sparksnotes.com). For example the symbol of peace is merely a universal sign used in different communities for no war or hate. A symbol in literature brings out a characters personality and pinpoints their significance in the book. A symbol also grabs the reader’s attention which makes them think yet, keeps them in suspense at the same time. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, a miraculous writer that continuously throws foreshadowing and flashbacks at the reader, portrays the use of symbols in an extraordinary way. Therefore, In the Kite Runner symbolism is portrayed through the pomegranate tree, the flying kite and the cleft lip.

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is a novel about a young Pashtun boy, Amir, and his journey to seek redemption. The Kite Runner bounces between two settings. The story is narrated in 2001, in present day California and shifts back to Amir’s childhood in Kabul, Afghanistan around 1975. Amir was born into a lavish lifestyle with everything he could wish for, except for love, affection, and acceptance from his father, Baba. Ali and his son Hassan, of are servants to Baba and Amir. They are of the Hazara ethnicity. Throughout his childhood, Hassan was dedicated to being Amir 's best friend, they did everything together. One of the many things they did together was kite running.

Khaled Hosseini once said: “there are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.” Rape in Afghanistan is said to be an “epidemic,” but according to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of the term is “a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.” Rape in this country is viewed as something that is inevitable and cannot be stopped. Usually, rape also involves domestic violence, hence the reason they’re paired together. Contrary to common misconception, men are raped as well as women, especially children of both genders. In the Kite Runner, rape is a topic that is prevalent in and throughout the book. Bacha Bazi is even a part of the Kite Runner.

Behind every lie there is a portion of truth. This same principle is seen across authors. Many well respected novels have an underlying autobiography within them. For instance, renown author J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter saga based on a poor orphan. It is no coincidence that Ms. Rowling was also poor as she started writing the saga on napkins in coffee shops. This way of writing, however, is not unique to just J.K. Rowling. Khaled Hosseini also incorporates life experiences into some of his novels. A prime example of this is The Kite Runner. The storyline of this novel reflects his past to create a journey of a young Afghanistan boy, whose name is Amir. This boy changes drastically throughout his lifetime from a close minded, considerably arrogant boy to an open hearted and minded man. This emotional and mental trip is partially based on Khaled Hosseini’s own life. Throughout Hosseini’s lifetime he had the opportunity of living with a member of the Hazara ethnic group, a minority that has long suffered from discrimination in Afghanistan (Khaled Hosseini Biography). He taught the man, who was the family cook, to read and write. This act of kindness was also seen in the novel. Amir teaches his Hazara friend Hassan, who is the son of the family servant, to also read and write. In fact, Amir is depicted reading to Hassan on many occasions. The parallel between Khaled Hosseini and Amir is that they both open up and are willing to help these marginalized people despite the