After this week's reading I'd like for you to focus on several things when you blog:
1) Comment on the structure of this novel. How is it organized and how does the organization aid or guide the reader?
2) Comment on Amir. How do you feel about him now as opposed to earlier in the novel?
3) Comment on Hosseini's style of writing. What are elements of his word choice, sentence structure, and tone that make his writing style unique? Choose a short passage that illustrates what you notice.
The story has flashbacks throughout the whole novel. Amir's past and present constantly intertwine themselves and I think Amir's past haunts him in his happy present life in America. Once Amir gets a phone call from Rahim Kahn, Amir is faced with a tough decision because Rahim tells Amir there is a way to be good again. That statement is kind of like a purifying invitation since Rahim knows what happened to Hassan that day that Amir won the kite. In the beginning, it is Amir remembering his childhood and remembering the very things that would pop up in his future. The way the book is organized is very helpful because it gives the background information that a reader should need to understand how Amir feels towards Hassan or Baba. I think that Amir is making a smart decision goin to see Rahim. Nothing in the past remains there.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Amir is still bashful and I feel like he carries a lot of guilt on his shoulders about the things he did and said to Hassan. He reflects a lot on his memories and I think once Baba starts dying, Amir realizes he hasn't really had the kind of relationship he wanted with his father and he felt like he was going to be helpless once Baba was gone. Amir relied too much on Baba and once he got married I think that Soraya opened up a new meaning of life for Amir. I also think that Amir is finally going to live up to his past when he goes to Afghanistan but I don't think he ever expected to find out that Hassan and his wife had been killed. Amir still wanted to make up to Hassan for everything he did when he was younger. Amir is doing a good deed by going to get Sohrab in Kabul. I like Amir better as he is older. He seemed like a spoiled brat when he was younger.
Hosseini has an easy, calm way of writing. He is very detailed in his describing the character's emotions, actions, and intentions.
The reader gets the emotional feelings that the characters have and I think that Hosseini reaches for that kind of experience for the reader so he or she will enjoy the book even more once they are kind of like the fly on the wall watching the whole novel take place. He has varied sentence lengths, making the book easier to read. Hosseini never sounds depressed or constantly negative unlike Mary Shelley. Hosseini makes his tones reflective and with that his emotions carry along with it. The passage I chose is on page 239 and its one of Amir's dreams. "His hands are tied behind him with roughly wovenrope cutting through the flesh of his wrists. He is blindfolded with black cloth. He is kneeling on the street, on the edge of a gutter filled with still water, his head drooping between his shoulders. His knees roll on the hard ground and bleed through his pants as he rocks in prayer. It is late afternoon and his long shadow sways back and forth on the gravel. He is muttering something under his breath. I step closer. A thousand times over, he mutters. 'For you a thousand times over'. Back and forth he rocks. He lifts his face. I see a faint scar above his upper lip. We are not alone. I see the barrel first. Then the man standing behind him. He is tall, dressed in a herringbone vest and a black turban. He looks down at the blindfolded man before him with eyes that show nothing but a vast, cavernous emptiness. He takes a step back and raises the barrel. Places it on the back of the kneeling man's head. For a moment, fading sunlight catches in the metal and twinkles. The rifle roars with a deafening crack. I follow the barrel on its upward arc. I see the face behind the plume of smoke swirling from the muzzle. I am the man in the herringbone vest. I woke up with a scream trapped in my throat." I chose that passage because it shows Hosseini's style of writing and I think it shows Amir's guilt towards Hassan that he has kept within him and now he can't apologize to Hassan because he's gone. You see how the weight of Amir's ugly doings weigh on him even when he's older.
I agree with Taylor. The structure is very important because it allows the reader to see how the character has changed throughout his life, and the story. Being able to see Amir’s past before seeing his future, gives the reader a new view on him as a person. The reader can see how he has grown and became a man compared to a scared, lying little boy. Also, the structure is nice because it helps the reader understand how the land and surroundings were before the war destroyed it and its people.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Amir has come a long way since the beginning. At first he was just a careless little boy that was in the process of learning about life. Yes, he was bullied and looked like a sissy, but as he got a little older, he became a monster in a way. He lies, and ruins relationships all around him. As he gets to be a man, he is forced to start dealing with the guilt that haunts him. When Amir makes the connection that not having a child is payback for what he did to Hassan, he seems to become a stronger person; he seems to accept the punishment. Traveling to Pakistan took a lot of guts though. Agreeing to leave his wife, in-laws, career and normal life behind, risking his life to visit the land that haunts him, was a huge step for Amir. Knowing the kind of person Amir is, it was shocking to see him step out of his comfort zone like that. It was even more shocking to see him agree to go through even more danger to rescue Hassan’s boy. This makes me like Amir; it shows that he may have been a coward, but he is finally being brave and standing up for something.
Hosseini has a very interesting style of writing. He seems to be very calm about everything, no matter what is taking place. He gets right to the point without missing too many details. For example, on page 210 Rahim Khan says, “’Hassan dropped her hand and bolted out of the house. I went after him, but he was too fast. I saw him running up the hill where you two used to play, his feet kicking up plumes of dust. I let him go. I sat with Sanaubar all day as the sky went from bright blue to purple. Hassan still had not come back when night fell and moonlight bathed the clouds. Sanaubar cried that coming back had been a mistake, maybe even a worse one than leaving. But I made her stay. Hassan would return, I knew.’” Hosseini doesn’t seem to be big on imagery, but when he is, it’s perfect. His sentences are short, easy to understand, and they flow nicely.
In the Kite Runner, Hosseini constantly uses flashbacks as well as foreshadowing. The use of these techniques allows the reader to see the narrator’s life at its entirety, thus allowing the reader to see how he has grown throughout his lifetime and the many trials and tribulations he’s encountered along his journey. The structure of this novel is so convenient because it doesn’t leave any holes or cracks; nothing is left unsaid as it has occurred throughout Amir’s life. All of Amir’s actions, thoughts, dreams, etc. are laid out in the open. This allows the reader to form their own valid opinion of Amir. The reader can easily see how much Amir has changed throughout the course of his lifetime, as well as how his homeland has changed so much as the years have passed.
ReplyDeleteI had hard feelings towards Amir during his youthful years. Not only did the circumstance of Hassan getting raped contribute to these feelings, but also just how Amir relayed his feelings towards Hassan. Amir admits that he always looked down on Hassan. Taking advantage of his illiteracy and of how loyal and humble of young man Hassan was. Despite his past mistakes, I have grown to not feel as harshly towards Amir. Seeing how Amir has grown, I have taken away the idea that past mistakes do not define an individual. While his past mistakes have greatly impacted his life, Amir is not the same coward he was as a young boy. Amir’s heart is good, just over trodden with guilt. The more I think about it, Amir’s heavy weight of guilt shows a lot about how good of a person he is. It means that he has a conscience, which is something a number of people lack. (For example, I highly doubt that Assef possesses a conscience!) So, as I stated before, Amir has grown so much over the course of his lifetime. Despite the fact that Amir’s past mistakes greatly impact his life, they do not define his character.
Hossieni’s style of writing is unforgettable. The way he expresses himself as well as the way he describes things is very refreshing to read. He writes with such truth and power! Despite how lame this may sound, some of the things he says are breathtaking to me. For example, on page 219 Hossieni writes, “Then I saw something else; a man dressed in a herringbone vest, pressing the muzzle of Kalashnikov to the back of Hassan’s head. The blast echoes through the streets of my father’s house. Hassan slumps to the asphalt, his life of unrequited loyalty drifting from him like the windblown kites he used to chase.” I was mesmerized by this passage the first time I read it! I also like how his writing is not difficult to comprehend, despite some of the harsh subjects. This book is flawless!
I like how Hosseini wrote the Kite Runner sort of like a time line. Starting from birth he progressed through the various stages of Amir’s life, really helping me to follow his growth from being a self-centered little boy to a mature adult. Like a timeline, I feel he only includes what is relevant to the story, and he doesn’t add unnecessary details that would make the novel more difficult to understand.
ReplyDeleteIn the first few chapters I loved how strong the bond between Hassan and Amir seemed to be, but as I continued reading and realized was a lousy friend Amir was I began to lose respect for him. I sympathized for Hassan as Amir would harass him because of his illiteracy, but when he stood by and watched his friend get raped while putting forth no effort to stop it and then forced the end to Baba’s and Ali’s 40-year relationship I was just plain disgusted at him. I think as he grew older and had to continually live with the guilt, he began to change. He learned not to judge people (Soraya) because of their pasts because he too had a shameful past. Also when he finally agreed to go back to Afghanistan to search for Sohrab despite the fact that he could lose everything he had worked so hard for, he showed that for the first time in his life he was going to sacrifice himself entirely for another person. He gained back my respect because he finally wanted redemption and to prove Rahim Khan right.
Hosseini’s style is very peaceful and simple. He shows the character’s inner thoughts and clearly expresses their raw emotion through his writing. His sentences flow together and he generously describes his scenes using lots of adjectives. For example, on page 194 Hosseini writes, “I lay I the dark the night Rahim Khan called and traced with my eyes the parallel silver lines on the wall made by moonlight pouring through the blinds. At some point, maybe just before dawn, I drifted to sleep. And dreamed of Hassan running in the snow, the hem of his green chapan dragging behind him, snow crunching under his rubber boots. He was yelling over his shoulder: For you, a thousand times over!” I think this illustrates his writing style wonderfully and also show how he restates many quotes over such as “For you, a thousand times over!” to show their significance.
I agree with Taylor and Erica in the sense that structure is very important to the novel because it shows how the characters develop throughout the story. Also the way that Hosseini organizes helps me as a reader understand all of the characters not just the main character Amir. As Taylor pointed out he incorporates flashbacks which helps me to understand what happened to Amir and to show how he got the where is he is now. For example when Amir is talking about how he escaped Afghanistan it also gives the back story of how him and Baba got their Visas so they could come to America.
ReplyDeleteEarlier in the novel I saw Amir as a coward and a spoiled brat. Throughout these chapters I still see that every know and then. I first started felling like that when he witnessed Hassan being raped. And then again when he put his money underneath Ali’s bed and tried to frame them so they would be kicked out, all because he couldn’t deal with the guilt of what happened. I saw some as that in these chapters when he first told Rahim Khan that he wouldn’t go and pick up Hassan’s son from an orphanage. But he also had his moments of glory. When he finally stood up to his father and went after his dream of being a writer, which took a lot of courage. Also when he gets the nerves to go get his father to ask Soraya’s father for her hand in marriage. Then I really connected to Amir when I read how he dealt with his father’s cancer. That in some ways was how I handled my own father having cancer, it takes a lot of mental strength to get through that because it’s hard to see someone you love waste away before your eyes. One last moment of glory is when he mans up and decides to risk his life to get Hassan’s son, to me this is kind of like Amir repaying Hassan for what he’d done when they were younger.
Hosseini uses short sentences which are easy to understand but at the same time are deep. Also his usage of flashbacks helps me to understand how a certain character got to where they are in the story. And Hosseini’s use of many themes throughout the novel really shows what Amir and other characters feel at the time. “Then I told him I was going to Kabul. Told him to call the Caldwells in the morning. I’ll pray for you, he said”. I saw this as a theme of redemption to try to make amends for what Amir had done to Hassan all those years ago by going to Kabul to get Hassan’s son. This also shows me that he really did love Hassan if he’s willing to save his son who he had never met before.
I have to agree with everyone else in that the structure of this novel does an outstanding job in showing the growth and maturation of characters throughout the years. I really liked being able to follow Amir all the way from his perfect home in Kabul where nearly everything he wanted was his, to his miserable life in America where he had to work for nearly everything he had. I also enjoyed the first person point of view since it allows us to feel the emotional problems of Amir and understand his perception of people better. For example, this entire book I have thought of Baba as a God, and felt that no one could hurt him because of the way that Amir sees him.
ReplyDeleteMy feelings regarding Amir have been extraordinarily up and down while I have been reading this novel. In the beginning I thought that Amir was just very spoiled and constantly living in his Fathers shadow while he worked for absolutely nothing, and everything was given to him on a silver platter. I soon came to see him as a miserable little coward that didn't deserve the clothes on his back as he constantly took advantage of his humble servant, Hassan's, humbleness and illiteracy. I 100 percent sure that Hassan would have died for Amir without a second thought, but Amir wouldn’t even be seen with Hassan when others were around. Hassan was the true definition of a timeless friend and he stood up for Amir to Assef twice without regard for himself. Even when he was outnumbered and threatened by Assef and his friends, Hassan stayed loyal to Amir and was raped while Hassan stood by. However, I wasn't truly disgusted with Amir until the end of that Chapter when he said "In his arms I'd forgotten what I'd done. And that was good." For somebody to be so selfish that they're more worried about what happens to a kite then their best friend is out of this world. After Amir had betrayed Hassan he even preceded to blame Hassan for the theft of his stupid birthday presents, and get the only true friend he had in the world successfully kicked out of his life. He even lost his Father his best friend in Ali which causes Baba to cry for the only time in the novel. However, Amir does eventually mature when his father contracts cancer in that he marries the love of his life, Soraya, and begins to fulfill his lifelong dream and publish novels. I was a little bit annoyed that Amir didn't feel more grief for his best friend while he was living the dream in America, but eventually he does go back to his homeland to try to make amends for himself and eventually for his father as well. I was impressed with Amir when he risked his life to find Hassan’s son and bring him to safety. I felt that while this didn't fully repay Hassan for all the suffering he had gone through it did show the maturation of Amir from a spoiled coward into a man.
I think that Hosseini knows that sometimes the biggest feelings can be expressed with the smallest words. He shows this often through his uses of short sentences which show the way Amir thinks helps us gain a better insight into his life. Hosseini has a talent for summing up the most powerful events in one's life into a couple of little sentences. "'Not tonight,' he said. ‘there is no pain tonight.' 'Okay,' she said. She pulled up his blanket. We closed the door. Baba never woke up.' This is one of the most powerful passages I have ever read and it really left me feeling a little bit disturbed because I almost felt like my father was dying. Without a doubt this is one of the best books I have ever read because I think it touches something in all of us where most books never can.
I must agree with everyone else that the way Hosseini structured this novel really shows the growth of all his characters. Amir is always having flashbacks of his childhood. The flashbacks are all in order, almost like a timeline that explains Amir and Hassan’s relationship. This helps the reader to follow the two characters through their good times together, but also their struggles that define the characters. I enjoyed watching Amir go from being a spoiled child to be a real adult that had to work hard for what he earned.
ReplyDeleteI did not like Amir at the beginning of the novel. I thought he was mean, cruel, and cold. He treated Hassan horrendously. He was envious of his father’s relationship with Hassan, so he tries to sabotage Hassan and Baba’s relationship. After that, I really disliked Amir. I hated when he used Hassan’s illiteracy against him. I hated Amir after he watched Hassan get raped, just so he could get his stupid kite. As he grew up, however, Amir faced the “real world” and wasn’t just a spoiled rich kid anymore. He was just like everyone else. After traveling through a war-torn Afghanistan and arriving in America, Amir became more human than he was as a child. Living in America, Amir couldn’t help but think of Hassan and the fun they had as children. Amir felt guilty for what he had done to Hassan when they were children. He realizes that he must face his past when Rahim Khan contacts him and asks him to come back to Afghanistan. Rahim Khan tells Amir about Hassan’s life, including his wife and child. He also shares with Amir that Hassan and his wife were shot and killed by the Taliban for living in Baba and Amir’s old house with Rahim Khan. Amir is heartbroken to hear that Hassan has been killed, but that doesn’t even compare to his sorrow when he finds out that Hassan was his half brother. I’m still not fond of Amir because of how he treated Hassan, but I feel bad for him because he is so hurt by all his new found knowledge.
Hosseini tends to write in short sentences that flow easily and with a calm, simple style of writing. He is straight forward and “tells you like it is.” He vividly describes the emotions of the characters and tries to make the reader feel their pain, or happiness, along with the characters. “Somewhere over those mountains in the west slept the city where my harelipped brother and I had run kites. Somewhere over there, the blind-folded man from my dream had died a needless death. Once, over those mountains, I had made a choice. And now, a quarter of a century later, that choice had landed me right back on this soil.” This quote is very powerful. It shows how Hosseini has a powerful way with words. Even though they aren’t super complex words, they still pack a punch.
Hosseini starts out the novel in December of 2001 with Amir explaining how he cannot bury his past. He hints towards an event, or moment, where his life changes forever although the reader does not understand or know of this event until later in the novel. However, we know that this event is not exactly a good one, or a breakthrough in Amir's life due to Rahim Khan's words, "There is a way to be good again." Therefore, the reader can already forshadow a harsh event just from the first two pages. Starting in chapter two, the reader is brought back to Amir and Hassan's childhood which is the beginning of a strong and eventful timeline with their "friendship," hardships, a life journey.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways, I have sympathy for Amir due to the fact that he was always wanting his father's true love. As he grew older, the need for his father's acceptance also grew. However, I feel that he became so caught up in his own desire for that one thing that he over looked his loyal friends, Hassan, Ali, and Rahim who only wanted the best for him. As Amir tries to deal with his past, I can't decide if he is doing it to sincerely say goodbye to Hassan, or have one last chance at fufilling his bond to his father...even after he is gone.
Hosseini does an outstanding job at including Amir's thoughts throughout the novel. He doesn't only include them when Amir reflects on past events but when things are currently happening. On page 250 he includes, "Baba had always described my mother to me in broad strokes, like, 'She was a great woman.' But what I had always thirsted for were the details: the way her hair glinted in the sunlight, her favorite ice cream flavor, the songs she liked to hum, did she bite her nails? Baba took his memories of her to the grave with him. Maybe speaking her name would have reminded him of his guilt, f what he had done so soon after she had died. Or maybe his loss had been so great, his pain so deep, he couldn't bear to talk about her. Maybe both." All of these questions are running through Amir's mind as he talks to the stranger/begger on the street who knew his mother. Hasseini develops these thoughts so smoothly, not using too many details but still using just enough, that it would seem weird for the reader to not know of Amir's internal thoughts.
The structure of the novel shifts through various time periods and points of view. Throughout the chapters we have read thus far the story has switched from the present at the beginning to an assortment of flashbacks made by many different characters. For we see a flashback of Baba’s to a time when he and Ali were boys and how they came to be the acquaintances they were. Another example of a more recently read flashback and point of view change comes in chapter 16 where Rahim Khan explains to Amir in the first person point of view the story of how he rediscovered Hassan and his wife Farzana living in Hazarajat. These constant flashbacks for me the reader has increased my enjoyment of the book because if the story was told from start to finish with all the details of how everything happened in chronological order I believe I would have already burned the book. Yet Alas the many flashbacks and point of view shifts act like a literature puzzle that the reader must piece together to finally understand the true meaning of the novel. Another reason this type of structure works is the joy or horror that is felt when a piece falls into place and it is either something you anticipated or something that you didn’t even imagine could occur. The flashback puzzle structure form is what sets this book apart from many others; the reader never has all the information to remain “safe” there is always something lurking around the corner. The first ten chapters were a little sketch but Khaled Hosseini has made a believer out of me with this fast pace flashback rich novel.
ReplyDeleteMy feelings toward Amir have significantly changed as the novel has progressed. As the novel has carried on Amir has developed a greater love and respect for his fellow human no matter if they are Hazara or not. At the beginning of the novel Amir seemed to be a boy who was swayed by whatever was excepted and he didn’t seem to follow the things that he thought in his heart were right, you could say Amir was like a fighting kite influence by the wind just like every other kite in the air moving as the winds of prejudice and discrimination swirled about constantly trying to defeat his fellow kites and gain recognition for himself alone, but when his kite was cut off and he was being swept away it was always the ones that truly loved him like Hassan, Baba, and Rahim Khan that ran down his kite for him and ultimately saved him in the end. Anyway Amir was really just a little punk in the beginning but as he grew older and mature he saw things in a different light and instead of doing everything for his own personal gain he begins to look out for the needs of others. A couple example of this is how he leaves money under the mattress at Wahid’s house to pay for food, and the fact that he is going to see that Hassan’s child has a good home (I think Amir going to end up taking the kid because he can’t have kids and the kid doesn’t has a home so batta bing puzzle pieces fallen together). Overall Amir has established himself as a good man and as the story continues I fully expect for Amir to grow into even a better man.
One of the most significant paragraphs that to me shows the uniqueness of Hosseini’s writing style is found in the beginning of chapter 2. Sometimes, up in those trees, I talked Hassan into firing walnuts with his slingshot at the neighbor's one-eyed German shepherd. Hassan never wanted to, but if I asked, really asked, he wouldn't deny me. Hassan never denied me anything. And he was deadly with his slingshot. Hassan's father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get. He would wag his finger and wave us down from the tree. He would take the mirror and tell us what his mother had told him, that the devil shone mirrors too, shone them to distract Muslims during prayer. "And he laughs while he does it," he always added, scowling at his son. "Yes, Father," Hassan would mumble, looking down at his feet. But he never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor's dog, was always my idea. Hosseini uses dialogue to shape the mold the characters into their specific personalities. Amir says he can tell Hassan what to do without him denying him this shows how Amir sees himself over Hassan. Hassan summits to his father and protects Amir by accepting the scolding this shows Hassan has a servant soul. The dialogue also displays Ali as a wise religious man through the type of correcting he gives to the boys. All this is discovered through just the dialogue that Hosseini injects into a few short sentences. The descriptive words that Hosseini chooses to me foreshadow the events that are to come such as the words “Deadly” and “Firing” foreshadow the war torn future of Afghanistan. The tone is a warning of things to come, throughout the story there are snips of wisdom that the characters tend to ignore and the tone of warning is all over the novel.
ReplyDeleteDo it for the Kids Mrs. Hollifield
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with Taylor and Jason, the structure of this novel seems like it is the most important thing in the book, because it guides the reader through the difficult times in Amir’s childhood, lifetime, and the whole story. When the reader, in any book, gets to see the character’s past before his future it gives the reader an outtake on how the character is as a complete person not just how he is when the reader first starts the story. With that being said, the structure is a good and important factor and helps guides the story as a whole.
ReplyDeleteAmir is now a grown man, learning about the things he missed when he was younger. I believe Amir is now learning to think on his own, seeing that his father use to always think for him, he is learning to just do what he believes he should, instead on what others feel he should. However, while thinking on his own, Amir still has a lot of guilt from all the things he said to Hassan before he left, not knowing that Hassan was his brother. He feels very bad that through all of the things Hassan done for Amir, he still treated him very ghastly. Later in the book Amir learned that all Hassan was trying to do was show him that he was on his side the whole time because they were brothers. Instead Amir did not accept what Hassan was trying to say and treated him poorly. Amir regrets all of the things that happened between the two of them and now understands what goes around comes back around, regardless of the situation. Even though Amir is living his dream life, something he would have never thought he would get the chance to do, one important element is missing from that dream life – his dear friend and friendship with Hassan, which he will never be able to repair because Hassan is in his grave. Amir is wishing that Hassan could come back and they could replay their life again, but do it very differently. However, even though Amir treated his brother Hassan wrong, he tries to kind of repay him for the things Hassan did for him by getting his son out of the orphanage and giving him a safe a secure place to stay. Amir simply waited too late to repair the friendship and say he was sorry.
Khaled Husseini’s style of writing is phenomenal. He creates his book, The Kite Runner” with character and embraces the character’s emotions and shows it through the book.
His writing is very easy and understandable, even if you cant understand the words that are being spoken, he lets you know what the word means in English. To me he seems very laid back when he is writing, that is different from all the other books we have read this summer, the other ones seem so tense, but this one is more calm and relaxed and I love it! Husseini’s sentence structure and tone makes the book more interesting because it shows exactly what the characters are saying and how they explain certain things in the book and the tone they use. The passage I chose was on page 239, “His hands are tied behind him with roughly woven rope cutting through the flesh of his wrists. He is blindfolded with black cloth. He is kneeling on the street, on the edge of a gutter filled with still water, his head drooping between his shoulders. His knees roll on the ground and bleed through his pants as he rocks in prayer. It is late afternoon and his long shadow sways back and forth on the gravel. He is muttering something under his breath. I step closer. A thousand times over, he mutters. For you a thousand times over. Back and forth he rocks. He lifts his face. I see a faint scar above his upper lip. We are not alone.” That was amazing that he could put words that are simple together and make it sound so remarkable. Khaled Husseini is a talented and unstoppable writer and this book is miraculous.
I'm gonna agree with moose, if the story just went a straight line I would have thrown it out the window by now. But because of the constant shifts and flashbacks it makes it easier and more interesting to read. It starts out at the very beginning in chapter one actually more towards the end of the story in a very foreboding tone. He talks about what he's become, and hints at what is later explained in the book. And then it goes all the way back to his childhood and progresses from their with the occasional flashback to help explain characters and things like that. I think that if the novel didn't jump around like it does it would make it harder to appreciate changes in characters. For example if the novel was totally linear you may already be dead set on how you feel about Baba and think he's is cold and a hard father before you ever got to see who he really was. The same thing can be said for Amir, or some of the other characters.
ReplyDeleteSo as far as Amir goes obviously my views on him have changed over the course of the story. But before I elaborate on that I want to say that the changes in him are almost perdictable, I mean you see it all the time in movies and other books. The guy that starts out as a snob or jerk has a dramatic change and saves the day in the end. But as far as him changing, I don't think there has been much of a change with him. It's more like the better parts of him have been revealed. I mean earlier in the novel before he became a better person he still hated himself for the things that he did and wished he could change them but just didn't have the will to do so. And now he still has that regret but has finally got the courage to do something about it.
So one of the most interesting aspects of this story is Amirs relationship with his father and my selection is kind of related to it. "I took his hand in mine. Squeezed it. My eyes were tearing over and I was glad for the shadows that hid our faces. "Thank you, Baba". We got out and sat inside the Ford. It was a Grand Torino. Navy blue, Baba said. I drove it around the block, testing the brakes, the radio, the turn signals. I parked it in the lot of our apartment building and shut off the engine. "Tashkot, Baba jan," I wanted to say more, tell him how much I appreciated all that he had done for me, all that he was still doing. But I knew I'd embarass him. "Tashkor," I repeated instead. He smiled and leaned back against the headrest, his forehead almost touching the ceiling. We didn't say anything. Just sat in dark, listened to the tink-tink of the engine cooling, the wail of a siren in the distance. Then Baba rolled his head me. "I wish Hassan had been with us today," he said. A pair of steel hands closed around my neck at the mention of Hassan's name. I rolled down the window. Waited for the steel hands to loosen their grip." Now, i know that was a lot to write but I like the way it's written and shows a good example of Hosseini's style. I mean the writing is kind of empty feeling, and there are lots of short sentences. But because the story is from Amir's point of view I think the emptiness is kind of a way of showing how Amir is feeling with all of his regret, empty. I like how Hosseini writes because he is very straight forward, and can get his point across with very little work. At the end of my selection just by saying Hassan's name Hosseini bring a whole flood of emotions into Amirs and the readers minds.
In order to show the reader the growth of Amir, the main character, the novel starts in the past and makes its way to the future. This way the reader can see Amir and the person he becomes as he grows older and the cause and effect of his past decisions.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning, I hated Amir. He was downright awful to Hassan, who gave him nothing but praise, love, and loyalty. Amir taunted Hassan for being illiterate when he didn’t know a word. The only time he said he loved Hassan was when he was praising him. Amir was selfish and heartless. At one point, he watched Hassan get raped and did nothing, said nothing. Just let it go. As if that wasn’t enough, he set Hassan up and said he stole his watch and his money to try to rid himself of the ‘guilt’ by getting rid of Hassan. Eventually, he moved to America and never told anyone. Never spoke Hassan’s name. However, he got the opportunity to “be good again.” He went back to Afghanistan, where he found ugly truths and his new quest. Ultimatly, Amir was nothing more than a dog in my opinion, but when he accepted the quest to get Sorhab, my view changed. He finally had the chance to redeem himself, and he took it.
Hosseini has a way of making terrible things seem almost peaceful yet still terrible. For example, when Rahim Khan was describing how bad things had gotten in Afghanistan you could tell it was bad but the way it was written made it seem almost peaceful. On page 199, he writes “If you went from the Shar-e-Nau section to Kerteh-Parwan to buy a carpet, you risked getting shot by a sniper of getting blown up by a rocket-if you got past all the checkpoints that was. You practically needed a visa to go from one neighborhood t0 the other. So people just stayed put, prayed the next rocket wouldn’t hit their home. ” The situation these people are but in is awful, but Hosseini makes it seem normal and like its no big deal. Very easy and relieving or refreshing to read. I love it.
I agree with everyone else on the structure of the novel. Growth in all the characters takes place throughout the novel. It flashes back to Amir's Childhood and he grows off of the events that took place.
ReplyDeleteIn the start of the novel I didn't like Amir. I thought he didn't think of one but himself and what his father thought of him. My Favorite character would have been Hassan! He was nice and would have done anything to protect his best friend Amir. When Amir was in trouble Hassan pulled out his sling shot and defended his friend. But, when Hasssan was in trouble in the alley Amir stood their and watched and acted like he had no clue what happened to him.
Now that Amir is older, my views on him have changed a little bit. I believe that he is doing what he wants to and not what he thinks will make his father happy. He starts off very spolied and unhappy with himself because of what his father thinks. I think that he is still the same person as he was back then only a little more confident himself and his actions.
I will have to agree with Erica and Ali about Hosseini's writting style. I believe he is a very calm and peaceful writter. When something happens he makes it seem like nothing big is going on. I choose pg 191 "Yes it's Safe. I'll be all right, Soraya." It was the question she'd wanted to ask all along fifteen years of marriage had turned us into mind readers. "I'm going to go for a walk." "Should I go with you?" "Nay, I'd rather go alone." He makes this terrible time they are in seem peaceful. Amir wants to go for a walk during this time where he knows he can get shot, But he wants to protect his wife by making he stay at home. Usally the wife would be freaking out about her husband going on such an journey. Hossenini makes it seem like no big deal. I love his writting style beacause i believe it makes the book flow more than someone upset the whole time. Sorry this is a little late, The storm knocked my power out last night and it didn't come back on til after i was asleep.
Good discussion of the novel's structure. You will notice that the circular structure set up at the beginning has been completed and now, as Amir embarks on his journey back home, the three-part organization will allow for his quest to be fulfilled. The last part of the novel is pretty intense as Amir searches for Sohrab. I am curious to see how you respond to how everything wraps up. We will discuss writing style more completely in class. It seems as though you need some good academic vocabulary to use to describe style. I'll be seeing everyone soon.
ReplyDeleteP.S.- I notice no one bothered to explain this whole "Do it for the Kids" thing that Moose is obsessed with this summer. I'm waiting.....