In addition to the issues affecting his personal life, Amir must also contend with the instability of the Afghan political system in the 1970s. Many of the ruling-class elite in Afghanistan view the world as black and white, yet Amir identifies many shades of gray. And Amir's father, Baba, who does not consistently adhere to the tenets of his culture, confuses rather than clarifies things for young Amir. Hassan and his father, Ali, are servants, yet at times, Amir's relationship with them is more like that of family members. One of the biggest struggles for Amir is learning to navigate the complex socioeconomic culture he faces, growing up in Afghanistan as a member of the privileged class yet not feeling like a privileged member of his own family. Along the way, readers are able to experience growing up in Afghanistan in a single-parent home, a situation that bears remarkable similarities to many contemporary households. In addition to typical childhood experiences, Amir struggles with forging a closer relationship with his father, Baba with determining the exact nature of his relationship with Hassan, his Shi'a Muslim servant and eventually with finding a way to atone for pre-adolescent decisions that have lasting repercussions. An adult Amir opens the novel in the present-day United States with a vague reference to one of these events, and then the novel flashes back to Amir's childhood in Afghanistan. After Hassan finds the second-place kite, some cruel boys find Hassan, and Amir witnesses something that affects his self-worth and his life path from that moment on.The Kite Runner is the story of Amir, a Sunni Muslim, who struggles to find his place in the world because of the aftereffects and fallout from a series of traumatic childhood events. When Amir wins a kite fight, Hassan runs to catch the last kite that Amir beat. However, when it's just the two of them, they play together often, frequently running kites - a sport where kite fighters try to cut each other's string, and boys run to catch the loose kites.

Baba gives Hassan a lot of attention, which makes Amir competitive for his father's affection when other Pashtun boys are around, Amir sets himself above Hassan, teasing him and shunning him. Amir's family members are Pashtuns, considered in their culture superior to Hazaras like Hassan and his father, Ali. Whereas Amir receives every advantage - a fine house, extravagant gifts on his birthday, and a good education - servile Hassan's illiterate and lives in a hut on the property of Amir's father, Baba.

The son of a wealthy businessman, he grows up alongside Hassan, the son of his father's servant. In Khaled Hosseini's debut novel THE KITE RUNNER, Amir comes of age in 1970s Afghanistan.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini