The Kite Runner

This book has made it very clear to me exactly how ignorant I am when it comes to Middle Eastern culture. All I know is that Sunni and Shi'a Muslims don't get along. I'm vague as to why, or where this hatred even started. I don't remember ever learning about Afghanistan in world history my freshman year, which either means that it wasn't covered in the curriculum, or that I fell asleep that day. And to be perfectly honest, falling asleep in history class is a more than a good possibility. The religious aspect isn't that only thing I don't understand however. There is also a social hierarchy among the people and their race. And i must admit, I do not understand it whatsoever.


The Kite Runner has put me on an emotional roller coaster. It’s happy, then sad, then upsetting. It’s a bipolar mess! I was reading it in psychology today because we were supposed to be watching this weird video about the origins of psychology *snore.* so naturally, I read my book instead. Unfortunately, I had to stop. This is because I started to tear up, if I kept reading, I would have been flat out crying. In public. In front of my peers. I haven’t cried while reading in a long time, since 5^th grade to be exact. I was reading Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls and the story brought me to tears and a temporary state of depression. The ending of that book left me heartbroken.

Sadness wasn’t the only emotion I felt overwhelmed with however. I was overcome with anger. Flat out hatred for Amir. This is because Amir is a coward and an awful friend. Hassan, Amir’s best friend, is loyal as a dog. Hassan sticks up for Amir, defends Amir, and is always there for Amir. Amir on the other hand is too much of a poltroon to stick up for Hassan. Amir wouldn’t know what loyalty was if it smacked him in the face. This bothers me because loyalty is very important to me. In fact, the two most important things I value in a friendship are honesty and loyalty. Amir is lacking both of those qualities. Although I can personally connect with Amir because of his constant fight for his father’s approval, I must admit that I don’t like him. Granted, things could change and Amir could get a lesson in friendship, but until that happens, I won’t like him.