Literature Analysis #1

1. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, begins in Afghanistan with Amir, the son of a wealthy man. Amir has a best friend, Hassan, who is also his hazara, which is basically a servant. Amir is jealous of Hassan because Amir thinks his father loves Hassan more than he loves him. This jealousy effects many of Amir's later decisions. Amir enters a kite competition, and Hassan is his kite runner (hint hint). Amir wins the competition, and he sends Hassan off to retrieve the kite that he defeated in order to win. Amir follows Hassan, and finds him in an alley surrounded by three bullies. The leader, Assef, rapes Hassan, but Amir just watches and does nothing to save him. This causes Amir's guilt throughout the novel, and is the reason that Amir needs to redeem himself. After this, Amir and his father move to America. Amir gets married and his father dies a month later. Amir receives a letter from one of his father's old friends. This prompts Amir to go back to Afghanistan, where Amir finds out life-changing information. Amir redeems himself, and he goes back to America.

2. The main theme of the novel is the need of redemption. Amir needs to redeem himself after his cowardice stops him from saving Hassan. The author may have written about this because it is something many humans face every day of their lives. We are constantly berated with guilt and shame, so we need a to get rid of these feelings. Karma plays a huge role, though it is not directly addressed in the novel.

3. I chose this book because it seemed very interesting. I had not seen the movie, but had been told that it was a very good one. I kept reading this book because it was very captivating. The story grabbed my attention and I could not put it down.

4. The story was very realistic, even though it was a fictional novel. I could easily see many of the events in a news story. The novel focused largely on guilt and the decisions it influences, which is a common happening in real life. Some events in the story were a little outlandish, like Assef's return, but that didn't take away from the novel's overall realism.

5. The author's tone changes throughout the novel. In the beginning, the tone is innocent because it starts with Amir being young. Amir has not developed any problems that influence the novel.  As the novel progresses, however, the tone gets darker. A very noticeable shift in the tone is when Hassan gets raped. After Amir and Baba move to America, the tone is lighter, but quickly gets darker when he returns to Afghanistan. Overall, though, the tone is somewhat neutral, leaning towards the darker side.

6. Personification: "That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out." pg. 1
This foreshadows the entire novel because it's hinting at the past revealing itself.
Simile: "The blast echoes through the street of my father's house. Hassan slumps to the asphalt, his life of unrequited loyalty drifting from him like the wind blown kites he used to chase." pg. 219
Hassan's death makes Amir remember him.
Metaphor: "America was different. America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far." pg. 219
Amir sees America as a way to forget his sins.
Hyperbole: "…and a black glare that would drop the devil to his knees begging for mercy." pg. 13
Baba is a hard man, and Amir describes him as such.
Simile: "Baba was like a widower who remarries but can't let go of his dead wife." pg. 129
Baba misses Afghanistan.
Allusion: "I loved him in that moment, love him more than I'd loved anyone and I wanted to tell them that I was the snake in the grass." pg. 105
This is an allusion to the bible, which shows snakes as being evil, which means that Amir sees himself as evil.  Simile: "At least two dozen kites already hung in the sky, like paper sharks roaming for prey." pg. 63
This foreshadows the upcoming events, with Assef as a shark and Hassan as the prey.  Personification: "Our twin shadows dance on the rippling grass" pg. 122
Amir sees his and Hassan's shadows as equals, but he doesn't see themselves as equals Personification: “… I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering it things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.” pg. 359
This helps further develop Amir by giving a look into how he thinks.  Imagery: "Then I saw something else: a man dressed in a herringbone vest pressing the mussle of his Kalashnikov to the back of Hassan's head. The blast echoes through the street of my 
father's house. Hassan slumps to the asphalt, his life of unrequited loyalty drifting from him like the wind blown kites he used to chase" pg. 192 
This shows Amir's guilt in a way that paints a clear picture of what he is seeing. 

CHARACTERIZATION 
1. Two examples of direct characterization are Hassan and Baba. Hassan is specifically described as having a cleft lip. Baba is described as proud and independent. An example of indirect characterization is Amir. Since he is the narrator, he doesn't directly describe himself. We have to find out what he is like by his actions. 

2. The author's syntax/diction stays the same throughout the entire novel. 

3. Amir is a dynamic character. In the beginning of the novel, he is jealous of Hassan. By the end of the novel, however, Amir redeems himself and becomes a new man. Amir is also a round character because he is very well developed. As a reader, I know his personality. 

4. After reading the book, I feel as if I've read a character instead of meeting a person. Though this novel is very realistic, I don't feel as if I would meet this person in real life. I think Amir is someone who will stay in the pages of a book. 

After reading The Kite Runner, I feel as if many ideas will stick with me. This is a very powerful novel with very powerful concepts. However, I feel as if the idea of social classes/racism will stick with me the most. In America, the idea of distinct social rankings don't exist. It's hard to imagine a place where you are defined by what class you lie in. For example, when Assef rapes Hassan, he says it's okay because "he's just a hazara." Hassan was not even regarded as equal to other human beings. They thought it was okay because Hassan belonged to a class that was seen as less than nothing. I find this extremely hard to believe, and I know that idea, and specifically that scene will stay with me for a long time.