The Kite Runner

The way that Hosseini relates these events make them a part of the personal story of Amir and his family as well as major stages in Afghanistan's history. The ethnic and political divisions in Afghanistan—especially the tensions between Pashtuns (Sunni Muslims) and Hazaras (Shia Muslims)—also play a big part in shaping all of the characters’ lives and decisions. Hosseini uses these real-world conflicts to ground Amir’s personal struggles in a larger historical context. Even though the events in The Kite Runner are fictional, many stories like Amir’s are likely to have really happened. This book shows how interwoven national trauma and personal guilt can feel for people in times of war.

At the same time, the novel also fits into the coming-of-age (or Bildungsroman genre). A Bildungsroman is a novel that follows a character’s growth from youth to adulthood. Their personal development and moral education are the engines that drive the plot forward. In support of this, the story usually shows how both positive and negative experiences shape the character’s identity and their understanding of the world. As The Kite Runner progresses, Amir changes from being a self-centered child into an adult filled with regret. Although he was only a boy when he betrayed Hassan, as an adult Amir is still haunted by the consequences of all of his past wrongs. His journey to adulthood is shaped by the aftereffects of his betrayals of his childhood friend. Through this, Hosseini’s novel thinks about how childhood choices carry lasting effects, and how guilt can follow a person across years and national borders. Amir’s eventual attempt to make things right and to save Sohran despite the extreme danger to himself demonstrates the extent to which he has grown and changed in adulthood. Being sorry is not enough to redeem him; he must make an effort to actually atone for the many ways he let Hassan down.