Example of literary essay

Student

Mr. Tompkins

English 100

November 12, 2016

Real Family Ties

            The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, is driven by tortured family relationships. Some are shaped by collisions of culture and class, others by the unfortunate differences that occur between family and friends. The book has many examples of traditions that worked in Afghanistan but don't in America, as well as problems between parents and kids that probably are universal. Amir's relationship with his father as well as Soraya with her father show the reader just how troubled they can get. Tradition, gender, honor, and pride are key factors to what twists up their relationship with their parents.

          As you read the book, you can’t help notice the similarities between Amir and Soraya. One major similarity is their parents. Both of their fathers worked in important jobs and held high social status in Kabul. Amir’s father was a businessman and Soraya’s father was a general. They were even well acquainted before moving the United States. Both wanted decent careers for their children. Baba insisted for Amir to pursue for a career in the medical or law field, General Taheri wished the same for his daughter. But despite their parent’s efforts, Amir and Soraya decided to take other career paths. Amir wanted to be a writer and Soraya a teacher. Each child has greatly disappointed their fathers. Amir when he had Hassan fight his battles for him and Soraya when she fled with her boyfriend and possibly causing her mother’s stroke. As a result of their past mistakes, both Amir and Soraya have lived with the guilt.

          Despite the similarities shared by Amir and Soraya, tradition is a major issue that separates the two.  For one, gender plays a big role in shaping a relationship. Soraya, being a woman, is not entitled to the same liberties as men are according to Afghan culture. One example of this is when Amir sees Soraya in the flea market and begins to talk with her. Soraya then brings up how she heard he was a storyteller. Amir was taken by surprise by this and questioned if her father had been the one who told her. But then put that thought to rest as he explained how Afghan men do not speak of single men in front of their daughters, whereas men could speak of single women.

            There didn’t seem to be a problem when Amir was talking about Soraya to his father. Baba explained how Soraya’s father is a Pashtun, which means he has too much pride and honor to talk about single men in the presence of wives or daughters. One could say he is a traditionalist where Amir’s father seems to be lenient when it comes to old fashion ways, like how he drinks and is not a strong believer in God.  Another difference between the genders is that women are looked down upon when having sex with men, while men seem to not be dishonored. This was the case at Soraya’s cousin’s wedding when Soraya overhears two women talking behind her back. They were saying how the groom picked a good and “pure” bride, not like her cousin. Soraya cries to Amir about the ludicrous fact that the men have slept with numerous women and yet they are not talked bad about.

          As the characters grow, so does their relationship with their parents. From the beginning of the book, when Amir is in his childhood, he feels distant from his father and his father feels the same way. He once said, “Had I not seen him come out of his mother’s whom with my own eyes, I would think he is not my son.” Baba compares him to his other son Hassan and says how he sees more potential in Hassan than Amir. Amir and Baba have quarreled over Amir’s stubbornness. When Amir asks his father if he would ever consider getting new servants, Baba snapped at him and had become ashamed of his son. Another time they butted heads was when they were fleeing from Kabul and had arrived at the checkpoint. There, Baba confronted a Russian soldier and stood his ground against him in defense of a woman. Amir worried his father would die and pleaded for him to sit back down. Baba then turns to Amir in frustration and asked him if he had taught him nothing.  

            Things seem to be this way until Baba and Amir settle in America. When Amir graduated from high school, Baba took Amir to a bar and bought him a Ford Gran Torino. It is here where we begin to see a shift in the father-son relationship. Amir feels a kind of respect from his father, and he also feels love. Their relationship shifts ever more when Baba is diagnosed with cancer. When Baba collapses in the flea market and Amir runs to his side saying, “Your son is right here.” After this incident, Amir and Baba grow in their relationship. Amir looked after Baba, taking care of his medical and personal needs. Baba even did the honorable act by knocking on the door of Soraya’s father to ask permission for Amir and Soraya to get married. We see that at first, Soraya’s father is hesitant to have Amir be with his daughter. In the flea market, when Amir presents Soraya with a roll filled with his stories, General Taheri showed up and threw the roll in the garbage. General Taheri seems to be very protective of his daughter, probably due to her past history. Ever since Soraya ran away with her boyfriend, acting against her parent’s beliefs, Soraya had been a bit of an outcast. Taheri also put a strict requirement for a suitor. But eventually General Taheri warms up to Amir and Soraya and allows them to marry.

          The relationship between Soraya and her father and the relationship between Amir and his father are dictated by many factors. Though there are a few similarities shared by the two families, tradition seems to be the key element that makes them dissimilar. And as the characters grow, we see that their connection with their parents softens.