Compare the Opening Chapter of ‘the Kite Runner’ with the Opening of ‘the Great Gatsby’
Both Hosseini and Fitzgerald use their opening chapter to introduce their narrative techniques to entice the reader. In the opening chapter of The Kite Runner Hosseini uses a reflective tone in the narrative to plant the seeds of three prominent themes in the novel: guilt, betrayal and atonement. Similarly Fitzgerald tells the story in the opening chapter of The Great Gatsby by introducing Nick as a first person narrator, telling the story in retrospect, Fitzgerald also lays the foundations for both a love story and a 20th century tragedy in the first chapter.
With hindsight one can see that Hosseini uses subtle juxtapositions in the opening chapter to accentuate the extent of Amir’s guilt. Hosseini uses idyllic and utopian descriptions of San Francisco ‘sun sparkled on the water where dozens of miniature boats sailed, propelled by a crisp breeze’ which contrasts notably with the feelings of self-disgust and remorse that consume Amir’s feelings which are so strong that they ultimately force him to leave the freedom and ‘utopia’ of the city he now calls ‘home’ and return to the turmoil and instability of Afghanistan. On the other hand, the setting of the opening chapter of the Great Gatsby is key in Fitzgerald’s emphasis of the East Egg persona. The Buchanan household is a “Georgian colonial mansion immediately gives the impression of settled aristocracy in East Egg, and allows the reader to easily place Tom Buchanan, and later Daisy and Jordan firmly amongst the well-bred upper social classes. Fitzgerald’s placement of the “courtesy bay” between the two Eggs allows him to further reinforce the importance of the divide between the two societies. The setting is used to closely mimic the story; East and West Egg are geographically close, yet a firm social and natural line is drawn between them. analogously to Hosseini’s Kite Runner; Afghanistan and San Francisco are geographically very far apart; but yet again the social line is very clearly drawn on the lives people
With hindsight one can see that Hosseini uses subtle juxtapositions in the opening chapter to accentuate the extent of Amir’s guilt. Hosseini uses idyllic and utopian descriptions of San Francisco ‘sun sparkled on the water where dozens of miniature boats sailed, propelled by a crisp breeze’ which contrasts notably with the feelings of self-disgust and remorse that consume Amir’s feelings which are so strong that they ultimately force him to leave the freedom and ‘utopia’ of the city he now calls ‘home’ and return to the turmoil and instability of Afghanistan. On the other hand, the setting of the opening chapter of the Great Gatsby is key in Fitzgerald’s emphasis of the East Egg persona. The Buchanan household is a “Georgian colonial mansion immediately gives the impression of settled aristocracy in East Egg, and allows the reader to easily place Tom Buchanan, and later Daisy and Jordan firmly amongst the well-bred upper social classes. Fitzgerald’s placement of the “courtesy bay” between the two Eggs allows him to further reinforce the importance of the divide between the two societies. The setting is used to closely mimic the story; East and West Egg are geographically close, yet a firm social and natural line is drawn between them. analogously to Hosseini’s Kite Runner; Afghanistan and San Francisco are geographically very far apart; but yet again the social line is very clearly drawn on the lives people