The Kite Runner

641 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: themes in the kite runner

Cultural and societal norms forbid the expression of certain feelings and influence the thoughts we are allowed to share. Inhibiting our emotions creates inner-turmoil, which influences long-term guilt and shame. However, sometimes we, ourselves decide to keep our feelings a secret because we are anxious about our reputations and how others see us. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is a strong example of how the lack of sharing these feelings affects our future emotional developments. In the book to movie adaptation of The Kite Runner, the point of view is changed from first to third person, so we must rely purely on Amir’s actions to understand instead of the descriptive details of his thoughts, and because of this we lose the understanding of his emotions and some of the relationships throughout the movie thus, weakening the theme significantly; when people stifle their thoughts, they often experience remorse, but when people share their thoughts, they feel a sense of relief.
The loss of narration from Amir throughout the movie leaves us completely unaware of how Amir’s relationships with different people work. “…Wondered how much time would pass before we talked again the way we just had (19).” This quote from the book has a way of explaining Baba and Amir’s relationship without actually interpreting it. Baba and Amir were very distant personality wise, so they seldom had deep conversations, and when they did, Amir would always ponder the possibilities if it would ever happen again. “I envied her. Her secret was out (164).” Although Amir has fallen in love with Soraya, he despises that she had the audacity to tell him what she felt the most guilty about. Amir believes that Soraya has more courage than him, but he also believ...

... middle of paper ...

... and his body movement to catch his pain since these details aren’t mentioned. In order to understand Amir’s feelings towards Hassan, we need his thoughts. These details that seem small and unimportant are actually imperative in making the movie coherent.
The point of view change from the book, to the movie notably weakens the theme of the story; we don’t have the help of details from his thoughts, rather we have to gather the information with subtle hints of Amir’s behaviors since he is retaining all of his secrets. Without Amir narrating his insight throughout the movie, we lose the understanding of the important relationships and characters unraveling before our eyes. This makes the movie confusing and less enjoyable for people who haven't read the book. We must have Amir’s narration in the movie in order to convey the theme of the book in a stronger way.

Show More
Related

  • William Golding's The Kite Runner And Lord Of The Flies

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Amir goes through many events that take place in the book that change him, and the way he is perceived within the book. Amir is a young boy, who is tortured by his father’s scrutinizing character. Amir is also jealous of Hassan, because of the fact that his father likes Hassan instead of Amir. Amir fights for his father’s approval, interest, and love. This is when Amir changes for the good as he deals with the guilt of the rape of Hassan. Amir witnessed Hassan getting raped, but decides to nothing in order to win over his father’s interest. The guilt that Amir builds up is carries from his premature times as a child to his mature times. From Afghanistan to

    Read More

  • Guilt is a Potent Emotion in Shakespeare's MacBeth

    650 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...by Amir in his childhood not only gravely colors his relationship with Hassan, whose innocence he failed to protect from evil and overbearing Assef, but this guilt continues to stay with Hassan as he moves to America and starts a new life. Finally Amir chooses to redeem himself by opting to protect Hassan’s son Sohrab. The guilt which estranged Amir from his childhood friend in a way manages to reunite him with Hassan, albeit in a different manner.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner Guilt Quotes

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout The Kite Runner this theme is shown many times without this aspect and understanding of this part of the book it would be incomprehensible. Amir eventually learns how to cope with his own guilt and his

    Read More

  • Making Mistakes In The Kite Runner

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Khaled Hosseini’s book, The Kite Runner, Amir is an example of growing up, making mistakes, and facing the consequences for those mistakes. Amir grows so much throughout the book. He is a fictional example of maturing and growing up in a realistic manner. Making mistakes is a part of this growth, even though his were extreme. The reader is introduced to Amir and is disgusted about how he treats Hassan and abandons him in a time of needing rescuing. His mistakes disgust us, especially after Hassan has been by his side the entire book. As the reader gets deeper into the book, they start to develop feeling of anger but sometimes sympathy, towards Amir. By the end, we are not as angry as Amir than the reader to begin with. Amir has grown into

    Read More

  • Kite Runner

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel is told by Amir, one of the novel's main characters. Amir is an Afghan man living in Fremont, California remembering his childhood in Kabul in the 1970s.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner Redemption Analysis

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ominent in this novel and is set from the very beginning of the book. Amir knows that when he failed to stand up for himself as a child; so in his adulthood, he has to prove himself by standing up for what he knows is right, no matter how hard it will be. He learned this from when Baba told him in his childhood that a boy who does not stand up for himself can never and will never stand up for anything.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Book of Genesis in the Old Testament or from the Hebrew Torah. What may be less familiar to

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the beginning Amir is a coward who cant defend himself and through out the book this begins to change and finally he fully changes in the end of the book. Amir never was the type of boy to fight or stand up for himself. For example, Amir over hears Baba say to Rahim Khan, “You know what happens when the neighborhood boys tease him? Hassan steps in and fend them off…Im telling you Rahim, there is something missing in that boy” (Hosseini, 23). Baba is complaining to Rahim and he doesn't understand why Amir lacks the courage to stand up for himself. He puzzles that Hassan is the one to step in and defend Amir. He also is very confused over the fact that a hazara is more courageous than his son. Baba knows that Amir is not violent and he wishes that he would just stand up for himself. Amir overhears this and is very troubled that Baba doesn’t approve of him. To Amir this is a realization that he is a coward and his father notices it. Later in the book, Amir sees Hassan being raped and he is contemplation jumping in and being courageous because he says, “I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide ...

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    Amir is clearly an emotionally unstable person, but his resentment towards Hassan is increased because of his own haunting guilt.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Lying And Deceit In The Kite Runner

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, shows how lying and deceit is a counterproductive route when trying to live with a dreadful past, exhibited through the actions of Amir. Amir’s decision to withhold the truth and blatantly lie in several situations due to jealousy and his desire for Baba to be proud of him amounts to further pain and misery for himself and those he deceives. Because of Amir’s deceit towards Baba and Hassan, his guilt from his past manifests itself into deeply-rooted torment, not allowing him to live his life in peace. The guilt from Amir’s past is only alleviated when he redeems his sins by taking in Sohrab, contributing to the theme that the only way “to be good again” is through redemption, not shunning the past.

    Read More

  • Similarities And Differences Between Amir And Hassan

    2611 Words  | 6 Pages

    He would do anything, even as a small child, to please Amir. Even after he grew up and had a son, he told his son about his love for Amir. “And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name.” (Hosseini, 12). If this was a teenage romance novel this would be a love triangle. Between Amir, Hassan and Baba. Amir spent his entire life trying to make Baba like him, to forgive him for killing his wife, to understand him, and get that special father to son bonding. Baba instead gave his attention to the servant’s son, Hassan. Later the story we find out that Hassan is Baba’s son too, but this is after both have died and Amir is a grown man. During his childhood Amir would have done anything to gain his father attention like Hassan had. Baba, feeling guilty, gave his attention to Hassan, and treated him kindly, out of guilt for not being able to recognise Hassan as his son. Yet Baba never treated Amir diskindly, other than the fact they never got along. Hassan did not go to school, and spent his time helping Ali with household chores, but got respected by Baba, and given gifts during holidays and a kite for flying season. Amir and Baba did not click in the way both of them wanted too. Amir tried to fake interests in sports for Baba, but after watching a rider get trampled by his horse, and started crying during the one and only sport event Baba took him too. “I cried all the way back home. I remember how Baba’s hands clenched around the steering wheel. Clenched and unclenched. Mostly, I will never forget Baba’s valiant efforts to conceal the disgusted look on his face as he drove in silence.” (Hosseini, 23) This was Amir memory of the sporting event. Amir need for love from Baba, led him standing in the alley watching Hassan get raped, knowing that when he brought that blue kite to Baba he will earn his love. Hassan on the other hand could not love Amir any less. To

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    As implied by the title, kites play a major role in the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. They appear numerous times within the text and prove to be surprisingly versatile in their literary function. They provide common ground for characters whose interests do not normally intersect. They are also present as a very powerful symbol, which adds an extra dimension to this already literary rich novel. Reversing the roles transcending generations, it shows itself to be a multifaceted medium.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner Compare And Contrast Essay

    2060 Words  | 5 Pages

    The characterizations of the main characters are not so much different in the movie than in the book but are incomplete. The movie does not show the depth and secret desires that motivate the characters and does not allow for on to sympathize and really get to know the characters. The movie follows the basic outline of the books plot but does not incorporate all of the small details that make the book so profound. In contrast, the setting in the movie and the book is mostly identical. One line in the book tells the whole story of Amir. The line is said by Rham Khan and it is “There is away to be good again.” The line tells Amir’s true desire and that is to atone for his sins as a kid. Since both the movie and the book focus on that one line they are both more similar than different. In conclusion, although, the movie was not just like the book and emphasized certain themes more than others it still told the story and shared the lessons the book

    Read More

  • Kite Runner Theme Essay

    1380 Words  | 3 Pages

    Betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness are all major themes in The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini. The novel also focuses around the theme of a broken relationship between father and son as well as facing difficult situations from ones past. Amir and Hassan are best friends with two completely different personalities. Each character in the novel faces their own hardships and eventually learns to overcome those difficulties. Beginning with betrayal then the characters have to make their way to gaining redemption and forgiveness from others, as well as their self, is carried on throughout the novel. It is a continuous story of the relationships between Amir and his father Baba and facing their challenges from the past every day of their present.

    Read More

  • The Kite Runner: Loss of Innocence & Redemption

    1473 Words  | 3 Pages

    A large part of the novel deals with Amir trying to redeem himself. First with his Baba by trying to win the kite fighting tournament because Amir feels as though his father blames him for his mothers death. The the larger act of redemption occurs when trying to rid himself of the guilt of letting Hassan be rape...

    Read More

More about The Kite Runner

Open Document