The Kite Runner - Summary, Significance and More.

About The Book:

The Kite Runner is the first Novel by Afgan-American author Khalid Hosseini Published in 2003. The Books tells the story of Amir, a Sunni Muslim, from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, whose closest friend is Hassan, struggles to find his place in the world because of the aftereffects and fallout from a series of traumatic childhood events.

The Kite Runner is a novel about Relationships - specifically the relationships between Amir and Hassan, Baba, Rahim Khan, Soraya and Sohrab - how the complex relationships in our lives overlap and connect to make us the people we are.

Why Title The Kite Runner?

Kites and everything associated with them (kite flying and kite fighting) are the most important symbols in the novel. Traditionally, kites symbolize both prophecy and fate, and both of these ideas can be applied to characters and events in The Kite Runner. However, kites symbolize so much in The Kite Runner. The Afghan Kites with the glass strings symbolize the dichotomy between beauty and violence, simultaneously representing Afganistan and the half-brothers, Amir and Hassan. The two main kite fights in the novel - the tournament Amir wins and the one at the end of the book - not only also represent Amir and Hassan but also symbolize the juxtaposition of roles, for at the end Amir has become the Kite runner. Thus, kites also symbolize the thematic topics and interrelationship between betrayal and redemption.

Summary:

An adult Amir opens the novel in the present-day United States with a vague reference to one of these events, and then the novel flashes back to Amir's childhood in Afganistan. In addition to typical childhood experiences, Amir struggles with forging a closer relationship with his father, Baba with determining the exact nature of his relationship with Hassan, his Shi'a Muslim servant and eventually with finding a way, I was able to experience growing up in Afganistan in a single-parent home, a situation that bears remarkable similarities to many contemporary households.

One of the biggest struggles for Amir is learning to navigate the complex socioeconomic culture he faces, growing up in Afganistan as a member of his own family. Hassan and his father, Ali, are servants, yet at times, Amir's father, Baba, who does not consistently adhere to the tenets of his culture, confuses rather than clarifies thing for young Amir. Many of the Ruling-class elite Afganistan view the world as black and white yet Amir identifies many shades of grey.

One day amir Hassan are playing when they run into three boys, Assef, Wali and Kamal. Assef threatens to beat up Amir for hanging around with a Hazara, but Hassan uses his slingshot to stop Assef. Hassan again encounters these boys when Amir wins the Kite Tournament and Hassan sets off to run the losing kite. Hassan trapped at the end of an alley, pinned with his pants down. Wali and Kamal hold him and Assaf rapes him. Amir runs away, and when Hassan appears with the Kite, Amir pretends he doesn't know anything. Afterwards, Amir and Hassan drifted apart. Amir, who is racked guilt, decides either he or Hassan must leave. He stuffs money and a watch under his pillow and tells Baba that Hassan stole it. When Baba confronts them, Hassan admits to it, though he didn't do it. Shortly after, Ali and Hassan move away.

Baba and Amir escape Kabul as it has become a war-zone and they started their life from the beginning in Fremont, California. Baba works in a Gas Station. Amir finishes school and goes to College. Not long after Baba diagnosed with Cancer. Amir asks Baba if he will get General Taheri's(a Baba's old friend) consent for Amir to marry Soraya(General's daughter). General accepted the proposal. They hold the wedding quickly because of Baba's health, and Baba dies a month later. Also, Amir and Soraya try unsuccessfully to have a baby while Amir works on his writing career.

Few years after that Amir gots a call from Rahim Khan that he is sick and wants Amir to meet him in Pakistan. Amir meets him a week later, and Rahim Khan tells Amir about the devastation in Kabul. How his friend Hassan and his wife Fazana got killed by the Taliban and put their son Sohrab to an orphanage. Rahim Khan wants Amir to go to Kabul and bring Sohrab back to Pakistan, where a couple lives that will take care of him. Amir agrees for that and went to Afganistan. Amir finds that Orphanage where Sohrab is supposed to be, but he is not there. He finds out that Taliban official took Sohrab a month earlier and he can find the official, he will be at the soccer stadium during the game the next day. Amir went there and told the officer he is looking for a boy, Sohrab.

Sohrab is wearing a blue silk outfit and mascara making him appear more feminine and suggesting that the men sexually abuse him. Amir realized that the official is Assef. He beats Amir with brass knuckles, breaking Amir's ribs and splitting his lip. Sohrab takes the slingshot to Assef and shoots him in the eye, allowing Amir and Sohrab to escape. As Amir recovers in the hospital, he finds out there never was a couple that could care for Sohrab. Amir asks Sohrab to live with him in the US and Sohrab accepts.

The adoption officials tell Amir that adopting Sohrab will be impossible since he can't prove Sohrab's parents are dead, and Amir tells Sohrab he may have to go back to an orphanage. Amir and Soraya figure out a way to get Sohrab to the US, but before telling this to Sohrab, he tries to kill himself. He lives, but he stops speaking entirely.

Even after they Bring Sohrab to California, Sohrab remains withdrawn. One day, they go to a park with other Afghans. People are flying kites. Amir buys one and gets Sohrab to fly with other Afghans. They spot another Kite and battle it. Using one of Hassan's favourite tricks, they win, Sohrab smiles, and as the losing kite flies loose. Amir sets off to run it for Sohrab.