Kite Runner
Key Quotes
Personal is Political
Hassan has a ‘face like a Chinese doll’ -> personal description here matches political of the heritage of
the Hazaras.
o Hassan has ‘a cleft lip, just left of midline where the Chinese doll maker’s instrument may have
slipped.’
Hassan was a mistake in the eyes of Amir.
‘Hassan never denied me anything.’
o Exploration of Amir’s privilege as a microcosm of the Hazara-Pashtun dynamic.
o ‘As mad as someone as gentle as Ali could get.’
Implies Hazaras are inherently gentle, or that Ali has been socially conditioned to be
subservient.
o ‘Hassan never told on me.’
The two characters we’ve been introduced two are inherently subservient to the men.
o ‘Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbour’s dog, was always my idea.’
Pashtuns said to have crushed the Hazaras with ‘” unspeakable violence.”’
o After showing the book to the teacher, ‘he wrinkled his nose’ at the word ‘Shi’a.’
o Said they were good at ‘” passing themselves as martyrs.”’
Hosseini makes comment on how ingrained these social prejudices have become in
society.
The teacher becomes a symbol of institutionalised racism within society, helping
characterise the pace of the story and almost justify why Amir is as he is.
Where Amir lived in relative wealth with a ‘sprawling house of marble floors and wide windows,’
Hassan lived in a ‘mud hut.’
o ‘Gold-stitched tapestries’ that ‘Baba had bought in Calcutta.’ = wealth and affluence.
Contrasts heavily with Hassan’s ‘two mattresses on opposite sides of the room.’
Microcosm of the wealth disparity of the two ethnic groups, indicative of a visible
attempt to keep Hazaras down in society economically.
‘Never mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle with no hands, or to build a fully functional
homemade camera.’
o ‘Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites.’
o Motif of the kite used to contrast of their friendship with the harsh class divide.
They may be friends, nay brothers, but they live in denial (social conditioning).
o ‘I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara […] nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing.’
Use of retrospective narration brings bitter tone here – regret?
Fatalistic = sets up Amir’s journey from bigoted, naïve child to redeemed man.
WE are Hassan – flawed characters, so we can relate to his youth.
o Older Amir recognises his privilege – ‘dragged myself out of bed and lumbered to the bathroom’
contrasts with Hassan who ‘washed up, prayed the morning namaz […] and prepared my
breakfast.’
o Amir ate and ‘complained about homework’ while Hassan ‘packed my books and pencils.’
Hassan is denied education due to his social status as a Hazara.
Amir is privileged and does not appreciate his fortune = spoilt prince.
Key Quotes
Personal is Political
Hassan has a ‘face like a Chinese doll’ -> personal description here matches political of the heritage of
the Hazaras.
o Hassan has ‘a cleft lip, just left of midline where the Chinese doll maker’s instrument may have
slipped.’
Hassan was a mistake in the eyes of Amir.
‘Hassan never denied me anything.’
o Exploration of Amir’s privilege as a microcosm of the Hazara-Pashtun dynamic.
o ‘As mad as someone as gentle as Ali could get.’
Implies Hazaras are inherently gentle, or that Ali has been socially conditioned to be
subservient.
o ‘Hassan never told on me.’
The two characters we’ve been introduced two are inherently subservient to the men.
o ‘Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbour’s dog, was always my idea.’
Pashtuns said to have crushed the Hazaras with ‘” unspeakable violence.”’
o After showing the book to the teacher, ‘he wrinkled his nose’ at the word ‘Shi’a.’
o Said they were good at ‘” passing themselves as martyrs.”’
Hosseini makes comment on how ingrained these social prejudices have become in
society.
The teacher becomes a symbol of institutionalised racism within society, helping
characterise the pace of the story and almost justify why Amir is as he is.
Where Amir lived in relative wealth with a ‘sprawling house of marble floors and wide windows,’
Hassan lived in a ‘mud hut.’
o ‘Gold-stitched tapestries’ that ‘Baba had bought in Calcutta.’ = wealth and affluence.
Contrasts heavily with Hassan’s ‘two mattresses on opposite sides of the room.’
Microcosm of the wealth disparity of the two ethnic groups, indicative of a visible
attempt to keep Hazaras down in society economically.
‘Never mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle with no hands, or to build a fully functional
homemade camera.’
o ‘Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites.’
o Motif of the kite used to contrast of their friendship with the harsh class divide.
They may be friends, nay brothers, but they live in denial (social conditioning).
o ‘I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara […] nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing.’
Use of retrospective narration brings bitter tone here – regret?
Fatalistic = sets up Amir’s journey from bigoted, naïve child to redeemed man.
WE are Hassan – flawed characters, so we can relate to his youth.
o Older Amir recognises his privilege – ‘dragged myself out of bed and lumbered to the bathroom’
contrasts with Hassan who ‘washed up, prayed the morning namaz […] and prepared my
breakfast.’
o Amir ate and ‘complained about homework’ while Hassan ‘packed my books and pencils.’
Hassan is denied education due to his social status as a Hazara.
Amir is privileged and does not appreciate his fortune = spoilt prince.
