The Kite Runner (追風箏的孩子)

The Kite Runner



Author: Khaled Hosseini
★★★★
For you, a thousand times over.

This book consists of three part. First part is Amir’s childhood and how he grew up with Hassan and how they separated from each other’s life. Second part is Amir and his father’s life in America after Russians invade Afghanistan. Third part, the climax of this book, is that Amir flight back to Afghanistan and adventure to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab, under the Taliban.

1970s Afghanstan is an liberal country. Amir’s father, a successful businessman, who has his own thought, his own philosophy of life. Amir’s father told him once “No matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a varaition of theft. When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.”

Amir’s father, a respectful man, would rather abandon his status (a respectful rich man in Kubul) to work as an chief of a gas station than accept the relief payment from American government. He’s a courageous, a brave man who dares to risk his life in offending the Russian soldier to save an unknow woman who’s someone’s wife. He’s a severe and witty father, he always tried to grow Amir as an indepent man, he told Amir “What’s going to happen to you, you say? All those years, that’s what I was trying to teach you, how to never have to ask that question.”

Amir met Soraya Taheri, his Swap Meet Princess. After the very first meeting, every night to Amir is yelda, the first night of the month of Jadi, the first night of winter, the starless night tormented lovers kept vigil, enduring the endless dark, waiting for the sun to rise and bring with it their loved one. Soraya is also a witty, courageous and kind Afghanistan woman. Soraya has the courage to tell her past (her past seems unforgivable to common Afghanistan. Soraya has the courage to challenge the racism of her country.

Rahim Khan, Amir’s Baba’s best business friend, a kind man and the man understands Amir most. In the filled with discriminations Afhanistan, Rhim was once falled in love with a Hazara woman, but result in a bad result, and he’s never gotten married. Racial problem is, the Afhanistan can not tolerate to call someone sister after she made them tea for so many years. The only identity they can accept a Hazara is servant. The worthiest to be mentioned is that, Amir, his father, Raim Khan, Soraya can admit Hazara as their friend, their family.

Hassan, a loyal servant to Amir, the best friend to Amir, a Hazara. Hassan and Amir used to always play together, share everything with each other, and Hassan was the most faithful reader to Amir – before the tragic afternoon of the tournament, which Amir earned his father’s approval, and which was to shatter their lives.

Hassan always stands up to agains the children who humiliate Amir, Hassan is always willing to do every thing for Amir, Hassan has told the very sentence to Amir, “For you, a thousand times over”.

But the very afternoon, Hassan need the help from Amir most, Amir shrank back. The cowardice made a tragedy of them. The shrinking resulted in a series of gilties to Admir.

25 years after the very afternoon, Amir return to Afghanistan for redemption.