Parentage, Truth and Tragedy: A Critical Analysis of Chapter 17 in The Kite Runner
Abstract
Chapter 17 represents a crucial turning point in the novels plot. In this chapter, thirty-eight-year-old Amir continues to listen to
Rahim Khans account of events that occurred in their homeland during Amirs time in America. Through Rahim Khans narration, Amir is reminded of the guilt that has haunted him for more than twenty yearseverything he had done to Hassan. When Amir inquires about Hassans
current situation, he receives devastating news: Hassan and his wife were brutally murdered by Taliban forces on the streets of Afghanistan.
However, Hassans letters to Amir were always filled with hope, sincerity, and loyalty. At the chapters conclusion, Rahim Khan reveals his
primary purpose for seeking out Amir: to retrieve Hassans only son, Sohrab, from an orphanage in Afghanistan. To explain the necessity of
this mission, Rahim Khan discloses a secret that had been buried for yearsHassans true parentage, revealing that Hassan and Amir were
half-brothers who shared the same father.
Rahim Khans account of events that occurred in their homeland during Amirs time in America. Through Rahim Khans narration, Amir is reminded of the guilt that has haunted him for more than twenty yearseverything he had done to Hassan. When Amir inquires about Hassans
current situation, he receives devastating news: Hassan and his wife were brutally murdered by Taliban forces on the streets of Afghanistan.
However, Hassans letters to Amir were always filled with hope, sincerity, and loyalty. At the chapters conclusion, Rahim Khan reveals his
primary purpose for seeking out Amir: to retrieve Hassans only son, Sohrab, from an orphanage in Afghanistan. To explain the necessity of
this mission, Rahim Khan discloses a secret that had been buried for yearsHassans true parentage, revealing that Hassan and Amir were
half-brothers who shared the same father.
Keywords
The Kite Runner; Character analysis; Fraternal relationship; Moral redemption; Intergenerational trauma
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[1] Hosseini, K. (2023). The Kite Runner 20th Anniversary Edition: A Novel. Penguin.
[2] WANG, J.(2009). An Analysis of the Kite Image in The Kite Runner. Journal of Beijing Jiaotong University(Social Sciences Edition)
2009(2), 91-93, 97. https://doi.org/10.16797/j.cnki.11-5224/c.2009.02.018.
[3] Li, J. (2009). Analysis of Hassan's Character in "The Kite Runner". Literature Education (Part 1), (03), 82-84. doi: CNKI: SUN:
WXYS.0.2009-03-042.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/rcha.v2i9.5598
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