The Meaning Behind the Story

I am now on page 293 of The Kite Runner and I have loved every aspect of it.  This is one of the first books in a while that I have simply not been able to put down.  Especially in these last couple of chapters where there have been many surprises and plot twists all of which tied up loose ends within the overall plot.  One event that changed the whole story line was when Amir returned to Pakistan to see Rahim Khan (a friend of Amir's father) who then told Amir that Hassan (who was killed) was Amir's own half-brother.  "How could I have been so blind" (Hosseini 224).  When I read this line, I myself starting thinking about all the signs I missed throughout the book.  For example, Baba (Amir's father) didn't miss one of Hassan's birthdays, and he paid for Hassan to have his lip defect fixed. Also, Baba tried so hard to make Hassan and his father stay and when they left, Baba cried.  With this new knowledge Amir decided, after strong encouragement from Rahim Khan, to go find Hassan's son, Sohrab, in Taliban-occupied Afghanistan.  This then led to the climax of the novel when Amir fought with Assef (the man who raped Hassan in the beginning of the novel), a Taliban leader, for the rights of Sohrab.

The fact that Hassan, Amir's half-brother now has a son and that Amir must finally fight Assef to get Sohrab, Hassan's son back, all plays significant parts in the development of the meaning of the work as a whole.  Amir coming back to Afghanistan, finding Sohrab, and fighting Assef at the end of the story all play into the theme that no one cannot escape his or her past.  But these events also illustrate the importance of the theme of selflessness, that one should not be selfish, but rather, should think about others besides oneself.  "For the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace" (Hosseini 289).  This line is important because as Amir fights Assef, he finally does something for the benefit of someone else.  This allows him to be at peace with his past because he is finally sticking up to the "bully" and has someone else's back just like Hassan had his own. Amir has finally changed.   

I see these themes displayed in literature as well as in today's society.  For example, I know people who have been abused as children and those memories still affect them every day.  Also, coincidentally, I read the book, Rule of the Bone over the summer, which was about a boy running away from his abusive childhood.  

This book has got me hooked and I cannot wait to finish!