The Kite Runner

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The character of Baba hides the reality that Hassan and Amir are half-brothers. Why does he do so, and is his decision justified? Have you ever felt that you had to keep a significant secret, and if so, why?

2. Amir desperately craves his father’s love and approval, which leads him to at times feel jealous of Baba’s affection for Hassan. Why do you think humans have such a strong drive for parental love and approval? Can this desire prove to be destructive under the wrong circumstances?

3. Amir is haunted by lifelong guilt after he fails to intervene when he witnesses Hassan being assaulted. Have you ever had to choose whether to intervene to protect someone or to address an injustice? What factors shaped your decision about what to do? How did you feel about your decision afterward?

4. When Rahim Khan summons Amir back to Afghanistan, he says that “There is a way to be good again” (2). Do you think that people can redeem themselves after making a serious mistake? What needs to happen in order for redemption to occur?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The Kite Runner depicts the experience of emigrating to the United States from a country with a very different culture. What are some of the challenges of emigrating to a new country? What factors can make the transition easier? What responsibility does a country have to support newcomers, especially those fleeing war and political violence?

2. The plot of the novel depicts the suffering inflicted on Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. What forces allow regimes like the Taliban to achieve and maintain power? How can novels and other works of art draw attention to atrocities occurring around the world?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Describe Amir’s development as a character over the course of the novel. How does he evolve and what lessons does he learn? What (if any) characteristics remain fixed in Amir’s nature from childhood onward?

2. Assef attacks Hassan after Hassan refuses to give up his kite. What does the kite symbolize? How does this symbolism reappear at the end of the novel when Amir and Sohrab fly a kite together?

3. The novel spans many decades, beginning when Amir is a young child and following him through to adulthood. What are the advantages of this narrative structure? Do you prefer when a plot unfolds over many years or when it is more tightly focalized?

4. Discuss the symbolism of Amir and Soraya being unable to have children. How does the novel portray family and legacy?

5. Sohrab saves Amir’s life in a violent encounter with Assef. How does this confrontation symbolically reflect Assef’s prior attack on Hassan (Sohrab’s father)? Can Amir be said to be redeemed for his prior cowardice after this second confrontation?