The Kite Runner Review

Fermin Carrera

Mr. Sutherland P.2

11-23-10

                                                   The Kite Runner Review

The Kite Runner is now one of my favorite books. The Kite Runner is a book that I first thought it was boring. Then as I started to read it very carefully, I began to see how the there were changes in the characteristics of the main characters. The main characters of the novel are Amir, Hassan, Assef and Bubba. The character that best interested me was Amir. Everything that goes on in Amir’s life is because of conflicts that happen in the book. These conflicts changes Amir’s life in a good way. Even if the conflicts are very horrifying. As the book goes on, Amir starts to change.

As I read the book, I started to notice the characteristics of the characteristics. Reading the book and noticing Amir’s characteristics, I knew that it will affect him in the future. One of the characteristics of Amir is that he is a boy who is careless in a way, but he also cares. It may seem confusing, but I will explain why.

When Hassan got raped by Assef, the only thing that Amir did was watched and did not do anything to help Hassan when he was being raped. He did not even bother to say something about it. People may think that Amir is careless, but there was nothing that he could of done to help Hassan. Assef was much older, taller, and stronger than Amir and Hassan.

“Blocking Hassan’s way out of the ally where three boys…I left my body clench up, and something cold rippled up my spine…Hassan lay with his chest pinned to the ground. Kamal and Wali each gripped an arm…Assef knelt behind Hassan, put his hands on Hassan’s hips and lifted his bare buttocks …He unzipped his jeans, Dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn’t struggle. Didn’t even whimper. He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face saw the resignation in it…it was the look of the lamb…I stopped watching turned away from the ally. Something warm was running down my wrist…I was weeping…I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could  step into that ally , stand up for Hassan –the way he’d stood up for me all those times in the past. Or I could run. In the end, I ran…I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef, and what he would do to me.”

This entire quote shows that Amir was not brave enough to help Hassan. In the past, Hassan has helped out Amir. But, why didn’t Amir help Hassan when he needed it the most? Amir was a coward. He even said it. Amir and Hassan will never forget what they both experienced. In the future, this horrible thing that happened to Hassan and Amir witnessing it with his eyes will not leave Amir from its side. This experience would soon help Amir redeem him one way or another.

Time passes and Amir is now a professional writer, has a great life with a loving wife Soraya who loves him. Amir gets a call from Rahim Kahn to go to Pakistan. Amir decides to go. As he’s in Pakistan, hares that Hassan was assassinated by the Taliban. At that point, Hassan was married and had a child. Hassan and his wife were killed and Sohrab was taken to an orphanage. Sohrab is Hassan’s son. Another thing is that Amir finds out is that Hassan is Amir’s brother. At that point, he was very disappointed and extremely angry. Amir decides to go and get Sohrab from the orphanage. When he gets there, He finds out that the kid was sold to a mysterious guy who knows for what. The orphanage was falling apart and money was needed desperately. Amir is now in a quest to get Sohrab, his nephew.

Amir is a person who is brave and willing to risk it all to save a life. He was now in a mission to save Sohrab from the Taliban. Amir goes to meet the mysterious guy. Amir was very scared but that wasn’t going to stop him from going and taking Sohrab with him. In the end, the guy reviled his identity. Well, that guy happened to be Assef! That’s when Amir got very frightened. That still wouldn’t stop him from completing his mission, saving Sohrab.

Amir and Assef began to have a discussion about the boy. Amir wanted to take Sohrab with him. He was willing to offer Assef money. Why money? Assef is a member of the Taliban; He has money, food, everything he needs. In the end, it came to a conclusion. Amir and Assef had some unfinished business to settle. That business is a battle to the death.

“Assef but down his prayer breeds. Reached in the breast pocket of his black pocket. What he fished out of that pocket did not surprise me one bit: stainless-steel brass knuckles…I don’t know if I gave Assef a good fight, I don’t think I did…His brass knuckles flashing in the afternoon light; how cold they felt with the first blows and how quickly they warmed with my blood. Getting thrown against the wall…Sohrab screaming…The knuckles shattering my jaw. Choking with my own teeth…blood from my split upper lip…The sound of my ribs snapping like the tree branches…getting kicked. Sohrab screaming…I started laughing…The harder I laughed, the harder he kicked me, punched me, scratched me. “WHATS SO FUNNY?”  Assef bellowed me. Another rib snapped…I laughed because I saw that in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been locking forward to this. (Sohrab hits Assef in the eye using his slingshot). Sohrab said pulling my hand. “Let’s go!”

This part of the book is the climax. IT is the climax because this conflict changes the story. First of all, this chapter (22) contains a lot of suspense. This is an important quote because it tells a lot of Amir’s character. This entire quote shows that Amir was brave. He was brave because he was risking his life to save Sohrab’s life. In the past, Amir was not brave enough to save Hassan’s life. As years passed, He developed that important skill. To be brave, especially when it comes to family. Amir could of died settling that business with Assef. But, he made it through alive. When Amir said “I’d even been looking forward to this.” This tells me that this was the way to release his guilt from not helping Hassan when he was being raped by Assef. Another thing is that in the end, Amir takes Sohrab with him to live in San Francisco with him and his wife, that’s like an apology to Hassan and a promise to him.

In conclusion, the characteristics of Amir affected the entire novel in different ways. One of them is causing conflicts. For example, Amir was a coward for not helping Hassan when he was be violated by Assef. And then, Amir becomes brave. He is brave when he goes to save Sohrab from Assef. He succeeds and takes Sohrab with him to San Francisco.