Examples Of Circularity In The Kite Runner

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, Hosseini explores the concepts of redemption and circularity, as well as how they connect. The Kite Runner follows the life of Amir, a young Pashtun boy from a well-off family in Kabul’s Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood during the 1970’s, as both Amir and Afghanistan struggle to find themselves. Hosseini conveys the themes of redemption, guilt, and their cycles through Amir’s and Baba’s lives. Amir’s cruelty to his friend Hassan, and his quest to redeem himself repeats over several generations. The desire for redemption also takes root in Amir’s father, Baba, who hopes to someday express his true relationship with Hassan. Hosseini connects both characters experiences to circularity and the idea that

Hosseini uses parallel structure and class differences to exemplify the similarity in these relationships. Baba and Ali grew up together, paralleling the relationship of Amir and Hassan, but despite their closeness they never seemed equal. Hosseini exemplifies this in the treatment of Hassan by Pashtuns: “‘They chased him… mocked him… called him ‘flat-nosed’” (9). It becomes apparent that from generation to generation, humiliating and taking advantage of people like Ali and Hassan has become a cycle of life for the Afghans. This situation emphasizes the idea of circularity because Ali devotes his whole life to serve Baba, with Hassan later showing a similar level of dedication towards Amir. He demonstrates his dedication by telling Amir, “for you a thousand times over” (67). He continues to say this several times throughout the novel, reinforcing his commitment. On the other hand, Baba and Amir would not do anything for Ali and Hassan. Amir recognizes this: “like father, like son… we both betrayed people who would have given their lives for us” (226). Khaled Hosseini uses this quote to impute that certain cycles exist in