Chapter 1

The Kite Runner - Chapter 1

We are introduced to the character of Amir straight away, as the first quote of the first chapter says "I became what I am today at the age of twelve". This shows that something very important has happened to him at this age, meaning that he had to grow up fast, like he had no other option to. His friend, Rahim Khan, is also introduced in the first chapter, as Rahim calls Amir, and this brings a whole world of memories back to Amir, including "my past of unatoned sins". This shows us that he has done something in his past that he regrets, but then at the end of the chapter, Rahim says "there is a way to be good again". This shows that Rahim wants for him to be good again, and this gives something for Amir to reflect upon in the first chapter. Of course, as the reader, we don't know what is meant by "unatoned sins", but we believe what the character of Amir is saying, as he seems to be reliable. Another way Amir is shown to be reliable in the first chapter, is when he deeply describing an event that happened in the winter of 1975. He states that "I remember the precise moment", which leads us to believe that the information he will be providing us with is reliable.

The narrator provides us with a setting in the opening chapter, which is San Francisco, but this is shown to not be his true home or birth place by Amir says "The city I now call home". We are not given his original home country, but in the blurb it states that Amir is from Afghanistan.

One relationship that is given to us obviously is when Amir tells us about his friend Rahim. But there is another relationship in the chapter, when Amir goes on to mention Hassan. He sees a pair of kites in the sky whist reflecting on the phone call with Amir, in Golden Gate Park. The word "pair" really links in the relationship, as it shows they are like twins, they are very close. I think this will come into more relevance as we learn more about Hassan. He also uses some narrative devices when describing the kite, for example personification when describing how the kits moved - "danced". Also a simile to describe how the kites looked "like a pair of eyes".