WebChapter 1 Quotes That was a long time ago, but its wrong what they say about the past, Ive learned, about how you can bury it. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shia, and nothing was ever going to change that. Your parents hired workers to decorate the house for the fancy mehmanis they threw, so their friends would come over to drink and boast about their travels to Europe or America. Jamila comes to adore, frustrated and enraged at the Afghan double standard for men and womens promiscuity. She has a Master of Education degree. Loyal as a dog, Assef said. The theme of redemption carries through Khaled Hosseinis The Kite Runner is a remarkable coming-of-age novel describing and revealing the thoughts and actions of Amir, a compunctious adult in the United States and his memories of his affluent childhood in the unstable political environment of Afghanistan. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought. I flinched, like Id been slapped Then I understood: This was Hassans final sacrifice for me And that led to another understanding: Hassan knew. Overcome with fear and guilt, Amir runs, leaving Hassan in the Almost told him everything, but then what would he think of me? Although Hassan is Amirs best friend, he is ashamed to be associated with a poor Hazara. Made it in passing, almost as an afterthought. It follows the life of Amir, an Afghan immigrant who is plagued by guilt from the past. Happiness like this is frightening. I asked her why and she said, They only let you be this happy if theyre preparing to take something from you., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 250, Take two Afghans whove never met, put them in a room for ten minutes, and theyll figure out how theyre related., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 251, Youre gutless. He also sets the ball rolling for Amir to re-unite with Sohrab through revealing Babas secret, ultimately enabling redemption for both men: Your father was a man torn between two halves . I envied her. He had always known. Mine, as always, was a book., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 193, A creative writing teacher at San Jose State used to say about clichs: Avoid them like the plague. Then hed laugh at his own joke. And, under the bony glow of a halfmoon, I sensed Afghanistan Taheri and Jamila come over for dinner. Almost. Youre still the morning sun to me I whispered., I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 359, And one more thingYou will never again refer to him as Hazara boy in my presence. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Later that day Sohrab asks about San Francisco again, and. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. As the pearls piled up, so did his greed grow. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. And cried the name of Ali, Lion of God. Bring joy to our sorrowful hearts., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 11, There was brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that even time could not break., Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. an architect, but he had designed and built an orphanage and paid for it himself. rains in the summer in Kabul, but it rains the day Ali and Hassan leave. For I sought to turn thee unto love, and I implored of thee thy name, for I thought to behold in thee the tokens recounted of my mother. He must ultimately make difficult choices to move forward and discover what being at home means. Chapter 1 Quotes. Come. The time when he stood cowardly and idle as he witnessed his closest friend, Hassan yet once again stand up for him , an action that would not be repaid until many years later.This particular betrayal may have been the single reason why Amir found himself abandoning his American dream life and family in America almost twenty years later to search for an orphaned boy throughout dangerous and war torn Afghanistan. I hope he proves worthy of your kindness. After all, life is not a Hindi movie. The book is told from the perspective of Amir and this is something he deals with for the entirety of the book after the incident with Hassan. Afghans cherish customs but abhor rules. character, conflict, etc.). The next time I saw him smile unabashedly like that was twenty-six years later, in a faded Polaroid photograph., Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended., My body was brokenjust how badly I wouldnt find out until laterbut I felt healed. They bury them both up to their chest, the woman screaming wildly. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins. Babas other half. | 2 The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites. Although Amir assured him that he was not going to the orphanage but to America with him, Sohrab does not talk, and will not talk, for almost a year. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, Your father, like you, was a tortured soul. I only knew the memory lived in me, a perfectly encapsulated morsel of a good past, a brushstroke of color on the gray, barren canvas that our lives had become. The boys, nodding politely passing the watch between them, taking turns trying it on. America was a river, roarng along, unmindful of the past. Hassan had run off to find this kite that was a symbol of Amirs victory, a victory that Amir hoped would bring some measure of pride to his father, Baba, for his only son. But even though he had always been poor, he was a happy man and rarely shed a tear. I just watched. But when a coward stops remembering who he is God help him., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 275, My body was broken just how badly I wouldnt find out until later but I felt healed. Baba wishes Amir enjoyed sports, so he ''faked interest for as long as possible. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. It is this very characteristic that leads to the breakdown of the family, with the rape of Hassan and Amirs failure to intervene. A branch snapped under his weight and he fell thirty feet. The next time I saw him smile unabashedly like that was twenty-six years later, in a faded Polaroid photograph. eNotes Editorial. Amir There is a way to be good again. If Amir had stood up for Hassan but lose the kite, Amir would still earn Babas love. That was it. Thats what I told myself as I turned my back to the alley, to Hassan. . For many years, Amir has kept secret the fact that he saw Hassan be raped and did nothing. While Soraya and her mother set the table. But Amir must overcome his fears and make it up to Hassan. As he navigates the complexities of his relationships with friends and family, Amir grapples with his guilt and the impact of his actions, eventually learning that accepting responsibility is essential to growth and redemption. Amir is not like his dad he is not strong headed or over exaggerate like Baba he is kind and is making up for a lot of mistakes he has made in his life especially in the younger years with Hassan. Log in here. He realizes that he no longer feels the pain of anger that he has felt toward his father. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. WebChapter 25 Quotes Do you want me to run that kite for you? His Adams apple rose and fell as he swallowed I thought I saw him nod. All of it. All rights reserved. Open it so wide your jaws creak. Thats the real Afghanistan, Agha sahib. America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past. Along the way, he revisits his homeland and confronts the difficult truths of his past. , After everything hed built, planned, fought for, fretted over, dreamed of, this was the summation of his life; one disappointing son and two suitcases., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 124, I wanted to tell them that, in Kabul, we snapped a tree branch and used it as a credit card. Amir, For you, a thousand times over. Then I turned and ran. He muttered a sheepish Tashakor. I did a double take at this. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is a novel about a young boy and his friend in Afghanistan. Healed at last. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shia, and nothing was ever going to change that. . Resting Heart Rate Chart | What is a Good, Normal, High RHR? I thought I had forgotten about this land. The servant's son, Hassan, is also motherless. What had I done, other than take my guilt out on the very same people I had betrayed, and then try to forget it all? And Id rather you hear it from me (Hosseini 173). It didnt make everything alright. As philosopher William James says, When you have to make a choice, and do not make it, that in itself is a choice. The choices that Amir made, beginning in his childhood, show what he truly is. Sohrab is taken to the emergency room, and. The answer floated to my conscious mind before I could thwart it: He was just a Hazara, wasnt he? Amir agha and I are friends, Hassan said. All content and information on this website is for informational and educational purposes only, does not constitute medical, psychological, or health advice of any kind and we do not warrant that the information presented herein is free of any errors or omissions. My stomach swelled and became hard like a drum, it hurt a lot. This is the most outstanding act of redemption as it most similarly parallels Amirs decision to leave Hassan in the alley all those years ago. It is an affecting tale that will remain with readers after they finish the book. After all, I had killed his beloved wife, his beautiful princess, hadnt I? From his childhood until well into his adulthood, Amir must battle the character weaknesses that have marked his life, even in the midst of happiness. At the end, when Amir serves as Sohrabs kite runner, he echoes the line that Hassan had always said to him. Amir has rescued Sohrab, Hassans son, from Assef. Amir is a rich coward, and Hassan is a courageous servant. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting. WebAmir: He hates me because I killed her. A boy who wont stand up for himself becomes a man who cant stand up to anything.. I looked at Hassan, showing those two missing teeth, sunlight slanting on his face. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Difference in class The quest to become good again causes a reflection in Amir to atone for his sins and transform into the person of which he chooses to be. List of 1,000+ Positive Words to Write the Life You Want, How to Regrow Telomeres | The Latest Findings, 47 Paulo Coelho The Alchemist Quotes With Page Numbers. After finding out Hassan has passed away, Amir is sent off to retrieve Sohrab and bring him to a better place than the Taliban-ruled Kabul. So now, whenever I really want something, I try to remember what she said about the apples., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 340, Thats how children deal with terror, they fall asleep., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 342, I want to tear myself from this place, from this reality, rise up like a cloud and float away, melt into this humid summer night and dissolve somewhere far, over the hills., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 345, I throw my makeshift jai-namaz, my prayer rug, on the floor and I get on my knees, lower my forehead to the ground, my tears soaking through the sheet. Whether or not his childhood choices would be different if he had known is unclear, but his focus is on this flaw in his father whom he had for so long tried to please. Sohrab nods yes. (2) - Rahim Khan For you, a thousand times over. Even if he did silence the song in her., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 178, There was so much goodness in my life. This repetition indicates closure as he now understands that he must serve Hassans son a thousand times over., Identify the meaning of this quote from The Kite Runner:A boy who wont stand up for himself becomes a man who cant stand up to anything.. He is now constantly miserable, carrying the weight of this betrayal. Create your account. Long feeling angry at the secret that Baba had kept from him, that Hassan was not just a servant but his son and Amirs brother, Amir finally is able to forgive his father. I have long forgotten the words. In the conversation that Amir overhears between his father and Rahim, Baba states that Amir, who will not stand up for himself, will eventually not stand up for anything. The killers were brought before, They are still close, but Baba never calls Ali his friend and, Despite their closeness, Hassan spends the day cleaning the house and preparing food while, and then discovers it is his long-lost son Sohrab. You have a visa to go to America, to live with me and my wife. Not only does this action have consequences for Amir himself, but it sets the stage for the departure of Hassan and his father from the household. Ed. "Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. Fly your kite. All of it., And thats the thing about people who mean everything they say. After the fight, Amir says, My body was broken . shame in war. Closing Sohrabs door, I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Instant PDF downloads. Amir wonders, ''Did he ache for her, the way I ached for the mother I had never met? I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far. The generation of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of bombs and gunfire was not yet born., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 36, Years later, I learned an English word for the creature that Assef was, a word for which a good Farsi equivalent does not exist: sociopath., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 38, Hassan and I looked at each other. For example, he puts money underneath the mattress of the poverty-ridden family that helped him when they had next to nothing. Baba was there, watching, and he patted Hassan on the back. The official rubs Sohrabs stomach and asks. Even put his arm around his shoulder. His hypocrisy must be overcome, but it turns out he will be unable to accomplish that alone. six days a week. If someone were to ask me today whether the story of Hassan, Sohrab, and me ends with happiness, I wouldnt know what to say. But Hassan and his father, Ali, are servants of Amir and his father, Baba. The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini is a novel with multitudes of themes but the theme most integral to the story concerns friendship, guilt, and redemption. Panic., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 121, I lay on the side of the dirt road next to a rocky trench, looked up to the gray morning sky, thankful for air, thankful for light, thankful to be alive., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 123, I didnt remember what month that was, or what year even. But I didnt. Word Count: 1762. Forgive me if you wish. That was where the kite runners came in, those kids who chased the windblown kite drifting through the neighborhoods until it came spiraling down in a field, dropping in someones yard, on a tree or a rooftop. LitCharts Teacher Editions. I hope you can do the same. I smiled for him in a way, this was his day more than mine. This quote gives a brief example of the kind of relationship Baba and Amir have before the kite fights. Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame, a shaved head, and low Spoken. 88 The Kite Runner Quotes With Page Numbers. Amir has been hurting his entire life at the thought of what he did to Hassan. How much more do you need to see? Mine was Baba. I laughed., At the end, when Amir serves as Sohrabs kite runner, he echoes the line that Hassan had always said to him. Healed at last. Another example of when Amir portrayed a lack of courage was when he was not able to tell his wife about his past mistakes, when she told him all her secrets before marriage on the phone by saying, You need to know. He pointed to an old man dressed in ragged clothes trudging down a dirt path, a large burlap sack filled with scrub grass tied to his back. Web15 of the best book quotes from Amir 01 Share With me as the glaring exception, my father molded the world around him to his liking. It tells you the time in any city in the world, I told him. 50 A Thousand Splendid Suns Quotes With Page Numbers. Its wrong what they say about the past, Ive learned, about Furthermore, Amir has always lacked courage whenever he was around Baba since he always felt insecure about whether Baba loved him or not, and this is witnessed when the annual kite tournament took place. Amirs cowardice, bred by insecurity in his father's love, leads him to make choices that not only damage his own life but also result in the greatest tragedy for others. Feeling helpless in the face of Sohrabs silence and the new war in Afghanistan. The theme of redemption carries through The Kite Runner. A tiny thing. I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the valley of Panjsher on my lips. The chase got pretty fierce; hordes of kite runners swarmed the streets, shoved past each other like those people from Spain Id read about once, the ones who ran from the bulls. That same night there is the sound of gunfire in the streets. Amir flies kites, and Hassan is the best kite runner in the world. When you kill a man, you steal a life you steal his wifes right to a husband, rob his children of a ather. Amir spends more than 25 years trying to hide his shame. Baba and I were more alike than Id ever known. Summary In the morning, Jalaluddin would probably think wed gone out for a stroll or a drive. I wanted Baba all to myself. Her secret was out. The Kite Runner Quotes With Page Numbers Chapter 1. While travelling to Pakistan in the back of the truck Amir felt sick quite often by which Baba was quite annoyed. The relationship that Amir has with Baba is quite complicated. Baba is always aware of the lie that he is living, yet he tells Amir that lying is wrong. Then I realized something: That last thought had brought no sting with it. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. Khaled Hosseini uses past events to show how they can affect a character in both a negative and positive way. Last Updated on June 1, 2019, by eNotes Editorial. Id been gone long enough to forget and be forgotten. Hassan worked hard cleaning and preparing the house, as if readying it for, that they named Sohrab after the character from Rostam and Sohrab, the story Hassan and, growing up in an Afghanistan that is safe and beautiful again. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Nothing wrong with cowardice as long as it comes with prudence. Chapter 22 2001 Sohrab and Amir join Soraya in America; Sohrab eventually smiles again after they fly kites. This father-son connection Then I turned and ran. An error occurred trying to load this video. Hed carve notches on our stick with his knife, one notch for each loaf of naan hed pull for us from the tandoors roaring flames. The lecture that Baba gave him once in childhoodthat lying was the greatest sin because it was a theft of many thingsleaves Amir unable to forgive his father for the theft of the truth and for the theft of a brother. I will fast. His biggest act of redemption is his trip to Kabul to retrieve Hassans son, Sohrab. '', But his mother's death is something he can't change, so Amir focuses on trying to become the son his father wants him to be. Does Amir redeem himself at the end of The Kite Runnerby Khaled Hosseini? I had one last chance to make a decision. Amir wonders if the problem stems from the fact that his mother had died from hemorrhaging when he was born. After the fight, Amir says, "My body was broken . Except hed been wrong about that. Never mind any of these things. He motioned for me to wear my mortarboard, and took a picture of me with the schools clock tower in the background. I Why he only plays with you when no one else is around? For you a thousand times over! he said. . '', Amir betrays Hassan in an effort to gain his father's affections. There, he croaked, red dripping down his face like blood. There is no monster, hed said, just water. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Suzannethere is something in his bottomless black eyes hinted at an unspoken secret between us. You know, Rahim Khan said, one time, when you werent around, your father and I were talking I remember he said to me, Rahim, a boy who wont stand up for himself becomes a man who cant stand up to anything. I wonder, is that what youve become?. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. The second is the date of Record what books your kids are reading. Amir says I have a wife in America, a home, a career and a family. eNotes.com, Inc. "I had one last chance to make a decision. View bestsellers, featured, top rated, classics, hidden gems, and new releases. Shutting it down. Though the object of his guilt has been removed, the inner secret continues to eat away for years to come. Neither is religion. Smiled. In chapter 22 of TheKite Runner, name three "full circle" endings that occur as we reach the climax, or turning point, of the plot. He redeems himself by returning to Kabul to find Sohrab and getting beaten half to death by Assef. In order for Amir to conquer both of these treasures he was forced to a one on one fight to death with Assef, and a doomed future. When Amir is too scared to help Hassan when he is attacked, he does everything he can to get him out of his life. This theme was most important to the novel because the conflict in the book is intertwined with this theme, following the life of a man haunted by regrets. He has a name and its Sohrab., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 361, Quiet is peace. Download the entire The Kite Runner study guide as a printable PDF! The half that, maybe, in the most secret recesses of his heart, Baba had thought of as his true son. This would be failure on a grand scale, even for me (Hosseini 65). Him doing this action of kindness proves that he would have done it over and over again for the responsibility of earning his own integrity back. in a red pickup truck, with a few bearded men in the back with AK-47s. WebGive at least two quotes (with page numbers) that represent the theme of "redemption" from Amir, Baba, and Rahim Khan in The Kite Runner. Inshallah, well celebrate later. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 136, Her eyes, walnut brown and shaded by fanned lashes, met mine. and tells them not to come in, no matter they might hear, and that if, Sohrab cries and asks Assef to stop hurting, Rahim Khan then says that he knows Baba was hard on. After Amir finds out his fathers secret, he realizes that Baba had tried to redeem himself through treating Hassan like the son he was, which Amir had seen as playing. publication online or last modification online. But Ill take it. I closed my eyes and saw him at the other end of the scratchy long-distance line, saw him with his lips slightly parted, head tilted to one side. Looking back on it now, I think the foundation for what happened in the winter of 1975 and all that followed was already laid in those first words., The problem, of course, was that [he] saw the world in black and white. Amir hints at the complexity of their relationship here. They collapse, tighten, squeeze, and suddenly youre breaithing through a drinking straw. Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame a boy with Chinese doll face perpetually lit by a harelipped smile. If you found this post helpful, Become popular with your classmates who are also writing about The Kite Runner by sharing this post. He opened it and crushed it against his own forehead. But I hadnt turned out like him. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. But most important, forgive yourself., Its wrong to hurt even bad people. Physical pain results whenever anything reminds him of Hassan, who had once been his best friend. SummaryIn the summer of 2001, after living for many years in America, Amir receives a telephone call from Rahim Khan, his fathers old friend. Sleeping between us. men in Kabul. Rahim tells Amir that he is ill and needs him to come to Pakistan. This pain stayed with Amir throughout his entire life, from Afghanistan to America and back to Afghanistan. Then another Taliban official steps out of the truck, and, Taliban official enters, still wearing his sunglasses, with the two guards. Amir has made a lot of mistakes and with this quote, I opened my mouth, almost said something. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. WebAmir is hiding, observing the rape take place. Good luck., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Pages 51, 52, Except that wasnt all. Because the past claws its way out. He has finished his first year of college and earned As in all of his courses. Baba wants to impress General Taheri with his sons accomplishments, so he brags about Amirs grades. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years. Maybe even hating him a little., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 15, I see youve confused what youre learning in school with actual education., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 16, there is only one sin, only one. The unentitled, unprivileged half. What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. And when a kite runner has his hands on a kite, no one could take it from him. Chapter 17 2001 Amir finds Sohrab in the custody of Talib official Assef. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Identify the meaning of this quote from The Kite Runner:A boy who wont stand up for himself becomes a man who cant stand up to anything.. The subsequent quote presents Amir realizing that the only way to be released from his past is by repenting. Redemption is only possible when an individual is willing to do whatever it takes to, Even if it meant he might choke along the way. from each truck. He was already turning the street corner, his rubber boots kicking up snow. WebThis quote from page 289 of Kite Runner, shows how even though Amir was losing badly in a fight with Assef, he knew he had finally won his redemption and even considered himself equal with Get Access Quotes From 'The Kite Runner' The love and disputes between father and son. His father, Baba, frequently recognizes instances in which Amir will not make the brave choice but remain where he is in the safety of a risk-free environment. It seems like Hassan is the price to get Babas love. No ID., ~Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Page 128, Baba dropped the stack of food stamps on her desk. His eyes gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the receiving end of that look., I opened my mouth, almost said something. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original Total redemption is not possible:the dead cannot be saved. Hassan, the son of his fathers servant and also his friend, was the best kite runner in Kabul, chasing down the free-flying kites. In this lesson, we will examine some of the internal conflicts Amir, the narrator, faces when he betrays his most loyal friend as a child in Kabul, Afghanistan in Khaled Hosseini's novel, The Kite Runner.