Fiction Analysis of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Setting:
A. Time period – 1970s to early 2000s
B. Place – Kabul, Afghanistan and San Francisco, California
C. Time Sequence – The story Is told in order. Around 30 years passes. However, the story is told as one giant flashback.
D. Standards of Behavior – Hazaras are considered lower than Pashtuns; one should be loyal to friends and family; one is expected to bring honor to one’s family; men are above women; one should put guests’ needs before one’s own

Characters:

Amir – The story’s narrator and protagonist. He is an Afghan man who had a privileged childhood in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood of Kabul. The defining event in his life is his betrayal of his closest friend, Hassan. Amir lives in San Francisco from the age of eighteen. He returns to Afghanistan at the age of thirty-eight and finds out from Rahim Khan that Hassan is his half-brother. Unfortunately, Hassan and his wife are shot by the Taliban a couple months back. They leave behind their only son, Sohrab. Amir, in an attempt to be good again after his betrayal of Hassan, ends up adopting Hassan’s orphaned son.

Hassan – Amir’s most loyal and devoted servant, who is born with a cleft lip. He and Amir were nursed by the same woman and, thus, share a bond unlike any other. Hassan is illiterate but smart and stands up for others. He is also the best kite runner in Kabul. He dies at the hands of the Taliban, defending Baba’s house from takeover. He died without ever knowing about the truth of his paternity.

Baba – Amir’s father. He is a wealthy and well-respected man with a dark secret; he had an affair with Ali’s wife and Hassan is his illegitimate son. Baba wishes Amir were braver and stronger and that he could openly express his love for Hassan. Baba dies of terminal cancer in San Francisco shortly after Amir’s wedding.

Ali – Hassan’s father. Ali is a Hazara who grew up alongside Baba just as Hassan did alongside Amir. Ali has