Kite Runner in Khaled Hosseini's Novel the Thesis

Kite Runner

In Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner, the protagonist Amir is haunted by his childhood memories of Hassan. The memory of Hassan's rape in the deserted alleyway resurfaces throughout the novel. This persistence of the past is one of the main themes of The Kite Runner. Recollections of his personal past, and also the history of his native Afghanistan cause Amir emotional anguish and guilt. The persistence of the past creates a crisis of identity for Amir, too. Memories of the past also motivate Amir to create positive change for the future. The persistence of the past is a central theme in Hosseini's The Kite Runner, affecting Amir's sense of self, Amir's sense of place, and Amir's sense of the future.

The persistence of the past affects Amir's sense of self and personal identity. Amir is rarely able to forgive himself, understanding that when Hassan was raped that the boys were children. Moreover, the bullies might have assaulted Amir too. His running away, however, is a defining moment in Amir's life. The past is so persistent for Amir, that the first pages of his narrative refer to how one fateful day changed his entire life. Amir opens his narrative by saying, "I became what I am today at the age of twelve," which sets the stage for the theme of how the past persists to shape Amir's present identity (1).Referring to Hassan's trauma, Amir states, "That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years," (p. 1). Therefore, Amir has learned that the past cannot be buried. The past persists to impact present and future.

In fact, Hosseini shows that the persistence of the past impacts not just personal identity but the collective identity of whole nations. One of the most powerful moments….....