Literary Response Journal The Kite Runner Thursday 3/13/14 Page 109

In the novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Amir and Hassan are on the adventures of a lifetime. They are growing up. Life is a wild ride. As I continued to read to page 109, I began to realize that I had a hatred for Amir. He is such a lucky kid. I understand that he struggles with the relationship with his father. It's rough. I have been there, but come on. He is punishing Hassan for no reason, and poor Hassan has already been through so much. At one point in the story Amir looks at his father and says, "Baba, have you ever thought about getting new servants." He literally wants to get rid of Hassan. Then he asks Hassan to go with him to the top of the hill, and he tells Hassan that he has a story to read to him. Instead of reading to the eager Hassan, he pelts him with pomegranates. The poor child just stands there. Defenseless. Amir's father threw him the best birthday party that could have ever been asked for. Amir believes that it is solely because he won the kite tournament, and he may be right. Assef brought Amir a copy of the biography of Hitler. Talk about gross. Amir received a new watch from his father, as well as envelopes of money from various guests. He plants the money and the watch under Hassan's mattress, and then tells his father. Poor Hassan is being accused of stealing, and when he is asked about it, he says that he did it when he didn't. Ali says that he is leaving, and Amir believes that Hassan told Ali about everything, and he also believes that Hassan knows he witnessed what happened. I hope he feels like complete scum. He deserves it. The work uses elements of literature such as foreshadowing. Hassan was asked if he would dirt for Amir, and Hassan replied yes, but he also asked Amir if he would ask him to eat dirt. Later though Hassan ate dirt for Amir when Assef raped him. Amir done all of these things out of his quest to redeem his self in the eyes of his father. Chapters from How To Read Literature Like A Professor relate to the story. There are bible references, so the bible chapter relates. The violence chapter would relate. I think that the quest chapter would relate because I think Amir is on a quest to redeem himself in the eyes of his father. I am trying to decide whether or not Amir is a static or dynamic character. I feel like he could be both. I think that it would be easier to decide when I finish the book.