Syed Nasir Ershad

In the Kite Runner, the story drifted on the subjects of friendship, betrayal, guilt, redemption and the uneasy love between father and son. These are universal themes that have been able to reach across cultural, racial, religious and gender gaps to resonate with readers of varying background.
The writer’s depiction of pre-revolutionary Afghanistan was rich in warmth and humor but also tense with the friction between the nation’s different ethnic groups. Amir’s father personified the courageous, arrogant and dominant Pashtun tribe. The novel’s canvas turned dark during the description of the sufferings under the tyrannical period when Amir finally returned home, hoping to help Hassan and his family. The final third of the book was full of haunting images: a man, desperate to feed his children, trying to sell his artificial leg in the market; an adulterous couple stoned to death in a stadium during the halftime of a football match; etc.
There were a number of themes that appeared in the book, of which guilt and redemption were prominent. As a child, Amir failed to save Hassan in an act of cowardice and afterwards suffered from an all-consuming guilt. Even after leaving the country, moving to America, marrying, and becoming a successful writer, he was unable to forget the incident. Hassan was the all-sacrificing brother-figure for Amir. Later on following Hassan’s death at the hands of the Taliban, Amir began to redeem himself through the rescue of Hassan’s son, Sohrab. The writer drew parallels during the search for Sohrab to create an impression of poetic justice; for example, Amir sustained a split lip after being severely beaten, similar to Hassan’s harelip.
The relationship between parents and their children featured prominently in the novel. It appeared that Amir’s motivation for the childhood betrayal was rooted in his insecurities regarding his relationship with his father. The relationship between parent and child, with all of its manifested complexities and contradictions, was a prominent theme. The way parents and children love, disappoint, and in the end honor each other was interestingly described in the novel.
Many of the readers were drawn into the narrative by the theme of betraying the best friend for the love of father. Throughout the story, Amir craved his father’s affection; on the other hand his father loved Amir but favored Hassan. Critically, the book was well-received albeit some controversy. The novel has been beautifully written, startling and heart wrenching. It revealed the beauty and agony of not only a person but also a tormented nation as it described the story of an improbable friendship between two boys from opposite ends of society, and of the troubled but enduring relationship between a father and a son. Much of the book was based in a world we are not so familiar with, but still can relate to the incidences.
However, some critics found the novel mediocre. The writer simultaneously strived to deliver a large-scale informative portrait and a small-scale redemptive drama. People usually experience their lives against the backdrop of their culture. The novel started out well, but began to falter towards the end. Perhaps the writer was too focused on fully redeeming the protagonist and in doing so created too many unrealistic coincidences that allowed Amir the opportunity to undo his past wrongs. Having said all the above, one must admit that the novel was a good read.