Kite Runner Guide Questions And Answers

What role does religion play in the lives of Baba, Amir, and Assef,and in the novel as a whole?Though it is rarely the main focus, religion is nearly always presentin Amir’s narrative. It is part of the culture of Afghanistan, and it isaccordingly a fixture of the everyday life Amir describes.

Amir creates acomplex portrait of both the positive and negative traits of religion, withthe negative always stemming from fundamentalists who use their beliefs asan excuse to carry out violence against others and to limit people’sfreedoms. From what we learn of Baba’s feelings toward religion, this is notsurprising. The first significant episode in the book involving religion,for instance, occurs when Amir, who is still a child, tells Baba that themullah at school called drinking alcohol a sin as Baba pours a glass ofwhiskey. Immediately, the scene establishes a contrast between Baba and themullah. Baba calls the mullah and men like him bearded idiots and explainsto Amir that theft, in its many variations, is the only true sin. Babaobviously does not respect the beliefs of the mullah, yet he still has hisown moral code. Amir consequently grows up with a strong sense of morality,though it is entirely separate from Islam.Yet religion also has a major role in determining the direction thatAfghanistan takes in the years after Baba and Amir flee to the UnitedStates.

Although Amir’s narrative does not give a clear step-by-step accountof the political events in Afghanistan, the reader does know that fightingcontinued in the country even after the departure of the Russians, calledthe Shorawi. Ultimately, the Taliban emerged with control, and from Amir’snarrative we learn that many of the Afghans who left their country think theIslamist government the group has created is simply a means for them tojustify their violence and authoritarian rule. The character that mostrepresents this image of the Taliban is Assef, who tells Amir that he feltliberated while massacring Hazaras in their homes because he knew God was onhis side.

Ultimately, however, Assef’s violence becomes his downfall whenSohrab shoots his eye out, and later, when Sohrab has tried to kill himself,Amir has something of a religious conversion when Sohrab survives after Amirprays for God’s help. Amir becomes an observant Muslim after that, but not afundamentalist, making the case that religion is as good as the personpracticing it. How does the author, Khaled Hosseini, use irony in thenovel?Repeatedly throughout the book, Amir must face the unintendedconsequences of his actions.

18 QuestionsShow answers. Where did Amir drink the 'Blackest Tea'? Answer choices. Sanaubar house. He remembers Hassan whom he calls “the hare lipped kite runner,” saying “For you, a thousand times over.” Rahim’s words also echo in his head, “There is a way to be good again.” These two phrases will become focal points for the rest of the novel and our protagonist’s story. Describe Amir. Amir started out very selfish in my.

These situations are often ironic in that theyare the exact opposite of what Amir intended, much as the man in Amir’sfirst short story ends up unhappy because of his insatiable desire forwealth. In the most significant instances of irony, the irony stems fromimmorality. The most notable example of irony, for instance, centers onAmir’s decision not to stop Assef from raping Hassan. Amir wanted to proveto Baba how much he was like him by bringing him the blue kite from thekite-fighting tournament, and he thought in doing so he would finally havethe love that eluded him. While Amir gains more attention from Babatemporarily, he eventually loses Hassan, his best friend, because of hisactions. A further irony becomes clear when Amir learns that Baba wasactually Hassan’s father.

Baba had betrayed his own best friend, Ali, byconceiving Hassan with Ali’s wife, and so Amir learns that he was, in fact,just like Baba in that sense, saddening Amir rather than making himhappy. What is the significance of rape in the novel?Rape is among the most prominent motifs repeated in the novel. It isHassan’s rape that establishes the main drama of the story, and it is laterSohrab’s rape by the Taliban that gives Amir the chance to redeem himself.The act of rape in this context carries a great deal of significance. First,it is presented as a form of perversion. What is typically considered an actshared by two people in love to conceive a child, such as Amir and Soraya,becomes an act of violence.

Second, there is a distinct emotional componentto rape. The rapist dominates the victim not only physically butpsychologically as well, as we see in Hassan’s rape and even moredramatically in Sohrab’s.

Finally, in each instance of rape we see, therapist takes advantage of the social order, meaning the rapist is always ina position of greater power than the victim of the rape. Assef, forinstance, is rich and has a politically powerful father, while Hassan is apoor Hazara. Wintv 950 free tuner software. In each instance, rape acts as a symbolic violation of thepowerless by those who have power.