Human Nature and Redemption
——Thoughts on Reading The Kite Runner
Name:周仙Class:英语三班Number:122214101320 Score:_____
I . Abstract
Though the plot of Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner is simple, it has attracted millions of readers all over the world. By describing and analyzing the "betrayal", "guilt", and "redemption" of the main characters of the novel, the author conveys us a good understanding of the theme——human nature. He believes that man is born to be good and kind-hearted, although he may sometimes become immoral in the "bad" environments and commit all kinds of sins. However, once he realizes the mistakes he has made, he will try his best to get his soul redeemed and return to good again. Just as Rahim Khan in the book says:"There is a way to be good again. "
II. Introduction
The Kite Runner is Khaled Hosseini's first novel[1], and it is a wonderful story set in Afghanistan and the United States between the 1970s to the present day. It mainly tells about the stories of a young boy Amir, and his best friend Hassan , who are torn apart at last. The whole story is narrated by Amir, the main character of the novel.
In this book, the author shows us the human weakness, betrayal, and redemption in different levels. The main characters involved in the theme "human nature and redemption" are Amir and Baba(Amir's father).
III. Different Types of Redemption
1. The Redemption of Amir
The twelve-year-old Amir, whose Baba is a big gun in that area, grows up with his closest friend, Hassan, a servant in his house. As Hassan is illiterate and harelipped, Amir often teases him. In spite of that, Hassan always takes the blame for those faults of Amir and never complaints. On the contrary, Amir watched Hassan being raped by others without giving any help to his friend. Instead, he ran way. After fifteen minutes, Hassan met him:
" He had the blue kite in his hands: that was the first thing I saw. And I can't lie now and say my eyes didn't scan it for any rips. His chapan had mud smudges down the front and his shirt was ripped just below collar. He stopped.
Swayed on his feet like he was going to collapse. Then he steadied himself.
Handed me the kite. " (Hosseini, 100)[2].
In fact, the blue kite is a sign of Amir's betrayal of Hassan[3]. It indicates that Amir is too cowardly to protect his friend when he faces the event. After that incident, Amir couldn't treat Hassan as usual as before since he couldn't overcome the guilt inside his heart after seeing what has happened to Hassan.
He beat him, he threw pomegranates at him, and he was no longer willing to be his friend, even though Hassan still treated him like before. Every time Amir saw Hassan, the sense of guilt always reminded him of that incident. So it led him to betray Hassan again——forcing Hassan to leave by framing him as a thief. Finally, Hassan falsely confessed and left with his father, which made Amir more guilty.
Things begin to change after knowing that Hassan is his half-blooded brother. Amir feels very regretful for what he has done to Hassan. In order to atone for his
crime, he finally decided to take a risk to save Hassan's son, Sohrab, from the neighborhood bully Assef. This is where redemption was found in the book. As the most important character, Amir in the novel began by betraying someone, but at the end, he got the chance of redemption.
At the end of the story, Amir was flying a kite with Sohrab, he said to Sohrab, “For you, a thousand times over! [4]”. Those words, which Hassan had said to him before, move the readers deeply.
2. The Redemption of Baba
In this novel, many deeds need forgiveness; many individuals seek redemption, and at the end, they all find it. Besides the redemption of Amir, there is also the redemption of his father.
Amir's father, a wealthy merchant, loves both his boys. As a successful businessman, he aids the community by creating businesses for others and building a new orphanage. He is always kind to others without asking for a reward. However, as a father, he is often critical of Amir, considering him weak and lacking in courage. He seldom shows directly his love to his son. Maybe it is because that he is also the biological father of Hassan that he hides from both of his children. As a friend, he did something unforgivable to his servant, Ali——having an affair with his wife, Sanaubar and giving birth to a son, Hassan secretly.
In his eyes, Amir is lack of something that will contribute to him to become a real man[5]. He can't be brave enough to face difficulties and achieve what he has made. It seems that this is a kind of prejudice to Amir. On the contrary, because the mistakes he has made to Ali's family, h e seems to focus more on Hassan and try to get his soul redeemed. No wonder Amir always wants to get all his Baba's love, which causes the jealousy of him and the later tragedies.
In the annual kite flying tournament, Amir is determined not just to win the
competition but to prove to his Baba that he has the makings of a man. He is eager to earn Baba's praise. He witnesses the humiliation of Hassan hut he doesn't show up. He knows that if he fails to bring home the kite, Baba would be less proud of him. He feels incredibly guilty but knows his cowardice would destroy any hopes for Baba's affections, so he keeps quiet about the incident.
Apart from that, Amir begins to believe that life would be easier if Hassan were not around, so he puts a watch and some money in Hassan's room hoping that Baba will make him leave; Hassan falsely confesses when confronted by Baba. Although Baba believes "there is no act more wretched than stealing", he forgives him. To Baba's sorrow, Hassan and Ali leave anyway and forever.
To some extent, Amir's wrong behaviours are based on Baba's prejudice and ignorance. If only he has treated his two sons equally, things will not happen.
Five years later, Baba and Amir escape to California. Baba is diagnosed with terminal cancer but is still capable of granting Amir one last favor before he dies: he asks Soraya's father's permission for Amir to marry her. At last, his way of redemption comes to an end.
IV. Conclusion
In the book The Kite Runner, we can see that e veryone has his kite and everyone is a kite runner at the same time. We have to take the responsibilities that belong to us and admit the errors we made. It is never late to redeem ourselves and follow our heart. Just as the author says;"There is a way to be good again."
V. References
[1]Hosseini, Khaled (September–December 2004). "The Kite Runner". World Literature Today
[2]Jain, Saudamini (May 24, 2013). "COVER STORY: the Afghan story teller Khaled Hosseini".
[3]Khaled Hosseini discusses The Kite Runner on the BBC World Book Club
[4]Schwarzbaum, Lisa (January 9, 2008). "The Kite Runner webite
[5]卡勒德·胡赛尼《追风筝的人》2003
Brother or Betrayer? -the Kite Runner I have spent half a month reading The Kite Runner,on the bestseller list as a paperback for 101 weeks. It is the first novel by Khaled Hosseini, who is an Afghan-born American novelist and physician.After graduating from college, he worked as a doctor in California. He has published three novels, most notably his 2003 debut The Kite Runner, all of which are at least partially set in Afghanistan and feature an Afghan as the protagonist. Following the success of The Kite Runner, he decided to stop practicing medicine and became a full-time writer. It tells a story between two boys. A rich boy Amir at the age of 12 and his servant Hasan are brotherly loved. Nevertheless, after a kite game, something miserable happens. Amir feels grievous and guilty for his cowardice and he cannot confront Hassan, using something contemptible to let Hassan and his father leave his home. Not long, Afghanistan breaks out a war, Amir and his father have to flee to America. After his grown-up, he cannot forgive what he had done to Hassan before. And to atone for himself, he returns his hometown, which is destroyed badly by the war. When he comes back, he is astonished by the information that Hassan is his brother and he and his wife have already died. Rahim requests him to rescue Sohrab, the son of Hassan. This time he fights for Sohrab and finally get Sohrab back and takes him to America. Because of many unexpected matters, Sohrab becomes silent and never smiled. Amir regards him as his own son and does everything for him. There are two conflicts roles in this novel, Amir and Hassan, Amir’s father and Ali. The relationship between Amir’s father and Ali is of great similarity with that of Amir and Hassan. Amir’s father is brother and betrayer for Ali while Amir is the same for Hassan. Ali was adopted by Amir’s grandfather the year Amir’s father was born. Naturally, the two boys become childhood playmates just like Amir and Hassan. Amir and Hassan are always told the mischief that his father and Ali used to play. Then after they grow up, Ali becomes the primary servant in the house, spending all his life on serving Amir’s father, until Amir betrays Hassan and they leave. By that time, they have been fully participated in each other’s life for more than forty years. They grow
The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. His father, a diplomat, moved the whole family from Iran back to Kabul in 1973.In the same year,his mother gave birth to his younger brother and Khaled’s childhood came to an end due to the coup in the country. In the light of unstability in Afghanistan,they eventually emigrated to California and have never gone back since then. In 2003, Khaled published his first book named “The Kite Runner”,impressing millions of readers. The book debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times’ bestseller list and has remained at the top of the list for more than 80 weeks. The Kite Runnner, which has been filmed,is considered to be a book people’re willing to share most all over the world. Born in a rich family ,Amir was the son of a prestigious local businessman.Amir had a sevant as well as close friend named Hassan who was the steward’s son.The two boys shared a lot of things in common.They were both raised in the same household and neither of them had mothers.And most importantly,they were both fond of flying kites.But on the other hand,there were also some aspects in which they were totally different.Hassan was courageous and loyal while Amir was coward. Amir always wanted to get all his father’s love so that he became envious of his father’s kindness to Hassan.Amir’s selfishness led to Hassan’s rove in the foreign lands.Half year later,the war broke out ,Amir and his father were forced to leave for America.There,Amir became a well-known writer,completely forgetting what he had done to Hassan.It was a call from his father’s friend that changed Amir’s life. From the man,he knew a big secret about his father and the nearly forgotten friend Hassan.Hassan wasn’t the steward’s son and they had the same father.The man encouraged Amir to go back to his hometown,finding the orphan of Hassan and making up for what he had down.Eventully Amir ,together with his guiltiness ,returned to Afghanistan which was a hell controlled by the Taliban.At the end of the story,Amir found Hassan’s son at the risk of losing his life,taking him back to America and bringing him up. ”For you, a thousand times over,”the story ended with this word said by Amir to his nephew,leaving great imagination to the audience. After I read the whole story,I was absolutely shocked by the friendship between the two boys.Hassan was so loyal to Amir that he even didn’t mind Amir’s harm and died for protecting Amir’s house.Maybe Amir was the most fortunate person in the world for he had such a perfect friend who was willing to do anything for him. I am ashamed of Amir’s cowardliness as well as admire Hassan’s loyalness.Personally speaking,the ending of the story is imperfect.Nevertheless,the transformation of Amir has left great impression on me.”For you,a thousand times over,”Amir tried his best to compensate for Hassan. Love,fear,guiltiness,salvation are all mixed in the novel which covers most of the important topics in the literature.So theret’s no wonder that the book has won too many awards and the write has become famous overnight. At last,I want to say,we should cherish what we have and appreciate those
A book review of The Kite Runner Class 1 马凌峰0131124025 “For you, a thousand times over.” This is the most famous sentence in the book The Kite Runner, and this is the reason why I want to read this book, because I think this sentence is really beautiful. And this is the first time for me to read a book written by an author from Afghanistan. By coincidence, this book is the Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini’s maiden work. The story is about two Afghani boys: Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy, and Hassan, a Hazara who is the son of Ali, Amir's father's servant. Although Hassan’s father was a servant, they were like brothers. They spent their days kite fighting in the hitherto peaceful city of Kabul. Hassan was a successful “kite runner” for Amir; he knew where the kite would land without watching it. Amir's father, a wealthy merchant Amir affectionately refers to as Baba, loves both boys, but is often critical of Amir, considering him weak and lacking in courage. Amir finds a kinder fatherly figure in Rahim Khan, Baba's closest friend, who understands him and supports his interest in writing. Assef, a notorious violent older boy, mocks Amir for socializing with a Hazara, which is, according to Assef, an inferior race whose members belong only in Hazarajat. One day, he prepares to attack Amir with brass knuckles, but Hassan defends Amir, threatening to shoot out
英文名著精讲:The Kite Runner 追风筝的人(7) 12岁的阿富汗富家少爷阿米尔与仆人哈桑情同手足。然而，在一场风筝比赛后，发生了一件悲惨不堪的事，阿米尔为自己的懦弱感到自责和痛苦，逼走了哈桑，不久，自己也跟随父亲逃往美国。 成年后的阿米尔始终无法原谅自己当年对哈桑的背叛。为了赎罪，阿米尔再度踏上暌违二十多年的故乡，希望能为不幸的好友尽最后一点心力，却发现一个惊天谎言，儿时的噩梦再度重演，阿米尔该如何抉择？小说如此残忍而又美丽，作者以温暖细腻的笔法勾勒人性的本质与救赎，读来令人荡气回肠。 Lore has it my father once wrestled a black bear in Baluchistan with his bare hands. If the story had been about anyone else, it would have been dismissed as "laaf", that Afghan tendency to exaggerate--sadly, almost a national affliction; if someone bragged that his son was a doctor, chances were the kid had once passed a biology test in high school. But no one ever doubted the veracity of any story about Baba. And if they did, well, Baba did have those three parallel scars coursing a jagged path down his back. I have imagined Baba's wrestling match countless times, even dreamed about it. And in those dreams, I can never tell Baba from the bear. It was Rahim Khan who first referred to him as what eventually became Baba's famous nickname, "Toophan agha", or "Mr. Hurricane."It was an apt enough nickname. My father was a force of nature, a towering Pashtun specimen with a thick beard, a wayward crop of curly brown hair as unruly as the man himself, hands that looked capable of uprooting a willow tree, and a black glare that would "drop the devil to his knees begging for mercy,?as Rahim Khan used to say. At parties, when all six-foot-five of him thundered into the room, attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun. Baba was impossible to ignore, even in his sleep. I used to bury cotton wisps in my ears, pull the blanket over my head, and still the sounds of Baba's snoring—so much like a growling truck engine—penetrated the walls. And my room was across the hall from Baba's bedroom. How my mother ever managed to sleep in the same room as him is a mystery to me. It's on the long list of things I would have asked my mother if I had ever met her. In the late 1960s, when I was five or six, Baba decided to build an orphanage. I heard the story through Rahim Khan. He told me Baba had drawn the blueprints himself despite the fact that he'd had no architectural experience at all. Skeptics had urged him to stop his foolishness and hire an architect. Of course, Baba refused, and everyone shook their heads in
《The Kite Runner》追风筝的人--------------------------------美句摘抄 1.I can still see Hassan up on that tree, sunlight flickering through the leaves on his almost perfectly round face, a face like a Chinese doll chiseled from hardwood: his flat, broad nose and slanting, narrow eyes like bamboo leaves, eyes that looked, depending on the light, gold, green even sapphire 翻译：我依然能记得哈桑坐在树上的样子，阳光穿过叶子，照着他那浑圆的脸庞。他的脸很像木头刻成的中国娃娃，鼻子大而扁平，双眼眯斜如同竹叶，在不同光线下会显现出金色、绿色，甚至是宝石蓝。 E.g.: A shadow of disquiet flickering over his face. 2.Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor's dog, was always my idea. 翻译：从来不提镜子、用胡桃射狗其实都是我的鬼主意。E.g.:His secret died with him, for he never told anyone. 3.We would sit across from each other on a pair of high
Human Nature and Redemption ——Thoughts on Reading The Kite Runner Name:周仙Class:英语三班Number:122214101320 Score:_____ I . Abstract Though the plot of Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner is simple, it has attracted millions of readers all over the world. By describing and analyzing the "betrayal", "guilt", and "redemption" of the main characters of the novel, the author conveys us a good understanding of the theme——human nature. He believes that man is born to be good and kind-hearted, although he may sometimes become immoral in the "bad" environments and commit all kinds of sins. However, once he realizes the mistakes he has made, he will try his best to get his soul redeemed and return to good again. Just as Rahim Khan in the book says:"There is a way to be good again. " II. Introduction The Kite Runner is Khaled Hosseini's first novel[1], and it is a wonderful story set in Afghanistan and the United States between the 1970s to the present day. It mainly tells about the stories of a young boy Amir, and his best friend Hassan , who are torn apart at last. The whole story is narrated by Amir, the main character of the novel. In this book, the author shows us the human weakness, betrayal, and redemption in different levels. The main characters involved in the theme "human nature and redemption" are Amir and Baba(Amir's father). III. Different Types of Redemption 1. The Redemption of Amir
I hate wars which make the world bloody ,cold and cruel, so I do not want to talk about the war. But it is miraculous to see a kite is cut off by another one. And the kite which is cut off flies away like a free bird. Hassan said to Amir that for you, one thousand times over. At first, I tought the friendship between Hassan and Amir was so deep. But then I found that Hassan was a servant in Amir’s home and began to realize it is some kind of loyalty. Though Hassan always said that Amir treated him as a friend, deep in his mind, he did not put them on the same line. In his eyes, Amir is the person he should look up to and protect, even do whatever he can do to help. Amir was affluence in material, but he did not have friends because of his race. I dislike him because he always ran away when Hassan was hurted by the others in order to protect him. In my opinion, if he stand up fo Hassan, things would have been different. I could not understand why Amir cheated to make Hassan leave at first, though their “friendship”is complicated. Now I come to know that Amir may try to push Hassan out of the position as a servant. And he wished that they stand in the same line and Hassan can chase for the things wanted by himself. Though Amir’s father said that a boy who won’t stand up for himself, becomes a man who won’t stand for anything, Amir finally turned into a brave man who standed up for Sohrab, the son of Hassan. The kite tied Hassan and Amir tighter tighly. When I saw Hassan running after the kite, I realized that he was chasing for freedom as well. However when I saw Hassan running after the kite, I thought he was learning to protect things he cherished. There are many kites we are willing to have, but do you have the courage to chase for them?
An Analysis of The Kite Runner from the Perspective of the Initiation Story Abstract Key Words:Initiation Story, Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner 1.Introduction 1.1 Khaled Hosseini and The Kite Runner 1.2 The Origin and Definition of Initiation Story 1.3Characteristics of Initiation Story 2.The Study on the Analysis of The Kite Runner from the Perspective of the Initiation Story 2.1The Growth of Amir 2.1.1The Growth Process of Amir 2.1.2The Realization of Amir's Growth 2.2The Characteristic of the Content of The Kite Runner 2.2.1Autobiographical Components 2.2.2The Initiation of the Protagonist 2.3The Characteristic of the Characters of The Kite Runner 2.3.1 Positive Initiation Guides 2.3.2Negative Initiation Guides 2.3.3Initiation Companions 2.4The Characteristic of the Structure of The Kite Runner 3.Conclusion
Reading Report of the Kite Runner Writer: Khaled Hosseini Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Reflections: “For you, a thousand times over.”The words echoed in my heart long after I had finished the exquisite and heartbreaking story. Each word stuck me with the power of staunchness, the power of determination, and the power of love, whether it is from Hassan or Amir. It’s hard to use a few words to describe what the story is about because too many things are revealed, friendship, familial affection, love, inferiority, timidity, betrayal, regret, atonement, etc. It’s even harder to imagine how the writer managed to expose so many aspects of human nature in just one story, with such cruel precision. Unlike many other stories in which the main characters are always perfect men or heroes, the Kite Runner shows us a real man who is also desperate for others’approval, who may also become timid in the face of challenge, who will also make big mistakes, just like most of us. In the story, we witness Amir’s growth from an immature, diffident boy to a brave man, willing to shoulder responsibilities. But he grows up with pain and regret, and almost at the cost of his life. The story strikes me with the cruel reality that some mistakes take a lifetime to make up for; some hurt which has already been caused, can
《T h e K i t e R u n n e r》追风筝的人--------------------------------美句摘抄 1.I can still see Hassan up on that tree, sunlight flickering through the leaves on his almost perfectly round face, a face like a Chinese doll chiseled from hardwood: his flat, broad nose and slanting, narrow eyes like bamboo leaves, eyes that looked, depending on the light, gold, green even sapphire 翻译：我依然能记得哈桑坐在树上的样子，阳光穿过叶子，照着他那浑圆的脸庞。他的脸很像木头刻成的中国娃娃，鼻子大而扁平，双眼眯斜如同竹叶，在不同光线下会显现出金色、绿色，甚至是宝石蓝。 E.g.: A shadow of disquiet?flickering?over his face. 2.Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor's dog, was always my idea. 翻译：从来不提镜子、用胡桃射狗其实都是我的鬼主意。E.g.:His secret died with him, for he never told anyone. 3.We would sit across from each other on a pair of high branches, our?naked?feet?dangling, our trouser pockets filled with dried?mulberries?and walnuts.?
The Kite Runner The Kite Runner was written by Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan.It tells the story of Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, who was haunted by the guilt of betraying his childhood friend Hassan, the son of his father's Hazara servant. Twelve year old Amir was desperate to win the approval of his father, one of the richest and most respected merchants in Kabul. He had failed to do so through academia, but the one area where they connected was the annual kite fighting tournament. Amir was determined not just to win the competition but to run the last kite and brought it home successfully, to prove to his father that he had the ability of a man. His loyal friend Hassan was the best kite runner that Amir had ever seen, and he promised to help him - for Hassan always helped Amir out of trouble. But Hassan was a Shi'a Muslim and this was 1970s Afghanistan. Hassan was taunted and jeered at by Amir's school friends; he was merely a servant living in a shack at the back of Amir's house. Although Hassan was loyal to Amir, Amir hurted Hassan again and again. Amir’s behavior could really be called "mean"，but I believe，every reader will forgive him. Because everyone's heart has a Amir，he is timid, sensitive and filled with jealousy. But Amir had a moral sense than any other people, he was strict with himself. Because of this, when he couldn't resist the temptation and had to do something that hurt the loyal hassan , he would never forgive himself for the betrayal of hassan. At last ,he tried to adopted the orphan of Hassan so that he got the final redemption Compared with Amir，Hassan was simple. He was loyal and kind. Whatever Amir did to him ,he would forgive him. He finally died in order to protect the A mir’s house. He kept his promise with his life :“For you, times over!” After reading this book, I have a deeper understanding of responsibility. This book contains a lot——responsibility, honesty, friendship, forgiveness and so on. Everyone may make mistakes, but the most important thing is to have the courage to take responsibility for it. There were many times that we hurt others because of impulsive thoughts. This book tells us the auther atoned for his crime after innumerable trials and hardships. We can feel his personality charm. The kite，in this book，is family love ,is friendship, is kindness, is honesty. It was an indispensable part in our personality. Everyone has a kite in his heart, no matter what it means, we need the courage to pursue it.