I started reading The Kite Runner, but since it is the end of summer and I am on my last book, my pace has dwindled. So, the going is slow for me and I hope to pick it up ASAP!
At first I thought this book might be another bildungsroman, but it might be more than that because it has violent struggles between races/religion/classes.
Both Ali and his son, Hassan are disfigured (Ali has an atrophied leg and Hassan has a cleft lip), so I am wondering if they are "marked for greatness." Even though they are both disfigured, they are very strong people and live life happily, which I admire very much. When Hassan was born, his mother was disgusted by his cleft lip and wouldn't even hold him. This reminds me of East of Eden when Cathy abandons her sons because she didn't love them. It is hard to imagine a mother who doesn't love her children. The lack of motherly figures in this novel might have some importance since the narrator, Amir, is motherless too. His mother died while giving birth to him. Mothers are comforting, loving, gentle, and compassionate. So maybe in Hassan's and Amir's life, they are lacking that component.
The novel also describes the innocence of childhood. Hassan, a Hazara and a Shi'a Muslim, and Amir, a Pashtun and a Sunni Muslim, do not discriminate against each other like the adults do. They are able to foster a wonderful friendship where religion and race do not limit their ability to be friends.
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