Journal Prompts | The Kite Runner

Which character in the book would you trust (or not trust) with your life?

In the Kite Runner, the character that I can trust with my life would be Rahim Khan. Rahim Khan was a close friend of Baba in Afghanistan; in my opinion, he was the most crucial and influential man in the story because he was the only person that actually stood on Amir’s side when it came to Amir’s love for writing. In the story, I would trust him with my life because he is very wise and he cares greatly about others.

In Chapter 14, Rahim Khan calls Amir and says that he is ill; then he tells Amir that he knew all about Hassan, the kite, and Assef, and tells Amir that ‘there is a way to be good again’. For all these years, he did not tell Amir because he cared for Amir, and now, he called Amir because he can change things and become ‘good’ again. This is why I chose Rahim Khan as the character I would trust with my life.

In my life, I have one person I can trust with my life. That person is my mother. My mother and I are really close; I really enjoy spending time with her. Unfortunately, she lives elsewhere with my father now, but I still see her every school break. That is one person I can trust with my life.

What was your reaction to what you have read so far?

Chapter eight of the Kite Runner was probably the saddest, bittersweet chapter I read in this novel. It started out with Amir winning the kite fight, he really wanted to win. When he did win, he also received the opponent’s kite. Hassan wanted to run the kite for him, and this part was a very exciting moment for me. I thought that this would have been Amir’s happiest day, he won the kite fight, got the opponent’s kite, and got Baba’s attention and love. But when Amir went looking for Hassan after he took off, he found him cornered in an ally with Assef and his group of friends. I felt worried about what might happen to Hassan. Assef ended up raping Hassan, and Amir saw him. Amir did not do anything whatsoever.

In the next few chapters, Amir avoids Hassan. Amir felt guilty. Hassan never understood why Amir became so distant towards him and always tried to get Amir to talk to him. Hassan was always loyal to Amir even if Amir wanted nothing to do with him. I thought that Hassan was a very kind boy, and was a strong spirit. Later on in the story, Hassan and Ali, his father, decides to leave Baba and Amir. Baba was devastated, but I thought that Amir did not show much emotion about this situation.

Baba and Amir moved to America a while after Hassan and Ali was gone. Baba always liked the idea of America. Baba had a decent job in America, and in my opinion, they lived a pretty simple life. In America, Amir met Soraya and Amir liked her a lot. I thought that Amir was having a good time in America. At least he wasn’t being bullied anymore. In chapter 12, Amir discovered that Baba wasn’t feeling well. He was coughing badly, and at most times he would cough up blood. Amir took him to the hospital to see what was wrong with him. The doctor told Amir and Baba that he had cancer. I also felt sad in this part of the book because Baba was slowly dying.