The Kite Runner

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the play over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The hero’s journey, developed by Joseph Campbell, presents an ancient pattern of tropes that are ever present in the themes and motifs of The Kite Runner. When Amir receives Rahim Khan’s phone call, he is literally answering the call to action, which beckons the hero of myth into adventure.

• What other heroic patterns of the hero’s journey does Amir fulfill? (topic Sentence)
• Pick one or two different stages in the hero’s journey and provide direct quotes or examples from the book showing when Amir experiences them.
• Conclude with any other general similarities or differences between Amir and the hero’s journey process. Is Amir a hero or not?

2. Amir’s mother has a distinct and defining influence on Amir’s life, though she is largely absent from the text, having died giving birth to Amir. In what ways does her death affect Amir’s character arc?

• In what ways, subtle or unsubtle, is Amir’s mother’s absence felt in the text? (topic sentence)
• How does her absence make a difference in the story? Provide a direct quotation or example from the text to support each example.
• To conclude, explain what Hosseini is saying about the impact of loss of loved ones through her character.

3. In The Kite Runner, men outnumber women by a vast majority. Soraya Taheri, Amir’s mother, Sofia Akrami, and Sanaubar each undergo vicious and incredible instances of peril or trauma at the hands of men, even men who love them.

• What does the role of women in the narrative suggest about the world in which the novel is set? (topic sentence)
• Pick one or two female characters and explain what their experience says about the world of the novel. Use examples and direct quotes from the text to support your argument.
• Generally speaking, what is The Kite Runner saying about the experience of women in Afghanistan?

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Both Baba and General Taheri often refer to nang and namoos, honor and pride, but both men are ambivalent characters whose true natures and shameful acts Amir learns about from other sources. What do Baba’s and General Taheri's secrets suggest about masculinity? How does Amir subvert these expectations?

As you compose your essay, incorporate at least three direct quotes and cite appropriately.

2. As children, Amir and Hassan watch various Western films starring popular American actors Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson. At the flea market, on his way to flirt at Soraya’s stall, Amir passes a stand of shirts featuring “Jesus, Elvis, [and] Jim Morrison.” In later chapters, Assef is often identified sporting round glasses like John Lennon’s. What does the inclusion of these Western icons in the text suggest of America’s role abroad? As you compose your essay, incorporate at least three direct quotes and cite appropriately.

3. Throughout The Kite Runner, Afghanistan’s turbulent political climate is alluded to, often interrupting, intertwining, and sometimes totally upending the lives of the novel’s key characters. In what ways do Afghanistan’s political struggles, as shown in the novel, parallel or reflect the main conflict between Amir and Hassan? How would Amir and Hassan’s life be different if war had never come to Afghanistan?

4. One of the primary conflicts in The Kite Runner is Amir's development as he negotiates what he wants to bring to his future from his past. How does his journey start a Spiritual Awakening? How is Amir’s character at the end of the novel spiritually different from his character at the beginning? 

5. There are several instances of Betrayal throughout The Kite Runner. Amir almost can't help betraying Hassan as they grow up together, and he later learns that Baba had betrayed Ali, who he also grew up with. What is Ironic about the cycle of betrayal in The Kite Runner? How is this foreshadowed by the story that Amir wrote and Rahim Khan praised? Construct your answer with at least 3 examples from the text.