The Kite Runner

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Anticipation Guide—The Kite RunnerTask: Next to each statement, write whether you Agree or Disagree with the statement. Then, explain your reasoning.

Theme Statements Agree/Disagree?

Why? Connect the novel theme to your experience and knowledge.

1. RedemptionThose who suffer at the hands of oppressors (”evil doers”) will succeed in the end.

2. Loyalty and Friendship

Remaining silent is sometimes the best choice in certain situations.

3. Isolation

When immigrants return to their own country after years, they don’t feel at home in their host or country of origin.  

4. Loss of InnocenceCertain events and choices from your early years can make you   the person you are today.  

5. Relationships between parents and children

Children should strive to live up to his/her parents’ expectations.  

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The Kite Runner: Study Guide Questions

Chapters One-Four

1) Compare and contrast Amir and Hassan, noting their backgrounds, how each

boy interacts with his father, and the circumstances surrounding their birth.

2) Discuss the origins of the ongoing conflict between Pashtuns and Hazaras.

What effect might this have on Amir and Hassan’s relationship?

3) How does Amir feel about Baba? Examine information about Baba, and

discuss how Amir and Baba’s differences affect their relationship.

4) What does Baba say is the only sin? Explain his theory and whether Amir is

able to understand it.

5) Examine Baba and Ali’s relationship. How is Amir’s relationship similar to

theirs? What impact do their ethnic backgrounds have on these

relationships?

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6) Discuss the significance of Hassan’s favorite book, the Shahnamah?

7) Assess the role Rahim Khan plays in Amir’s early life.

Chapters Five-Seven

1) Discus the closing statement in Chapter Four, “Because suddenly Afghanistan

changed forever” (34). How do Amir, Hassan, Ali, and Baba initially react to

this change, and what is its significance?

2) Explain why winter is Amir’s favorite season.

3) List several instances in this section in which Amir envies Hassan. In each

case, is Amir’s jealous justified or not?

4) Analyze the metaphor comparing Amir and Hassan’s interaction to the game

of “insect torture.” What is the “other face” Amir sees when he asks Hassan if

he would eat dirt for him?

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5) What emotions does Amir experience before the kite tournament? What is

Hassan’s response? Refer to the simile “I felt like a soldier trying to sleep in

the trenches the night before a major battle” (50).

6) Discuss the aftermath of the kite-fighting tournament, and assess Amir’s

initial reaction to Assef’s attack on Hassan. Why does Amir decide not to help

Hassan?

7) Explain the symbolism of the memories and the dream Amir recalls as

Hassan is attacked.

8) Why does Amir compare Hassan to the lamb he saw sacrificed on Eid-Al-

Adha?

9) Do you think Hassan knows that Amir witnessed the rape? Explain. What

does Amir’s behavior in the aftermath of the rape indicate about him?

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Chapters Eight to Ten

1) Discuss Amir’s trip to Jalalabad with his father, contrasting his expectations

with the reality. Why does Amir feel as “empty as (the) unkempt pool”?

2) Discuss the symbolism of the scene in which Amir throws pomegranates at

Hassan. Why does Amir want Hassan to hit him, and why do you think

Hassan refuses?

3) Assess what Assef’s interactions with his parents, Amir, Baba, and Hassan at

the party reveal about him? What is the significance of the gift he gives Amir?

4) Examine the implications of Rahim Khan’s conversation with Amir at his

birthday party? Why is Rahim’s gift important to him?

5) What do Ali and Hassan give Amir for his birthday? How does Amir react to

this gift?

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6) How does Baba react to Ali and Hassan’s decision to leave? What do you

think Baba thinks is their reason for leaving? Why do you think Amir is not

moved enough to tell the truth or try to stop them from leaving?

7) Describe the incident at the first checkpoint. What does it reveal about Baba

and Amir?

8) What is ironic about the fate that has befallen Kamal since the last time Amir

saw him? What is ironic about Baba’s attempt to console Kamal’s father after

Kamal dies?

Chapter Eleven

1) Compare and contrast Baba’s expectation of America with the reality he faces

when he arrives in California. Correlate his and Amir’s individual reactions to

life in America with the following literary devices: “Baba was like the

widower who remarries but can’t let go of his dead wife” (129); “Kabul had

become a city of ghosts for me. A city of harelipped ghosts” (p 136); “America

was a river…” (p 136).

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2) Discuss Baba’s celebration for Amir’s high school graduation, and analyze

what this reveals about him and Amir. Examine the universality of the

conflict between Baba and Amir over Amir’s plans for the future.

3) Discuss Baba’s business venture at the flea market, and assess its importance

to him and Amir.

Chapters Twelve - Thirteen

1) How does Amir and Soraya’s relationship develop? What are the differences

in American and Afghan courtship practices?

2) How does Baba behave in the aftermath of his cancer diagnosis? Why do you

think he behaves this way? How does the diagnosis affect Amir?

3) List some ways that Baba shows his love for Amir before he dies. How is Baba

remembered by those who attend his funeral? Do you think that Amir can

live up to Baba’s legacy?

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4) Why do you think the general forbids Jamila to sing? Why do you think Jamila

is so fond of Amir?

5) In what ways do you think Soraya and Amir are similar? How are they

different? Why doesn’t Amir care about her past?

6) Do you think Amir deserves to be happy? Do you think that he and Soraya are

unable to have a child because Amir is being punished for his sins?

Chapters Fourteen-Eighteen

1) Discuss Rahim Kahn’s phone call to Amir, and evaluate its effect on him. Note

the significance of Rahim’s statement, “There is a way to be good again” (p

192).

2) Why do you think Hosseini decided that Rahim Khan should narrate Chapter

Sixteen?

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3) Discuss Rahim’s rationale for staying in Kabul under both the Northern

Alliance and the Taliban rule.

4) Examine the contents of Hassan’s letter to Amir, noting what it reveals about

Hassan. How does the letter affect Amir?

5) How does Amir react to the news of Hassan’s death? How is Hassan’s death

ironic?

6) How does Rahim convince Amir to help Sohrab? What is Amir’s response,

and what do you think it indicates about him? Do you think Amir would have

decided to help Sohrab if Rahim had not told him that Hassan was his half-

brother?

7) Baba’s guiding principle in life was to never steal from anyone. He was

quoted as saying, “There is only one sin. And that is theft… When you tell a

lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth” (225). In light of what Amir learns

about Hassan, do you think Baba was a hypocrite?

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Chapter Nineteen

1) Explain why Farid does not like Amir at first.

2) While at Wahid’s home, what evidence is there that Amir is truly an

“honourable man” and “a true Afghan”?

3) Compare Amir’s dream near the end of the section with his earlier mental

picture of Hassan’s death, and analyze the symbolism of this dream.

Chapters Twenty – Twenty-Two

1) For Amir, how is “returning to Kabul…like running into an old, forgotten

friend and seeing that life hadn’t been good to him…” (246).

2) Discuss what Amir learns about his mother and how this affects him.

3) How is Amir received at the orphanage? How can Zaman afford to keep the

orphanage running? How does Zaman justify his actions, and do you there is

any other way to handle such a difficult situation?

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4) What evidence is there of the Taliban’s cruelty in Kabul?

5) Examine what Amir finds when he returns to his childhood home. Analyze

the symbolism of the house, the pomegranate tree, and the carving? How is

this scene significant?

6) Explain the irony of the simile referring to the Talib man as, “his arms spread

like those of Jesus on the cross” (271).

7) Why do you think Hosseini decided that Assef should grow up to be a high-

ranking Talib?

8) Analyze the metaphor: “They [Sohrab’s eyes] were slaughter sheep’s eyes”

(285). How does this description relate to the description of Hassan on page

76?

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9) Discuss Amir’s fight with Assef. Why does Amir laugh? How is the way in

which Amir is saved ironic?

Chapters Twenty-Three – Twenty-Four

1) What are some of the ways that Hosseini communicates to the reader Amir’s

semi-conscious state at the beginning of Chapter 23?

2) Discuss the significance of Amir’s injuries. In what ways are the effects of

Assef’s assault on Amir similar to the effects of Assef’s assault on Hassan? In

what ways are they different?

3) In Chapter Twenty-One, Farid asks, “You come all the way from America for

… a Shi’a” (p 267)? Do you think Farid meant for this question to have

racist/classist undertones?

4) Using information revealed in Rahim Khan’s letter, explain how Baba is

partially responsible for the kind of boy/man that Amir became.

5) How is Amir able to forge a friendship with Sohrab?

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6) Of what things is Sohrab ashamed? Why might Amir and Sohrab need each

other? Do you think Rahim was justified in lying to Amir about Thomas and

Betty Caldwell?

7) Why does Amir compare himself to Jean Valijean from Les Miserables? Why

does Sohrab try to commit suicide? Do you think Amir should feel

responsible for Sohrab’s actions?

Chapter Twenty-Five

1) Amir suffers greatly while Sohrab is in critical condition in the hospital. In

what ways is Amir’s suffering significant? What motivates Amir’s prayer, and

what does his prayer indicate about how his character has changed?

2) How and why does Amir become “the one under the microscope” (p 355)?

3) Why does it not bother Amir to think that Baba may have considered Hassan

his “true son”?

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4) How does Amir respond to General Taheri’s inquiry about Sohrab? What is

significant about Amir’s statement?

5) How does Amir cope with Sohrab’s silence? Why might this cause be close to

Amir’s heart, and what similarities between Amir and Baba does this new

activity reveal?

6) What small wondrous thing gives Amir hope?

7) How does Amir show his loyalty to Sohrab in the novel’s final scene? What do

Amir’s actions reveal about him?

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Vocabulary List

1. abhor- vb. To shrink from in fear, disgust or hatred

2. adulterated adj. made inferior, impure etc. by adding a poor or improper substance

3. albeit- conj. Although, even though

4. affable- adj. easy to approach or talk to; pleasant, polite

5. arduous- adj. 1. difficult to do; requiring exertion 2. laborious, steep, hard to climb 3.

energetic, working hard.

6. chasm n. 1. a deep crack in the earth’s surface, abyss, gorge 2. any break or hiatus 3.

a wide divergence of feelings, sentiments, interests etc. between people or groups,

rift

7. conjure vb. 1. to summon a spirit, to practice magic 2. to appeal to or entreat

solemnly, to summon( a demon etc.) by magic, 3. to cause to appear, come up or go

away as by magic.

8. daunt vb. To make afraid, intimidate, to dishearten

9. disdain vb. to regard as beneath one’s dignity or status, treat with scorn. n. aloof,

contempt or scorn

10. entourage n. environment, a group of associates or attendants, retinue, followers

11. façade n. the front or principal face of a building. Often used figuratively as a

deceptive outward appearance, fake

12. feign vb. To make up ( a story), to imagine, to make a false show, to pretend

13. garrulous adj. talking much or often about unimportant things, loquacious, rambling

14. imminent adj. likely to happen without delay, impending, approaching, looming,

awaiting

15. impunity n. freedom from punishment, penalty or loss

16. luminous adj. 1. giving off light, bright flooded with light, 2. clear, readily understood

17. malady n. an ailment, disease or illness, trouble, woe

18. melee n. 1. a confused, general hand to hand fight between groups 2. a skirmish, a

fracas, a clash, an encounter

19. morose adj. gloomy, sullen, surly, fretful

20. nemesis n. In Greek mythology, the goddess of retribution or vengeance. Just

punishment, or one who imposes it, opponent, adversary

21. palliate vb. 1. to lessen the pain or severity of without curing; alleviate 2. to make (a

crime, offense, etc.) appear less serious than it is; excuse

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22. periphery n. a boundary line or outside surface; especially of a rounded object,

surrounding space or area, margin, fringe

23. pragmatic adj. busy, active, practical 2. officious, meddlesome, conceited 3. having to

do with the affairs of a state or community.

24. reputable adj. 1. having a good reputation, being well thought of; respectable 2. in

good usage; said of words

25. reticence n. quality or state of being reticent; reserved, being disinclined to speak

readily, habitually uncommunicative

26. rueful adj. causing sorrow or pity 2. feeling or showing sorrow or pity 3. feeling

remorseful or regretful.

27. ruminate vb. 1. to chew (the cud) as a cow does 2. to meditate or reflect, to ponder

or mull over

28. sallow adj. of a sickly, pale, yellowish complexion, washed out pallid vb. to make

sallow

29. sultry adj. 1. oppressively hot and moist, close 2. extremely hot and fiery 3. inflamed

with passion or lust

30. squalid adj. 1. foul, unclean, filthy, neglected 2. wretched; sordid

31. trepidation n.1. tremulous or trembling movement 2. fear, anxiety, dread,

apprehension

32. vindication n. 1. to clear from criticism, suspicion, blame etc. 2.to defend (a cause

etc.) against opposition 3. to justify; as he vindicated their belief in him

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