Dear Reader,

            A quote from the book Kite Runner that stood out to me was when Amir was in the basement.  He was trying to think of happy things to get his mind off of where he was, as Baba had instructed him to.  Amir began thinking of when he was in the field with Hassan flying kites and then says to himself, “I didn’t remember what month that was, or what year even. I only knew the memory lived in me, a perfectly encapsulated morsel of a good past, a brushstroke of the color gray, barren canvas that our lives had become.” (Hosseini 123) In this part Amir and Baba are trying to get to Pakistan and are traveling under very harsh conditions, so happy thoughts are all they have to enjoy the day. But then these thoughts make Amir realize how bad things are really going. This happy memory which he loved, opened his eyes to see how terrible his life is right now. He does not know what is going to happen to him and Baba and he is scared, but the happy memory and the urge to make more wonderful memories are what give him hope. I can relate to this quote.  Often, in hard situations, it is best to think of something happy, the thoughts may make you see that things aren’t the best right now, but  you still want to go forward and strive to have more happy memories.  That is what gives you hope. You know there have been good times in your life and that means they will come again.  I am sure many other people can relate to this too. I think Amir still really cares about Hassan even after making him lie and then leave, don’t you think so?

Another quote that greatly stood out to me, in the story, is what Amir was thinking to himself after he found out his book was published, he said, “There was so much goodness in my life. So much happiness. I wondered if I deserved any of it.”(Hosseini 183). Though Amir is happy with a loving wife and he just got his first book published, after he hears about the publishing he thinks of what Rahim Khan said to him on how he is going to be a great writer.  The thought of Rahim Khan brought made him think of Hassan, which then reminded him of his deep regret for not helping Hassan when he was getting raped. There are so many good things in Amir’s life right now and all he can think about is if he deserves it or not because he did not stand up for Hassan and then made him lie. In this chapter Amir  transitions more into a man with his wedding., letting go of his father and the book publishing, so the fact that with all of this success he is still holding on to his regret shows that this is very significant to him. This quote also relates to me and I’m sure, many other people. Everyone has something they deeply regret and the thought of it will always, in a way, be there no matter what is going on. Everyone has something they wish they could have changed or done better no matter what is happening in their lives, and that is also what I believe this quote is trying to say, do you agree?

            A very important quote I found in the text is when Amir was back in Afghanistan talking to Rahim Khan. They had been talking for a while and then Rahim Khan brought up how Hassan had been living with him for a while. In shock Amir said Hassan’s name out loud for the first time in years.  He thought to himself as the regrets and memories that came with his name came flooding back, “Those thorny old barbs of guilt bore into  me once more, as if speaking his name had broken a spell, set them free to torment me anew.” (Hosseini 202) The guilt he feels from not helping Hassan when he was getting raped, the lying so he would leave, thinking that that would make him feel better, still haunts him and is still a big part of Amir’s life. No matter what is going on Amir is always thinking about it.  To say Hassan’s name again and to talk about him again made the pain and guilt creep back  worse than ever and torment Amir. The conversation then continues with Amir promising to talk about Hassan, and we can predict that he will not enjoy the conversation as his memories of regret  flood back to him with every mention of Hassan’s name. This part of Kite Runner is like a scene from the story the Odyssey. In that story Odysseus is very upset with himself for letting his men get eaten by the six headed monster Scylla. Odysseus is very ,loyal to his men and he just watched as they died, and then later went on to say that watching that was the most pain and sadness he had felt the whole journey.  Here the two stories are very alike, don’t you think so?

            Sincerely, Ally Amaral