The Kite Runner: Post One

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the story so far is about two boys, Amir and Hassan, along with Amir's father, Baba.

Amir, the story's narrator, has grown up with Hassan and they play together every day, but he still doesn't consider Hassan his friend, due to their cultural and socioeconomic differences. Amir thinks, "In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi'a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing" (Hosseini 25). Along with this, Amir's father is among the wealthiest businessmen in Kabul, while Hassan's father is a lowly servant (Hosseini 4, 6). Possibly due to this belief in his superiority, Amir is always the leader when he plays with Hassan, but if they get in trouble, Hassan takes the blame (Hosseini 4). However, when other kids bully Amir, he never sticks up for himself; Hassan drives them off instead (Hosseini 22).

Hassan might have less than Amir does, but he makes up for it with his perpetual cheerfulness (Hosseini 25). He is also very loyal to Amir; he never tells on Amir when he gets in trouble for Amir's schemes (Hosseini 4). Although it might seem that Hassan does not care to question the world much, he is actually very bright despite his lack of schooling. This sometimes irks Amir; he says, " I read him poems and stories, sometimes riddles– though I stopped reading those when I saw he was far better at solving them than I was" (Hosseini 28).

Amir's father, Baba, although often distant toward Amir, nevertheless has a deep influence on him. His nickname, Toophan agha or "Mr. Hurricane" (Hosseini 12), sums it up best: he has a very forceful personality. Whatever he wants to happen, happens, except for where his son is concerned. Amir is very different from Baba, which worries him. He tells his friend Rahim Khan, "'He needs someone who... understands him, because God knows I don't'" (Hosseini 23).

Although it is very early in the book, Khaled Hosseini uses a lot of foreshadowing. It is clear that in the pages to come, these three characters will have great impacts on each other's lives.