Introduction The Kite Runner is a story of culture, friendship, hardship, betrayal, desire, brotherhood, family, war and, ultimately, redemption and courage. This article will explore Amir's journey from childhood in Afghanistan to adulthood in America. His story is an emotional tale worth exploring. In Afghanistan, kite fighting was very popular. Kite owners crystallized kite strings so they could sever their opponent's kites on contact. The opponent's kite would eventually crash to the ground and would now belong to the winner. Every kite owner has a kite runner who is responsible for recovering fallen kites. As a child, Amir enjoyed kite fighting. It was one of the few things he felt he had in common with his father. His father was a fighting champion at a young age and Amir wanted to make him proud by following in his footsteps. Hassan was Amir's kite runner and was the best in town at judging the potential landing spot of falling kites. Hassan simply had an innate ability to project the trajectory of kites using his instincts. Cultural Background The story begins with Amir and Hassan as boys in Kabul in the early 1970s. Although the smugglers inform Baba that due to the increasing presence of Russian soldiers, they no longer had enough funds to repay them all. They were to travel discreetly for the remainder of the journey. Baba and Amir had to travel in a construction vehicle tank. When Baba initially sees the vehicle, he thinks the smuggler is joking. He soon realizes that it's not a joke. The space was extremely small, covered in darkness and with little air to breathe. Amir informs Baba that he is having difficulty breathing. Baba asks Amir to read him his stories to distract him from the horrible conditions and help him get to Pakistan alive. This was the first time Baba showed interest in Amir's stories. This moment brought father and son closer