Structure

2 distinct parts:
General structure:
1. The first part of the novel introduces Amir and Hassans typical child
friendship and their growing fondness for kites
2. The second section portrays Amirs struggles to fight the guilt he feels
over his betrayal over Hassan and ultimately the amazing twist of fate
that allows him to redeem himself over his mistakes over the past

Apart from the fragment in chapter 1, the charters leading up to the

revelation of the attack in the alley are told in a straightforward
manner, although much of what we are told fills in details from the
characters lives prior to the kite fight. Stories unfold in a chronological
manner leading up to the event. However, at the moment of the
attack, the narrative structure fractures and never fully resumes to the
linear structure of earlier chapters.
Climax:
Could be seen to have various climaxes but the most distinct in the rape in
chapter 7, and also the re visit to Afghanistan where he has the fight with
Assef
Turning points:
The dream at the start of chapter 7: symbolises facing fears straight on
End of chapter 9: the end of Hassan and Amirs friendship:
This is when we realise that Hassan knew Amir
witnessed the raping all along and that he lied and said
that he stole the watch to protect Amir
Also, this is the first time where we see Babas, normally
strong character, cry and Amir is surprised that Baba
forgives Hassan, begging him to stay
Flashbacks and foreshadowing:
The use of time devices provide the reader and narrator with information
about what has happened outside the action of the novel
Parallel structure
Parallelism: a repletion of similar event or situations for effect
Incident
- One eyed Assef

Example #1
Hassan was great at a
slingshot and used it to
defend Amir; threatened
to make "one eyed
Assef" if Assef didn't
back off (p. 45)

Example #2
Sohrab uses his
slingshot and fulfilled his
fathers threat by
putting ball in Assefs
eye; he too saves Amir
(p. 305)

- Amir hid birthday

- 26 years later Amir

- watch and money

money and a watch

under Hassans mattress
to frame him so that
Baba would have no
choice but to ask
Hassan and Ali to leave
(p. 110)

thinks Wahids boys are

looking at his watch so
he gave it to them ( p.
251)(they are actually
looking at his food) He
also puts money under
the mattress to help
this time, not hurt. (p.
254)

Hassan runs the kite for

Amir (p. 71)

Amir runs the kite for

Sohrab (p. 391)

Hassan says to Amir,

"for you a thousand
times over"(p. 71) when
he is about to get the
blue kite for Amir

- Amir says it to Sohrab

at the end of the novel
when he is just about to
retrieve the kite for
Sohrab (p. 391)

- kite running
- quotation

- Shahnamah (the story

of Rostam and Sohrab)
(about Persian heroes,
Rostam is a great
warrior who mortally
wounds his nemesis,
Sohrab, only to find out
that Sohrab is his long
lost son: notice parallel)

- Farid says it to Amir in

the hospital when Amir
asks him to do a favour
(p. 319)
Amir reads the book to
Hassan when they are
young under the
pomegranate tree
(p. 31)

Amir reads the book to

Sohrab while he is in the
hospital (p. 371)

- rape

- Assef rapes Hassan

because he hates
Hazaras and because he
has to get back at
Hassan for threatening
him with the slingshot
(p. 81)

- Assef presumably
rapes Sohrab because
he is Hassans son and
because he can (293)

- Hassan and Ali's home

- Kamal watched Hassan
get raped; he also gets
raped by four boys (p.
127)
- Hassan and his father

Hassan returns as an
adult with his wife and
(eventually) son to live
in the same house to

Ali live in a mud hut on

Babas property (p. 6)
- Assef's promise

- Irrational laughter

- redemption

- harelip

-special presents

- Assef promised to get

back at both Hassan and
Amir for the initial
slingshot incident. (p.
46) He gets back at
Hassan by raping him.
- Assef tells Amir of his
experience in jail,
laughing while being
beaten up because his
kidney stone passed and
he read it as a sign from
god (p. 297)
Amir watches while
Hassan is raped. He
doesnt help of save
Hassan (p. 82)

- Amir wants Hassan to

hit him with
pomegranates because
he craved punishment
for not helping Hassan
(p. 98)
- Hassan is born with a
harelip (p. 3)

- Hassan's unique
birthday present from
Baba is having the
surgeon correct his

help Rahim Khan. He

felt it was a matter of
respect not to live in
Baba's house (p. 219)

He gets back at Amir

later by beating him up
(p. 302) using the same
brass knuckles he used
a a boy
- Amir laughs while
being beaten by Assef
because he finally feels
redemption for what he
did to Hassan.(p. 303)
- Amir returns to
Afghanistan to save
Sohrab for his similar
fate with Assef; he does
for Sohrab what he was
unable to do for Hassan
(p. 305)
- Amir recalls the
incident with the
pomegranates during
his fight with Assef
(p. 303)
- Amir's lip is smashed
during fight with Assef;
the doctor describes it
as being split "clean
down the middle." Amir
recognizes this as
similar to a harelip (p.
312)
- Amir gives Sohrab the
photograph of Sohrab
and Hassan outside the
mosque
(p. 333)

harelip (p. 49),