"The Kite Runner" By Khaled Hosseini: Book Review

Franz Kafka said, “A book should be an ax for the frozen sea within us.” This quote describes how our world is like a frozen sea...untouched and still. A book is supposed to break that stillness of a world, just like “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini did. It is supposed to change our perception of the delicacy of this world and make us look at the drastic difference between a frozen sea to one in which the ice has cracked. Books can allow our imaginations to wander or bring us to see the harsh realities that exist in our world today. This book specifically opens our eyes to the realities, the truths to life. Amir, the protagonist of the novel, and his life showed readers the kind of things that occur in everyday life. Amir’s moral and character development throughout the book demonstrated a variety of themes to reinforce the idea of Franz Kafka’s quote, such as moral reasoning and humility.

At the beginning of the novel, Amir was an immature, selfish boy who didn’t voice his opinions. He never stood up for himself and allowed others’ thoughts to influence his actions and thoughts. “He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” It was this kind of thinking that led Amir to believe that his act of just standing by while Hassan got raped was justified. He had a lack of moral reasoning and that is what allowed him to walk away. He could not tell what was right or wrong at that moment after watching Hassan getting raped. This also demonstrates how Amir’s morals are not in the place they need to be and the development of this specific trait is seen. This quote shows the heart-wrenching reality of life in Afghanistan. It exposes the outside world and the reality of life in Afghanistan. How rape doesn’t just happen to girls, but young boys. It’s a traumatic tragedy to read about but that is what the purpose of this book is. Expose the world to us like an ax breaks the ice.

Towards the end of the novel, Amir finally stands up to someone, General Taheri. “‘And one more thing, General Sahib,’ I said. ‘You will never again refer to him as ‘Hazara boy in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab.’ It is this quote that reassured readers that Amir’s character has grown. He changed for the better and contradicted what he said earlier. This quote not only demonstrates his growth in his moral beliefs but also his maturity. He stood up for someone. That is what his father has always wanted. Amir redeems himself in this quote because, at the beginning of the novel, the relationship between Hassan and Amir was an “I-it” relationship. Amir’s perspective was an “I-it” relationship. However, in this excerpt, Amir’s perspective changed. His perspective is morally right which led to his actions being more selfless and less self-centered.

In conclusion, “The Kite Runner” is like an ax to one’s untouched, still, a frozen sea of a world because of the unsettling themes that are presented in this novel. Amir’s moral and character development demonstrates how living through harsh conditions might cause someone tbe selfish or to have good character and help others. This book is an eye opener for many people because the characters in this novel do the opposite of what our society would expect them to do. Amir’s moral reasoning and humility in this novel were not only shocking but dumbfounding because many in their society would not develop like Amir does but remain selfish.