Taliban

The Taliban took over and caused Amir and his father to leave their home because it was too dangerous for them.

Blue kite

The last kite the Hassan ran for Amir was a blue one. That was the kite that Amir's father bragged about and the one Amir later regretted winning.

Change and Tragedy

            It seems that some of the most tragic things happen to the kindest and most loyal people, such as Hassan and Rahim Khan. In his last letter, Hassan shows that he has always been loyal, even through the years and after everything that Amir did to him. I can’t say that Hassan’s will to forgive surprised me at all: it was expected. Similarly, Amir hasn’t changed much throughout the twenty-five years. For a few moments I actually thought that he had changed and that he wouldn’t hesitate to do something related to Hassan. My train of thought was encouraged by Amir’s recent flow of memories from his childhood with Hassan. Though he hesitated, I’m glad that he did what Rahim Khan asked him to do because, for once, he actually did what was right and even found peace for his actions. Also, Amir’s trip was good for Sohrab; he now has people that care about him.

Unfortunate and Great Events

            As I continue the reading, I hold on to the anger Amir has caused, but I cannot say that I am not glad he has found some happiness with Soraya. Also, on some level, I like that the author reminds Amir of what he did in his past and that he did not let him forget.  In addition, I think Amir was correct, maybe some of the unpleasant events that have happened to him are because of the awful things he did; as many have described it: karma. On the other hand, there were a few positive aspects as the pages flew by. Amir and his father grew closer together, unfortunately, it all happened after they discovered that his father was not well.

Selfishness

             "I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me."

             I know that Amir ran mostly out of fear, but as he himself confirmed, he committed selfish actions because in the end it meant getting his father’s affection: "...Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price i had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba."

             Honestly, I don’t believe that I would have been able to do the same thing. I mean, Hassan has proved that he’ll stick by Amir; on the contrary his father grows colder throughout the book when Amir does something to disappoint him. Why try to win what seems like temporary affection? Amir already had Hassan, someone loyal and would forever give him that affection. Even though Amir tries to fix things, he doesn’t do it for Hassan; it’s all to get rid of the guilt. He doesn’t want his actions to keep haunting him and that’s probably the worst part. Amir saw how it affected him, but only took very little notice to how Hassan was being haunted by it and the pain it caused him. Nothing really overpowered Amir’s selfishness.

Similarities

Before I began reading the Kite Runner, I was expecting to have nothing in common with the characters. Even though they are in a very different setting and have different customs, they are like me in many ways and share characteristics with people I know. They experienced hardships and continue to do so. Also, they try to find fun things do: watch movies, go for walks, and fly kites. As many friends do, they share similarities and differences with each other. Because not everything can be good without a bad side, Amir doubts and blames himself; and in that way he identifies with almost anyone.

"'When you kill a man, you steal a life,' Baba said. 'You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father....'" Baba explained how stealing was the biggest sin of all. His talk with Amir later encouraged him to think a lot about it.

"Because the truth of it was, I always felt like Baba hated me a little. And why not? After all, I had killed his beloved wife, his beautiful princess, hadn't I?" Amir began to think that his father's hatred came from his mother's death.