The purpose in this novel is clear. Khaled Hosseini's purpose is to explain Amir's journey to retrieve Sohrab and be good again. This is evidenced when he writes, "One day last summer, my friend Rahim Khan called from Pakistan. He asked me to come see him. ... It was my past of unatoned sins. ... There is a way to be good again." Here, he reveals that Amir has sinned in the past and the only way to be good again is to return to Afghanistan for some unfinished business. It is later revealed that the unfinished business is finding Sohrab. There is a side purpose as well. As you may know, the Soviets occupied Afghanistan in the 1970s to the 1980s. When that happened, chaos arose and order crumbled. Afghan society is destroyed and civilians die. Although the details are meant to describe the scene to the reader, the purpose of the descriptions is to inform about the hardships of war. The purposes were well achieved. The second half of the story was all about Amir returning to Afghanistan and his quest to find Sohrab. Upon his return, Amir sees poor people and dilapidated structures that act as evidence of the atrocities of war. Another side purpose of the story is to encourage people to solve problems as soon as possible instead of biding your time. Amir watches Hassan get raped, but doesn’t tell Hassan he saw what had happened. Furthermore, Amir keeps this secret to himself and does not try to comfort Hassan. Instead, he actually tries to get rid of Hassan by asking Baba to consider getting new servants. What he should have done was tell Baba what had happened because he is a powerful man and knows Assef’s parents. This lesson can even be applied to problems in everyday life.
Although I think this book isn't as boring as the other ones, it still has some flaws. Because Amir is from Afghanistan, he speaks a foreign language. In the following quote, the word "naan" is foreign.
"He coated my naan with marmalade, placed it on a plate."In addition, the author does not explain what a naan is. Sure maybe you can use context clues, but the reader would only know it's some type of food covered with marmalade. I suggest the author translate the words into English. Khaled Hosseini mentions Amir's mother, but never develops any major details around her. She was not relevant to the plot because she had passed away after giving birth to Amir, yet Hosseini described her through a beggar in Kabul. Hosseini should just mention that Amir's mother died at childbirth and stop at that or go more in depth with this character. Anything in between leaves the reader guessing what kind of personality this character is. The beginning was a little boring to me. It took a while for me to get into this book. This is normal because the author has to introduce the characters and the setting, but is a weakness nevertheless. Finally, the ending contained loose ends. It ended with Amir and Sohrab flying kites which is fitting because the title is the Kite Runner, but mysteries still remain. The reader never knows the fate of numerous characters.Hosseini never reveals why Amir framed Hassan by planting the money and watch. I believe Amir framed Hassan because he wanted him to leave. Recall that Amir asked Baba for new servants earlier in the book. He didn’t succeed then, so Amir tries to get Hassan kicked out by framing him. No one knows how Soraya got a humanitarian visa for Sohrab and of course, little is revealed about Amir's mother.
A person I would like to discuss us Baba, Amir's father. Baba is unusual in that he despises his son in the first part of the novel, but more about that later. Not much is known about Baba's past. He played with Rahim Khan as a child and the pair were troublesome. He slept with a Hazara and had a child, Hassan. He marries another woman and has another child, Amir. In the process, his wife dies. Later in his life, he moves to America with America because of the Soviet occupation. Baba never returns to Afghanistan and dies in America. Despite all the troubles, he is a successful man. He is a businessman who owns many businesses. That's how Baba becomes rich. His wealth is proven by his lavish spendings on Amir's birthday party and the ownership of a Ford Mustang. Baba also succeeds when he marries a woman of royal descent. Previously, skeptics have claimed that Baba could never marry. Baba even wins in trivial contests. He claims to have won a kite tournament and holds the record for most kites cut in a match. Baba's personality is positive. He is friendly which is proven when he buys everone in an American bar a drink. Baba is generous. He uses his own money to build an orphanage. Baba is glad to help. At his funeral, people tell Amir how they were helped like this person:
"'... helped me build the house in Taimani...'"There are other people who state how Baba helped them, but you get the point. His relationship with Amir isn't as friendly. In Afghanistan, Baba is ashamed to have Amir as his son because he can't stand up for himself. They never relly bonded in the earlier parts of the novel. In America, things are different. The two get along better. When Amir graduates, Baba is proud and buys Amir a Ford.
I can see why the Kite Runner has received numerous good reviews. The plot is interesting and the book has a clear main purpose. There are some unusual characters like Baba and Assef that spice up the story. Although I have stated the book has flaws, they are too trivial to interfere with the storyline. I would recommend this book to any teen or adult.
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