Second Outside Quarter Reading Post

Hi,

I would like to take some time to answer some of the questions that we were asked about my outside quarter reading book, The Kite runner:
The main characters in this book are Amir, Hassan, Baba, Rahim and Soraya (so far).

• Amir is the narrator of this book; the book starts out when he is a child living in Afghanistan. His mother died in childbirth and so he lives in a large house with his father and servants. His father manipulates him the most, Amir feels that Baba isn’t proud of him and wishes he were more like him. When Amir would rather read a book than play soccer or doesn’t win the kite running race, Baba acts disappointed and distances himself from Amir. This causes Amir to be resentful and eventually gets into a lot of trouble trying to win his father’s love. Every decision that Amir makes is influenced by what he thinks his father will think of him.
• Hassan is Amir’s family’s servant. He lives with his father Ali (his mother ran away after giving birth to him) in a small hut outside Amir’s large house. Hassan is completely devoted to Amir; his first word was Amir’s name. Hassan has a mysterious way of knowing exactly what Amir is thinking and what he needs. Having grown up with Amir his whole life and being taught such obedience and loyalty at such a young age, Hassan would never leave Amir, even after Amir betrays him in the most traitorous way. Amir and Hassan’s lives eventually lead them to part, Amir goes to America and Ali takes Hassan away from Baba’s household, Hassan is loyal to Amir to the very end, his dying words were to Amir.
• Baba is Amir’s father; he was an athlete, a scholar, bold, popular and was the leader in everything he did. Baba is also loving (not always to his son) thinks of others and is loyal to those who are loyal to him. When Amir came home after school and told Baba that he had learned that Iranian people are greedy, evil and two-faced, Baba sat him down and told him his philosophy of life and that his old teachers of the Koran know nothing other than how to serve Allah. He is a modern thinker, not bound to the ways of ancient Afghanistan.
• Rahim is Baba’s best friend and business partner. Rahim understands Amir and his love for reading and nature. Rahim gives Amir a leather notebook where Amir eventually gets his idea for his best-selling novel. Rahim loves Afghanistan, and doesn’t leave to go to America even when the Taliban are taking over and ruining life in Kabul.
• Soraya is Amir’s wife that he met in America. She is also Afghani and comes from a well known family. They love each other, but unfortunately she is barren and they cannot have children.
  The End