Chris Garcia 13D Mr Berry

Write about the effects of war in The

Kite Runner
War in The Kite Runner is far from limited to international conflict; it also takes place
between individual characters and races. Because of this, it is demonstrated as omnipresent
throughout the novel. The first war we encounter is the one Amir fights for his father’s
affections, and the coldness of Baba’s shoulder is apparent from the beginning. In chapter 3,
Amir is laughing about something Baba has just said when “Baba’s stony eyes bore into [his]
and, just like that, [he] wasn’t laughing anymore”. The fact that a simple look from Baba is
enough to make Amir feel worthless is enough to give the reader a quick, though candid
insight into this loveless relationship. Amir says soon after that it was a marvel, “how badly
Baba could sting [him] with so few words”- something which is echoed later when he
overhears Baba and Rahim Kahn talking about him. Baba says that “there is something
missing in that boy”, words which should never said by a father about his son in the more
liberal western nations- let alone the strongly patriarchal middle-eastern cultures which
value heritage so strongly.

Another metaphorical war, whose casualties are numerically few but still catastrophic, is the
war that Amir is constantly fighting against his cowardliness, and subsequently his guilt. He
says after witnessing the rape of Hassan in the alley, “I could step into that alley and stand
up for Hassan- the way he’d stood up for me all those times… or I could run”. Although Amir
claims that he does this out of an unwillingness to be beaten by Assef, it is implied that in
running he can avoid the truth. In doing so, he can avoid anything that could diminish his
day of victory in the kite tournament, win Baba’s affections, and suppress the memory of
the traumatic experience he has just witnessed. For evidence of his guilt, the reader needs
only to refer to the episode at the pomegranate tree, when Amir hurls pomegranates at
him. He says, “I wished he’d give me the punishment I deserved”. This indicates quite clearly
a guilt that is driving to the borders of insanity, and as such forcing him to seek retribution.
A point that is not often argued is that Hassan could be seen as the weakling in this
situation. Theoretically, he has every right to angry, upset, and therefore to be the person
throwing the pomegranates. However, Hassan’s natural instinct is to avoid conflict at all
Chris Garcia 13D Mr Berry

costs- and deviation from this principle, the day he finally fights back, is what causes him to
be murdered in cold blood.

War brings out the truth in people, as is shown in the back of the truck conveying refugees
from Afghanistan to Pakistan. When the Russian soldier, intoxicated by drugs, demands

The emergence of the war in Afghanistan was has a whole range of effects on Amir, both
desirable and not. Firstly, the reversal of Amir and Baba’s roles in their relationships (with
regards to who is responsible for looking after whom) is a direct consequence of their flight
to America. Amir is forced to take care of his father who is incapable of adjusting to the
western world, which is clearly evident when examining the confrontation between Baba
and the Nguyens. He enters the store to make a purchase, but taking offense when asked to
produce ID, he becomes enraged and overturns a magazine rack. Amir has to clean up after
his father, and plead for there to be no charges brought against them, saying “Please, Mrs.
Nguyen, don’t call the police. I’ll take him home. Just don’t call the police, okay? Please?”
Here, Amir is clearly in the position of responsibility- something which clearly would not be
the case if they had not been forced to flee their homeland.

This culture shock to Baba is, according to Amir, what ultimately leads to his death. One of
the first sentences we read when the setting moves to America is, “It was living in America
that gave [Baba] an ulcer”. This first image is not one that bodes well for the future, and
gives the reader the impression that there won’t be much good said about this location in
the novel either- which implies a subtle irony about the inescapability of war. Another
example of this irony would be the mere presence of General Taheri. He, and his “often
used and unnaturally shiny” suit, represent the façade of a fallen country whose inhabitants
refuse to admit defeat. On the one hand this could be homage to the ever-strong pride of
his nation; however it is more likely to mirror Amir’s belief that his father’s generation in
Afghanistan were a largely stubborn and blinkered group.