How Does Hosseini Tell the Story of Kite Runner free essay sample

The entire first 6 chapters of the novel direct us towards the moment the narrator Amir has been foreshadowing to; the instant that of the first climatic peak that sets of a chain of events, mainly as a result of Amir’s change of state of mind. However, what arguably makes this chapter so intriguing is not the story but rather the irony between the opening of the chapter – both airy and euphoric, and the contrasting ending of it – We are introduced at the beginning of chapter 7 with a recollection of Hassan’s dream, most likely acting as a symbol representing what their friendship means to him, a place with mutual bonding of trust – such demonstrated in the repetition of ‘’Amir and Hassan, sultans of Kabul’’. In this sense, we could interpret the description of his dream as means of setting an atmosphere of clear uneasiness, foreshadowing what is to come next (the rape scene). Perhaps not obvious, but the fact that the reader is fully aware of how Hassan’s pureness will be the quality that will most likely bring him to his awaited destiny, as Assef so eloquently quotes ‘’your Hazara made a mistake today’’. Alternatively, it can be said that that section of the beginning isn’t as important as the description of Kabul during the kite running competition in terms of structure. In reference to this, Hosseini makes good use of long sentence structures at the start of the chapter, in areas such as ‘’the snow glistened with fresh snow and the sky was a blameless blue’’. As this example demonstrates, the author clearly makes prominent use of adjectives to describe the atmosphere with intensity, immediately setting the scene of tranquility and beauty; Kabul in its best moment of the year. Consequently, this opposes with the sentence structure towards the end of the chapter, which emulate a rather distant and cold voice. In sentences such as ‘’ in the end, I ran; I ran because I was a coward’’ the reader can identify how Amir’s self recrimination is slowly changing him into a bitter individual, full of self guilt. Moreover, the wide use of repetition of ‘’I’’ throughout most part of the end of the chapter reemphasizes this sense of selfishness he has come to terms with; his gaining of Baba’s love and respect overshadows Hassan’s situation, regardless of how unfair this is to the reader. Alternatively, the shorter sentences can be interpreted as the author’s method of reflecting Amir’s loss of power to even describe the story without the emotions that had been bottled up for so long (even in the present) to cause him loss of self-control. In other words, the contrast between the ending and the start of the chapter reflect just how overwhelming and shocked Amir was at that moment of time, which still affects him quite evidently in the present. Continuing to focus on structure, its also important to highlight the significance of the flashbacks that demonstrate the shifts in time and atmosphere, even if its just a brief moment, in order to characterize Amir’s difficulty to face this memory completely, therefore trying to evade reality and interrupting the flow of what is to come next. More importantly, he isn’t able to confront his mistakes of the past with the same level of fear even in the future. Moreover, the choice of memories and dreams Amir chooses to intersperse the description of the rape is very significant as they all act as symbols of the destiny of their friendship; it was pre –destined to be doomed. Specifically, the dream and the memories collectively represent how ironic it is for such event to tear them apart – despite having developed a ‘’brotherhood’’ from the moment they were born and fed by the same breast. However, this idea could also be challenged as Amir is in fact an unreliable narrator; therefore, these memories/dreams perhaps only occurred inside Amir’s mind to re-emphasize his intense guilt that has not altered in the present. Either way, through the narrative voice and point of view the reader is able to intimately experience the events through Amir’s eyes, deepening his characterization. The language and style in this chapter plays the role of encapsulating precisely Amir’s narrative perspective on the whole experience, in terms of his inner emotions he doesn’t share with the anyone else but the reader. For instance, the idea of the unreliable narrator is reinforced in the fact that after running away from the rape, Amir begins to constantly insult himself, calling himself a ‘’coward’’ for not standing up for Hassan the way he always had, bringing the reader back to the moment Hassan professes his love for Amir ‘’for you, a thousand times over’’, changing the way the reader views the narrator. However, it can be argued that Amir intentionally wants us to feel shame in him for even contemplating the idea of Hassan being the ultimate sacrifice to win Baba’s affections of him. This idea can be exemplified in the author’s lexis, particularly when describing Hassan as the ‘’lamb’’, referring to ‘’lamb to the slaughter’’. In this sense, we are able to understand that Amir leads the reader to comprehend how Hassan is characterized as pure and innocent (the lamb being closely associated to religious connotations). Likewise, Amir uses rhetorical question in order to characterize the inner torment he was experiencing at that instant, once again reemphasizing the recrimination he is placing upon himself, juxtaposing the pride and redemption he had felt after the victory of the kite running competition. For instance, ‘’He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he? ’’ not only contributes to Amir’s transformation between a once innocent boy to the bitter and self recriminated individual with a haunting past. Not only this, but it serves as a bigger purpose intended by Hosseini; it introduces an importance theme; the conflict between the Pashtuns and Hazaras. The fact that Amir chooses to adopt this sense of religious supremacy is also touched upon in the encounter with the old man in the bazaar, where Amir describes Hassan as ‘’servant son’’, implying he feels some level of shame for having a close friend who is considered to be socially inferior. Additionally, this assumption made by the reader is further explored at the presence of Assef; essentially, Assef serves as an epitome of racial prejudice between Hazaras and Pashtuns. The importance of language as a means of transmitting narrative perspective is continued in the way Amir reacts to witnessing Hassan’s rape. Despite knowing that it is in his obligation as a true friend to stand up against a ‘’sociopath’’, he decides to accept Hassan’s nature as the lamb ‘’its imminent devise is for a higher purpose’’. In this sense, one can comprehend that Amir is succumbing to his craving for parental attention from his father. Moreover, Hosseini uses harsh lexis to provide the author with insight of Amir’s This also links with setting, In conclusion, whilst one can argue that chapter 7 comes down to the revelation of the long awaited memory that has haunted Amir’s life for decades after, its also important in shedding light to Amir’s darker side of himself, through his narrative perspective which inevitably leads to the characterization of himself towards the reader. Moreover, even though Amir wishes the reader to take a certain perspective on his being – a shameful and disapproving approach, one must keep in mind that the narrator is in fact an unreliable narrator. Therefore, the reader cannot consider everything expressed by the narrator as accurate. However, what is fundamental in this chapter is its irony: the immense transition between redemption and success, thus the finals step towards Baba’s approval and the second climatic peak.