Book Club Discussion on "Kite Runner" - Khaled Hosseini (novel, writing)

[katzenfreund]

Oh, yes, I do agree. Baba did seem to soften and be more accepting of Amir. Maybe being older and wiser contributed to it, but also being in a new place with different values and customs. Amir started taking on the role of helping him, Baba, not the other way around and he saw that all his status and past life didn't help him at all in their new life in the US. Instead of being a well known respected man, he ended up working in a gas station. I am glad that Baba and Amir seemed to come to an understanding of sorts and show each other that they loved each other.

I felt that Baba was a good person, yet he had his own demons to deal with, as most of us do

[gemkeeper]

I just wanted to add another thought to the idea of guilt, remorse and redemption.

Shortly after the assault on Hassan, Amir's guilt and pain have become almost unbearable to him. When he and Baba went with some relatives on a car trip Baba was bragging about his son, Amir winning the kite contest. Hosseini writes, "... called out their congratulations, KaKa Faruq patted my back with his clean hand. I felt like sticking a knife in my eye."

Some time after, when the boys started to speak with reservations again, they walked up the hill and saw the words that Amir had carved on the mulberry tree, "Amir and Hassan: The Sultans of Kabul". Amir said he couldn't bear to look at the words now.

When he reminded himself that he witnessed Hassan getting raped, but did nothing, he said, "I understood the nature of my new curse: I was going to get away with it."

I don't think that in his culture that it would have seemed natural or acceptable to call Hassan his friend, but the deep feelings that he had for Hassan and the horrible guilt that he went through indicate to me as a reader that he loved Hassan more than a casual, boyhood friend.

I think it is an excellent point, too, katzenfreund, which I meant to comment on before that you pointed out the irony in Assef being present at the stoning. How poignant that this same man was the tormentor of Hassan, the murderer of so many innocents, the deranged captor of Sohrab, and of course, there is no surprise that this wicked man was a proud member of the Taliban. What a despicable character. Yet, such beings exist.

Amir described Assef at his 13th birthday party as "on the surface the embodiment of every parent's dream". But, he went on to say, "...his eyes betrayed him. When I looked into them, the facade faltered, revealed a glimpse of the madness hiding behind them." Even then, Assef evil nature was apparent to Amir. Little did he know then how that evil would follow him for years.

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by katzenfreund

Oh, yes, I do agree. Baba did seem to soften and be more accepting of Amir. Maybe being older and wiser contributed to it, but also being in a new place with different values and customs. Amir started taking on the role of helping him, Baba, not the other way around and he saw that all his status and past life didn't help him at all in their new life in the US. Instead of being a well known respected man, he ended up working in a gas station. I am glad that Baba and Amir seemed to come to an understanding of sorts and show each other that they loved each other.

I felt that Baba was a good person, yet he had his own demons to deal with, as most of us do

I think that is exactly what was happening to them as father and son. They had to reach a point of relying on each another to finely see how much they really needed one another.

I, too, think that Baba was a good man. He was as Amir had said, trying to atone for his own sin of stealing by building the orphanage in Kabul. This was not just the action of a guilt-ridden man; it had to be the result of the goodness inside.

I was so proud of the character that Baba showed when he became a "blue-collar" worker in California. To fall from the prominent station that he held in Kabul to working long hard hours in the gas station taking orders from others, must have taken a great amount of humility. Then, to become a flea market dealer to his own displaced Afghan community in CA took another measure of humility to accept being just another immigrant who was nobody special. I admired Baba for this fine quality.

[katzenfreund]

Originally Posted by gemkeeper

I think that is exactly what was happening to them as father and son. They had to reach a point of relying on each another to finely see how much they really needed one another.

I, too, think that Baba was a good man. He was as Amir had said, trying to atone for his own sin of stealing by building the orphanage in Kabul. This was not just the action of a guilt-ridden man; it had to be the result of the goodness inside.

I was so proud of the character that Baba showed when he became a "blue-collar" worker in California. To fall from the prominent station that he held in Kabul to working long hard hours in the gas station taking orders from others, must have taken a great amount of humility. Then, to become a flea market dealer to his own displaced Afghan community in CA took another measure of humility to accept being just another immigrant who was nobody special. I admired Baba for this fine quality.

I thought that was very admirable also. In contrast Soraya's Dad never did work, other than selling at the flea market. I imagine he would not have been caught dead working in a gas station. I think Baba did many admirable things, one of them saving the woman on the truck with them from being raped, even risking his own life to do so.

[gemkeeper]

I had forgotten about the incident on the truck, katz. That does speak of Baba's character so much.

It just brought to mind how it reflects back to the rape of Hassan in the alley and Amir did nothing to help. Now, he witnesses his father in the same situation, risking his own life for another.

How ashamed Amir must have felt, once again. This coincidence of events could not have escaped him.

[RDSLOTS]

On his own website, Khaled Hosseini, contends The Kite Runner has some autobiographical threads -- for example, Hosseini, as a child was very much the storyteller, Amir.

I cannot help but ponder how much else may be autobiographical as well. Did Hosseini's father admire the son's earning a medical degree, and shun his choice to ultimately write? And if he did, was Hosseini able to redeem himself in his own father's eyes with these beautiful stories of his homeland?

Could the ailing Baba, who comes to better understand and respect Amir, also be a story similar to that of Hosseini and his own father? Just something I have pondered.

[Mrs. H]

Originally Posted by RDSLOTS

On his own website, Khaled Hosseini, contends The Kite Runner has some autobiographical threads -- for example, Hosseini, as a child was very much the storyteller, Amir.

I cannot help but ponder how much else may be autobiographical as well. Did Hosseini's father admire the son's earning a medical degree, and shun his choice to ultimately write? And if he did, was Hosseini able to redeem himself in his own father's eyes with these beautiful stories of his homeland?

Could the ailing Baba, who comes to better understand and respect Amir, also be a story similar to that of Hosseini and his own father? Just something I have pondered.

Every time I read a story that is written in first person format, I always wonder if it's autobiographical or somewhat autobiographical...unless it's a true story, you have to wonder sometimes at fiction. Maybe the author did not want to tell the story of his life in a true life fashion but rather through fictional work.

[gemkeeper]

It is interesting that you both bring up this point of the possibility of The Kite Runner being autobiographical - at least, partially.

I read recently, I think on Hosseini's blog, that he original started the story with Hassan as the main character. It was to be his story because he wanted the plight of class and ethnic distinction in Afghanistan brought to the world's attention.

However, as he continued to develop the story, he realized that the more complex and interesting character was Amir. So, he changed his course mid-stream. He does admit to various events and some of the basis of characters being based on his memories of life in Kabul.

For instance, the boyhood time frame follows that of his own life. He was 11 when he moved with his family to the US seeking political asylum. He had been living in Paris at the time of the Soviet Invasion with his family. His father was a diplomat in the Afghan Foreign Ministry. So, his own father would have been a man that Hosseini saw as an important, powerful man to the people of Afghanistan.

I have found no reference to his relationship with his father that would suggest that it was similar to Amir's and Baba's. Knowing that Hassan was to be the main character, I tended to think that this was the father-son relationship that he was most familiar with - that of Ali and Hassan.

We do tend to write our best material on things that we know well. This is a very interesting thought to consider. I would love to know. I cannot imagine that Hosseini's father could be anything but proud of his son. He is, afterall, showing the face of Afghanistan to the world. He wrote The Kite Runner only for himself. It was his wife and family that insisted that he send it to a publisher so the world would learn the truth of the culture and people of Afghanistan.

[gemkeeper]

I wanted to include the website of Khaled Hosseini's blog so that any who are interested can read in his own words some of his thoughts about his two books, his trips back to Afghanistan, the movie The Kite Runner, and his work now to improve conditions for displaced Afghans and establishing schools.

His humanity that permeates his stories is a part of who Hosseini is. He is a man to be admired for his novels and one to be admired for his gift of time and money to those who need it the most.

Khaled Hosseini (http://www.khaledhosseini.com/blog/ - broken link)

[RDSLOTS]

Thanks so much for the link, Gem. I'll go back and look for the comment he makes about being like the storyteller in Amir's character. I found that fascinating. So many writers say they have written almost from birth.