As for me, it is time to go. I have little time left and I wish to spend it alone. Please do not look for me. That is my final request of you. Amir — The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Amir is a wealthy boy who grows up in Kabul, Afghanistan with a sense of entitlement.
Amir manipulates his privileged upbringing over his servant and loyal best friend, Hassan , whose aid he fails to come to when Hassan is being raped by older boys after a kite -fighting tournament.
After Hassan is raped, the book focuses on Amir being driven by his feelings of guilt, his personal growth as he and Baba move to the U. Throughout the novel, his character ultimately changes from him being a selfish child to a selfless adult. He eventually marries Soraya, who cannot birth children, and they adopt Hassan's son, Sohrab.
Baba — Father of Amir and also secretly to Hassan, Baba is a larger-than-life figure who works hard and doesn't let anyone's doubts stop him from accomplishing his goals, but stands by his own strict moral principles and is often tough on Amir. Baba goes from a wealthy and well-respected, but unhappy, businessman in Afghanistan to a much happier gas station worker making little money in America.
Hassan is an excellent kite runner, and is naturally intelligent, but because of his social class as a poor ethnic Hazara, is illiterate and seen as inferior in Afghan society.
He becomes the victim of racism, rape, oppression, and murder over the course of his relatively short life, yet always remains loyal, forgiving, and good natured especially to Amir throughout the novel. Although he is not present for a majority of the novel, Hassan's plays a major role in the character development of Amir, Baba, and even Sohrab.
He is the only one who knows all of Baba's secrets about his affair with Sanaubar and about Hassan. Sohrab — Son of Hassan and Farzana. For Amir, Sohrab serves as a means for Amir to atone for what happened between him and Hassan. Later on in the novel, he becomes the central focus of the plot as Amir seeks redemption by eventually adopting Sohrab.
He is also an ethnic Hazara and is great with a slingshot, just like his father. Ali — One of Baba's loyal servants, Ali also acts as the "father" to Hassan. He loves Hassan, but he rarely openly expresses his emotions. A poor and an ethnic Hazara, he walks with a limp caused by polio. Soraya is smart and strong-willed, especially when it comes to the treatment of women in Afghan culture. Assef — The novel's primary antagonist. Assef is the rapist of Hassan and Sohrab and symbolizes all of the troubles plaguing Afghanistan.
He is a racist whose goal is to get rid of all of the Hazaras in Afghanistan by inflicting sexual violence and abuse on the poor and defenseless. Kamal — At the beginning of the novel, Kamal is a coward who helps Assef rape Hassan. However, after he is raped himself, he becomes a representation of the violent nature destroying Afghanistan. Though Amir never got to know her, he learns that she had a love for literature just like him. Amir seeks more information about Sofia throughout the novel.
General Taheri is a stereotypical Afghan male, both as a father and husband, by placing extreme value on upholding traditional Afghan customs. Although Sanaubar is infamous for having an affair with Baba and abandoning Hassan, she becomes a caring grandmother to Sohrab when she later appears again in the novel.
Farid helps Amir in his search to find and rescue Sohrab. A former mujahedin fighter, Farid represents the hardships that many Afghans faced during the warfare that ravaged the country. As with any parent-child relationship, there are ups and downs along the way to mutual respect and admiration, and The Kite Runner depicts the turbulent road well. The flawed relationship between Baba and Amir is the primary example of this theme , as Amir struggles to win over his father for affection throughout the novel, meanwhile Baba tries to love Amir despite them having little in common.
The father-son relationship becomes a critical part of Amir's character growth during his quest for redemption, as he attempts to be a father to Sohrab by rescuing him and adopting him. Although the novel never shows Sohrab and Hassan together, it is understood that Hassan was a great father to Sohrab before he was killed. The guilt that Amir feels far outweighs that of the other characters in the novel, though Baba's guilt comes close as his quest for redemption for his wrongdoings closely resembles that of Amir's.
Amir discovers the consequences of guilt after making decisions throughout his childhood that were destructive. Many things made him feel guilty, starting at birth.
Amir started feeling guilty for killing his mother during childbirth, even though it was out of his control. The guilt that Amir feels due to his actions, which destroyed his relationship with Hassan, haunts him throughout his entire life as illustrated over the course of the novel.
The use of guilt in the story proves that we all make mistakes all the time, and are ridden by guilt because of actions, but there is always a way to redeem and forgive oneself, and to be forgiven by others. Friend of Baba and Amir. A former mujahedin fighter, Farid is at first gruff and unfriendly. He is missing toes and fingers from a landmine explosion and represents the difficulties that many Afghans faced in the years of warfare that ravaged the country.
Though Sanaubar is infamously immoral in her youth and abandons Hassan just after he is born, she proves herself a caring grandmother to Sohrab when she reappears later in the novel. Soraya is steady, intelligent, and always there for Amir when he needs her.
She can be strong-willed like her father, General Taheri, and deplores the way women are often treated in Afghan culture.
General Taheri is proud to the point of arrogance at times, and he places great value on upholding Afghan traditions. He is in many ways the stereotypical Afghan male, both in his roles as a father and husband. Jamila plays the part of the typical Afghan wife and mother. She obeys her husband without question and wants nothing more than to see her daughter married. Cowardly and conformist, Kamal helps Assef rape Hassan. After he is raped himself, he becomes a symbol of the brutality that destroys Afghanistan.
Later, however, he becomes instrumental in helping to get Sohrab into the United States. Though Sofia died during childbirth, Amir knows she loved literature as he does.
Amir seeks information about her at various points in the novel. Farzana appears only briefly, but in that time she is portrayed as a loving mother. One of the boys from the neighborhood who helps Assef to rape Hassan. Wali is depicted as a conformist. Ace your assignments with our guide to The Kite Runner!
SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. What happened to Hassan in the alley? Why does Rahim Khan lie about the American couple? Why are Ali and Hassan both deformed? Sanaubar Hassan's mother. Although she abandons him soon after giving birth, she returns years later and takes care of her grandson. Previous Book Summary. Next Chapter 1. Removing book from your Reading List will also remove any bookmarked pages associated with this title.
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