The kite runner is Khaled
Hosseini’s first novel. Mr. Hosseini is an Afghan-American writer and is the
author of many famous novels including ‘And the mountains echoed’ and ‘A
thousand splendid sins’. Although, ‘the kite runner’ was published back in
2003, the plot and storyline still dictates the modern day scenario of
Taliban-ridden Afghanistan.
The story-line discusses the war-stricken
history of Afghanistan, the effects of war and terror on children and the
suppression of Hazara community. The plot of the story is divided into three
main parts.
In the first part, the story
revolves around two main characters: Amir and Hassan. Amir is the son of a
wealthy businessman whereas Hassan is the son of his father’s loyal servant,
Ali. Amir and Hassan, being of the same age, are very close to each other.
Amir’s father also treats Hassan as his own son. However, later in the book, it
is revealed that Hassan is, in fact, Amir’s half-brother. Both boys are often
bullied by a local boy, Assef - Hassan, because of his Hazara ancestry and
Amir, because he treats Hassan, a Hazara, as his brother. Another character in
the story is of Rahim Khan, a friend of Amir’s father, in which he sees a
fatherly figure.
The story starts when Hassan and
Amir are described as two ordinary children, living in the neighbourhood of
Wazir Akbar Khan District in Kabul, who would love flying kites and reading
books while sitting on the trees. The first breakthrough in the story comes
when they participate in a local kite fighting tournament. Just after Hassan
catches the biggest kite in the tournament for Amir, he is beaten and
eventually raped by Assef - the bully. Amir witnesses the incident but is too
afraid to tell anyone. The guilt of not helping Hassan surrounds him and he gets
distant from Hassan, eventually leading to confiscating Hassan and his father
out of his house.
Soon after, as the Taliban took
control over Afghanistan, Amir flew to America with his father. He competes his
education and gets married to a girl named Soraya, a fellow refugee from
Afghanistan. To their dismay, they found out that they can never have children.
Shortly after, his father dies of cancer. Few years later, Amir receives a call
from his father’s friend Rahim Khan. This is where the third part of the story
begins.
Rahim Khan tells Amir about the
fate of Hassan that how he died in a dispute with Taliban and asked Amir to
visit him in Peshawar, Pakistan where he is living in a refugee camp. As soon
as Amir arrives in Peshawar, Rahim Khan told him the real reason why he called
Amir. He told him that he want him to rescue Hassan’s young son, Sohrab, from
an orphanage in Kabul. Rahim Khan, aware of Hassan’s incident, told Amir that
it is the best chance of redemption and to get over with his guilt. Amir
finally makes up his mind to visit Afghanistan again but after he arrives in
Kabul, he is informed that Sohrab is under Taliban’s procession and is taken to
a Taliban official’s home. As Amir goes to the official’s home, he found out that
that official is actually Assef - the bully. Amir rescues Sohrab, but is
severely injured in the process, however, he soon recovers.