Kite Runner Quotes

The Kite Runner Notes
- California, San Francisco
- Year 2000
- Young couple
- Man receives box of novels in the mail
- Novel is called “A season for ashes”
- We learn the man’s name is Amir Qadiri when we see the novel beside the telephone when it rings. The phone rings for Amir and he’s asked to go to Afghanistan.
- At this stage the film flashes back to 1978 in Kabul, Afghanistan
- For the second time so far in the movie flying kites have been the focal point at the start of the scene
- Amir is flying a kite, he looks about 10 years old
- Amir’s friend knew exactly where the kite would land
- Amir was a pacifist as a child and his father didn’t like this – “A boy who can’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up for
anything”.
- Amir’s mother died at Amir’s birth, Amir thinks his father hates him for this.
- “Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul”
- Hassan runs kite for Amir
- Amir runs away when Hassan is being beaten up
- Amir shaping to be a coward
- Amir and his father are wealthy, upper class
- Hassan and his father are servants to Agha and Amir
- Amir frames Hassan, putting his watch under Hassan’s pillow.
- Amir claims Hassan stole it
- Hassan and Ali leave Amir and his father as servants
- As they’re leaving the premises, time flashes forward a year to the Soviet Invasion in December 1979
- Amir told to pack his bags and evacuate
- Amir and Agha leave to Pakistan as Agha fears the communists are out to get him
- Agha opposite to Amir, stands up for what he believes in. A scene in the truck while going to Pakistan where a Soviet wants an hour with a lady on the truck. Agha will not let him and tells the soldier he would rather be shot than for such an injustice to happen.
- This scene ends with Amir reciting a poem in the truck on the way across the border
- Flash forward to Fremont, California 1988
- Agha working at gas station
- Amir graduates college
- Agha very proud of Amir but wants him to be a doctor and Amir wants to be a writer
- Agha – “I wish Hassan were here with us today, this would make him happy”
- Agha finds out he’s
dying
- Amir asks Agha to speak to General Taheri and obtain permission to have Soraya’s hand
- Amir and Soraya get married
- Flash forward to San Francisco in the year 2000
- This brings us back to where the movie started
- A season for ashes is sitting on the phone table
- Amir called to Pakistan to see Rahim Khan who is dying of an illness. He always encouraged Amir to become a writer as a child so Amir believes it is his duty to go to Pakistan to see Khan.
- Amir’s novel sitting next to the phone table when the phone rings is intentional to link the two stories together.
- Time moves forward to Amir arriving in Pakistan
- Khan is very happy to see Amir.
- Khan moved to Pakistan less than a year before
- Taliban are ruining Afghanistan
- Taliban have even banned kite flying
- Amir dedicated A season for ashes to Khan for “listening to my stories before I knew gow to write”
- Amir wants to take Khan back to America to receive proper treatment
- Khan reveals that his health was not the reason he called Amir to Pakistan.
- He called Amir there to inform him of the fate of his old ‘friend’ Hassan.
- Hassan was re-appointed caretaker for Agha and Amir’s house
- Taliban came and demanded Hassan leave.
- Hassan being the loyal man he always was refused to leave the house.
- For this, he and his wife were executed
- Hassan had a son. He was now orphaned
- Khan tells Amir to go back to Kabul to rescue the boy from the orphanage
- Amir reluctant to go back to Kabul
- Khan reveals that Ali was sterile. Therefore Hassan was not Ali’s son. He was actually Agha’s son too. Meaning Hassan was Amir’s half-brother.
- As Khan wished, Amir returned to Kabul, the place is horrible and completely ruined from what Amir can remember. Amir must wear a beard and turban and is in grave danger through Kabul.
- Amir makes a negotiation to make secret business at a house to gain custody of Sorhab
- Leaves with Sorhab after being beaten up
- Escapes while being chased.
- Returns to Kabul to find Khan has died
- Amir awakes to an empty house without Sorhab, Amir worries but finds him at the mosque
- Sorhab is very lacking in happiness and self-esteem
- Sorhab – “im glad they’re (his parents) dead sometimes” Amir – “Why?” Sorhab – “because I don’t want them to see me” “I’m dirty”
- Amir takes Sorhab back to America, he moves in with Amir and Soraya.
- The film ends with Amir showing Sorhab how to fly a kite
- Amir tells Sorhab of his father’s ability to run kites.
- Amir runs the kite for Sorhab just like Hassan did for him.
- “For you, a thousand times over!”