The Kite Runner Final Study Guide

What is still inscribed on the pomegranate tree? Why does Amir look for it?

"Amir and Hassan. The Sultans of Kabul." Amir looks for it to find some remenance of Hassan in the universe. Something that remained constant when Amir's world did not.

Inshallah

"God-willing"

What tricks does Amir play on Hassan?

1. He tells Hassan that the word imbecile means smart or intelligent. 2. He tells him a fake story.

Assef

A Kabul bully who ends up joining the Taliban.

Sunni

A Muslim of the largest denomination of Islam.

Shi'ite/Shi'a

A Muslim of the second-largest denomination of Islam; they constitute a minority in the Muslim world but are the majority population in some Middle Eastern countries, including Iran and Iraq.

Kamal

A childhood follower of Assef. Kamal dies when attempting to escape Afghanistan in a fuel truck.

General Taheri

A friend of Baba's in America; father to Soraya. The general is biding his time in America, waiting to be called back into service in Afghanistan.

Taliban

A fundamentalist Muslim movement whose militia took control of much of Afghanistan from early 1995, and in 1996 took Kabul and set up an Islamic state. The Taliban were overthrown by US-led forces and Afghan groups in 2001 following the events of September 11.

Describe Amir and Baba's relationship

A little strained. Amir doesn't get as much attention as he would like from Baba. Some details from the book is that he tells Baba that Hassan is sick and couldn't go along with them to skip rocks.

Jan

A word of endearment

Describe Amir and Hassan's relationship

Amir and Hassan are best friends. Hassan thinks of Amir as a brother, but Amir doesn't feel the same way since Hassan is a Hazara.

Relationship between Amir and Rahim Khan

Amir and Rahim Khan are good friends. Rahim Khan acts like a fatherly figure to Amir, filling in the attention that Baba neglects to give Amir.

How does Amir begin to redeem himself?

Amir began to redeem himself by forgiving his own wrongdoings to Ali and Hassan in the past and more importantly by rescuing Sohrab.

The Lamb (Symbol)

Amir describes both Hassan and Sohrab as lamb to the slaughter. That was said when Hassan was raped by Assef during the Muslim celebration of Eid Al-Adha, which honors Abraham's near sacrifice of his son for God Important symbol because in the Islamic religion just as in Christianity it is believe that there should be an innocent sacrifice.

Falling Action in the Story

Amir rescues Sohrab from a life of physical and sexual abuse. Struggles to learn how he and Sohrab can recover from the traumas each of them have gone through.

Why is Amir so angry at Baba?

Amir wondered how Baba could have broken his own cardinal rule about not lying, how he could have lived with himself after betraying Ali.

Baba

Amir's father, who is considered a hero and leader in Kabul.

Sofia Akrami

Amir's mother. Though Sofia died during childbirth, Amir knows she loved literature as he does.

Hassan

Amir's playmate and servant; a Hazara and Shi'a Muslim; son to Ali.

Soraya

Amir's wife.

How did Baba make his money?

Baba made his money by building pharmacies and orphanages. He was a businessman.

Foreshadowing in the Story

Baba wonders if Amir will someday be able to stand up for himself when the time comes. He also worries that Islamic fundamentalist will take over his country. Also the fact the Hassan threatens to shoot Assef's eye out; Assef vows to get some sort of revenge.

Rahim Khan

Baba's best friend and business partner; father-figure to Amir.

How did Ali come to live with Amir's family?

Baba's father was a judge. When Ali's parents were murdered, Baba's father took the case. Eventually he took him under his wing and Baba and Ali became friends.

Where Amir, Baba, and other people wait while the truck is repaired

Basement

Amir wears this while traveling in Afghanistan

Beard

Baba throws a huge celebration for Amir for this special occasion

Birthday

Assef is known for carrying this type of weapon

Brass Knuckles

How Amir and Hassan are actually related

Brothers

Kabul

Capital and largest city of Afghanistan. (Where the story takes place)

Despite how hard they tried, Amir and Soraya could not have one of these

Child

How does Amir's mother die?

Childbirth

Amir has never seen his father do this until Ali and Hassan left

Cry

Ali's ___ and legs are crippled

Face

Describe Baba's house in 2001

Falling apart

Why did Fahrid dislike Amir when they first met?

Farid didn't like him because Farid had stayed and fought for his homeland. Amir had fled to the privileges of America. He had abandoned his watan, his homeland.

Amir and his father buy in bulk so they can sell items for profit here

Flea Market

Amir's father is insulted that Americans gave him these; he refuses to accept them out of pride

Food Stamps

Amir and his father are transported by this kind of tank in order to get into Pakistan

Fuel

This is glued onto the strings of kites to help with kite fighting

Glass

Baba is proud of Amir during this special occasion

Graduation

Ali

Hassan's father; servant to Baba. Having suffered from polio as a child, Ali has a crippled leg and is teased by kids in Kabul.

Sanaubar

Hassan's mother. Although she abandons him soon after giving birth, she returns years later and takes care of her grandson.

Sohrab

Hassan's son. Like his father, Sohrab is excellent with a slingshot. Sohrab is the bait that Rahim Khan uses to lure Amir back to the Middle East.

How are Hazara's treated in Kabul?

Hazaras were treated unfairly in Kabul. The only jobs that were made available to them were servants. Were shunned.

Who is the beggar Amir meets on the streets of Kabul? What does he tell Amir about his mother?

He is a professor who used to teach at the university with Amir's mother. Amir learns she was pregnant on that day, with Amir, and very beautiful and very happy.

How does Amir gain access to the orphanage?

He tells the director that he is Sohrab's half uncle

Describe Baba's house

His father's house has mosaic tiles, marble floors, rosebushes, and gold-stitched tapestries. It is the nicest house around town.

What were Wahid's sons really staring at?

His food

Amir meets a ___ man who once taught with his mother

Homeless

Amir works to raise money for a ____ in Afghanistan

Hospital

What Hassan and Ali live in

Hut

The Cleft Lip (Symbol)

It determines that Hassan is living status in society due to the fact that parents that are rich would pay for the surgery which happened to be done by Baba for Amir's birthday.

Why does Amir remember the turtle story at Baba's house?

It makes him happy

City where Amir and his father visit after the tournament

Jalalabad

Amir's grandfather was this for a job

Judge

Setting (Time/Place)

Kabul, Afghanistan 1975 through 2001 Before war tore the country apart. Landscape is very mountain like.

Getting the blue ___ was most important for Amir

Kite

Hassan is born with a deformity on his ____

Lip

Hazara

Majority are Shia Muslims Ranked very low in ethnic class

Assef hides things in this place to get Ali and Hassan fired

Mattress

Ali is killed by one of these

Mine

Sohrab runs away to the large _____

Mosque

Hassan's _____ shows up one day in need of his help; Hassan and his family take her in

Mother

Describe the orphanage

No heat or hot water. Very little food or supplies. The Taliban refused to pay for renovations or improvements.

Amir's father built one of these

Orphanage

Fruit that Amir throws at Hassan; fruit they used to share at the top of the hill

Pomegranate

Amir wants to make his father ____ by winning the kite tournament

Proud

Rape (Symbol)

Rape is something that reoccurs through out the novel. Which was done by Assef when he rapes Hassan and later on when he rapes Sohrab. By these events falling into place before Amir's eye fills him up with guilt. Rape is not just for physical violence but it's also used to attack the emotions/ mentality of the victim.

Sohrab used this to attempt suicide

Razor

What Amir and Hassan used to do at the top of the hill

Read

A kite ____ tries to catch the final kite as it falls from the sky

Runner

Soldiers from this country are in Afghanistan; they are the reason many people are fleeing

Russia

Amir asks his father if they will ever get new ___

Servants

Amir compares both Hassan and Sohrab's eyes to the eye of this animal

Sheep

Soraya's mother is never allowed to do this in public

Sing

Weapon used by both Hassan and Sohrab to save Amir

Slingshot

Sohrab does this at the Afghan New Year's Celebration

Smile

Where is Sohrab

Sohrab is in a large house in Wazir Akhbar Khan where Farid and Amir agreed to meet the official for their appointment.

Amir gets caught giving Soraya one of these while at a flea market

Story

Baba gives this gift to Hassan for his birthday

Surgery

Group of violent leaders in Afghanistan

Taliban

How did Hassan and Farzana die?

The Taliban came to Baba's house one day to kick them all out and when Hassan protested, they took him out to the street, forced him to kneel, and shot him in the back of his head. Farzana ran out screaming and they shot her too.

Name 2 things the Taliban did in Afghanistan between 1996 and 1998

The Taliban took over Baba's house and began massacring Hazaras.

Zaman

The director of the orphanage in Kabul.

Irony in the Novel

The irony in this novel is the fact that Hassan (Baba's illegitimate child) is raped by Assef when he is trying to get back Amir's kite. Even though Hassan got the kite back he became a coward . the kind that Baba didn't want Amir to become.

Kites (Symbol)

The kite represents two things. One the betrayal of Amir to Hassan when Hassan gets raped by Assef but by this action Amir is able to give Baba the kite. Second it can mean how bad Amir wants Baba's acknowledgment because Baba was a champion kite fighter.

Pashtun

The most powerful ethnic group in all of Afghanistan. Majority follow the Sunni Muslim religion Make up a majority of the Taliban

Amir

The narrator and protagonist; a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim.

How is the story told?

The story is told throughout various flashbacks.

Farid

The taxi driver who takes Amir back to Afghanistan. Farid initially judges Amir as a traitor who abandoned Afghanistan, but after he learns of the real reason for Amir's return, Farid helps him.

Tone of the Book

The tone of the novel is heard as a confession with a lot of remorse through out the story.

Khala Jamila

The wife of General Taheri and mother to Soraya. Khala Taheri is the first to encourage Amir's romantic overtures toward Soraya.

Amir is told he could be arrested for this crime since he abandoned the country to live in America

Treason

The age at which Amir's life changed and he became who he is today

Twelve

Climax of the Story

When Amir returns to Kabul just to find out that the boy who raped is best friend Hassan is now the man who is raping Sohrab.

Favorite season among the children in Afghanistan

Winter

Amir's chosen career

Writer

Why does Farid attack Zaman?

Zaman is attacked by Farid because he revealed that a Talib official had taken Sohrab a month earlier.