The Kite Runner Summary

The story opens in pre-Taliban Kabul, Afghanistan. The protagonist, Amir, is recalling events from his childhood. He lived a lavish life with his father, Baba, and their servant, Ali and his son Hassan. Hassan and Amir grew up together and were almost like brothers, however Ali and Hassan belonged to the religious minority group, the Shias, and Baba and Amir, Sunni Muslims, superior. The different religious sects made it difficult for the boys to be real friends, despite their many character similarities and personal connection to one another. Hassan and Amir had a lot in common, such as the fact that they both grew up without a mother. Though they were raised with different beliefs, they were brought up together, and spent their entire childhoods making memories with each other.
Though Hassan did not actually get to compete in the event because of his religious identity, he still participated by helping Amir regain his kite after it flew the winning distance. Hassan went to fetch Amir’s kite for him but took a very long time to come back, so Amir went looking for him. When he found him, Hassan was being raped by 3 men, apparently Sunni. Rather than interfering or finding help to protect the innocent Hassan,, Amir ran away in fear and humiliation, pretending as though he had never seen