In the end...

     At the end of the novel, Amir is running to catch the kite that he and Sohrab were flying. In my eyes, this represents release. Finally, Amir is at peace with himself, all stresses and anxieties have been cut and it is time to run away from the past. At the beginning of the book, Amir talks about how Afghanistan is calling him for his unatoned sins. At this point of the book, all of this comes to an end.
     Personally, I think that the story just suddenly eneded. As a reader, I wish that there was more of a happily ever after ending. Perhaps Sohrab finally seeks happiness and enjoys his new family and lives a happy childhood. And, Amir and his wife are happy with their new found family.

The Political Climate in Afghanistan and it's Influence

                The setting of this story holds immense significance because of how Afghanistan factors into the plot and is influential in various ways.  The story is of course framed through the narrator’s eyes, Amir.  Just as Amir undergoes rough patches, hardships, trials and tribulations, so does Afghanistan.  Amir and the state of Afghanistan are correlated.  The book commences as the reader is placed in the “quiet” era when Afghanistan was ruled by a King as opposed to a formal government.  These times in general allow for their citizens to go upon their business, without the tremendous interference of the state that is later forced upon them.  Afghanistan transitions into a period of being a republic.  The republic is interrupted when the Soviet Union barges into the country in efforts of acquiring land in the middle of Britain, itself and France.  Traditional Afghan rebels and revolutionaries combat the intruders and chaos ensues.  Many scholars agree that Afghanistan has been a difficult country to seize, as its mountainous countryside make for difficult combat.  The Afghan natives don’t have any option but to watch in horror or flee their beloved homeland for safe havens such as Pakistan or the United States.  In this sense, the situation can be labelled by Hanna Arendt’s definition of evil; which is an absence of rights. The public has exactly zero say.  No choice.  It’s really stay and risk dying or move.  With the removal of the monarchy and any sort of order, and the republic reigning as the best thing to a governing body, Assef prospers because of his father’s affiliation with the new President.  Assef feels self-empowered and feels dominant in bullying Amir, especially with Hassan and his Hazara background attracting attention.  

                As things escalate, Baba and Amir realize it’s safer to migrate to California, America.  The Taliban garners all authority, and Hassan is killed in the process.  Assef’s connections to the republic and his father’s connections to the Taliban granted Assef a powerful position with the Taliban letting him indulge in his sick and disgusting sadomasochism habits. A scene in the book depicts a disguised General and his Talban soldiers throwing rocks to stone a woman who was raped. This is later revealed as Assef.  We see traces of the scapegoat figure present, as women are now viewed as inherently inferior and not worthy to live like Men.  The times are certainly different pre-Taliban to post Taliban as women who never wore Hijaabs or Burkas would be killed if they were seen without one in the Taliban era.  Women who contribute to society (doctors, teachers, politicians) were instructed to resign or quit and stay home.  Borrowing from Hannah Arendt’s ideology again, a match can be identified in the way Assef conducts himself.  He truly believes his actions are normal when he upgrades to the level of general in the Taliban. The normalcy in his demeanor is terrifying.  Quoting Arendt “The doer of evil needs is ordinary, ‘neither a sadist or perverted’”.  The chain comes full circle when Amir is given the call by Rahim Kahn and is informed of the terrors of the Taliban.  He is forced to gather up every ounce of courage and face a Taliban leader in Assef.  Symbolically Amir represents Afghanistan revolting in search for the peace they once cherished so dearly.

            Amir finally symbolizes a father: the sun, the spirit or the masculine principle, when he decides to adopt Sohrab. When he visits the different lawyers and adoption agencies and is told the same disappointing news, Amir feels the same rejection all over again, like when he was trying to conceive a child with Soraya. However, God forgives through his judgment and mercy and the suffering ends because good will triumph over evil and Amir is rewarded in the end.

This picture depicts the ideal family that Amir and Soraya imagine to have in the future with Sohrab. Little do they know that this will take years to form a bond after Amir goes back on his promise with Sohrab and loses his trust. Sohrab choses not to speak for over a year, which puts much stress on Soraya and Amir. This brings in the theme of confusion and uncertainty that were discussed when watching "A Serious Man." Amir and Soraya are probably wondering can this problem every we solved and is this adoption really God's plan because things aren't going as planned. However, everything will eventually turn out fine after giving space and time to develop and rekindle the family relationship. 

Cancer As A Role of Cosmic Evil

In chapter twelve, Amir could tell that his father was getting weaker and it wasn't just the fact that it was because he was getting older. Dr. Amani finally tells Amir that based on the CAT scans Baba had "Oat Cell Carcinoma," and it was advanced and inoperable.
   When one hears the news that they are infected with a disease, that is taking over their body and will soon destroy them, there are many reactions. Relating to cancer specifically, there are many different types and severity forms of this disease, "It turned out that, like Satan, cancer had many names." The different types of cancer also play a role in the person's reaction. Due to the fact, if a person has lymphoma and is reassured that if they participate in chemotherapy they have a higher chance of survival, they will feel much more relieved than a patient like Baba. In the phrase above, cancer is being compared to Satan. Satan is depicted as evil, a power of darkness that is blamed for the atrocities in the world. Therefore, cancer can be related to cosmic evil due to the fact that it "belongs to the work of the devil- who personifies evil." It is inflicting suffering and frustration of life and death upon the victims. However there is also a time of "Grievability" with whom is dying. Grievability is when a life can be mourned. If no one can mourn for a life lost than it can't count as a lost life. In this case, Amir grieved with his father as he was dying before his eyes but this allowed Baba to know that his life counted, that he actually mattered in the world.

Within the glooms of cancer, there is also a benefit and that is knowing that your time on earth is limited and you still have time to complete what you believe you were born to do. With Hassan's death he was not aware of the limited of time he had on the earth when he was shot by the Taliban. Therefore, he did not have time to do those last few things he wanted to accomplish nor say his last words to his family members. In this sense, Baba was extremely lucky. The irony in this is that Baba knew he was going to die but not once did he tell his son of his own sin years before nor warn him not to make the same mistake. There was never that bonding moment where one was able to confront all of their fears, purify their soul completely nor tell all their remaining secrets. This is where the symbol of death comes into play. Death symbolizes that in initiation the darkness of death is experienced before the birth of the new man. It is the change from one mode of being to another. Therefore, as Baba departs from the world, he is a changed man, reborn in a sense that will allow him to move on and live in peace.

To Each His Own: The Middle East vs. The West

Zoning in onto a lesser discussed sector of the novel, a lot of embedded course themes shined through.  A major theme that serves as a canopy for other themes was the whole Middle East perception of the West and the Western perception of the East which can also be transcribed to an extent, to Christianity versus Islam.  Some Judeo-Christian projections of evil were evident in the form of “deceit” when it’s learned of the numerous life-altering lies that Baba led Hassan and Amir to believe as their reality.  Baba created an illusion for his (as eventually learned) children.  When Rahim Khan spills the truth and unravels the shocking news that Amir and Hassan are actually half brothers, the news is devastating.  Amir has an identity crisis right then and there.  However, looking at this issue microscopically and picking it apart, although Baba did deceive Hassan and Amir, does this warrant Baba being viewed as evil?  Was he merely just trying to protect his children from the harsh realities?  It is a debatable topic, though other than that Baba displays good character throughout the book.  This brings forth and reinforces ideas that evil acts, do not necessarily have evil written all over them.  Examining intentions are half of the process; the guilty mind and the guilty act.  For instance; in Judeo-Christian tradition, abortions are forbidden, however if a single mother-to-be was widowed when her husband tragically died in combat aborts and is mentally, physically and financially incapable of taking care of herself and her child, is she scorned as evil?

Keeping in stride with Judeo-Christianity and adding Islam and the archetype of The West vs. The Middle East to the mix, the scenario between Farid and Amir stands out.  Rahim sends Amir on this one last journey to try and rectify all his wrong-doings.  He meets Farid, who will be the one to sneak Amir from the sanctuary that is Pakistan, across the border into the warzone that is Afghanistan.  The Taliban pose a serious evil threat.  The book serves as a medium to convey the Middle Easterner’s perceptions of the West.  Farid is skeptical about Amir and his intentions.  He believes Amir is just like every other Capitalist Westerner, looking to capitalize off the rich lands of Afghanistan by selling his property and turning a quick profit (like many other Afghani migrants).  The capitalistic tone this part of the novel takes makes me recall the movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy”.  The film and theory at hand are certainly interrelated.  Both storylines have streaks of imperialism and capitalism within them, contrasting third world countries with a first world country.  This idea is comparable to the Ron Geaves reading where he excellently puts the two perspectives, well, into perspective.  As Geaves states “In general, very few Muslims understand the distinction between being Christian and being from the West.  A common criticism is the identification of Christianity with colonialism, imperialism, capitalism and exploitation.”  The general perception is proved wrong however as Farid and Amir spend more time bonding on their journey, Farid learns Amir is a well-meaning man.   Farid’s thoughts that Amir may be different from the rest of the capitalist Westerners are confirmed when they enter Wahid’s impoverished household and Amir leaves them his watch and some money.     

The Past Lingers On...

            Chronology plays a huge role in the dynamic of the Kite Runner as it is very much a story of life, detailing innocence to experience.  The past shapes and moulds the personality of the main characters of the story.  Amir says it better than any other character can “I became who I am today at the age of 12”.  The lesson here is akin to real life, everyone has dark secrets in their past, or at the very least surely things they aren’t proud of, but you have to learn to put your best foot forward and move on.  This can connect to our Week 4 lecture, when Desjardins raises some key issues and how some righteous people do suffer.  In this case true at heart righteous human beings suffer through torment of the past.  Amir and Sohrab however, have pasts not many of us cannot relate to.  Their pasts run undoubtedly unparalleled in comparison to their fellow story characters.  Amir’s is attached with him to the hip.  It is his identity, and he isn’t proud of it but wakes up everyday wearing it, through his behaviour.  It’s his chip on his shoulder.  Guilt is his gas that keeps him going striving for more.  He definitely has no shortage of motivation, channeling that incident when he was on top of the world at the age of 12 in Kabul before it came crashing down on him, it’s definitely something difficult to forget.  His paranoia plays tricks on his mind, leading him to believe he was even at fault for Hassan being gunned down by the Taliban, thinking he was the catalyst for events when they left Baba’s home and their lives turning into a downward spiral.       

In Sohrab’s short lifetime, he’s had to endure more physical, emotional and mental trauma than most adults do in a lifetime.  His character is portrayed to us as an extremely lonely and vulnerable and these emotions are emphasized initially as Sohrab shutters as he is touched by Amir.  A real lasting memory that will remain with almost every person who read the Kite Runner would be Sohrab attempting to commit suicide when he learns he faces the possibility of going back to an Orphanage.  This of course, a reaction cause by having to live through constant abandonment (parents being murdered) and a lack of intimacy with loves ones.  The wise words of a more experienced Hassan on the first page remain true: “the past can never be buried”.

This picture represents the rich and the poor. At first when looking at it, it seems bizzare because the poor man is on the top of the teeter-totter, which to me represents power. The rich man is at the bottom, representing weakness. When looking at it closer I realized in order for the poor man to come down to the ground, the rich man must push off from the ground, freeing the poor man to safety. This is a great photo to potray the heiarchy in a social ladder. Hassan is the poor man, because he is a Hazara and Amir is the rich man because he is a Pashtun. Pashtuns overule Hazaras and hold the power when comparing lifestyles.