Analysis of The Kite Runner

Analysis- The Kite Runner

Recently, I started to read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and so far it has proven to meet up to my expections. The story is told by a man looking back at his childhood in the 1970s. The man, named Amir is telling the story in flashback mode. It starts off with him as a boy,who just decribes what is going around him, where he lives, and members in his family, and of course, the person who really helps develop him through the text, his friend Hassan. Both boys share one common thing- they have no mothers. Either she died at childbirth or Hassan's who mother had left him at 5 days of age.  When the reader closely analyzies the relationship between the two friends you start to notice some wrinkles. Hassan is the servants son and he helps around the house all day therefore not going to school, while Amir is the owners son and does go to school like any normal other child. Immediately, the reader should question whether or not Amir acts biased against Hassan since he is illiterate and is the servant's son. However you start to overlook that in the very begiginng when they act like towo normal best friends who do everything together. Amir and his father never act different towards Hassan and his father therefore always thinking of them as family.

 That's what I thought untill I did some close reading and noticed something about their relationship. My suspicsion strengthen at the part where some bullies are teasing Amir and Hassan. He is thinking, "But he is not my friend! I almost blurted. He's my servant! Had I really though that? Of course, I hadn't. I hadn't. I treated Hassan well, just like a friend, better even, more like a brother. But if so, when Baba's [Father] friends came to visit with their kids, didn't I ever include Hassan in our games? Why did I play with Hassan only when no one else was around?"(49) Right then and there the audience can notice that Amir starts to realize that there is an issue between the two regarding their "status." Because Amir's thoughts there are uncertain you notice something is starting to happen- like a force is going to come and change their lives forever...... it does.

After that scene, the annual kite festival is coming near and for that town it is a big deal. Each year, all the participants make their kite and soar it in the sky trying to cut all the other kites with the sharp string the kite is held on. Once a person's kite is cut they are out of the contest and the last kite to keep flying win. Since, Amir wants to make his father proud he is determined to win this year and practices with Hassan who is also very good. When the day of the festival comes all the participants get ready and start flying. After a few hours, the last kite is Amirs and he is very happy. As Hassan congratulates him,  he asks if he can take the winning kite and run around the block. Amir lets him but starts to go look for Hassan when he doesn't come back in a while. He finds Hassan in an alley where is being harassed by the neighborhood bully Assef and his companions. Because Hassan never fights with anyone he doesn't do anything to defend himself. On the other hand, Amir is just standing there watching his friend get hurt and doesn't do anything. "I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan -the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past- and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran"(88). That there shows you that Amir isn't a very good friend to the person who is the most loyal to him and always has been.  He isn't loyal and and if it were me I would never be friends with that type of person. However Hassan undermines this and tries to rekindle the mistakes between them.

After this incident things really go haywire in their relationship because they don't talk as much and things feel very awkward around them. Whenever Hassan tries rekindle things between them, Amir waves him off. By now the audience can really tell that there is a problem but the real question is why Amir is so reluctant to fix their issue. Why won't he tell Hassan the truth that he was at the alley but didn't do anything? Maybe if the truth was told there wouldn't be such a big tension being created in the story. It feels as if Amir has changed to the point where he hates being near Hassan. It says, "Because when he was around, the oxygen  seeped  out of the room. My chest tightened and I couldn't draw enough air; I'd stand there, gasping in my own little airless bubble of atmosphere"(100). It feels as if they don't like each other and are better off not being friends.


As of right now, this is what I made of them as per the direct and implied ext.
As I continue to read on farther in the book, I am sure to encounter more mysteries about the relationship between Hassan and Amir. I hope to find out whether everything is mended or broken forever.

Reading Skills #1: Climbing the Stairs

Now that I have finished reading this book, I look back and fully understand both literal and figural meaning of the title "Climbing the Stairs." The literal meaning that the reading draws from the text is the scene where Vidya has just discovered the library and in order to do so she had to go up the stairs. If you think about it  the connection behind climbing the stairs and her character and all of human nature is there, you just don't understand until the very end of the book. I think that climbing the stairs refers to the progress Vidya made as a person. She started off being a very tom boyish girl (the very first step of the stairs) and as she progressed to becoming a strong- willed, hardworking girl she climbed the stairs to the very last step. In that sense that can apply to anyone in real life as well. Whether you are  just starting a new sport or in the process of learning something, you start at the very bottom step, and once you are good at it, you end up the very first step. Not only does this concept deal with learning something, "climbing the stairs" can refer to a person changing through experiences they have encountered.

This book finished on the fact that Vidya is writing to Raman telling him how things are going there and that one day they will meet. If this book was extended I predict the author would do something in a way that would allow Vidya to go herself and visit Raman in America because the book ends by
saying, "A nation I will one day visit to join you..."(243). Or I predict that a turn of events happen and fate would never bring them together because you start to notice a pattern of plot twists in this novel starting with when a\her father was hurt.

I wonder if the author's own experiences ever contributed to any of the events in this book? Partially because she really complexes some of the scenes. I would also like to know if any of the characters were meant to portray types of people in society or maybe even in her own family.

Text to Self Connection: Vidya is an Indian girl who lives in a typical indian household and I relate to that as well since I am also Indian. Many of the festivals mentioned in this book are also celebrated by my family and the reason why some don't match is because different parts of India celebrate and believe different ideas. In the novel the women don't eat until the men are finished, and during large family gatherings at my house, most of the time, the kids eat first, then the men, and finally the women. However on a daily basis this doesn't happen.

Text to Text: This book can be connected to Whirligig because both Brent and Vidya had their lives changes phases ever so quickly and were forced to cope with circumstances they never wanted to. Brent had to travel around the U.S to make four whirligigs as a result of killing an innocent girl and Vidya was forced into her grandfather's house.

Text to World: Since the setting of this novel is during the time of WWII, you can connect it to the events during that times such as the evacuations and the air- raid drills.

Characters #1- Climbing the Stairs

Vidya- Being the main character of this book, she is a very rounded  person who undergoes many changes throughout as she experiences various things. In the beginning she is a very stubborn and headstrong girl who is very tomboyish and likes to do things out of the ordinary. For example it says, "Ever since I had turned fifteeen and started wearing a half- sari, she had been hoping that I would become more womanly, not climb any more trees, run no more races across the beach sands and stop playing volleyball..."(2) This shows you that Vidya isn't like one of those typical girls that worries only about how she looks but she also wants to be treated as an equal to everyone out there- especially boys. The quality of hers causes her a lot of problems at her grandfathers house especially when she does things that she isn't allowed to do.

 All throughout her life she is disgusted by the fact of marriage at a young age which is exactly what was believed in India at that time. She had made up her mind that she would wait to get married after she went to college. "Would my parents let me go to college after I fin shied with form? I wondered that for the umpteenth time. Amma was so happy being a housewife that she was convinced I needed to get "settled"and married off to a "nice" boy from a "good" family sooner rather than later. I couldn't think how to explain to her that I wanted more"(4). Again this thought of hers causes people to think low of her since they lived in a orthodox frame of mind.

Overall, Vidya is a "thinking" girl who is well aware of what is going on in her life and others. She knows what is happening in the news and is able to figure out what is going and tries to help even if she doesn't get why it is happening. Once her family moves to Madras, she experiences things unlike ever before. Even though these qualities of these stay the same she does change by being more mature and girl-like in the sense that she does more sensible deeds. She does something hard to imagine a girl like her doing- falling in love. She falls in love with the boy (Raman) that treats her as an equal and acknowledges her feelings and capabilities. "It was then that I realized I truly loved him, even if it would be years before I could bring myself to say those words that he wanted to hear"(234). Overall Vidya is a girl endowed with qualities I feel that every girl should have, even if she has to do things a little out of the ordinary.

Summary and Theme #1- Climbing the Stairs

Recently I just finished reading a book called Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman. It was an intriguing novel set during of the time of World War II in India where many political and social tensions were arising between the British and the Indians, mostly including discrimination. The main character of this book is 15 year old Vidya who's main goal and dream in life is to go study at college, which was highly unlikely at that time period since women had to quit school after high school. On evening as Vidya, her father and her older brother are talking, her father makes a surprising comment- that he is part of a freedom struggle. This shocks Vidya who still was happy that her father was taking a stand. However in the next couple of days her life takes a drastic turn when her father and Vidya are out and suddenly find themselves in the midst of a violent protest march. As her father goes and helps their fellow neighbors who got hurt, a British officer hits him in the head with a big wooden stick causing her dad to become unconscious. After regaining consciousness, the doctors concluded that their father could hear everything but could not move or talk- just process the information said to him. 

Thats when Vidya's grandfather comes and tells their family that should come and stay with them and her three aunts, uncles, and cousins. As they pack up and move to Madras leaving their old life behind they have to conform to the rules of a house under the rule of her strict orthodox grandfather, difficult to follow customs and traditions. In that house of hers her mother and her are treated differently and are separated from the men of the house unless its a festival or meal time. Soon enough Vidya discovers a place that is the center of her happiness, and a place no women has ever dared to step foot in- the library upstairs. Once she asks her grandfathers permission she goes there everday after being teased at school because of her father's condition (which was told to everyone by her cousin)  and finishing her chores. It was also the place where she meets her uncle's friend's son who she starts to fall in love with. The boy, whose name is Raman, start talking everyday and become very close friends who she tells all of her secrets, and problems to. She finds Raman intriguing because of his sensitive yet confident personality which makes her "melt."

After her cousins wedding, Vidya's brother shocks the family by telling everyone he wants to enlist in the army and leaves the following day, leaving the entire family unhappy with his decision especially Vidya who trusted him the most to stay back and take care of her parents.  Vidya goes and tries to stop him but his mind was already made so she wishes him the best of luck and tells him that she loves him. Seeing that without her brother Vidya is lonely Raman proposes to her in front of the family after asking permission of her grandfather. Even though she loves him and he loves her back, she wasn't ready to take on the responsibility of being a wife as well as fulfilling her dream of going to college which she was now allowed to do. So instead she asks that she gets her degree and so does Raman, who will have to go to America to do so,  and until then they would be close friends who would get married afterwards. Everyone agrees to that and the book ends with Vidya writing a long letter to Raman about how in some time they would be united as one but right now they must finish what they both were meant to do.

This book addresses many themes such as politics, war, peace, Hinduism, power of women(feminism), and prejudice. However, the most common one I found was about the sense of equality. It would be: Equality is not only important between two different people of different backgrounds, but also in one's family. There shouldn't be a difference in how a man or a woman is raised because both have the potential to do so much and rise to great heights. Equality is something that Vidya fights for throughout the novel because she doesn't want to conform to the traditions that hold a woman to achieve her potential. The first way she tries to achieve equaltiy is by asking her grandfather if she is allowed to go to college.

"Tell me, as you don't want to marry yet, what would you do if you were given more time?"

"Go to college."

"What would you do in college?" he asked.

"Study. Acquire knowledge"(224).

Another example of Vidya searching for equality is when she must ask permission by her grandfather in front of all the men, to go upstairs and use the library.

"May I use the library upstairs?" I couldn't hide the slight tremor in my voice. It was unusually high-pitched."

"What?" Thatha looked up, his hand halfway to his mouth."

"I want to go to the library every evening after school," I said clearly.

"Somehow every man who was still sitting at his plate had just heard what I'd said." (110-111)

The conversation continued by everyone making a big fuss about how she couldn't go there, but after a lot of pleading her grandfather finally agreed to let her do so. These were just two examples of how Vidya fought for some equality for herself but she demonstrated many great qualities every girl should be equipped with to win her battle.

Book Recomendation #1- The Creation of Eve

by: Lynn Cullen

This book is great if you like to read novels with plot twists. As you start reading this book, you learn all the secrets about the characters that they have hidden. As their secrets are revealed, the audience finds out how closely connected each of the characters especially in what they do. Sofonisba's ( the main character) life takes a turn as she goes from learning art under Michelangelo to teaching the queen of Spain how to paint. At that moment in her life, the plot twist take turn as she finds about the royal families' secrets regarding the King's brother. If you like to read romance then this book even includes a little bit of it with powerful question that arises- Can you truly know what goes on in a person's mind, no matter how close you are with them? 

The author creates an good balance between the royal and romantic intrigue, 16th century politics, and rivalry. Even though this book is in the genre of historical fiction Cullen does a good job of adding tension moments that grab the reader into the book, as well as vivid descriptions of the various settings. Cullen also creates very complex characters that are clearly described and developed as the story continues. The author takes a very simple period of history and creates a novel that expands those moments in great detail to tell the story of a women artist. Overall, this book uses many different elements that the author uses well such as suspense to engage the audience the entire time. 

New Plot Stucture for "The Interlopers" 

  

We changed the plot stucture in a way so that it creates a flashback moment for the characters. So we  started with part 2 so that the readers are already engaged in the story because of all the tension brewing in the scene. 

 Our order was 2, 1, 6, 3, 4, 5, 7. We changed the parts like this so it gives suspense as it goes back from the present to the past. We also did this because it lets the reader go through a journey of the chracacters when they were complete enimes to the point when they were friends. They last reason why we did this is because it engages the reader more as he or she wants to find how they became friends and what the shadowy figures were. Overall we changed the plot in a way so that the readers want to ask questions about what's going on and to keep them engaged all through the story. 

Links and Displays

The Creation of Eve 
by: Lynn Cullen 

Links and Displays- 

Article on Sofonisba Anguissola

The novel that I am reading is a historical fiction book based about a women who was very little known in the 16th century. Her name was Sofonisba and she was allowed to do a job that was considered outrageous and unladylike at her time- paint. After many obstacles her father let her go and learn as an apprentice at the young age of fourteen. In real life, Sofonisba had to face many hardships just to do what she loved because society would not let girls paint and have any artistic freedom. However in the end, she grew up to be very successful in art and was given the honor to teach the queen of Spain how to paint (in the sense that she was kept as her tutor). As people learned about her abilities, they accepted her more and some even allowed the fact of letting women have more artistic freedom than before. This link shows you the history of Sofonisba's life,and her accomplishments. This link also shows pictures of the paintings that she made and even the reason behind doing so.