LRB #2-The Kite Runner, Roles played by minor characters

"The Kite Runner"
Khaled Hosseini



From the most brief encounter or mentioning of any characters it seems that even the smallest of all of them even had a major impact on the outcome of the story and the development of the plot. Amir's mom, who died during childbirth, has an effect on how Baba views Amir for the longest time, and also about how Amir acts, having never know his mother, he seems underdeveloped in some areas that he would have been otherwise if his mother had still been alive. He would have had her a a comfort, a confidant and a friend; his relation with Baba would also have been drastically different, which would in turn shift the whole direction of the novel as a whole. Speaking of mothers, Hassan's mother also operates as a minor character, and is briefly mentioned in the beginning part of the book. She abandoned him at his birth, which left a wound on the inside of him, even if he didn't realize it, and it doesn't fit nicely with his physical deformity either. Other characters such as Rahim Khan serve as inspiration and correction for Amir, and also as a confidant that Amir lacks, since his father is somewhat resentful of him in the beginning of the novel. It is Rahim who encourages Amir to keep writing, and the one who keeps him from going (completely) insane. He also operates as Amir's motivation to redeem himself despite what he did in his past aside from encouraging his writings, he says to Amir "There is a way to be good again," Minor characters that had adverse negative effects on the novel would be Wali and Kamal, the two who aided Assef during the raping of Hassan. They hold him down, allowing Assef to scar Hassan for the rest of his life, but his role allows the reader to see that Hassan is acting as a Christ figure the entire time. There is no doubt that even though this novel contains a lot of minor characters that they still have a significant role in the novel and its development.

TKR Discussion Questions Pages 80-109

1. How has the relationship between Amir and Hassan changed? Explain
It has deteriorated beyond all recognition. Due to Amir failing to be accountable for what happened and what he saw, it has ripped a chasm between the two former friends. Amir is the one that is keeping a distance from Hassan. Hassan somewhat "gets over" what had happened and tries to reengage interaction with Amir, but Amir pushes him away because of his selfishness and guild.

2. Who is the Christ-like figure in this novel? Who slaughters him?
Hassan is undoubtedly the Christ figure in this novel and he is slaughtered by Assef.

3. What is the significance of the pomegranate tree? Make a list of all the chapters from HRLLP that relates to The Kite Runner and explain each one.
The pomegranate tree is significant to the story due to its role that it plays in symbolizing the relationship of Amir and Hassan, growing and full of life. It represents what they have in common despite their differences, and even serves as a communion between them.
Chapter 1-  Amir embarks on a quest in order to win the heart of Baba.
Chapter 2- Amir and Hassan share a bond of communion under the pomegranate tree by sharing its fruit.
Chapter 5- Many different stories are given a new identity, such as the ones that Amir reads about. Hassan is also an allusion to the Bible.
Chapter 7- Hassan is expresses as a Christ figure, and many aspects of honor and virtue are withheld by him as he represents the servant's heart.
Chapter 11- Both types of violence are expressed in this novel, the physical violence brought about by another character, Assef, and the violence brought about by characters, Hassan could not do anything about Assef and his goons. The only way that the second violence could have been prevented would have been if Amir had stepped in and stood up for Hassan.
Chapter 12- Many objects in this novel are used as symbols, and new ones are introduced quite frequently.
Chapter 14- Hassan is a Christ figure, in which the moment he expresses this trait he is also "slaughtered" shortly after.
Chapter 15- The kite fighting tournament is representative of this chapter in HRLLP. The kite tournament is a physical representation of flight, not by a person, that will allow a freedom and an escape from the relationship that Amir previously shared with Baba.
Chapter 19- The location of the characters plays a huge role in how certain ethnicity groups or people are treated due to how the culture is. Activities that the people participate in also reflect this culture nicely.
Chapter 20- The seasons in the book correspond with the "seasons" that Amir and Hassan's relationship are going through.
Chapter 21- Hassan's cleft lip indicates not only a mark for greatness but also a mark of the persecution that will accompany him his entire life.
Chapter 24- Ali's disfiguring that is caused by the polio he endured goes beyond wounding him in a physical way, but also contributes to his mental torment from others.

LRB #1- The Kite Runner

"The Kite Runner"
Khaled Hosseini



Right from the get-go there is a lot of symbolism in the novel The Kite Runner. One of the most prominent symbols so far in this novel is Ali's disabilities and deformities due to either a birth defect or disease, and how it seems to be his shortcomings that are passes on from him to his dear son, Hassan. The fact that Ali can not freely move his face because of a congenital condition leaving the lower muscles immovable by himself is representative of how the hardships in his life have left him with the inability to really express strong emotion. His parents were killed in an accident, forcing him to be orphaned, but these events led to him meeting Baba, his lifelong friend and master. The fact that Ali is also a Hazara has undoubtedly brought him countless other problems, and his disfigured leg is a symbol of how who he is, what he was born into, and how he cannot move on from that; he is lame and forever stuck with that reality. The polio of life has disfigured who he can be, and only expresses how the culture viewed his people, the Hazaras, in the first place, "mice-eating, flat-nosed, load-carrying donkeys." The cruelty of life ensures that Ali's son, Hassan, is also burdened with the Hazara stigma, even from birth. He is born with the usual features of a Hazara, the flat nose and such, due to his people's mixing with the Mongolian bloodline, and also a cleft lip, which sets him even further apart than most Hazaras. This deformity, Hassan's cleft lip, is a symbol of yet again the stigma that is handed down, but also of the cruel truth that he too is stuck in that reality until the day he dies. Although the symbols in both Ali and Hassan seem to be debilitating, symbols more heavily associated with Amir are symbols of redemption and restoration. Kite running is a big deal where Amir lives, and his father, Baba, is very fond of it due to the fact that he won when he was younger, and holds the record for the most kites cut. The title of winning the kite tournament, paired with the bringing home of the last kite cut would, and does, mean a lot to Baba. When Amir wins the tournament, it completes one half of the goal he has set to win back Baba's heart, but the blue kite represents more than just redemption and restoration, it also represents lifelong pain and torment for both Hassan and himself. The kite represents something, such as money, that can buy a certain amount of something, but when that object or money loses its value, the happiness it brought fades. Who's to say that money can buy happiness, or a kite for that matter? What brings happiness to one brings chronic grief or suffering to another.

The Killing Joke Comic Questions

1. How is the depiction of The Joker in "The Killing Joke" similar to The Dark Knight? How is it different?

The similarities of the expression of the Joker in "TKJ" and The Dark Knight are unmistakably obvious. From how insane the Joker is as a whole, to the way he always has a different story about what led to him becoming the Joker in the first place, he is still pretty much the same guy, psychotic and anarchic. There is also another aspect to their similarity; the nihilistic aspect of his personality which results in violence and moralless actions that he gives no second thought to.

The way in which that they differ is how the Joker in "TKJ" is a little more human, even only for only a few panels toward the end. This shows a very strange aspect of him, and poses many questions to whether or not he is choosing to remain insane or is so tortured by what his past has created him to be that he truly believes it to be too late for him.

2. What is the theme in "TKJ"? What is the theme in TDK?

The theme of "TKJ" toys with the idea of the question, not "if" but "when" insanity will occur. The idea is supported by the ambiguous interpretations of the ending of this story, did Batman just break bad? Did he kill the Joker? Or did he do what he told the commissioner he would do and go "By the book?" 

The theme of TDK is one that deals more with the truth of the existence of good and evil. One does not exist without the other, and one cannot survive without its polar opposite, represented by Batman and the Joker.

3. In what ways is The Joker a moral nihilist? Give examples and quotes from both mediums.

Starting with examples from "TKJ", the Joker's nihilistic nature is expressed first of all when he breaks free from the asylum, and then because of what occurs after that; the shooting and potential rape of Barbara Gordon, the commissioner's daughter. He has no sense of morals, no boundaries to what he will do to fulfill his purpose, which is almost always obscure to everyone except himself.

Examples of the Joker's moral nihilism in TDK, in which the Joker expresses similar lack of morals when he relentlessly kills many people who are attempting the robbing of a bank. He blows up hospitals and poisons, blows up, and creates situations in which a tough choice must be made in order to save one person or the other which still results in explosions and harm to one or both members involved. When the people are fleeing Gotham city, he forces them into a situation in which they have the ability to save themselves by killing others, but despite the Joker's intentions they don't do what he wishes. He has no remorse for putting anyone in that sort of situation and would not even mourn one second for those lost in the case his plan was executed properly.

4. List the 3 most important quotes from "TKJ" and how they relate to the psychology of The Joker.

  1."Memory's so treacherous. one moment you're lost in a carnival of delights, with poignant childhood aromas , the flashing neon of puberty, all that sentimental candy-floss...the next , it leads you somewhere you don't want to go...somewhere dark and cold, filled with the damp, ambiguous shapes of thinks you'd hoped were forgotten."

  2."Madness is the emergency exit. You can just step outside, and close the door on all those dreadful things that happened. You can lock them away…forever."

  3."See, there were these two guys in a lunatic asylum... and one night, one night they decide they don't like living in an asylum any more. They decide they're going to escape! So, like, they get up onto the roof, and there, just across this narrow gap, they see the rooftops of the town, stretching away in the moon light... stretching away to freedom. Now, the first guy, he jumps right across with no problem. But his friend, his friend didn't dare make the leap. Y'see... Y'see, he's afraid of falling. So then, the first guy has an idea... He says 'Hey! I have my flashlight with me! I'll shine it across the gap between the buildings. You can walk along the beam and join me!' B-but the second guy just shakes his head. He suh-says... He says 'Wh-what do you think I am? Crazy? You'd turn it off when I was half way across!"

These three quotes represent a sort of progression of the Joker opening up and revealing a deeper part of himself. He subliminally reveals that his past memories haunt him, and also his reason for choosing to be insane. He wishes so bad to escape from his past that he has taken the "emergency exit" and just shut out all of his memories that he wanted so bad to forget. The third quote, found near the end where the Joker is opening up to Batman after his proposition (I used the right word this time!) to help him, to aid him in his coping with the events that had transpired in his past that molded him into the person he is. His humanity that is expressed shows how he still has, as stated, a human aspect left somewhere deep inside of him, but due to his repression of it for so long, it's much more painful for him to face it now since he had ignored it for so long; this is what creates the "it's too late" mentality in his mind, and is what holds the Joker captive. He dug a hole, stepped too far outside of the emergency exit to have any hope of even approaching the door that could easily lead to his redemption.