What have I learned?

Ok, I'm still a little skeptical about some of the things Foster said, but I can see it's not all made up. I've seen a bunch of journeys where the reason for the journey is hardly mention, a jesus, a flight reference, and a whooole lot of symbolism. I still believe that sometimes a story is just a story, but I've seen that sometimes a story isn't just what's on the surface and you can see more in depth as to why the characters do certain things by paying attention to things that stand out (and have nice moment of feeling smart for a second while you're at it ;]). Even though I hated Forster's book when I read it the first time, I feel like it was worthwhile because some people do write like that o.o'.

Memories

Why is it that our memories are so... unreliable? When Amir went back to Afghanistan he was shocked and thought that the driver had taken a wrong turn; however that had always been Afghanistan, Amir just never saw it. It was extremely touching how Amir was so intent on going into his house just to see the tree that he and Hassan had read stories under and carved their names into. But the strange thing is that nothing in Afghanistan is how Amir remembers it? Baba's house was wrecked, the orphanage was destroyed, and people are begging in the street. Why is it that, among everything, that the tree is the only thing that remained the same? It must be that it's because Hassan is the only thing left of his life in Afghanistan since his father died and Rahim Khan is dying. After that, Amir's search for Hassan is like a desperate attempt to salvage the last of his childhood.

"Krusty, I'm going to try to remember you how you used to be"
"But I've always been terrible!"
-The Simpsons

Religion. Who is important to you?

I think in this story, the way Amir's views on religion show who's important to him. When he believes in religion, Hassan (who never missed prayer) is important to him. When he doesn't believe in religion, Baba (who doesn't believe in god) is important to him. At the beginning of the story he was stuck in between Baba and his friend Hassan. He believed in religion, but not completely. When he got to America with Baba, Amir had almost completely forgotten the words to his prayers tho they had not entirely disappeared because they were something he could never really forget, just as Hassan was something he could never really forget.

It really puzzled me how Amir was so religious in the hospital at the end of the story and now I believe I understand. Religion was important to him because Hassan was important to him. He still couldn't remember all the prayer words but it's the thought that counts, and he was definitely thinking of Hassan, not Baba.

Kiterunning

From the beginning of the story, I found it hard to believe that kite fighting is actually a real thing. I couldn't imagine how you can hurt yourself from flying a kite and that you can actually make a competition out of it. So I looked it up....

It's real O___O!

Now what is the meaning of Hassan being the Kite Runner? If I remember correctly, flight=freedom. But why is it that Hassan, being the best kite runner who can even predict where the kite is going to land be the person who pretty much gets abused the most in the story? Is it just because he's a Hazara? Or is that, in addition to that, he doesn't keep the kite for himself? He gives the kite, his freedom to Amir.

However, at least to Amir, the kite symbolized not freedom, but the love of Baba. But really, the kite would not make Baba love him, but just made Amir insist on gaining Baba's love. If the good methods don't work, you have to use the bad ones right? And I guess it did work... sort of. Amir got the kite and Baba while Hassan had no freedom, Kite, or Baba.

Poor Hassan x'[. But at least the book is named after you.

For better or worse?

What would it be like to live in a different society? It seems kind of nice and sometimes I wish America was more like the societies of the people that make up America. The places where valentino and amir grew up seem closer and simpler. A small town, friends you'll know your whole life, a community that actually helps each other and where people actually know each other. I guess this could happen because of how "advanced" America is. We have cars so our communities are larger and no one really knows each other we have to pay for everything like water which they can just get from the river. It seems like they would be the more barbaric ones yet we're the ones with more random violence and crime (like Tonyo robbing Valentino). But I guess we'll never be able to change back.

People like me would miss being able to type this on an iPod x__x

Loyalty

Why is Amir bothered by Hassan's loyalty?

Maybe it's because his loyalty is unreal just like how I believed Valentino's kindness was unreal. Or maybe it's because Amir feels like he doesn't deserve Hassan's loyalty. Hassan reminds me of a character in an anime called school days just because they're both so loyal. What happened to this character was pretty different (with it being a different situation and that this character was the only 1 of the 3 main characters alive at the end of the story) but the thing that they have in common is how they were both taken advantage of o.o'.

That sure sends a good message, doesn't it?

God is... Assef?

So apparently some authors do like to use the position with arms perpendicular to the body that looks like a cross to mean that that person is god. But really, that person had to be Assef? Really, Assef isn't god-like at ALL. Threatening and bullying small children, frightening parents, and raping someone? Sounds very god-like. Wasn't god in literature supposed to be some strange looking, but nice man? The only other thing Assef did is that he rose from the dead in our minds, seeing as how he wasn't mentioned for the whole middle section of the book x.x.

It's really unbelievable how, at the hospital, Amir got on his knees and started praying to god! God beats you up and then you pray to him. But I guess that's how religion works in real life too.

Cruelty vs. Kindness

I was really surprised to find that the main character of "Kite Runner" is as cruel as he is! It's kind of refeshing from the usual good guy and being wronged. I mean, Amir's father doesn't always give Amir the fatherly love that he should be getting, but Amir does his fair share of abuse as well. The reason I like the character of Amir because his cruelty is extremely real. No heroics. No bursts of courage. He's seems real just like many people who would easily consider turning their backs on a friend on need, feeling extreme guilt, craving attention from his dad, and becoming more rebelious against his father when he becomes a teenager.

Valentino, on the other hand, seems much too saintly, kind, to be a real person. He helps a random woman, buries his deceased friends while walking, and helps out at the refugee camp when he becomes older. And what's extremely sad about this is that Valentino isn't fictional. Amir is. It's almost like saying kindness doesn't exist while cruelty, however, most definitely does.

What is the What (???)

It may have taken me almost the entire book to figure it out, but I think I've gotten it now. And by the end of the book, I think it was simple to see what the What is. The What is the unknown. What does confuse me is the fact that Valentino's father had two versions of the story of the What. Is the second version supposed to mean something as well or is it really just a second version created to avoid offending the recipients of the story?

I think the message of the What is a wonderful way to end the story. It's able to link the beginning and end of the story together perfectly and show how Valentino has changed and advanced since the beginning of the the story such as how Foster (in "How to Read Literature like a Professor") said that the reason young people in literature are sent are journeys is so that they change or learn something. It's really amazing that things like this can happen in real life, that Valentino's father would remember his story of the What after all those years and mention it to Valentino at the one time he speaks to him and at the time where he needs to make an immediate decision and, therefore, the time when he needs it the most.

I exist!

Through the last lines and many lines throughout "What is the What", it seems that Valentino's whole purpose of telling his story is to make us realize his existence. Valentino talked about how TV Boy Michael, the police, and the doctors at the hospital all ignored him, so I guess I can understand why he would want to show us that he does indeed exist. But in a sense it amazes me that a book that partly seems to be made to scream "I exist!" has become a bestselling book. It's as if a 535 page internet rant written by someone who thinks no one notices him became part of the high school summer reading list. But I'm not saying I don't like the book, because I do like it and applaud Valentino for his determination to make us aware of his existence. I suppose the reason why this book has succeeded is because of the fact that it is informative, well-written, gives other messages (such as the one hidden in the story of the What by Valentino's father). I also can't help but think that it's also because it's a book about a Black-American. Because honestly, schools really seem to love making us read about the hardships faced by minorities. But I guess that's part of what we call education.

To walk with Moses

"I dearly want to walk with Moses again, and will do so, I promise I will do so, unless he plans to walk barefoot... In that case I would not join Moses; that would be madness" -What is the What

The first thing I wondered was Valentino would be so anxious to walk with his friend Moses. Did he want to because Moses is his friend? Because he asked him to? Because he wants to get out of Atlanta? I believe that it's because Valentino wants to advance and make a point: that they do exist and that they're still strongly moving forward.

Second, I wondered why Valentino would oppose joining the walk if they were barefoot. It's because he doesn't want to move backwards, to go back to the past. Walking with shoes and without shoes are completely different things. Many of the men, children, and women who were forced to walk toward the refugee camps had no shoes. To Valentino, the shoes that they are able to wear on their feet show how far they've gone. Walking without shoes would show, rather than their progress, that they are still as they were and that they are stuck in the past.