In the novel, The Kite Runner, the style of writing is pretty simple. It is told in a realistic fashion and is placed in chronological order, telling the life story of Amir ever since he was a little boy. The author does a nice job transitioning Amir's ages without dragging his life out or jumping too fast through out his childhood. The entire story is told from the point of view of Amir. This will cause the reader to see more in depth to who Amir is and what he is thinking and how he is viewing different events.
Another stylistic piece that happens in The Kite Runner is the use of the Farsi language. Through out the story, Amir may describe something or another character may speak to Amir in the Farsi language. After saying something in Farsi, the author will place a comma after the word and then say it's definition. "Leaving his beloved hometown, his Watan." (Page 174) Having this in the novel causes the reader to become more involved and understanding of the character's culture.
Another way the author helps the reader become more knowledgeable about Amir's culture is the two events of the wedding and the funeral. In the section of the novel I am currently reading, Amir gets married to a woman named Soraya. They met at a flee market and as soon as Amir saw her, he fell in love. The wedding that they have is very traditional and is called "giving word". "The general held me at arms length and smiled knowingly, as if saying, 'Now this is the right way- the Afghan way- to do it, bachem.' we kissed three times on the cheek." (Page 167) Amir describes the whole wedding and all of the traditions that I was unfamiliar with and it was interesting to compare my traditions of weddings to his. Then, as the section went on, Amir's father, Baba, ends up dying because of cancer. The funeral is also traditional and has some differences to what is a traditional funeral for my family and I. "The men's section of the mosque was a large square room, covered with Afghan rugs and thin mattresses placed in parallel lines. Men filed into the room, leaving their shoes at the entrance and sat cross-legged on the mattresses. A mullah chanted surrahs from the Koran into a microphone. I sat by the door, the customary position for the family of the deceased." (Page 174) Having the writing style of placing these descriptions of the traditional weddings and funerals, and the incorporation of the Farsi language into the novel help educate the reader of what the character's lifestyle is and it creates the reader to become more involved in the story.
Courtney, while you're right about the novel following Amir's development as the book goes on, doesn't it contain a rather reflective perspective, as he's looking back on many of these elements?
ReplyDeleteHave you considered the significance of kite, as they play a major plot role and are also in the title? Also, isn't there a pomegranate tree early in the book?
Do you think there's any significance to the shift in setting that occurs in this section, since Amir and his family have re-settled in America?
I really liked how you explained how the author approached the writing style. I think that the use of reflection as well as the more upbeat pace leaves the author interested as well as looking to fill in the pieces of Amir's life that the author leaves unclear. The shift from Afghanistan to America definitely makes a huge stylistic change in the novel which you reflected and analyzed well. I'm curious if you have seen the authors style shift to be more sophisticated as Amir reflections on more mature times in his life versus the author's style when Amir is reflecting on his childhood?
ReplyDeleteI like that the idea's of culture are being infused into the writing and that they made an impact on your interpretation of the style. As you mentioned it is told from Amir's point of view, I was curious if his interpretation of the world around him influenced how you, the reader, interpreted the society Amir is growing up in. I was also curious if you found that reading from Amir's perspective allows you to see the growth of his character more clearly.
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