The Kite Runner Study Guide Verified Solutions
What image does the narrator show at the beginning of the novel and what does it mean? ✔️✔️The
image at the very beginning of The Kite Runner is the narrator remembering when he "came of age",
describing himself kneeling next to a crumbling brick wall. I remember the precise moment, crouching
behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. (ch 1). Amir reflects that he
has learned that you can't bury the past.
What literary tool or tools does Khaled Hosseini use in Chapter 1 of The Kite Runner, and how does this
usage frame the story? ✔️✔️Author Khaled Hosseini uses exposition in the first chapter of The Kite
Runner for background information to introduce many of his important characters, such as Baba, Ali,
Rahim Khan and Hassan, as well as the novel's primary locales of Kabul, Pakistan and San Francisco.
Several themes are introduced, including that of the redemption that Amir seeks throughout the novel--
Why does Hassan always do what Amir wants and never tells on Amir? ✔️✔️The theme of loyalty is
central to the novel. Amir's lack of loyalty to Hassan is what keeps him rooted to that one moment in the
winter of 1975. Hassan's unflinching loyalty to Amir is what results in his rape, his leaving Wazir Akhbar
Khan, and one could argue, his death many years later. We learn the basics of Amir and Hassan's
relationship early on, as embodied in their mischief making. Amir is a child of privilege who wants
attention, so he feels safe and even entitled to getting into trouble. Yet his insecurity and fear of Baba
makes him unable to stand up for himself or take credit for his mistakes. In contrast, Hassan is a servant
who has a very close and constant relationship with his father, Ali. Ali has taught Hassan to be so
righteous and loyal that he would not dream of starting trouble and does not hesitate to cover up for
Amir. As we learn, Hassan is so determined to protect Amir and not to cause anyone grief that he keeps
his rape a secret. The difference between Amir and Hassan underscores the connection between loyalty
and family. Hassan is loyal and long-suffering just like Ali, who kept the secret that Baba had an affair
with Sanaubar and that Hassan was not his biological son. Amir betrays Hassan just as Baba betrayed Ali,
and like Baba, Amir must suffer for what he did and pay retribution.
The theme of loyalty is connected to the theme of silence and secrets. Remaining silent about injustice is
Ali and Hassan's way of showing loyalty to Baba and Amir. The story of The Kite Runner is filled with
things untold or unspoken. Baba's adultery, Hassan's rape, and Amir's betrayal of Ali and Hassan are
examples of things untold. One major unspoken thing in the boys' household is the difference between
Pashtuns and Hazaras. Amir does not even know why the Pashtuns demean the Hazaras until he secretly
reads
,What does it mean that, in the picture of Baba and Rahim Khan, Amir is holding onto Rahim Khan?
✔️✔️Amir tells of a picture of his father holding him as a baby "looking tired and grim" but although
Amir's Baba is the one holding him, Amir is holding on to Rahim Khan's ( his father's best friend) finger.
This shows that the distancing between father and son began at birth.
Why did Amir go into Hassan's home "only a handful of times"? ✔️✔️possibly because the reminder
that Hassan was his servant and lived in a shack, was not something he wanted to think about
Why is Sanaubar's leaving "far worse than death"? ✔️✔️In Afghanistan, which is the setting in which
The Kite Runner(Hosseini) begins, the culture places great constraints upon women, and for a woman to
run away from her husband was unthinkable, a disgrace which is probably difficult for most of us today
in the western world to understand. It is perhaps akin to the disgrace of a woman doing something like
this 150 years ago in the United States.
Why does Amir recount the story about the nursing woman and Ali's belief that feeding from the same
breast leads to a kinship stronger than time? ✔️✔️Amir is Hassan's half brother and friend. Although
aware that Hassan is a dreaded Hazara, Amir feels a strong kinship and bond with him. Amir, in his own
childish way, explains this bond through the breast milk analogy.
Amir's first word was "Baba." Hassan's was "Amir." How does this frame the rest of the story?
✔️✔️Consider that Amir never feels loved and accepted by his father. In turn, Hassan never truly feels
loved and accepted by Amir. This dynamic is in play for the entire story.
What does Amir mean when he says, "I can never tell Baba from the bear"? ✔️✔️Amir probably
means that Baba is so much like an unknown animal to him than a loving fatherly figure which he wishes
for.
How does Baba's snoring affect Amir? ✔️✔️Baba's snoring affects Amir because it reminds him of his
mom and how he used to think about how she could ever stand it. This makes Amir sad about his mom's
death.
Why does Amir tell Baba he thinks he has cancer? ✔️✔️He was just saying it to see if he could get
Baba's attention, not that he actually thought he did have it.
, Why does Amir hate the orphans? ✔️✔️probably because he wishes for more attention from his
father, and Baba is constantly taking care of the kids at his orphanage
Amir says, "... I had killed his beloved wife, his beautiful princess, hadn't I? The least I could have done
was to have had the decency to have turned out a little more like him." What does this mean and how
does it
affect Amir's relationship with Baba? ✔️✔️This probably means that Amir feels like it is his fault that
his mother passed away, because she was giving birth to him. This puts a strain on Amir's relationship
with Baba, as he feels like a strain and disappointment to his father.
What is Afghanistan's national passion, and what does it say about the country? ✔️✔️it is probably
Buzkashi, which is where riders compete to grab a dead goat or calf from the ground while riding a horse
at full gallop. This probably says that Afghanistan is bold and fierce if Buzkashi is their national passion.
Why did Baba never call Ali his "friend"? ✔️✔️probably because Ali and Baba grew up together, but
they have ethnic and religious differences, and Ali served as Baba's servant
Why were "most Hazaras" illiterate? ✔️✔️probably because they were looked down upon in the
Afghani society, and it wasn't deemed important for servants to get an education or to know how to
read
Why do the boys react differently to the story of Rostam and Sohrab? ✔️✔️Amir and Hassan share a
favorite story: "Rostam and Sohrab" from the Shahnamah. It's a story about a father who kills his
nemesis, who actually turns out to be his son. Amir, being the favoured son, sees the story in a different
context than Hassan who perhaps defines himself as the son who is killed.
What is the significance of Hassan's question about Amir's story? ✔️✔️it is probably significant
because it is a metaphor for Amir's own life in that, in his desperate longing for his father's love, Amir
effectively destroys the safe and comfortable life of Hassan along with their relationship with each other
Why would Amir be envious of Hassan during the gun fire? ✔️✔️He was envious because of Ali's
calming presence during the gunfire.
