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Kite Runner: Chapter 6
Element

Notes

Plot
summary

This transitional chapter focuses on the Afghan tradition of kite
fighting, with Amir describing how him and Hassan used to build and now buy - their kites
...
The last part of the chapter highlights
Hassan’s adoration for Amir and his power over Hassan, as well
as how Amir feels like he must prove himself to his father - his
main motivation for winning the kite fighting tournament
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Themes and
features

At the beginning of the chapter, the narrator creates a nostalgic
image of winter through his use of imagery - for example, through
the phrase ​“winter was every kid’s favourite season in Kabul”
...
The natural beauty of Kabul, including the blueness
of the sky and the snow’s purity, is also highlighted as the narrator
reverts to childlike language
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​The sport is also portrayed as a significant cultural
tradition and an inescapable part of Afghanistan’s history
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T
​ his is also ironic of course, a fact which
the narrator notes, foreshadowing the years of conflict which will
follow from the winter of 1975 (both Amir and Hassan’s internal
suffering and the country’s instability)
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A sense of
restlessness and anticipation is felt
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You have to swoop under your
opponents’ kites and cut their string, with the kite runners
themselves (the kite fighters’ assistants) running to catch the fallen
kites
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Amir begs to ​“let me be the
favourite”
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Hassan is a very talented kite runner, as ​“he always got to the spot
the kite would land before the kite did”
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The deeply ingrained cultural divide and power differences
between Pashtuns and Hazaras are highlighted through the fact
that Hassan would eat dirt if Amir asked him to
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This
also reinforces Hassan’s loyalty and the way in which Amir tests
and exploits it
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An adult Amir appears to be
mentioning this divide to offload the burden on his shoulders of
Hassan’s rape and his lack of intervention
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This
once again shows Hassan’s emotional maturity and devotion to
Amir, as well as the fact that he expresses his emotions very
calmly and internally - which juxtaposes the stereotypically angry
Afghan man (e
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Baba)
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It will
supposedly be the biggest tournament in 25 years, building up the
pressure on Amir
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The competition
for Amir is so significant because he is desperate to prove to Baba
that he is ​“worthy”
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Hassan’s adoration of Amir is reflected in their dialogue in the
chapter’s final pages, as Hassan remarks that Amir will make
Baba very proud tomorrow
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Hassan’s piousness is reflected in
his repeated use of the phrase ​“Inshallah”, ​making him the
epitome of purity and innocence
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Context

Kite fighting is a highly competitive Afghan sport and a very
important event in Kabul (later banned by the Taliban and only
recently reinstated)
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p54: Afghan attitude towards Iranians - extension of the
Pashtun/Hazara divide and fierce pride towards your country
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This also shows
how American products are not as dominant in Afghanistan yet
(link to Coca Cola and Westerns)
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Tar​ = string for kites

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