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The flying of kites brought the characters together. For a moment, they were part of a team. The characters enjoyed flying the kites in both the beginning and end of the novel, and it allowed them to momentarily escape their differences and be somewhat mutual. The kites symbolized a momentary sense of freedom. The complexity and growth in Emir is one which demonstrates that The Kite Runner is a classic novel. Maria Elena Caballero-Rob explains that the novel “sketches the maturation of its protagonist from a callow beguiled by mythical stories of heroes” (99).
Emir Khan began as an UN-athletic, shy, and innocent twelve year old boy. He spent most of the time playing with his servant, Hosannas. Both of the boys got picked on; Emir because he was friends with his servant, and Hosannas because he was a Hazard. Emir was always too afraid to stick up for himself, and it was always Hosannas who ended up taking the hits for the both of them. Emir was constantly trying to impress his father, to no avail. Baby very often voiced his concern for the kind Of man Emir would turn out to be. He often compared Emir to Hosannas, wondering why his son couldn’t be more like Hosannas.
His father saw Emir’s lack of courage and inability to speak up as a weakness, which was proven to be true. “Emir, confused, embittered, and convinced of his servants elevated status in Abs’s affections, sets about severing ties of a different kind” (O’Brien 102). Emir’s flaw was truly shown when he watched as Hosannas got beaten and raped by a bully named Safes after trying to retrieve Amid winning kite. Emir stood watching in horror, but didn’t say a word in defense of his friend. After encountering this horrible event and feeling uncomfortable about it, Emir selfishly finds a way to get rid of Hosannas and his father.
This flaw, hiding, is one that readers can identify with, even if in a negative way. Emir struggles with the memory of his cowardice to act for decades after. The entire novel is Emir’s journey to find ways to cope with himself and with his guilt. The way that Emir tried to ignore his past is a manner of living in which the reader can recognize. He and Baby eventually moved from Afghanistan to America. America, Emir thought, was to be a new beginning. It was be a place where he could forget about his past, hide away from it. But Emir eventually found that he could not hide from his own guilty conscious.
When his future wife, Sorry, spoke of her sinful past, he was reminded of his own, and also his lack of courage. He returned to Afghanistan after hearing that Ihram Khan, an old family friend, had fallen ill. There, Emir was finally forced to face everything that had been lingering with him for decades. He was informed that Emir and his wife was shot and killed by a Taliban after having a child. Emir had haunting dreams in which he was the Taliban man standing in front of Hosannas with a gun pointing at his head. Ihram told Emir that he should go find Hessian’s son, who was put in an orphanage after the death of his father.
There, Emir was faced with much more than he expected. He came in contact with Asset now a child molesting Taliban killer, with Hessian’s son. Emir finally overcame his weakness, and stood up to try and get the boy from Safes. “… Hen a coward stops remembering who he is… God help him” (275). For probably the first time in his life, Emir didn’t hide and watch. He fought for this boy. The growth from Emir’s shy scared boy to a courageous and brave man definitely demonstrated the complexity of human nature. It shows yet another reason why The Kite Runner is a classic.
This novel had both an interesting and suspenseful plot which will leave every reader stimulated and moved in some way. It contains both political issues and a personal tale about how choices later affect our lives. It provides interesting information about Afghanistan, and the reader learns some of vents of both America and the Middle East. Readers can explore a new culture of a previously obscure and peaceful nation that is now a big part of global politics. The journey of Emir from an insecure boy to a man more at peace is a very relatable plot.
Startling, unexpected plot twists provide constant suspense and wonder for the reader throughout the novel. This is the plot of a classic. Now used as summer reading books in multiple high schools, and found on many lists for book clubs, this novel seems as though it will be here to stay. It provides such a vivid glimpse of the life in Afghanistan over the past quarter f a century, and is both enlightening and informational. It is one of the first novels to be written about Afghan after September 1 1 which had for been ignored by writers for a long time.
Hopefully it will inspire many writers in the future that this issue is not one to be ignored. #1 New York Times bestseller, this novel will be passed on to future generations for years to come, and will no doubt have the “lasting power’ of a classic novel. The Kite Runner fit every quality in which a classic novel should. It contained a journey with Emir in order to discover the universal truths of sin and redemption. The protagonist, like in all classic novels, was developed and enlightened about these truths by the end.
This novel also contained many literary elements which greatly enhanced the meaning and feel of the work. The use of sarcasm, foreshadowing, flashbacks, and language were styles used by Hussein to enhance the novel. A classic’s protagonist, like Emir, demonstrates growth and change, which shows the complexity of human nature. Emir changed tremendously throughout his journey, and both Of his flaws and enlightenment are easy to identify with. The plot was complex, ever changing, and interesting. It is one that will keep readers turning the pages.