26. Chapter 25: Another Kite Runner

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we read through the twenty-fourth chapter of the novel, focusing in particular on: (i) the importance of religion; (ii) the importance of books and stories; (iii) the symbolism of Sohrab not speaking, the echoes of Amir’s decision back in 1975 to not speak up when he should have done so (“‘I watched Hassan get raped,’ I said to no one”, p. 80); (iv) the difference between Kabul and Fremont in California; (v) Amir’s insistence that the Afghan community in California do not categorise Sohrab as a Hazara; (vi) the importance of the September 11th terrorist attacks; (vii) the final scene of the novel – Amir acting as the kite runner for Sohrab – and the glimmer of hope as Sohrab reveals a half-smile; (viii) the extent to which Amir has ‘become’ Hassan by the end of the novel; and (ix) the extent to which Amir has atoned for his sins.

Course

In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores Khalid Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. We begin with a broad introduction to the historical, political and literary context of the novel, before going through the whole novel chapter-by-chapter, providing close reading and detailed analysis, with commentary on character, plot, themes, motifs, language, symbolism and more.

Lecturer

John McRae is Special Professor of Language in Literature Studies and Teaching Associate in the School of English at Nottingham University, and holds Visiting Professorships in China, Malaysia, Spain and the USA. He is co-author of The Routledge History of Literature in English with Ron Carter, and also wrote The Language of Poetry, Literature with a Small 'l' and the first critical edition of Teleny by Oscar Wilde and others.