The Kite Runner

There was a book discussion on the Kite Runner at HQ khane. Since I couldn't make it, I decided to post my opinion on the book.

It was a beautifully told novel. I believe it touched many people's hearts because a lot of its themes could be related to the average person.
I'll touch upon a few of those themes.

Firstly, guilt played a huge part in the novel. The main character,Amir, was a boy who was guilty of many things. The main thing that plagued his heart was the events he witnessed his childhood friend, Hassan, go through. Rape and betrayal were two of the many things that Hassan endured. The worst betrayal was from Amir.

This type of guilt plagues a lot of us. We are usually found abandoning a friend in times of need. In order to save ourselves, we ruin other people. Years later, we remember those we left, and often find ourselves wondering how their lives turned out. 9/10 times, we ourselves lead perfect lives. We have little to worry about, compared to the dreadful lives of others.

The second theme in this novel was of friendship. We often find ourselves giving up everything for a friend. This is was Hassan did. He was loyal to Amir through everything. When Amir hurt Hassan in the worst possible way, Hassan still kept his mouth and heart shut. He loved Amir no matter what.

A lot of us crave for love like that. And when we have it, we take advantage of it, just like Amir did.

The third theme was one of a father/son relationship. Amir craved for his father's approval, much like we do with certain people. Although Amir and his father were always together, they didn't have the sort of bond that either wanted. They both expected different things from one another, and often blamed themselves for the other's shortcomings.

And finally, redemption. Late in the book, Amir did his best to right his past wrongs. Taking Hassan's son, Sohrab, under his wing, he learned to love the boy like he couldn't with Hassan. Amir learned from his past mistakes and had a second chance with Sohrab.

Redemption touched every one's heart the most. We all want a second chance to right our wrongs. To see or read about a happy ending gives us hope for our own lives, and after all, that is why many of us love books, right? It's an escape from reality. However, this book wasn't a real escape from reality. It was an escape from our reality, and into someone else's.