I just finished The Kite
Runner and in my mind it definitely lived up to all the hype. When it comes to endings, I am a big
fan of a story coming full circle. I believe Hosseini did an
excellent job with this task specifically in the last few pages. Amir is
teaching Sohrab how to fly a kite while Amir is telling his nephew about
how his father was the best kite runner. Then when Amir and Sohrab's kite
cuts the other kite in the air and it starts falling through the air,
Amir asks the boy if he would like it if he ran the kite for him and
Sohrab nods. Amir replies, "for you, a thousand times
over" (Hosseini 371) and then the story ends with Amir running out of
sight with a smile on his face. This quote is significant because these
words are what Hassan said to Amir after they won
the kite tournament together which then led to
the turning point of the novel, Hassan being raped. This ending
scene brings closure to the story because Amir is finally at peace with
himself. One aspect of the ending that I wish had been more positive was
Sohrab's attitude towards Amir and Soraya. Sohrab was very quiet and seemed sad
during his time in America. I understand that the experiences that he had
witnessed in his life had scarred him, but I found it very depressing that
he never showed any emotion toward his "saviors." I had hoped
that Sohrab would be more content with his new family in his adopted country.
I strongly believe that this book can be considered an AP level text. The author has written a captivating novel that gives the reader many different elements to analyze and explore: for example, thematic messages, characterization, character foils, literary devices, etc. In addition, as the story unfolds, the author writes about many aspects of another world and culture that might be unfamiliar to many students and could serve as a starting point for interesting class discussions. However, someone who wants to read The Kite Runner simply for pure enjoyment would easily be able to do so and is something I strongly recommend.
Do you think that the difficulty Sohrab has will lessen with the passing of time? Or is he, in that way, similar to Amir, who struggles for most of the novel, to put the past behind him?
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