THE KITE RUNNER

(This is the picture of the Kite Runner. Taken from Google search)

The Kite Runner is a tale set in Afghanistan before the war and tells of a friendship between two boys -Hussain and Amir. The book closely follows Amir’s journey through the war, and away from his friend, up until fate brings them together once more. Amir’s journey is one filled with hope and despair, love and loss, human fragility and forgiveness. The story itself can be divided into three acts-

The Beginning

We are introduced to the protagonist Amir who proclaims his love for Hussain the servant boy while reluctantly admitting jealousy over the affection that his father bestows upon Hussain. One day, at a kite flying competition Hussain runs to catch the much coveted kite that signifies victory for these two boys at a kite flying competition and is raped. His last words before he runs are “for you a thousand times over”. The selflessness of his words haunts Amir, the only one who knows of this brutal act. Jealously along with the feeling of helplessness and cowardice lead to him conceal the truth and betray the faithful Hussain by setting up a theft and blaming him for it. Hussain is sent away.

Growing up

The next phase of the journey is when the Soviets attack Afghanistan and Amir must flee the city along with his father. And so begins a new life for Amir who from being used to luxury and pampering must adapt to a new world. Going through changes, he learns compassion and courage. He understands his once intimidating father better and finally settles into domestic harmony. Soon the only thing missing from his life is a child and the guilt he feels over his lost friend.




Redemption

One day, Amir receives a telephone call that will change his entire life, the line on the other end says; “there is a way to be good again”. For redemption, Amir must go back to Afghanistan and face his demons in order to exorcise them from his past. Hussain is dead, but it is up to Amir to save the life of the son of the man he once betrayed. Haunting scenes are sketched that show the stark reality of a war ravaged land.

Khaled Hosseini paints a graphic picture in his book which pull at the heart strings of the reader and showcase the fragility of a human soul while offering insight which makes one feel angry and yet sympathetic to the plight of Amir. At the end he offers a ray of hope, the rescued child who plays with the kite and smiles at Amir when he hears, “for you, a thousand times over”.

The movie was an adapted version of this heart wrenching tale and was directed by Marc Forester. The movie closely resembles the original story and uses key dialogues from the original text. Shot in China due to permission problems, it manages to visually present Hosseini’s vision. However, due to the lack of time, as with all adapted movies, the nuances present in the book are lost. And although, it manages to drag you into another world and render a few thought provoking moments, the audience is left a little disappointed at the end, and the message of redemption and second chances is diluted. It falls short of the original. It does make one powerful statement; relationships must be handled with as much care as a kite string for if not correctly handled both are fragile and can break.