THEMES: An idea that keeps reoccurring throughout the story.

 

 

Regret- All throughout The Kite Runner Amir feels consistent guilt for not standing up for Hassan. Everyday acquaintances and occurrences remind him of Hassan. He tries to undo his previous actions by fighting to adopt his son, Sohrab in order to "make things right again."

 

Karma - Amir was always handed everything to him, but soon after Hassan's rape, his luck changed. He no longer had the nice home he and his father once shared. They began renting a small apartment in a town where nearly nobody knew their names. They were no longer the fortunate father and son that they once had been. The "what goes up, must come down" effect took place and Amir felt as if he were being punished for his attitude toward Hassan.

 

Prejudice - Only because Hassan was a Shia Muslim, he and his family were so looked down upon by the majority of other Kabul residents, who were Sunni Muslims.

 

Fear - Amir has to face the fear of going back to Afghanistan and  facing Assef once again. In order to get Sohrab he must face this fear and confront his past with Assef. Another fear that Amir has to face in the book is losing his father. Amir has been close to his father throughout his childhood and young adulthood and they had a close relationship. 

 

Relationships/Family- Amir meets Soraya and he falls in love. He asks Soraya's father for her hand in marriage and is granted the permission to do so. He grew up in a household that lacked having a mother and so this would become a new challenge for him to adapt to. Hassan was also without a mother. Amir struggled through his childhood to get his fathers attention. As he grew older they became closer and Amir admired his father to the point of wanting to be just like him. With these hopes, Amir and Soraya adopt Sohrab, making Amir a father too.Amir grew up in a single parent family due to the fact that his mother had died at birth. Later, he discovered that his father had an affair with a servant of the family and that Hassan was the result, making them brothers. Amir and Soraya struggle to begin their family and Sohrab is what eventually makes it complete.

 

Death - Amir has to face the death of his father and later finds out that his brother Hassan had died as well, leaving behind his son Sohrab. Rahim Khan also dies shortly before Amir finds Sohrab.

 

Love/Respect - Amir went through tons of trouble to save Sohrab. When Rahim Khan asked him to go find the boy, he did. Amir has a great deal of embarrassment toward Hassan. He owes him a great deal of respect which he does not give Hassan at all. Hassan still did everything for Amir and did not expect anything in return.

 

Acceptance - Amir wants to be accepted by Baba. When the Kite Flying Tournament was finished Amir was accepted by his father for winning. Amir accepts that Hassan is his half brother after Rahim Khan tells him.

 

Restart- Amir gets a chance at a whole new restart in life after moving to the United States. He leaves behind his past but does not forget it. Amir is also overwhelmed with the fact that his brother Amir is dead and has left behind a son Sohrab. Amir takes the opportunity after speaking with Rahim Khan and goes back to Afghanistan to get his nephew Sohrab. This serves as a restart as well because Amir is able to make up those years with Sohrab that he had lost with Hassan. Amir in way, gets to make it up to his brother Hassan by raising his son in a stable environment.

 

Forgiveness/Courage - Amir must confront his enemy, Assef, to redeem himself for being a coward in the past. Amir must try to do for Sohrab, what he couldn't do for Hassan. Also Amir has overcome, like recovering from wounds, bringing Sohrab to the U.S., and finding a way to make Sohrab responsive again.

 

 

 

 

 

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