The Kite Runner Analysis

The Question of AllegoryWe don't want to push you to read The Kite Runner as an allegory. Please don't picture us on a street corner, whispering to passersby, "C'mon, try reading this as an allegor...

Kabul, Afghanistan 1963-1981; Freemont, California; Kabul, Afghanistan 2001The Kite Runner spans multiple countries and multiple decades, but at its center is Afghanistan. Even when the novel shift...

First Person (Central Narrator)Amir narrates all of The Kite Runner, except for a tiny chapter late in the book, which Rahim Khan takes over. There's no question: it makes sense that Amir would tel...

Coming-of-Age, Family Drama, War DramaIf we were to simplify The Kite Runner beyond all reason and good sense, we would say this: the book follows Amir from birth to middle age. Or, we would say: t...

Tender, Unflinching, IronicYou don't often see these three walk into a room together. But here they are. Hosseini definitely likes to pull at the old heartstrings in this novel. For example, to hav...

Spare, CinematicThere's not much to say about the writing style: it's bare, stripped down, and more or less recedes into the background. Hosseini is much more interested in plot development and iro...

So, this is a catchy title. That's probably the first thing you notice about it. The second thing you might notice about the title is that Hosseini didn't name the book The Kite FIGHTER. Which mean...

OK, so without the force of the preceding paragraphs and chapters, the ending to The Kite Runner is going to sound like one big non-event. This is pretty much what happens: Amir and Sohrab are at a...