The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My second selection is Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. There are a lot of themes that connect in this book and they are also written in the same period of time and area of the world.

"The book had a lot of things I didn't know, things my teachers hadn't mentioned. Things Baba hadn't mentioned either. It also said some things I did know, like that people called Hazaras mice-eating, flat-nosed, load carrying donkeys. I had heard some of the kids in the neighborhood yell those names to Hassan." (9)

The theme I connected between the 2 books was one of discrimination against minorities within communities. In the Kite Runner, Hassan (Amir's best friend) is called names like "Hazara" or "mice-eating, flat-nosed, load carrying donkeys". Hassan is discriminated against because he is in the servant/peasant class and is regarded as a second class citizen. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Miriam is looked at as a Harami or "bastard" because she is the daughter of a servant who had a child with a noble man. Both of these characters are treated unfairly merely because of something they were born in to, something that they had no control over. Hosseini is trying to show that some things in life are uncontrollable and you have to do the best with what you have.

"Lore has it my father once wrestled a black bear in Baluchstan with his bare hands. if the story had been about anyone else, it would have been dismissed as laaf, that Afghan tendency to exaggerate-sadly, almost a national affliction; if someone bragged that his son was a doctor, chances were the kid had once passed a biology test in high school. But no one ever doubted the veracity of any story about Baba." (12)

This quote made me think of Miriam and her relationship with her father. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Miriam's father is constantly telling her another side of a story that her mother has told her. She immediately believes him every time because she believes her mom is bitter and feels like her dad truly loves her and would never lie to her. There is a contrast in the two books because in The Kite Runner Amir trusts his father and believes everything he tells him because his father is an honest man, however, in A Thousand Splendid Suns, Miriam puts trust into her father as well but ends up being betrayed by him. This shows the faith that both children have in their fathers and the relationships they share with them and how although things may look similar on the outside of their relationships, the inside is quite different.

"Hassan didn't struggle. Didn't even whimper. He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation in it. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb." (75-76)

This quote does not only describe the helplessness that Hassan felt, but somewhat shows the betrayal in him and Amir's friendship. The way that Hosseini describes this scene makes you wonder how Amir could just stand there and watch this happen to his friend. I related this quote to the scene in A Thousand Splendid Suns when Rasheed forces Miriam to have sex with him, even though she thought that he cared about her feelings and well being. I think that betrayal and forgiveness are large part of these books because they relate to the overall theme of trust. There are many "trusting" relationships in the books, between friends, family and country.

"The bustle of the city blurring past me reminded me of a busier, more crowded version of the Kabul I knew, particularly of the Kocheh-Morgha, or Chicken Bazaar, where Hassan and I used to buy chutney-dipped potatoes and cherry water. The streets were clogged with bicycle riders, milling pedestrians, and rickshaws popping blue smoke...The city was bursting with jingling bells of horse-drawn carts. Rich scents, both pleasant and not so pleasant, drifted to me through the passenger window, the spicy aroma of pakora and the nihari Baba had loved so much blended with the sting of diesel fumes, the stench of rot, garbage, and feces." (196)

A major theme is both books is the characters ties to Afghanistan. No matter where their lives take them they always have memories of their childhood in Afghanistan. In the Kite Runner when Amir returns home he sees how much Kabul has changed, but still holds the memories of his past. Laila and Tariq, in a Thousand Splendid Suns, feel like they need to return home to Kabul to help the restoration effort. Tariq wants to go, even though he is not particularly motivated because of the restoration, but more in part to support Laila. Whatever the reason, almost every character in both of selections, decides or yearns to return home to Afghanistan. This theme makes me think of the rather cliche term, "Home is where the heart is", however in the book it is very true.

"That night, Soraya and I lay in bed, her back pressed to my chest, my face buried in her hair. I remembered when we used to lay forehead to forehead, sharing afterglow kisses and whispering until our eyes drifted closed, whispering about tiny, curled toes, first smiles, first words, first steps. We still did sometimes, but the whispers were about school, my new book, a giggle over someones ridiculous dress at a party. Our lovemaking was still good, at times better than good, but some nights all I'd feel was a relief to be done with it, to be free to drift away and forget, at least for a while, about the futility of what we'd just done." (193)

I think that Soraya and Amir's relationship mirrors Laila and Tariq's relationship very closely. Although their situations are much different, their love appears to be very similar. Both of their relationships seem very healthy because it is true love instead of forced marriage. Each couple trusts each other, which is apparent from the secrets they tell each other and their physical relationships. In The Kite Runner, Soraya tells Amir about her past marriage and other very important things to her. They are also very physically comfortable and continue to make love even when their marriage is in trouble. Laila and Tariq's relationship is especially strong because they trust each other to have sex out of wedlock, showing their true passion for one another. Both relationships display a deep sense of trust and understanding.