The kite runner what is the significance of the past for the narrator

Is this hyperbolic exaggerated or accurate praise? How does Hosseni leave us in no doubt about the conflict Amir struggles with in regards to his relationship with his father? Do you think this is significant? What impression do they leave you with? Explain your answer. Chapter 6 Why is the opening sentence only a word long?

Does Amir enjoy the winter? Why is kite fighting especially important to Amir? What is it that Afghans cherish and what do they abhor? What significance does this take on later in the chapter? You won! How is the technique used in this chapter? Why is what Wali says important to our understanding of Assef?

Are there any mitigating factors? What does the question tell us about Amir, and the response tell us about his father?

What is the significance of the final sentence? Have you noticed the increasing frequency of such references? Which words are explained and which are not? Why do you think this has been done? Why do you think this technique has been used? Who, in the story thus far, is Pashtun? They are the group who persecutes and oppresses the Hazaras. They also drove them from their lands, burned their homes, and sold their women.

Amir's family is Pashtun. Amir's early years are very tough on him because he lost his mother during his own birth, blames himself for his mother's death, and lacks a relationship with his father.

Baba does have a few fatherly moments though, where he speaks honestly to his son, teaching Amir about his own views on life. Rahim Khan gives Baba his "famous nickname, Toophan agha, or 'Mr. Hurricane'" 3. At times Baba seems untouchable — unreachable — because he towers over ordinary men. Hassan's normal smile is ironic for two reasons. He was born smiling , but even that was not enough for his mother not to abandon him. Because that was the winter that Hassan stopped smiling " Hosseini is a mastermind at ending his chapters or scenes in such an ironic and suspenseful manner.

Baba is also referred to as Toophan agha "Mr. Hurricane" , a nickname given to him by his best friend, Rahim Khan. The move to America is very difficult for Baba , who is used to being wealthy and well-respected in his community.

He goes from having wealth and a position of power to working a low-paying job at a gas station and living modestly. Yet his relationship with Amir improves. Baba , the father of the main character Amir , is a very large man. Amir describes his father's arms as large, his chest wide, and his beard full. He likes climbing into his father's arms and burying himself in his father's burly chest.

Baba's personality and charity are just as large as his stature. The Only Sin Baba tells Amir that ''Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin , only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Suspense is created through a variety of means — the nameless narrator who is he? This chapter clearly raises more questions than it answers. In addition to providing exposition and building suspense, this brief chapter also introduces important themes and symbols.

Important thematic topics in The Kite Runner include the price of theft, hubris, the love of child, brothers, the past affecting the present, and the atonement for sins. Some important symbols include kites, a harelip, brothers, and dualities of life in Afghanistan versus life in the Western World; summer versus winter; lies and truth; and good and evil.

As is the case with many novels, readers are not immediately aware of what is thematically and symbolically significant and may not fully appreciate their inclusion in Chapter 1 until re-reading the chapter after completing the entire text.

The chapter highlights two important lines "for you, a thousand times over" and "there is a way to be good again" by putting both in italics. These lines relate specifically to character, plot, and thematic development throughout The Kite Runner. They also encompass the ideas of service and loyalty and, again, the idea of atonement for sins.

Baba and Ali are characters, and Kabul is a city, yet all three are presented in a list.