The feeling of knowing the truth and feeling like you betrayed someone is extremely painful. This feeling is a prominent motif in the book the kite runner. The book describes the life of a Pashtun boy, Amir, the trials that he faces, and the redemption of his character at the very end. The feeling of betrayal is often accompanied by the feeling of guilt, this is a recurring theme that happens over the course of Amir’s lifetime.

Deception first happens in the book with Amir’s father: Baba. Baba betrayed his faithful servant Ali by sleeping with his wife, and Baba spends the rest of his life feeling guilty and helping others in an attempt to make up for what he has done. Hossein Khaled This is where the truth element comes in, as Baba never told Amir who Hassan really was, and kept it as a secret. When the relationship between Amir and Hassan became strained, the truth that Baba kept confidential could have helped repair their relationship and might have allowed Amir to open up and tell his truth. Similarly, Amir betrays Hassan by not helping him when he was sexually assaulted in chapter 7, as well as framing him for stealing money in chapter 9. Amir keeps the truth to himself and this encumbers him, and we find out later when he mentions that “the past claws its way out”. The author mentions this to demonstrate that Amir never truly got over his guilt and it haunts him. Deep down inside, he knows that if he had revealed the truth, then the entire outcome of that situation would have been different. Khaled Hosseini is able to tell readers about Amir’s position and what he’s currently thinking without having Amir say it. His envy towards Soraya and her courage, his discontent with the situation with Sohrab. He is never able to tell the truth and to tell the people around him what he thinks about them honestly.

In the book, the theme of culture and politics also tie in with the idea of truth. In afghani culture, the class differences are indicated and it molds the relationships between the main characters of the story. Particularly in the case of Amir and Hassan, the pervasive belief that one ethnic/religious group is superior to another creates a scenario in which Amir simply cannot accept his friendship with Hassan. Similarly Baba is held back by traditional values, which stops him from admitting the truth: his fathering of Hassan. Baba is put in a difficult situation as Rahim Khan explains in chapter 17, he explains how Baba values his social standing and honor more than he valued his illegitimate child. As a result, the future of the two boys are greatly impacted by the suppressive culture. At the same time, the author is able to paint out the dangers in Afghanistan in the book by plotting the time frame of the novel when the political scene in Afghanistan began to change. The status of Baba and Amir changes, forcing them to flee the country, and the extremism of the Taliban results in Hassan’s death. 

The book is built on the basis that the past can always find a way to make its effects known on the present. This works well with the book, as it goes backward and tells the story by first introducing the character after he’s grown up, and goes back to his childhood to describe the events that shaped him as a person. I know for a fact that the past is the determining factor for the present, and I believe that the book encapsulates this idea really well. The theme of loss is also able to shine through when the author describes the feelings of the characters and their responses to different events. Personally, I agree with the book that the past does affect the present. The present will always be a reflection of people’s actions in the past. This concept is something that people experience every day, and the consequence of this concept is regret.  This concept has been evident in my life. I regret slacking off in 7th grade math as I had to take 2 math classes to catch up. The year that I had to take double math was the most draining school year for me.

I believe a book similar to The Kite Runner is a book written by Kiran Desai called The Inheritance of Loss. The books are similar as they both carry the similar themes. The inheritance of loss describes the loss of identity and the way it travels through generations as a sense of loss. There are some characters who look down on those who embody the Indian way of life, while others are angered by anglicized Indians who have lost their traditions. Similarly in The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini describes the loss of innocence and how it affects people. Hassan lost his innocence and a friend, while his son had to suffer the same things in the name of symbolism. Both books deal with the change in hierarchy, in The Inheritance of Loss, the British take over India and some lose their way of life. In The Kite Runner, the Afghan people who first welcomed the Taliban became to fear them as they too, lost their way of life.

Overall, The Kite Runner takes on difficult themes like cultural identity and loss and tackles them to display the different characteristics of the characters. Khaled Hosseini was able to show the progression of the characters and how they improve throughout the story by incorporating the idea of truth into these themes. With truth, the author is now able to complete the character’s progression. In conclusion, The Kite Runner offers readers an exciting story intertwined with the ideas of truth and loss, warning the readers of the dangers of hiding the truth.

link to rough draft: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YtP0ZPUFJ-sYxZJ9oOfRnbXJvaCorHVK-54mVSW6cpM/edit

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