Novel Summary
The Kite Runner is an inspiring and powerful novel about a Pashtun named Amir who looks back on his life during his transition from childhood into adulthood. Amir grew up in a lavish and rich district of Kabul, Afghanistan. His father was a well known and respected man, but Amir struggled to live up to his father's standards and always craved his love and attention. Ali and his son Hassan (Amir's best friend), are both loyal servants to Baba and Amir but are of the minority Hazara ethnicity who are not respected in Afghanistan. Hassan demonstrated his devoted loyalty to Amir by constantly sticking up for him over the years. Amir and Hassan's relationship was forever changed after a frigid winter day in the year of 1975, when Amir was only 12 years old. Amir and Hassan took part in an annual kite-fighting tournament and won for the first time. Hassan, being the loyal friend he is, went running for the kite to retrieve it for Amir exclaiming that he would "a thousand times over". After Hassan did not return, Amir went looking for him and found him cornered in an alley by Assef - a sociopathic bully. Amir witnessed Assef rape Hassan in front of his very own eyes, but was too cowardly to rescue him resulting in a life full of guilt and regret.
In 1981, 6 years after the kite running incident, Amir and Baba fled to California after the Russians invaded Afghanistan. Over several years, Amir created a successful life for himself by graduating university, becoming a professional writer and marrying his dream wife, Soraya. Shortly after all of Amir's success, he received a phone call from Rahim Khan, a man who was more of a father to him than his own while growing up in Kabul. Rahim Kahn told Amir of Baba's biggest secret - that Hassan is actually Baba's son and Amir's half brother. He reveals that both Hassan and his wife were brutally murdered by the Taliban. He told him, "there is a way to be good again". Amir chooses to risk his safe and successful life in America to travel back to war stricken Afghanistan in order to rescue Hassan's orphan son, Sohrab, in an attempt to relieve his lifelong guilt and to obtain redemption for his past.
In 1981, 6 years after the kite running incident, Amir and Baba fled to California after the Russians invaded Afghanistan. Over several years, Amir created a successful life for himself by graduating university, becoming a professional writer and marrying his dream wife, Soraya. Shortly after all of Amir's success, he received a phone call from Rahim Khan, a man who was more of a father to him than his own while growing up in Kabul. Rahim Kahn told Amir of Baba's biggest secret - that Hassan is actually Baba's son and Amir's half brother. He reveals that both Hassan and his wife were brutally murdered by the Taliban. He told him, "there is a way to be good again". Amir chooses to risk his safe and successful life in America to travel back to war stricken Afghanistan in order to rescue Hassan's orphan son, Sohrab, in an attempt to relieve his lifelong guilt and to obtain redemption for his past.
Thesis
Amir must relive crucial events from his childhood in order to be atoned for his actions and to ultimately obtain redemption for his past.