The Kite Runner

Summary, analysis, and important quotes

** Summary **

1- Chapter 3 opens with examples of the type of man Amir's father is.
Amir tells us Rahim Khan gave Baba his nickname, "Toophan agha, or
'Mr. Hurricane'" as he fought a black bear with bare hands. One of the
many things that Baba becomes known for is building an orphanage. In the
1960s, Baba built an orphanage. Even though Baba has no architectural
experience, he finishes the orphanage. Baba funds the entire project.

2- Amir remembers and is somewhat jealous of the physical contact that

his father had with Hassan, and Amir recounts examples of Baba not
listening to him.

3- Amir states that the complex nature of his relationship with his father is
a combination of love and fear, mixed with a little bit of hate. Amir also
shares with the reader what little information he has about his mother. He
said: "One of Kabul's most respected, beautiful, and virtuous ladies. Not
only did she teach classic Farsi literature at the university, she was a
descendent of the royal family"

4- After learning a lesson in school about the sinful nature of drinking

alcohol, Amir uses this as a springboard for a discussion with his father.
The mullah told them: ” Those who drank would answer for their sin on
the day of Qiyamat, Judgment Day" Baba makes a point that all sins are a
variation of the one and only sin — theft. He added that "When you kill a
man you steal his life" or "When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to
truth". Baba gets pretty worked up; he even says if a man were to steal a
loaf of bread he would "spit on such a man" and "if I ever cross paths with
him, God help him"

5- Amir introduces his love of language and talent for words, but when he
shares his success in the Battle of the Poems, Baba is disinterested. Amir
escaped his father's inattention through his mother's books, particularly her
novels.

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6- Both Amir and Baba recognize that Amir's interests, talents, and
abilities do not match those of Baba, particularly when Baba was a boy
growing up. The incident with the sporting matches illustrates the
difference. When Rahim Khan takes Amir's side, Baba more fully
articulates his primary concern about Amir, which is the inability and/or
unwillingness for Amir to stand up for himself.

7- Baba states, "A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who
can't stand up to anything." Rahim Khan tries to defend Amir, but Baba
still says some terrible things about his son. Amir knows this because he is
listening behind closed doors. The morning after eavesdropping on his
father's conversation, Amir snaps at Hassan.

** Analysis **

1- This chapter primarily develops the complex characters of Baba and

Amir. As a child, Amir desires to be alone with his father and resorts to
lying in order to get what he wants. This is a characteristic of a desperate
child. Lying — both lies of commission and lies of omission — is an
important motif in The Kite Runner. In addition, the quest for truth
permeates the text. The effect that lying has on the liar as well as on the
victim of the lie, the domino effect that a single lie has on the rest of a
person's life, and the atoning for telling a lie are three of the most
important thematic topics explored throughout the novel.

2- The jealous tone of Amir's memories foreshadows a later revelation and

is indicative of Amir's developing character. He was jealous at the time,
and his grown-up self telling this story also realizes his jealousy. Amir's
mother is gone physically, and his father is gone emotionally; thus, Amir is
essentially an orphan living in a privileged "orphanage." Part of an
explanation — not an excuse — for Amir's later actions is realizing that
Amir's life was essentially one enormous call for attention. Amir is, in
essence, a morally ambiguous character, a trait he shares with his father.

3- Baba seems to care more about others than he does his own son, and he
seems to have a distinct vision of what Amir should be and how Amir
should live, but Baba sees very little of himself in his offspring. One part
of Baba's character is revealed in his prophetic line, "God help us all if
Afghanistan ever falls into their hands." The "their" Baba is referring to are

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the Islamic fundamentalists. This not only demonstrates Baba's break from
other Muslims but also illustrates the insightful nature of his character, for
the Taliban has a disastrous effect on Afghanistan.

4- Baba also introduces one of the most important thematic topics of The
Kite Runner: theft. When Baba explains that all sin is some sort of
variation of theft, he is explaining to Amir and the reader his own personal
moral code. The important question is, "What happens to a man who is
unwilling or unable or refuses to follow his own moral code?" Readers do
not realize this yet, but this is a connection between father and son. When
talking about Baba, Amir says, in a seemingly throwaway line, "I was
always learning things about Baba from other people." This line also
foreshadows a major revelation later in the novel.

5- Baba, when talking about Amir, states an important thematic concept

about men standing up for themselves and for others. This particular
incident, it specifically refers to Amir and Hassan, but the larger thematic
significance of Baba's ideas is developed throughout the remainder of the
novel.

6- The juxtaposition of Baba's reference to Amir being his son with the
next paragraph/scene (having Amir interact with Hassan) demonstrates the
way siblings sometimes treat one another when they feel they are in
competition for a parent's affection, and yet again foreshadows the major
revelation.

** Important Quotes **

1- “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t
stand up to anything.”

Baba says these words to Rahim Khan while he is talking about Amir at
the end of Chapter 3, and the quotation reveals important traits in both
Amir and Baba. With these words, Baba sums up one of Amir’s major
character flaws—his cowardice—and Baba shows how much value he
places in standing up for what is right. Baba is reluctant to praise Amir,
largely because he feels Amir lacks the courage to even stand up for
himself, leaving Amir constantly craving Baba’s approval. Amir’s desire
for this approval as well as his cowardice later cause him to let Assef rape

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Hassan. The quotation also foreshadows the major test of Amir’s character
that occurs when he must decide whether to return to Kabul to save
Sohrab. As Amir searches for redemption, the question he struggles with is
precisely what concerns Baba: does he have the courage and strength to
stand up for what is right?

2- “Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only
one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Do you
understand that?”

Baba makes a point that all sins are a variation of the one and only sin —
theft. He added that "When you kill a man you steal his life" or "When you
tell a lie, you steal someone's right to truth". Baba gets pretty worked up;
he even says if a man were to steal a loaf of bread he would "spit on such a
man" and "if I ever cross paths with him, God help him"

3- “Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your
favorite colors.”
The reason Rahim said this to Baba was because Amir wasn't like his
father (Baba). Baba complained that the way Amir was growing up was
not the way that he, himself grew up. That is why Rahim said this.
The quote is a perfect way of saying that a parent cannot expect their child
to always follow after them. A lot of parents feel the need to have their
child grow up or do the things they did as a child.

4- “If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own
eyes, I'd never believe he's my son.”
Baba is somehow ashamed to have Amir as a son, he's skeptical because
they are so different and Amir is like his opposite in so many ways.
Amir isn't the boy his father is hoping for, because he will not stand up for
himself. He lets Hassan do the fighting for him and then lies about what
happened to his father. He refuses to give Hassan the credit he is doing.
Baba feels if he won't stand up for himself, then what kind of person will
he be as an adult? He fears his son will never take a stand for anything.
He thought his son would be like him, a man who stands up not just for
himself, but also for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Baba is a
man of action, a self-made man, who never backs down from a fight. The

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minute someone tells him he can't do something, he starts figuring out a
way to achieve his goal.

This is why his son is a stranger to him and he states he would have never
believed Amir was his if he had not seen him born.

5- “‘Piss on the beards of all those self-righteous monkeys… They do

nothing but thumb their prayer beads and recite a book written in a
tongue they don’t even understand… God help us all if Afghanistan
ever falls into their hands.’”

A quote from Baba in Chapter Three in response to the Mullah’s enforcing

of fundamentalist Islamic teachings. It reflects Baba’s liberal values, the
vice of moral reason, and also foreshadows the fall of Afghanistan into the
hands of the Taliban later in the novel.
6- “Self-defense has nothing to do with meanness"

As father and son, Baba and Amir have some similarities, but they are both
very different people. One of the major differences between Amir and
Baba is that Baba is seen as courageous, while Amir is more cowardly.
Amir always seems to let Hassan stand up for him, instead of standing up
for himself. “‘Self-defense has nothing to do with meanness.

7- “Baba saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what
was black and what was white. You can’t love a person who lives that
way without fearing him too.”

These lines define Amir’s relationship with his father, Baba. He thinks that
Baba wants things in his own way. His will is supreme in all matters and
that is why others fear him. It is difficult for a person to love such a figure
and then fear him, too.

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