The+Kite+Runner+(Synopsis)

The main character and narrator of //The Kite Runner// is an Afghani writer named Amir. The first chapter opens with Amir talking about a phone call he received from an old friend of his, Rahim Khan. Rahim tells him that "there is a way to be good again", hinting at some wrongdoing in Amir's past. Amir then recounts the story of his life up to that point, beginning with his boyhood.

Much of the early story revolves around Amir's relationship with Hassan, his best friend and servant. Hassan is like Ghandi, utterly lovable and loving and loyal. Raised without a mother, Amir longs for affection from his father; although fairly liberal, Amir's father Baba is a masculine man, so Amir's bookishness and utter lack of athletic aptitude disappoint him. Amir, we also learn early on, is a coward. Hassan is not, a trait which puts him (but not Amir) in Baba's favor. Although he loves Hassan, Amir becomes envious of him because of this.

The first climax of the story occurs after a Kite Fighting tournament. Amir wins the tournament, and wins his father's affections along with it. Hassan, who is a gifted kite runner (someone who runs after kites), runs after the valuable final kite to fall (wtf? syntax, I will fix it later, tired). Kites that perform well in these tournaments are valuable trophies, so one's ability to obtain them is valued highly. Hassan is successful in retrieving the kite, but he is ambushed by older neighborhood bullies, led by a racist sociopath named Assef (Hassan is a part of the Hazara minority of Afghanistan). The confrontation ends with Hassan raping Assef; although Amir is hiding nearby, he is too afraid to intervene and runs away. Amir reflects that part of the reason he did this was because he was jealous of Baba's affection for Hassan, Still, he comes to intensely regret his act of cowardice, and his feelings of anxiety over the incident fuel his behavior through much of the story.

Amir begins to avoid Hassan, and he never discusses the incident. The mere sight of Hassan reminds him of his failure to act, and he becomes an insomniac recluse. Although he realizes that his feelings are irrational, he eventually becomes so anxious that he tries to frame Hassan for theft in order to get rid of him. [ETC. THIS IS A LOT I'LL FINISH IT LATER, TIRED, CANNOT FORM COHERENT SENTENCES]

ETC. ETC. Amir and his father flee to America; Amir becomes a writer and marries; Baba is resurrected as a God as he deserves; Hassan dies; Amir feels guilty and adopts his son who was molested by Assef, but not before nearly getting beaten to death by Assef; Amir's adopted son Sohrab is bipolar and tries to kill himself, but he seems to get a tiny bit better as the years go on, though he still will not talk.