The Kite Runner: Criticism as Related to Oliver Twist
My personal criticisms of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner.
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, was by no means a poorly written book. The expressiveness of the characters and the expansive use of vocabulary produced a book that was easy to read and not at all dull. However, Kite Runner had a fatal flaw- It was filled with a certain element that I refer to as Twistism. Twistism is when a book’s plot is so coincidental, so insistent on Murphy’s Law, and so unbelievable that it is likened to Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. This book left me reeling with disbelief by its conclusion.
From the very beginning of Kite Runner I felt the echoes of Oliver Twist. The book begins its first chapter with those all too familiar elements of cryptic foreshadowing, “I thought about something that Rahim Khan said… There is a way to be good again” (2). I thought to myself, “Oh no, it’s going to be one of those books.” However, the first few chapters only had sparse foreshadowing to the oncoming tragedies of the book and I began to think that perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad. I was sadly mistaken. The rape of his friend Hassan ended all hope. From that point forward, the story only became more and more immersed in Twistism.
I noticed right away that the general tone of the story was regret and depression. Although regret did not play a large role in Oliver Twist, depression was synonymous to the title. Coming into this book I knew of Afghanistan’s war torn past and expected the general misfortune and depression of war and its horrors. Hassan’s rape also added to the elements of depression and internal conflict. These elements made the book unpleasant to read as simply reading a chapter could ruin a perfectly good mood for me. But, I digress, sometimes a depressing story can be quite a masterpiece. However, many more elements came together to bring this book down from a novel to garbage.
With such a strong setting and circumstances Kite Runner had every opportunity to be a great book. I was surprised then Twistism when came in. The first instance of Twistism was when after Amir and his father had fled to America. Amir’s father and he were beginning to bond and actually have a good relationship with one another. Suddenly, Baba is diagnosed with Cancer and dies a few chapters later. Murphy’s law states that the worst that can happen will happen, and this book is a testament to that.
Baba’s death was only a slight instance of Twistism; however the next example is incredibly obvious. Amir returns to Afghanistan and meets with Rahim Khan; who mysteriously contacted Amir over the phone. Upon meeting Rahim, Amir comments that his creative writing teacher had said, “‘Avoid them [clichés] like the plague’” (197). He makes this comment to describe the encounter he had with Rahim before it takes place in the novel. If I were the author I would never have said something like this in Kite Runner, especially at this point in the novel. It simply draws attention to the fact that the novel fills itself with tired out old clichés. The old clichés that came from Oliver Twist in fact! The clichés of every soap opera! The cliché that is Amir and Hassan being half-brothers! The cliché that all his friends from his past are dead or dying! This book reminds me off every cliché that took place in Oliver Twist!
This whole book is related to Oliver Twist because the plot is structured so similarly. Amir is related to Hassan, just as Oliver was related to Monks. Also, Hassan was entitled to a vast fortune (that of Baba), similar to how Oliver had a fortune left to himself as well. The only difference is that Hassan never lived to find out about his rightful wealth. Amir’s relatives and friends get killed while he remains oblivious, just as Oliver lost Dick and Nancy in his tale. These ridiculous coincidences do nothing for the book but ruin it.
I don’t understand how the author thought such ridiculous coincidences would satisfy his readers. The point of realistic fiction is that it is believable. This throws the worth of the book out the window! The most unbelievable situation in the story was when Amir realizes that the Taliban who owns Sohrab is his childhood enemy Assef. Not only that, but the encounter ends with Assef getting shot in the eye by Sohrab with a sling-shot. That very scenario played out years ago with Hassan in place of Sohrab. I found myself getting so upset over this book because there is no way something like that could ever happen! It is too coincidental!
I realized that this book could have been great. It could have been one of the best books I’d come across. However, it fell short. Somewhere along the lines it became nothing more than an Afghanistan version of Oliver Twist. Kite Runner disappointed me, and I hope that Khaled Hosseini’s other works are more believable.
Liked it
I disagree with this critique so wholeheartedly.
The Kite runner is one of the most involving, enjoyable and enlightening books that I have read in many years. To call it cliched is ridiculous. The theme of the book is not regret it is redemption and to say that it is depressing throughout is ridiculous. How could Hosseini have written a cheerful story about Taliban invasion and the horrors that came with it? Though I do believe that The Kite runner is ultimately uplifting and shows the good in humankind.
This critic seems to believe that any plot tool is cliche. The writer comments that Amirs return to find his friends dead is cliche. Should Hosseini have had them all live miraculously to avoid this cliche? Surely If the story ran that Amir returned to Afghanistan and everyone was fine and by some miracle had all survived happily the critic would call this unrealistic and cliched in its unlikelihood. The discovery of Amir and Hassans kinship also is described as cliche by this critic. Why? I dont think that this revelation is expected at all and is a very real detail in the story. Is it shocking that a man would lie about his infidelity? No I think not.
Sohrabs blinding of Assef is not cliche! It is an impressive literary tool used to echo the life of his father and does this to great effect in my opinion.
Literary tools used in the kite runner such as echos of the past and repetitions of earlier actions make this book beautiful not cliche.
I urge anyone reading this critic to disregard it and read the kite runner for yourself, I am sure you will discover a thoroughly beautiful and well written novel.
I agree with this guy. The whole story is one coincidence after another! The two main characters finding out that they are brothers? That’s something straight out of a soap opera! Maybe it is well written, and maybe it has good literary elements, but it’s plot is far from original. It’s just the standard story in an Afghanistan setting.
I guess it’s not a horrible book or anything, but definetly not worth the critical acclaim that it received
Hey, guess what?
Your whole entire review is a cliche in itself according to you. Heck, by your standards puttin a pen to paper is a cliche.
I completely agree with Josh.Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion but when you are a best seller or can write a better book then this review of yours can be regarded because according to you, almost every literary device Hussain employed was a ‘cliche’…which is not true or fair.
Cliche: A trite or overused expression or idea…
I don’t really see the theme of oppression, war, and kinship in Afghanistan overused everyday, so maybe calling it a cliche is a little unecassary or even very, very wrong.
I liked this novel, and I liked hosseini’s second novel even better. Maybe you should read that one (A Thousand Splendid Suns), and count the cliches in that one too.
I wholeheartedly agree with LaraLee.
So, haha, getting cancer is unrealistic? Having a child by another woman is unrealistic? The rape of boys in Afghanistan is an unrealistic coincedence?
I think the MOST realistic part of this book is the lack of a happy ending.
“I noticed right away that the general tone of the story was regret and depression.”
Ohh, and well done
It’s not unrealistic, but it’s beating a dead horse. There are tons of books like this. This one is in Afghanistan though.
I suppose that all these things could happen. That is possible. It makes a good story, but not a good book. This is not a classic, this is a fad. No one will remember this book in fifty years. It is an okay book, but not at all what everyone makes it out to be.
You only ever hear the positives of this book and I wanted to accentuate the negatives. I do not hate this book, it just wasn’t that great. If you like it, that is fine. I respect your opinions, I just felt this story wasn’t realistic enough.
I can cope with the depressing qualities of the book and I thought the first section was very good. However, the idea that the same guy who abused Hassan has managed to pick out Hassan’s son at an orphanage, and the whole slingshot incident gets played out seems to jar with the tone of the rest of the book. Those sort of things happen in cheesey airport literature, not novels which have had the praise heaped on it like this book has.