The End

No one should need other people or someone else to understand themselves better.  I personally do not need anyone else to understand who I am because I did not have anyone there for me when I needed it.  I did not have anyone to rely on as I grew up.  I dont rely on anyone now and i certaintly will not rely on anyone when im older.  People should not have to rely on others to understand who they are because then that person would would always need someone there in their life, constantly reminding them who they are and what they are here for,. 

I am able to do things on my own because I learn things pretty easily.  Hassan in the Kite Runner shows a great example of him learning on his own.  He learns how to read and write with only a little help.  He basically learned how to read and write perfectly after so many years of his life had passed by.  He also managed to become a great father and husband without him having his own father around to guide him and give him directions on how to be a good father.  Hassan was a perfect example of someone how did not need anyone to rely on. 

People who need someone to understand themselves would always need someone there for them which is not so good.  A person is supposed to be able to make it on their own.  A little help here and there is not bad, but it should not become a daily issue.  Amir in the Kite Runner always needed Baba, his father, in his life.  Up until Baba passed away, Amir always relied on him.  Baba even had to ask for Amir's wifes' hand because Amir was so afraid.  Eventually Amir learned to become reliable just on himslef.  But overall he always needed and had someone there for him. 

Relying on someone should not become a necessity.  There are times when someone needs help or someone to rely on, and there is times where someone should not need to rely on anyone and do it thereself.  No one needs anyone to sit there and explain to them who they are and what they are here for. 

Sohrab

Amir went back for Hassan’s son in these past few chapters.  I think Amir went back for Hassan’s son because he wanted to seek forgiveness from what he did to Hassan.  Over the years Hassan had forgot about the incident but Amir still wanted to prove himself. 

In order to get to Hassan’s son, Amir had to fight Assef, a kid he knew from back when he lived in Kabul.  When they fought, Amir did not fight back.  I did not understand why he did not fight Assef back.  I would have fought back just with the thought of what he did to Hassan and Hassan’s son.  Amir also almost died from the terrible beating he received from Assef. 

Sohrab was rather quiet towards Amir after he rescued him.  Sohrab acted shy and did not really talk much when Amir attempted to talk to him.  I think he knew what Amir had done to Hassan back when they were kids.  He probably still has not forgiven Amir for what he had done.  Sohrab and Hassan had a lot in common.  They both were amazing at using a sling shot.  They both were pretty good at playing cards as well.  Overall they are very much alike and both had much of the same personality.   

A Better Understanding

A lot of people have to rely on other people to understand themselves.  It is like they need someone there to let them know who they really are.  Those people are usually the ones that have more than others.  But there are more people that do not need anyone else in order to understand themselves.  Amir and Hassan are two perfect examples of each.  Amir needs someone to tell him who he is to understand himself better.  Hassan on the other hand does everything on his own and does not need anyone in order to understand himself.

Amir is a perfect example of someone that needs others in order to understand himself.  He always had Baba there to support him with every little thing.  He also had Hassan, his servant, save him a couple of times against the older kids in the story.  And as the taxi driver said “You are a tourist here in your own country”.  Amir always had everything he wanted.  He lived high class while he was living in Kabul with servants and a nice house.  Amir never had to work for something he wanted.  He always got what he wanted either through his servants or Baba.  Without Baba, Hassan, and Rahim Khan, Amir would have never been able to understand who he really was.  Those were the people that he relied on the most.  While in America Amir changes and starts to make it on his own.  He graduates from high school and published two books on his own.  What possibly changed Amir was witnessing his father die because his father was the one he looked up too and he earned everything on his own.

Hassan did not need anyone to prove who he really was.  But also Hassan did not really have anybody there for him like Amir did.  Hassan had to earn everything on his own throughout the story.  He was an excellent servant that did exactly what he was told to do.  Hassan was a hard worker and never complained or asked for too much.  He respected Amir and Baba and always seemed to impress them.  As a man, Hassan was just as hard working as he was when he was a child.  He provided for his wife and child and he was an excellent father and husband to them.  Earning everything on his own really shows that Hassan grew up not needing any others to understand who he really is.

The Kite Runner shows great differences between Hassan and Amir.  They both are very interesting characters in the story.  Hassan had nothing and Amir had everything.  Amir could read and write but Hassan unfortunately could not.  When Hassan was older in the story he learns how to read and write.  That was a perfect example of dedication and hard work from someone who had nothing,  With only a little help, Hassan managed to learn how to read and write.  People should not have to rely on others in order to better understand themselves.  But even the most hard working people need a little help now and then.       

Forgiveness

There was a great deal of forgiveness in these past few chapters.  Hassan had forgiven Amir after so much time had passed by and also he had forgiven Sanaubar, his mother.  It is easier to forgive someone after so much time has gone by because everyone slowly forgets about what happened to us when we were younger as we get older.  Now sometimes there are some situations where forgiveness is just impossible.  Forgiveness takes a great deal of time for certain things, but overall I feel that with time everyone will learn to forgive and forget about what has happened to them. 

Amir and Hassan had a connection that seemed almost impossible to break.  After so many years together there came a time where they both went their separate ways.  It had been almost ten years since Hassan’s rape and it seemed he had forgiven Amir.  I would not have been able to forgive Amir for what he had done.  After all that time that had passed by, I personally would not have been as mad at Amir.  But one thing I would have never done was call him my friend after what he had done. 

In chapter 17 Hassan’s mother made a return in his life.  Hassan took her in, and treated her as if nothing had happened since she left when he was just a baby.  Hassan’s mother should not have been forgiven that easily after what she had done.  She missed so many years of Hassan’s life.  Hassan didn’t forgive her, but more of just forgot about what she had done.  I think that was the best thing Hassan could have done because his mother later dies in his presence and I do feel it is better to forgive someone before it is too late.  I still would not have been able to forgive my mother if she would have left me when I was a baby.  Walking out on your child is one of the worst things a person can do.  I am also still young and I wouldn’t know how I would feel if I was older towards this situation but at this age I could not forgive my mother if she had done that to me.          

Pride

Pride is being very proud of yourself and having a high opinion about your dignity.  I personally define pride as having a very high self-esteem.  Being prideful is not letting yourself fall below your standards you make for yourself.   Having pride is actually a very good trait to have, but having too much pride can be a very bad thing and could have consequences in the end.    

Baba is very prideful in the Kite Runner.  His pride is sometimes a good thing and sometimes it hurts him more than it does help him.  A scene in the Kite Runner where his pride is helpful is when he stands up for the afghan lady when the Russian Officer wanted to rape her.  Luckily, another officer stepped up and calmed the Russian down.  Regardless of the gun that was pointing to his head by the Russian, he stood his ground and did not let the Russian take the Afghan lady away from her husband.  This was a rather tough decision to make.  Baba could have sat back and not have said anything and let the Russian take the lady.  The Russian could have shot Baba and ended his life right then and there.  His pride, as I mentioned earlier, helped him out more than it hurt him. 

Sometimes Baba has too much pride for his own good.  In the Kite Runner I learn that Baba has Oat Cell Carcinoma which is cancer.  He visits a doctor and the doctor offered the best treatment which is doing the chemotherapy.  Baba’s pride came into play here and he denied the chemotherapy.  His ego was so big that he would rather fight the cancer himself than to have treatment for it.  Later on in the story Baba dies of cancer.  This could have been prevented by simply doing the chemotherapy, and as I stated earlier, sometimes having too much pride can hurt you in the long run more than help you.                    

Choices Made

In chapter seven of the Kite Runner, we came to a scene where Hassan is trapped by three other boys.  In that process before they let him go, they raped him.  Amir was standing in the back, froze, not doing a thing to defend Hassan.  I believe that what Amir did was wrong.  Amir should not have let that happen, it angered me to know that Amir was just standing there doing nothing.  Disappointment is what I felt after that scene was over.  Knowing that Hassan does everything for Amir and knowing that Hassan has defended Amir from those boys before, just left me speechless towards Amir’s actions. 

I would have done something much different than what Amir did.  Regardless if Hassan was a servant, illiterate, and a Hazzara, I still feel there is a connection between him and Amir.  That connection is more than enough reason to stand up and defend a friend.  There were several options Amir had that would of refrained this from happening.  I personally would have ran out and pushed the boys off of Hassan.  Amir could of ran and told his father, ran out and defended Hassan, or even screamed for help.  Many choices were available for Amir, but nothing but cowardness was shown.  Because of Amir’s choice, him and his father no longer have Hassan and Ali as their servants.  Hosseini still manages to pull off his excellent foreshadowing and by far has impressed me with the story tremendously.      

The Beginning

Hosseini does an amazing job at making readers want to read more and more of his famous novel The Kite Runner.  He does a great amount of foreshadowing at the very beginning of his novel, leaving the reader open-minded as to what possibly Amir had done.  An example of foreshadowing that he uses in the novel is where he ends a chapter saying Hassan had changed for good after the season of winter.  This is a great example of foreshadowing to readers because Hassan was the perfect servant.  He never complained, just did as he was told every single day.  So it would be obvious to readers that something or someone has gone wrong, leaving them wondering as to what is going to happen in the next chapter

   I found this picture rather interesting.  Its Hassan amd Amir after the kite race, during winter, the time where Hassan had changed for good.

Hassan and Amir