1991. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.
In the novel, Kite Runner, the protagonist, Amir, lives in two separate places. He was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, and later moved to a different location in America. Amir’s hometown of Kabul represents his culture and the conflicts that he had faced in the past, while America represents the new beginnings for him, the amends that he makes in order to redeem himself for his past actions.
Kabul represents the conflicts that Amir faced within Afghanistan. For example, at a young age, Amir was faced with deciding to do the right thing, risking getting beat up, yet standing up for his friend; or doing the wrong thing by being a bystander and watching the heinous crime take place. In the end, Amir had made the tragic decision to watch his closest friend get assaulted. This made Amir face many conflicts within himself of guilt and he ended up pushing away his best friend, Hassan, away because of it. Another conflict that Kabul represents for Amir would be his seemingly never-ending quest for his father’s approval. In Kabul, Amir’s father was a highly respected man who was well-known throughout their town for his courageous and generous behavior. Amir sought to receive his father’s recognition and he felt as though he received it by winning the Kite Running competition.
Amir made a transition to America from Kabul due to the war in Afghanistan. Amir and Baba made a new life in America, yet Amir still continued to follow in his father’s footsteps. Baba later died while in America and Amir finally struck out on his own. While in America, an old friend, Rahim Khan called Amir to tell him that there was a way for him to reconcile for everything that he had done in his past, mainly concerning Hassan. Amir discovers that Hassan was shot and his son was still alive. Amir then takes charge and redeems himself by getting Sohrab out of Kabul and bringing him back to America with him. America represents Amir’s actions of reconciling his sins that he committed against Hassan in his past. The ending of this novel even shows Sohrab and Amir flying a kite together just as Hassan and Amir had done as they were children, signifying that everything had been forgiven and returned to a state of balance.
