Character list:

Amir- The narrator and the protagonist of the story. Amir is the sensitive and intelligent son of a well-to-do
businessman in Kabul.
Hassan- Amir’s best friend and half-brother as well as a servant of Baba’s. Hassan proves himself a loyal friend
to Ami
Baba- Father of Amir and Hassan and a wealthy, well-respected businessman
Ali- Acting father to Hassan and a servant of Baba’s.
Rahim Khan- Friend of Baba and Amir. Rahim Khan is Baba’s closest confidant, and the one man who knows all
of Baba’s secrets.
Sanaubar- Hassan’s mother and Ali’s wife for a time. Though Sanaubar is infamously immoral in her youth and
abandons Hassan just after he is born
Mullah Fatiullah Khan- religion teacher at Amir’s school
Assef- ‘antagonist’, rapes Hassan and refelcts the anti semitic views of the 1970’s.
Karim- truck driver when Baba and Amir escape from Afghanistan
Soraya- love interest
Jamila (Khanum Taheri). - Soraya's mom
General Taheri- Soraya's dad

Techniques:

- Analepsis
- Ellison: skipout details, to elide. Being elliptical
- Pathetic fallacy
- Foreshadowing
- Epistemological mode (hassan’s narrative)

Chapter 1

Amir recalls an event that occurred in 1975, when he was twelve years old and growing up in Afghanistan. We
hear about a call he received last summer from Rahim Khan. Rahim Khan asks Amir to come to Pakistan to see
him. When Amir gets off the phone, he takes a walk through San Francisco, where he lives now. He notices
kites flying, and thinks of his past, including his friend Hassan, a boy with a cleft lip whom he calls a kite runner.

Chapter 2

We learn about Amir and Hassan's friendship. The book describes how they would climb trees and how they
would use a slingshot to throw walnuts at the neighbours dogs. Amir and Hassan would get caught but Hassan
always took the blame and never told Amir.
Amir lives with Baba in an upper class home in Kabul while Hassan and his father live in a small mud hut. We
are introduced to Ali (Hassan's father) who is a servant to Baba.
Both boys do not have a mother. Hassan’s mother left him when he was born while Amir died when giving
birth. Later on the two boys are harrsed by a soldier who tells Hassan he had previously had sex with his
mother (Sanaubar). Hassan begins crying and Amir reassures him by putting an arm around him.
We learn about how Amir and Hassan grew up together and shared many crucial moments such as their first
words and first steps in the same place.
“Hassan never denied me”, “He never told on me”, “He [Hassan] was incapable of hurting anyone”, “Hassan
and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first step on the same lawn”
Chapter 3

We learn about Baba and all his accomplishments. Although no one believed in him, we are told he was able to
build an orphanage, become the most successful businessman in Kabul and also marry a woman who was
intelligent, beautiful and from a royal family (Sofia Akrami).
Amir comes back from school and tells Baba about what his religion teacher (Mullah Fatiullah Khan) said about
sins. He tells his Baba that drinking is a sin, and he replies by taking Amir up on his lap and telling him that the
only sin is theft, and that every other sin is simply a variation of it.
We learn how Amir tries to please Baba by pretending to like certain things such as football, yet he isn't able to
conceal his dislike for them. We learn about the guilt he feels for his mothers death and how guilty he feels as
he isn't able to like the things his Baba likes.
We learn that Amir has a passion and talent for poetry and reading which his father does not regard as
being”manly”. He takes Amir to a mach of buzkashi, where Amir sees a rider get trampled causing him to cry.
Baba is unable to conceal his face of anger and disappointment at this.
At the end of the chapter we hear Rhaim Khan and Baba on the phone. Amir overhears Baba say he is not like
other boys and that he would never believe he was his son. We also learn how Hassan alkways protected Amir
against the kids that would torment him and push him around.
“you can’t love a person who lives that way without fearing him too”,
“ a boy who can't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything”,
“If i hadnt see the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes i would never believe he's my son”
“I wish they'd all died along with their parents” “I see how they push him around”, “he never fights back
“(amir)
“Hassan steps in and fends them off”

Chapter 4

We are introduced to Ali’s and Baba’s friendship and how when they were younger they were involved in a lot
of mischief. We hear how Amir doesn't consider Hassan his friend yet we hear all about their adventures and
all the movies they would watch together and how Amir would read stories out to Hassan.
We learn how Amir would use Hassan’s illiteracy to his advantage and would tear him everytime he didn't
know a word, yet he would always feel guilty about thi and give Hassan an old shirt of his to make up for it.
Amir writes his first story about a man's tears turning into pearls, leading the man to kill his wife to become
rich. He shows Baba, who dismisses it. Rahim Khan decided to step in and read it, leaving Amir to wish he was
his father over Baba. Later on Amir goes to wake up Hassan to tell him about the story, yet gets annoyed at him
when he asks why the man didn't just cut an onion.
“I never thought of Hassan and me as friends”,
“History isn't easy to overcome. Neither is religion”, “ I was a Pushtun and he was a Hazara”
“My entire childhood seems like one long lazy summer day”
“You're a prince and i love you “(said to Hassan by Amir”
“As always, it was Rahim Khan that rescued me”, “wished Rahim Khan was my dad”,
“ open my veins and drain his cursed blood”(Amir referring to Baba)
“What does he know, that illiterate Hazara?, He’ll never be anything but a cook”

Chapter 5

The chapter begins with the noise of gunshots, Ali, hassan and Amir all hide together in the living room until
the morning when Baba comes back. We learn that the communists had taken over and then disappeared in
1979 after only one year. We are told the gunshots were from a coup Daoud Khan, the king’s cousin, organised
to take over the government.
The two boys decide to go climb their tree as usual yet Assef ‘the ear eater’ mocks Ali’s appearance while also
calling Hassan derogatory names such as ‘flat nose’. He then goes into detail describing how he thought Hitler
had reasonable views and how he thinks the idea of racial purity should be implemented in Afghanistan.
Assef tries attacking Amir with his brass knuckle as he thinks he is part of the problem due to being friends with
a Hazara. Hassan steps in and holds his slingshot up to Assef’s eye.
The following winter Hassan is given a plastic surgery to fix his lip. The doctor is called Dr Kumar and it helps
Hassan smile again.
“Bringing the death of Afghanistan”
“(Hasssan) He always knew when to say the right thing”
“Hey flat-nose”, “Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns”,
“He’s not my friend, He’s my servant” (referring to Hassan)
“You're part of the problem Amir”
“Hassan hadn't done anything to earn Baba’s affection”
“Because that was the winter that Hasan stopped smiling”

Chapter 6

The kite tournament is introduced. We learn that during the winter holidays all the boys in Kabul spend their
time building and flying kites. Baba, Amir and Hassan all go to buy kites and we learn about the approaching
Kite tournament which Hassan and Amir decide to take place in.
Hassan is described as being the best kite runner in Kabul, he is able to tell when and where a kite will land.
Hassan and Amir have a meaningful conversation where Hassan challenges Amir by asking him if he would ever
ask him to eat dirt. Amir notices a shift in Hassan's face, possibly highlighting Hssan gaining intelligence.
Amir and Hassan discuss the new technological developments in Afghanistan and Amir tells Hassan he will buy
him a television showing their friendship growing stronger and stronger.
“Hassan and I would build our own kites”
“Hassan's face changed”, “ I was looking at two faces”,
“That's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone does too”
“Hassan stood with his arms wide open, smiling, waiting for the kite. And may God—if He exists, that is—strike
me blind if the kite didn’t just drop into his outstretched arms”
“I’ll buy you one someday”

Chapter 7

It was the winter of 1975 and the kite tournament was held in Amir’s neighbourhood. The tournament lasts all
day and Baba and rahim Khan are both watching from the rooftop. Amir manages to win, he and Hassan hug
and cheer.
The blue kite flies away and Hassan makes it his mission to retrieve it. Hassan is gone for quite a while so Amr
goes looking for him. As he looks for him he encounters a merchant who scolds him for wanting to help a
Hazara.
Amir ends up in an alleyway where Assef, Kamal and Wali are all surrounding Hassan. They try taking his kite
but Hassan resists. The three boys then attack Hassan, and Assef ends up raping him.
Ami witnesses the whole scene and does nothing to help. As he watches his mind floods with old memories of
the two boys breastfeeding from the same breasts etc..
Fifteen minutes later Amir reaches Hassan who is bleeding and crying. He says nothing and just goes home to
Baba to get his praise and congratulations.
‘Watched them close in on the boy i’d grown up with’
‘It was the look of the lamb’
‘Stand up for Hassan the way he’d stood up for me those times in the past’
‘In the end I ran’, ‘I ran because I was a coward’
‘Nothing was free in this world’, ‘ Hassan was the price I had to pay … to win Baba’
‘He was just a Hazara, wasn't he? ‘
‘I forgot what I'd done. And that was good’
The silver disappearing down the outside of the windowpane is like something precious getting away – Amir is
losing his best friend.

Chapter 8

After Hassan gets raped Amir sees very little of him. Ali questions Amir about it, yet Amir fails to tell the truth.
Amir and Baba take a trip to Jalalabad (them and a bunch of other family members). During the trip Amir
suffers some insomnia and confesses to his son out loud, yet no one hears him. When he comes back he asks
to play with Hassan yet he fails to talk to him and ends up going home.
Hassan asks Amir if he did anything wrong, to which Amir asks him to stop harassing him. Hassan leaves him
alone and in a moment of anger Amir asks Baba if he ever considered getting new servants. Baba reacts
negatively causing a shift in their relationship.
One day after school Amir and Hassan sit under their tree. Amir continuously throws pomegranates at Hassan
and begs him to do the same. Hassan refuses, leaving Amir disappointed.
Summer of 1976, Amir held his thirteenth birthday party. Assef is present and he acts polite and nice. During
the party Rhaim Khan approaches Amir and tells him about the Hazara girl he was in love with. He confesses
that he is glad they didnt work out. lHe tells Amir he is always there to listen, then gives him a notebook for his
stories.
Amir then sees Assef talking and laughing at Hassan.
‘For a week, I barely saw Hassan’
‘I watched Hassan get raped. I said to no one’, ‘that was the night I became an insomniac’
‘I want you to stop harassing me. I want you to go away’
‘Saw signs of his loyalty, his goddamn unwavering loyalty’ (Amir referring to hassan)
‘Have you thought of getting new servants’ ‘you bring me shame’ ‘ I’ve never laid a hand on you, Amir, but you
ever say that again….’
‘What would you do if I hit you with this’, ‘You're a coward, nothing but a goddamn coward’
‘But Hassan did nothing’
‘It was Humira and me against the world…in the end, the world always wins’
‘ You don't order someone to polish your shoes one day and call them ‘sister’ the next’
‘ I saw something i’ll never forget: Hassan serving drinks to Assef’

Chapter 9

The next morning Amir opens his presents and thinks about how the only way to fix things is if Hassan leaves.
Amir waits for Hassan to leave and places a watch and money under his mattress.
He tells baba that Hassan has stolen them, and instead of denying it Hassan simply takes the blame. Baba
accepts his apology and forgives him.
Amir realises Hassan saw him in the alley, and he knew also that Amir was setting him up now, yet fails to say
anything.
Ali tells Baba that he and Hassan are leaving and they do.
‘Maybe it would be for the best. Lessen his suffering. And mine to’ ‘One of us had to go’
‘I lifted Hassan's mattress and planted my new watch’
‘This was Hassan's last sacrifice for me.’
‘ He knew I had betrayed him and yet he was rescuing me once again.’ ‘I loved him in that moment’
‘We are leaving ‘ ‘Life here is impossible for us’
‘You're the brother I never had Ali’
Chapter 10

Five years have passed and now it's the march of 1981. Amir and Baba have decided to leave Afghanistan and
reach Pakistan. They sit in a truck with other Afghans and make their way there.
Karim the truck driver has a deal with the soldiers at the border yet when they arrive the Russian soldier says
the price for passing is half an hour with a woman in the truck. Baba doesn't allow it and gets threatened by
the guards saying they will shoot him.
When they arrive Karim tells them they need to wait in a basement for an extra week as the truck needed has
broken down.
In the basement Amir sees Kamal and overhears that he has gotten raped by four men.
After a few days Karim gets the truck and they are on the road again. The air inside is thick with fumes, making
it difficult to breathe
They arrive in Pakistan and find that Kamal has stopped breathing.
Kamal’s father attacks Karim and using his gun shoots himself in the mouth.
‘I wondered where Hassan was’
‘There is no shame in war’
‘Do you always have to be a hero? I thought’
‘Tell him i’d take a thousand bullets before I let this indecency take place’ , ‘Sometimes I too wondered if I was
really Baba’s son’
‘I saw Kamal’s face’, ‘He had withered’
‘Think of something good. Baba said ‘, ‘Hassan and I stand ankle-deep in untamed grass’
‘I only knew the memory lived in me’, ‘a brushstroke of colour on the grey, barren canvas that our lives had
become’
‘Kamal's father shoved the Barrel in his own mouth’

Chapter 11

Time shifts once again and Baba and Amir are now living in Fremont, California. Baba works at a gas station and
Amir is now in highschool and is about to graduate. One day, in a convenience store (owned by Mr. Nguyen) he
gets angered by the manager when asked to show his ID. Amir apologises for this and forces Baba to leave the
store.
Amir suggests going back to Pakistan yet Baba denies this offer as he moved to America for Amir to give him a
good life.
In the Summer of 1983 he graduates high school and to celebrate Baba takes him out to dinner and at a bar.
Baba begins buying drinks for everyone and ends the night by giving Amir a car. Amir reveals how Kabul had
been destroyed by the Russians and how America was now his new home.
Days after Amir tells Baba that he wants to study English and become a writer.
Baba and Amir begin participating in a flea market and selling old things. They begin bonding with the Afghans
in the flea market which makes them feel like they are at home.
One morning Baba speaks with a man whom he introduces to Amir as General Taheri. General Taheri’s
daughter, Soraya, comes over and Amir is immediately interested in her. He spends the night thinking about
her.
‘Baba loved the idea of America’
‘For me America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba a place to mourn his’
‘My student hand, clean and soft, on his labourers hand, grubby and calloused’
‘Kabul had become a city of ghosts for me. A city of harelipped ghosts’
‘My swap meet princess’ (talking about Soraya)
Chapter 12

After almost a year of wanting to speak to Soraya, Amir approaches her and while talking he is introduced to
her mother Jamila (Khanum Taheri).
Baba is diagnosed with lung cancer but refuses any medication or treatment. He also begs Amir not to let
anyone know about his illness and he doesn't want to seem weak.
One day he ends up collapsing as the cancer has spread to his brain. After this Mir decides to ask Baba if he will
go ask General Taheri to ask for Soraya's hand in marriage. He accepts and Amir and Soraya talk on the phone.
Soraya reveals that when she was 18 she ran away with an Afghan man. She disappeared for a month and
when came back her mother had a stroke.
‘Sad stories make good books’
‘I had used my literacy to ridicule Hassan’
‘Like satan, cancer had many names’
‘Baba im here, you’ll be alright’
‘I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with’
‘I’d betrayed Hassan’ ‘destroyed a forty year relationship between Baba and Ali’

Chapter 13

Amir and Baba go to the Taheri's home for a traditional Afghan ceremony of “giving word”. Due to Baba's illness
they decide to have the wedding as quickly as possible and Baba rents an Afghan banquet for the ceremony.
Amir expresses his love for Soraya when looking at each other's reflection and that night they lay together for
the first time. Soon after Baba dies and many Afghans show up to pay their respect to him.
Amir learns more about Soraya’s family and finds that General Taheria has no work and often suffers from
migraines. He doesn't allow his wife- Jamila to sing in public.sorya aso tells Amir that after she ran away he
arrived with a gun and made her cut all her hair. She complains about the double standards in Afghan culture.
In the summer of 1988, Amir finished his first novel and got published (a novel about a boy and a dad in
Afghanistan).
They try for a baby but that results unsuccessful. After many tests and doctors visits they are told their only
option is adoption.
General Taheria hates the idea of adoption and after a while he and Soraya buy a house in San Francisco.
‘I remember wishing Rahim Khan were there’
‘Wondering if Hassan had too married’
‘There is no pain tonight’, ‘Baba never woke up’
‘My whole life I had been “Baba's son”’, “Baba couldn't show me the way anymore’
‘I had never been exposed firsthand to the double standard’
‘There was so much goodness in my life. So much happiness. I wondered whether I deserved any of it’
‘Someone, somewhere, had decided to deny me fatherhood for the things I had done. Maybe this was my
punishment’

Chapter 14

The story shifts to June 2001. Amir receives a call from Rhaim Khan asking him to come to Pakistan.
Amir takes a walk in the park and reminisces on his last phone call with rahim khan where he told him that he
can be good again. That same night while Amir and Soraya are in bed Amir thinks about their relationship.
Their love making has become futile and he drifts off to sleep and has a dream about Hassan.
‘Come, there is a way to be good again’
‘Some nights all i’d feel was a relief to be done with it’
‘Let our own saviour take us away. Soryas was asleep. Mine, as always, was a book’
‘For you, a thousand times over’

Chapter 15

Amir arrives in Peshawar and gets greeted by a driver of a cab. He tells Amir that Afghanistan has become
horrible and Amir reminisces on the last time he saw Rhaim Khan and how after his move to America the two
had lost touch.
Rhaim Khan looks sick and the two update each other on their lives. Rhaim Khantells Amir about the brutality
of the Taliban rule and how at a football game he was attacked by a Taliban soldier.
Amir asks about his health and it's revealed that Rahim Khan is close to his death, so before he goes he tells
Amir about Hassan.
‘They don't let you be humans’ (referring to the Taliban)
‘Speaking his name had broken a spell’

Chapter 16
The story shifts to Rahim Khan's perspective. He found Hassan in Hazarajat and asked Hassan to live with him.
He discovers that Hassan has a wife called Farzana. We find out that Ali is dead and also discover that Hassan
has lots of questions about Amir.
Hassan accepts the request to move back to Kabul once he learns that Baba has died. That same fall Farzana
gives birth to a still born baby who is then buried in the backyard.
In 1990 Sanaubar reppears with her face severely cut up. They nurse her back to health and Hassan begins
reconnecting with her.
Hassan's wife gives birth to a boy named Sohrab. When he reaches the age of 4, Sanaubur dies and Hssan takes
his son to kite running competitions.
In 1996 the Taliban took control of Kabul and Hassan became worried.
‘Did you still fly kites’ (Hassan asks about Amir)
‘Agha Sahib was like my second father’
‘I guess some stories do not need telling’ (referring to Hassan and Sanaubaur)
‘It always hurts more to have and lose than to not have in the first place’
‘God help the Hazaras now’

Chapter 17
After hearing Rahim Khan's story, Amir asks if Hassan is still living in the house. Rahim Khan gives Amir a
photograph of Hassan and Sohrab, and a letter in which Hassan says he would like to see Amir again
- Rahim Khan reveals, however, that Hassan and his wife were murdered by the Taliban a month after the letter
was written. Their son, Sohrab, is now living in an orphanage in Kabul
- Rahim Khan asks Amir to go to Kabul and find Sohrab. He also tells him that Baba was Hassan's real father,
making Hassan Amir's half-brother. Amir is angry at never knowing this and storms out of the apartment
- ‘Amir agha, with my deepest respects’ (Hassan’s letter)
- ‘The Talibs said he was a liar and a thief like all Hazaras and ordered him to get his family out of the house by
sundown’
- ‘It has never been about money with me, you know that. And why you? I think we both know why it has to be
you, don’t we?
- ‘How could you hide this from me? From him?’
- ‘Ali was sterile’
Chapter 18
Amir considers the news that Hassan was his half-brother and realises that it explains Baba's affection for the
boy
- He considers the possibility that if he had not betrayed Hassan, him and Ali may now still be alive in the USA
- Amir realises that he has no choice but to go to Kabul to find his nephew
- ‘Baba had been a thief. A thief of the worst kind, because the things he had stolen had been sacred: from me
the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honour. His nang. His namoos.’
- ‘Like father, like son. But it was true isn't it?’

Chapter 19
Amir returns to Taliban-held Afghanistan to rescue Sohrab. On the way, he suffers a recurrence of his car
sickness
- Once back in Afghanistan, Amir feels out of place - like a visitor. Farid, the driver who has helped Amir enter
the country, accuses Amir of always having been a tourist in his own country
- Farid takes Amir to stay with his brother, Wahid. Wahid asks why he has returned and Amir explains about
Sohrab
- Wahid says he is proud to have Amir stay in his house and gives him all the food he and his family have to eat.
Farid is ashamed of his earlier accusations
- Farid agrees to help Amir with his mission now that he realises the reason for his return. Before they leave,
Amir hides a handful of money under his mattress to repay the family for their kindness
‘Again, the car sickness’
‘I feel like a tourist in my own country’
‘That’s the real Afghanistan’ ‘You’ve always been a tourist here, you just didn’t know it’

Chapter 20
Amir is shocked by the state of Afghanistan. On arriving in Kabul, he discovers it has been severely damaged by
twenty years of war
- The Taliban patrol the streets looking for people to punish. Amir is advised to avoid even looking at them
- They meet a beggar who was formerly a university lecturer working alongside Amir's mother. The beggar
gives them directions to the orphanage where they hope to find Sohrab
- Amir arrives at the orphanage and, after some argument, discovers that Sohrab has been sold by the director
to a prominent member of the Taliban. Amir questions this activity and learns that it is the only way the man
can fund the care of the remaining children
- The director tells them they will find the man who bought Sohrab at the next day's football match

Chapter 21
Amir returns to his old neighbourhood. It is largely undamaged because it has been taken over by the new
leaders, though it has not been maintained well
- Amir climbs the hill to the old cemetery and discovers that the old pomegranate tree has died. However, the
inscription that he had carved into the trunk still remains
- Amir and Farid check into a hotel and Amir finds that things like the food and the humour are still unchanged.
However, he also finds familiarity in Farid's expression of casual prejudice against the Shi'a
- Amir and Farid watch the man in sunglasses - the man who bought Sohrab from the orphanage - stone two
people to death at a football match. Farid makes arrangements for Amir to meet the man

Chapter 22
Amir, wearing a false beard to blend in, goes to a large house in his old neighbourhood to meet the man in
sunglasses who has bought Sohrab. As he enters, he passes men with rifles, and wonders if he will survive the
encounter
- The man appears, covered in the blood from the stoning, and removes Amir's disguise. He taunts him with
references to the stoning and the massacre at Mazir
- The man accuses Amir of treason for having left Afghanistan, then sends for Sohrab. The boy, who looks
remarkably like his father, is forced to dance for them
- The man shows that he knows Amir's identity and then reveals himself to be Assef, the bully from Amir's
childhood. He asks why Amir want the boy, but Amir refuses to tell him
- Eventually Assef gives Sohrab to Amir, but tells him that the price he must pay for the boy is to finish their
childhood fight
- Assef fights with Amir and hurts him badly, but Amir is saved by Sohrab who, like his father, uses a slingshot
and incapacitates Assef. Amir and the boy escape with Farid

Chapter 23
- Amir is in hospital after his beating, having suffered severe injuries. He has a dream, in which his father
wrestles the black bear before turning into Amir
- Rahim Khan has gone away to die in peace. He leaves a letter forgiving Amir for his childhood mistakes. He
explains that Baba was hard on Amir because he could not openly show his love for Hassan
- Farid searches, but discovers no sign of the adoptive parents Rahim Khan promised for Sohrab
- Amir decides to take Sohrab with him to Islamabad while he considers what to do
-‘I face out’
-‘They’re all wearing green hats’
-‘I am wrestling the bear’
- ‘I wanted to tell him I knew what that word meant; I was a writer’
-‘Clean down the middle. Like a harelip’
-‘We both got what we deserved’ (talking about Assef)
- Amir's equating himself with Baba is an indication that Amir finally feels like a son his father can be proud of.
Amir's ability to stand up to Assef — his own personal bear — marks a change in Amir's perception of self. He is
no longer living in the shadow of Hassan or his father; rather, he is a man who is making his way in the world.
- The image of Baba and the bear returns, but this time it is Amir who is wrestling the bear – this means that
Amir has become the kind of man Baba always wanted him to be, and he can face obstacles head-on and fight
to overcome them.
- The injury to Amir's lip is like a harelip, an obvious parallel to Hassan and the connection between the
brothers. Many critics are disappointed with the author's writing in this section, contending that the fragment,
"Like a harelip" is both unnecessary and heavy-handed because the explanation that the impact cut the lip
"clean down the middle" provides the necessary imagery for readers to make the connection. The repetition of
"clean down the middle" followed by the fragment "like a harelip" seems to indicate that readers will not or
cannot make the connection on their own.
- Now that Assef has split Amir’s lip, Amir has symbolically become more like Hassan in that he is willing to
stand up for what is right. This also represents a kind of unity between Pashtun and Hazara, a unity that is
necessary if Afghanistan is ever to heal.
- The implication is that Amir must do something to atone for his sins. And rescuing Sohrab is only the
beginning, not the end, of what he must do.

Chapter 24
- Amir and Sohrab arrive in Islamabad where Amir takes a nap and loses sight of Sohrab. He finds him in a
mosque and asks Amir whether or not he will go to hell. He reveals how he feels dirty and shameful due to the
abuse he endured and Amir reassures him by telling him how proud Hassan would be that he saved Amir's life.
-Amir asks Sohrab to move to America with him and after a week he accepts. Amir goes to the American
embassy where he finds out the only way to get Sohrab there is to leave him in an orphanage for a while and
file a petition.
-Sohrab screams and cries in Amir's arms. As he sleeps Amir calls Soraya to explain the situation and Soraya
reveals she has a friend that can get Sohrab a humanitarian visa.
-Amir goes to tell Sohrab the news but finds him unconscious and bloody in a bathtub.
‘There are a lot of children in Afghanistan but little childhood’
‘Bad people sometimes become good’
‘I'm so dirty and full of sin’
‘Assef has irrevocably bound us’
‘Thats how children deal with terror. They fall asleep
‘I was still screaming when the ambulance arrived’

Chapter 25
-Sohrab has attempted suicide in the bath. Amir attempts to pray for both Sohrab and Hassan
- The boy survives but is uncommunicative and withdrawn. When Amir reads to him from a storybook, Sohrab
wishes for the return of his old life or for death
- Amir takes Sohrab back to the USA, but the boy's depression doesn't lift
- When Soraya's parents meet Sohrab, the General makes a dismissive comment about this "Hazara boy". Amir
challenges this racism and reveal's Sohrab's - and Hassan's - parentage
- Months pass in which the events of 11 September 2001 occur and Amir and Soraya become involved in
projects to end the years of war and unhappiness in their homeland
- The novel ends in the same park where it began. Sohrab helps Amir to fly a kite in a kite fight. This
finally rekindles the boy's spirit and Amir adopts the role of the kite runner
- The final chapter addresses the new guilt that Amir has for what he has done. But, in contrast to his
younger self, Amir now turns to both God and his own inner strength to help Sohrab. As a sign of his
newfound strength, Amir is able to stand up to the General. And as a sign of his newfound maturity,
Amir is able to persevere with Sohrab's silence.
- Although many months are covered in the timeline of the chapter, not much really happens in
Sohrab's life. This is meant to illustrate not only the minimalist existence that Sohrab has but also how,
as soon as events are out of the headlines, people stop thinking and caring about them.
- The author does not explicitly answer the question as to when, and even if, Amir "becomes good
again." He leaves that up to the reader to decide, for his job as an artist is to raise the question and
present his work. The final image of the novel is quite compelling. After Amir states the same line that
Hassan used to say to him — "For you, a thousand times over" — Amir takes off, running after the
kite. Amir is doing something for another. Amir, who has been running away from his past most of his
life, is now running toward something: a connection with Hassan that he can be proud of; a chance to
help ease his nephew's transition into a new life; and an opportunity to act upon his newfound
maturity. For Amir has become the kite runner of the novel's title.

More relevant quotes:

Hassan: "I have been dreaming a lot lately...Some of them are nightmares, like hanged corpses rotting in soccer
fields with blood red grass. I wake up from those short of breath and sweaty... I dream that Rahim Khan sahib
will be well... I dream that my son will grow up to be a good person."
Farid: "Don't ever stare at them! Do you understand me?...Keep your eyes on your feet when the Talibs are
near."
Hassan: "Well,...if I may ask, why did the man kill his wife? In fact, why did he ever have to feel sad to shed
tears? Couldn't he have just smelled an onion?"
Rahim khan: "In the end, the world always wins. That's just the way of things" (emphasises whis wiseness)
Sofia: "Because I'm so profoundly happy, Dr. Rasul. Happiness like this is frightening... They only let you be this
happy if they're preparing to take something from you."
General taheri: “I have to deal with the community's perception of our family. People will ask."
Amir: ‘I worshipped Baba…But right then, I wished I could open my veins and drain his cursed blood from my
body (chapter 4)
Amir: ‘As always, it was Rahim Khan who rescued me’ (chapter 4)
Amir: ‘the pashtuns, had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras’ (chapter 2)
Amir: ‘But I lied..I wanted Baba all to myself’ (chapter 3)
Amir: ‘it wasn’t often Baba talked to me’ (Chapter 3)
Amir: ‘i’d tease him, expose his ignorence’ (chapter 4)

Further symbolism:
- Green apples:
Green apples are a prime symbol of friendship. In many cultures, gifting green apples to people means you
would like to be their friend. Also can symbolise wisdom, immortality. Emphasises Sohrab’s true-hearted
nature, much like Hassan’s and could foreshadow the beginning of Amir and Sohrab’s friendship/connection.
- Pomegranates:
The tree that Amir and Hassan visited was a very important place for them, as the pomegranate tree
symbolises their friendship. The tree was full of fruit, just as their friendship was full and rich. Amir throwing
the fruit at Hassan finalises the breaking of their bond. They also symbolise death/fertility: could foreshadow
Hassan’s death. Hassan hitting himself with the pomegranate highlights his loyalty, which will torment Amir
(guilt)
- Kites:
In the novel's political theme, kites represent Afghanistan's “glory days” of the monarchy, as kite-flying is later
banned by the Taliban. At the end of the book Amir flies a kite with Sohrab, symbolizing hope for redemption
for both Amir's sins and Afghanistan's. They also symbolize prophecy and fate. They also symbolise guilt, which
is later juxtaposed by Amir’s contentment after redeeming himself/atoning his sins. The kites become a symbol
of his childhood, in which Amir can reminisce. When Taliban’s banned kite flying, they robbed Afghans of their
cultural, religious and physicial freedom.
- Hare lip:
Acts as a mark of Hassan’s status in society. It signifies his poverty, which is one of the things that separates him
from Amir, simply because a cleft lip indicates that he and his family do not have the money to fix it. Baba, who
is Hassan’s biological father, chooses to pay a surgeon to repair Hassan’s lip as a birthday gift, signifying his
secret fatherly love for Hassan. Later, Assef splits Amir’s lip as he beats him, leaving Amir with a permanent scar
much like Hassan’s. In a sense, Amir’s identity becomes merged with Hassan’s. He learns to stand up for those
he cares about, as Hassan once did for him, and he becomes a father figure to Sohrab. Because of this, it also
serves as a sign of Amir’s redemption.
- The Lamb:
Hassan resembled the lamb they kill during the Muslim celebration of Eid Al-Adha, which honors Abraham’s
near sacrifice of his son for God. Similarly, he describes Sohrab as looking like a slaughter sheep when he first
sees Sohrab with Assef. Assef and the others had put mascara on Sohrab’s eyes, just as Amir says the mullah
used to do to the sheep before slitting its throat. Both Hassan and Sohrab are innocents who are figuratively
sacrificed by being raped, but these sacrifices have very different meanings. In Hassan’s case, Amir sacrifices
him for the blue kite. But in Sohrab’s case, Amir is the one who stops his sexual abuse. In this context, sacrifice
is portrayed as the exploitation of an innocent.
- The color blue:
It is used to draw a positive emotional response and is associated with the feeling of calmness, peace,
happiness and comfort. Serenity/ tranquility. This, however, contrasts the blue kite, as Hassan associates it with
the rape. The rape is symbolic as it robs Hassan from his childhood and innocence, no longer running kites or
maintaining the friendship with Amir: Contrastingly, blue can also represent sadness/depression, which aligns
with Hassan’s emotions after the rape.
- Sleep:
Can symbolise vulnerability. Hassan sleeps a lot after the rape, emphasising his frail state. Moreover, sleep can
be seen as Hassan’s avoidance of the reality of his life. Motionessless, calmness. Hassan’s opportunity to feel
tranquility after the event. Could also be seen as his shame, which parallels Soharb’s words: ‘I’m so dirty’.
Emphasises the reader’s hatred towards not only Assef, but the brutality of the Talibans towards innocent
civilians.
- Car sickness:
Arguably, the protagonist’s sickness may be psychological, as it symbolises the unexpressed anxiety and guilt
brawling their way out of his body through physical forms. Additionally, the imagery of the vomit creates a
sense of revulsion and repugnance. This could be interpreted as Amir’s loathing and detestation towards
himself. This alludes to the idea that secrets should always be revealed, to avoid a state of mental and physical
burden.
- Supenatural beings:
Ghosts, monster in the lake.
The Monster in the Lake is a symbol of Amir. It represents Amir's betrayal and deception at the beginning of
the novel. Moreover, it is a symbol that represents the way in which Amir tries to decieve himself of the truth
as he tries to isolate himself from his past and the memory of Hassan.
- The beggar:
The beggar, alongside Wahid’s generosity, is a symbol of the old Afghanistan, which lingers on despite enduring
three decades of conflict. He also is a symbol of education.
- Rape:
The rape is illustrated as the ultimate act of violence.
- Winter:
It can be used to symbolize hopelessness as well as to teach a lesson in preparedness, patience, and hope.
While winter can be lonely and represent despair, it's also the season before spring, a time of new beginnings,
hope, joy.
- Religion:
The mentioning of Allah and other religious symbols indicate of hope, fate.

- The slingshot:
It first featured with Hassan defending Amir from Assef and his friends. It is then later used by Sohrab to hit
Assef making him blind in one eye. This gives the impression that Amir, by himself, is not capable of standing up
for himself even if he tries to. He needs the backing of other characters being Hassan and Sohrab to help him
stand up for himself. In both cases, he has come up on top because of the slingshot which was used as a
weapon. Symbolises Hassan’s loyalty/faithful nature

The author:
Political issues are consistently mentioned throughout the novel:
Throughout the novel, the reader is presented with graphic depictions of child rape, as well as several war
crimes, such as the act of throwing rocks to the women and old men in the football field, in chapter 21.
Moreover, the author does not shy away from the grusome/sinful nature of the Talibans, which is not often
done by many authors, due to perhaps fear of persecution or oppression. This makes the story memorable, yet
realistic, as this is the reality of many citizens who live under a repressive regime in their country, which raises
universal concerns about the oppression that individuals under strict political or religious regimes face.
- The scenes about rape raise concerns to a contemporary reader, as it’s a taboo topic, causing a sense
of disturbance towards the grusome act. Hosseini may have chose to make the reader witness the act
in order to shock us, by demonstrating the brutality of the Afghan society during a period of conflict
and feud. Moreover, the rape shows the reader an insight of Amir’s unloyalty towards the friendship,
which contrasts Hassans faithful nature.
- The message of The Kite Runner is didactic (intended to teach). This makes clear that the Hosseini is
trying to make the reader learn from Amir’s mistakes.
Context:
- Novel set in a political turmoil in Afghanistan, from the overthrow of the monarchy in the 1970s, to
the rise of the Taliban regime in the 1990s.
- In The Kite Runner, Assef represents this corrupted view, going as far as publicly stoning adulterers in
the name of Allah and describing his killing of Hazaras as “virtuous, good, and decent” to Amir.
- Assef’s character: Reminds reader of Nazi Germany, when ordinary citizens were manipulated into
developing anti-semetic attitudes, which raises concerns for the influence of extremists groups with
fascists ideas. Arguably, Assef could be another victim of the brainwashing by other Nazi sympathizers,
demonstrating the impact other people’s beliefs can have on children, who are gullible and oblivious
to the true hardships of the world.
- Racism: It has been a recurring issue which has affected all societies, which enables some readers to
sympathise with the character of Hassan and the discrimination that he faces.
- Soraya: her character juxtaposes women in American society, as they have more freedom and
independence. Nevertheless, her character could be a symbol of encouragement and inspiration for
women who are under the oppression of their conservative and religious society.

- Family: Baba and Amir’s dysfunctional relationship contradicts the family values in the Quran, as
Afghan society demonstrates the significance of family being kept united. Nonetheless, through Baba’s
secret, Amir’s relationship with Baba is destroyed, while also depriving Hassan of his authentic family
and the same privileges Amir was offered, like an education. The destruction of families is further
demonstrated through the killings by the Talibans.

Techniques:
- The events in the book are sequenced in such a way that builds up drama while overwhelming and
astounding the reader with the shocking revelations.
- Epistemological mode: narration of Rahim Khan/Hassan. The change of narrative
- Amir personifies his past as he attempts to bury it, but it continues to claw its way out. Hyperbole is
used to exaggerate Baba's strength in his son's eyes.
- Analepses: ‘I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into
the alley near the frozen creek’ (chapter 1)
- Pathetic fallacy: ‘Frigid, overcast day in the winter of 1975’ (chapter 1)
- Ellison: ‘I swallow my pride and take his goddam filthy…dirty money’ (end of chapter 20). The use of
ellison avoids euphemisms. The reader can however speculate what the Zaman wants to say. Engages
the reader

Unreliable narrator:
In many modern novels, we are presented with a narrator whose own emotional involvement in the story
means we cannot always trust what they say. Near the beginning of the novel Amir tells us I never thought of
Hassan and me as friends, suggesting that he felt distanced from Hassan, probably due to their different
ethnicity and statuses in life. However, this is an early sign that we cannot always rely on the things Amir
chooses to tell us because it is clear from the tales he relates that Hassan was indeed his closest friend. The
desire to distance himself from the boy is a result of his childhood jealousy and also of his later guilt colouring
earlier events.
- ‘He lowered his voice, but I heard him anyway’
- Through the use of the first person epistolary, the reader views of different characters without letting
the unreliability of Amir come through.