Close Reading 3/15

"Garp didn't want a daughter because of men. Because of bad men, certainly; but even, he thought, because of men like me" (174).

At the end of the chapter, Helen is pregnant with their second child. Helen wishes for a daughter, while Garp realizes that he does not want a daughter. After seeing a girl who was raped while on his run, he knows just how bad men can be. He sees what sort of things can drive men and it makes him wish that he does not have a daughter who has to deal with men like that in the world. In a way, it seems as though he is afraid for the sort of people that his daughter could potentially meet.

The use of the italicized words help to bring extra attention to the meanings of the words and how all of the words are interconnected. The words, men, bad, and me, are all italicized in this quote, used at the end of the chapter. The use of the italics helps to bring attention to how they are all tied together. In a way it shows how Garp thinks of himself, as a man who could be considered bad. He does this as an analysis of what he has done in his life, and his cheating on his wife and having sex with prostitutes makes him think of himself as a bad person. He believes he caused people pain in his life and the people he is always hurting are women. He realizes that he does not want a daughter of his own to have to experience the pain that men cause, knowing that he was one of those men that caused women pain.

The word, bad, shows that the author seems like he is against the idea of men or Garp seems to be against men in general. He feels as though men have a negative side to them. Men are the ones who are hurting the women. He thought, "the girl in the park, his image of the tongueless Ellen James, his own mother's difficult decisions" (174). He realizes that men are the ones who caused all of these things. A man raped Ellen James and the 10-year old girl in the park. Men, in general, caused his mother to never want a relationship and never want to have to deal with the problems of men.

Garp seems that he does not ever want a daughter and have to see her go through the pain that he has seen other women go through. He knows how much pain women go through and how much hurt men can cause. He considers men to be bad, and him as one of those bad men. He is afraid of what could happen to his daughter if he had one.

Close Reading 3/8

"'Your bastard son has seduced my daughter! I know they're in there, in that fucking infirmary!' It is a fucking infirmary now, Garp thought" (94).

The end of this chapter contains both irony and indirect characterization for both Garp and Jenny Fields, showing the differences in their personalities as well as the way that they choose to live their lives. The obvious irony of the quote centers around the use of the word 'fucking'. Mr. Percy is using it to describe the infirmary in a negative way. He uses the word out of anger and for profanity, while Garp thinks the word, describe sex because of what him and Cushie did that night in the infirmary. It is ironic in the fact that Mr. Percy has no idea that he is describing what actually happened in the infirmary, while Garp knows exactly what happened and finds in quite humorous to hear the word choice that Mr. Percy used.

In addition, this quote shows characterization for both Garp and Jenny Fields. Jenny Fields is the one who answers the door to the infirmary that night, being forced to listen to Mr. Percy scream about what Garp was supposedly doing. Jenny Fields does not allow Mr. Percy in, nor does she seem to suspect at that point, that her son is capable of seducing anyone. Because, she herself does not like sex and the idea of lust and love, she expects her son to be the same way that she is and not want to engage in sex with anyone out of the feelings of lust. The reaction that Jenny has with Mr. Percy and how she does not allow him into the infirmary, even after he says the things that he does, shows just how much she is against the idea of sex, and that she does not actually believe that Garp would ever do that.

Garp also has some defining character traits in this short scene as well. Garp does indeed have a sense of humor that is not shown as much earlier in the novel as it is shown in this short encounter. He is able to see the irony in what Mr. Percy says and make a joke to himself about it. The scene also shows that he will listen to the lustful feelings he has at a moment, even though it is clear that he is in love with Helen. He is alright with having sex with Cushie although he feels like he wants to marry Helen later in life. Giving into emotions, and engaging in sex shows the contrast between Jenny and Garp. Even though they are biologically related, mother and son, they are very different and this scene helps to show just how different they are. Jenny is not influenced by her feelings and will do exactly as she must, while Garp at times, is controlled by his feelings. This one instance helps to show the defining difference between Garp and Jenny.

Close Reading 3/1

"Returning to Kabul was like running into an old, forgotten friend and seeing that life hadn't been good to him, that he'd become homeless and destitute." (246)

Amir decides to return to Kabul and save the one person he has left to help. He made the decision to return to his homeland, the place that he grew up in and lived until war raged over Afghanistan. The place that Amir left was happy, and nothing like the place he has found upon his return. The place he has come upon in order to try and save Sohrab is dirty, filled with people who cannot take care of themselves, and a city living in fear. Amir finds Kabul taken over by the Taliban and he sees first hand the things he only imagined when he read the news stories in San Fransisco of what was happening in Afghanistan.

Hosseini describes the Kabul that Amir returns to find to an old friend that did not have a good life. This simile is so powerful. The Kabul that Amir grew up in, the Kabul that Amir was familiar with, no longer exists. Instead, in its place, is a savage community with people struggling to survive each day. There are so many people who are homeless and people who cannot even afford the basic essentials for life, clean water, food, shelter. Amir has to come to terms with the fact that the life he once knew no longer exists. He cannot return to Afghanistan and find the place of his childhood the anywhere near the same.

Hosseini's choice of the word homeless is more than accurate. So many of the people who are left living in Kabul are homeless. They have no place to go, no way of escape. They are forced to stay and try and make it through each day. They have to try and survive the Taliban. In addition, destitute is also another powerful word choice. Living without basic necessities is what these people do. It is all because of the Taliban and that is what Amir has to see. He has to understand that there are so many more people that do not have the luxuries in life that he has.

This quote in particular finally shows Amir just how lucky he is. He was able to escape the Afghanistan he is now faced with just in time. He did not have to go through this sort of physical suffering that all of these people are going through. Even though he went through mental suffering, he lived in a comfortable place to suffer. These people live on the streets trying to get by each day, suffering twice as much as Amir ever did. In a way, it seems that the reality check may have been one of the reasons that Amir realized just how important it was to find Sohrab no matter what. He was able to see his destiny in the eyes of the starving people of Kabul.

Close Reading 2/22

"In this dirty minded world, she thought, you are either somebody's wife or somebody's whore-or fast on your way to becoming one or the other. If you don't fit either category, then everyone tries to make you think there is something wrong with you. But, she thought, there is nothing wrong with me" (13).

Jenny Fields is very different from the women that she knows and the standard of society that she is used to. Her parents believe that she is doing what everyone is doing, and think that she will only be better once she is married. Jenny does not agree with this idea. She is strongly against men and their way of life, and she does not agree with the way of life she knows other people agree with.

Jenny has very strong views, and for a women of the 1940's, she should not be expressing them in anyway, or acting out in anyway that is not considered especially lady like during that time period. Rather, she should be a conformist who listens to the views of men, and does exactly what they want, what society condones. Jenny considers the world to be dirty minded. The idea that people focus on sex, does not really mean sex, but rather an idea of conformity. People do what is expected of them, not what they truly want. People will go into professions that society thinks is appropriate for them, not really considering their own personal choices. Jenny, however, does not like that idea. She would feels that she should do what makes her the happiest, whether people agree with it or not. She is a nonconformist, someone who does their own thing, someone who does not care if people look at her differently because she is not doing what society finds acceptable.

The idea that Jenny thinks that there is nothing wrong with her will, I think, play out throughout the rest of the book. It seems that this is foreshadowing to people claiming that she has something wrong with her throughout the rest of the novel. People will question her choices, her views, and the way that she decides to live her life. People will continuously argue with how she raises her son without a husband and decides to write an autobiography about her life. Because she is a nonconformist, people will always have something to say negatively about how she lives her life.

The way that Irving uses the words wife and whore suggest sort of a negative connotation to the words. It seems as though being someone's lover or being married to someone is such a bad thing. The words play into Jenny's continuous hatred toward the male species and everything related to them. It seems as though it would be the end of the world if Jenny were to ever become one of those two things. Irving's use of the words show just how against the idea of loving a man Jenny is. It seems like an intolerable act to her.

Close Reading 2/15

"'Tell him he'd better kill me good with that first shot. Because if I don't go down, I'm tearing him to pieces, goddamm his father'" (116).

Baba says this on the way to Pakistan, heading toward freedom during the war raged time in Afghanistan. He says this to a Russian soldier as a way to try and protect a young woman from being raped by the soldiers as a payment for passage.

This is a way to show Baba's personality using a form of direct characterization. The author directly shows through what Baba says that he is willing to give up his life to save this woman. Baba is very strong and has strong morals that allow for him to consider giving his life for this woman. He does not even think to consider the fact that he has a son to take care of. Him not even considering Amir, shows a few things as well. He would rather stick to the strong morals he has been trying to instill inside of Amir, to not be a coward, to stick up for those in need. But, it also shows how little he thinks of his son. In a way, it seems as though Baba wishes that Amir was the one who offered his life to save the woman. It seems like he wishes that Amir had the same courage that he has. But, unfortunately he does not and so Baba feels that he has to stick up for the woman.

This quote also shows the anger that Baba feels in regards to having to leave the home he has always known. Baba has lived in the same town, in the same area his whole life. He is leaving behind the life he has always known. He does not really know where he and Amir will end up and the uncertainty of his life right now is making him think irrationally. If he was not trying to leave Afghanistan, he probably would have thought about trying to save the woman, but I do not think he would be willing to give his life to save her. The location of where he is, is playing a large role to his decision making. But, because Baba has no idea where in the world he will end up, he is willing to risk losing his life, dying to save another, than seeing where he may go.

Amir's after reaction also show that he would not do the same thing. He is in a way, angry and upset that Baba would even consider doing what he is about to do. He says, '"It's done, then. I'm eighteen and alone. I have no one left in the world. Baba's dead and now I have to bury him. Where do I bury him? Where do I go after that?" (116). Just by his reaction, it seems like he would never consider doing what Baba is doing. He cares too much about the future. He is more concerned about his own life. In a way, it is selfish, but rightfully selfish to want to keep living.

Close Reading 2/8

"'Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors'"(21).

The beginning of The Kite Runner shows how different Amir and his father are. They have different interest and ways of thinking. They have two very different personalities as well. This quote is said by a friend of the family. He realizes just how different the two of them are. And yet, he also sees how much Baba wants his son to be exactly like him. He wishes that Amir became interested in soccer like he is. He would much rather see an active, and aggressive son than the person that he does see. He sees his son as a reader, a person who does not engage in violence. Because of this, there seems to be resentment toward Amir. The family friend notices that when he says this quote.

You can fill the pages of a coloring book any way you want. There is no specific formula to them. A person can make the sky orange if they want and the grass blue. There is no limit on how to fill a coloring book. There are millions of combinations and many times, children especially, tend to fill the pages with their favorite colors. The family friend uses this analogy to show a couple of things. He is trying to explain to Baba that Amir has to be his own person. Baba cannot try and shape him into being exactly like himself. Baba has to allow for Amir to have his own interests, his own passions, even if they are distinctly different from his own. He uses it to show him that these characteristics are what make Amir who he is. He is a coloring book with all his own colors. He makes his own unique coloring book that is different from everyone else's including his fathers. He also uses the analogy to show that you cannot chose the characteristics of yourself that you want in your children. Everything is up to chance and it should be that way. It is impossible to make an exact replica of yourself and the traits that you like most about yourself may not show up in your child. Baba does not see that even though Amir is not athletic, that he is an excellent writer. He has plenty of other amazing characteristics that Baba does not have, and cannot see either.

In a way, the family friend is pointing out Baba's blindness. Baba is able to help other people and love other people, but he does not see how he is hurting his son and not loving him in the same way just because he is different. He is not the coloring page that Baba wishes he was. He is not the strong son that Baba hoped for and that is a way makes Baba resent his own son. You cannot pick out what colors you want to be displayed by your child, you can only love them for the colors that they decide to show.

Close Reading 2/1

"In the hospital, Jenny Field's felt that she was making up for lost time; she was discovering that people weren't much more mysterious, or much more attractive, than clams" (7).

Jenny has grown up in a privileged household where it seems that everything was given to her and she never had to figure out how people were, and what made them likeable. When she became a nurse, that changed. She was able to see how people acted and what made them the type of person that they were. In fact, she saw and learned more from the soldiers that she cared for than she did when she was younger and lived at home with her siblings and parents.

Jenny compares humans as being as mysterious and as attractive as clams. Clams as Jenny knows them are simple creatures that she has learned almost everything that there is to know about them. The clams grow a certain way, learn things a certain way, and all act pretty much the same way. This sort of comparison then to humans explains how Jenny feels about the soldiers that she encounters. This is the start of World War II and Jenny sees all types of soldiers and feels as though when she left Wellesley that she encountered the same men in the war as she was trying to stay away from. Jenny feels that these men are simple, open, and want only one thing that she is not willing to give.

From these men, Jenny learns that she does not want to be with these type of men. Men who are as simple as clams, who follow the same lifestyle as one another. This shows a decent amount about the sort of person that Jenny is, in just the first few pages. Jenny seems like a woman with a strong head on her shoulders, knows what she wants in life, and is willing to work to get it. She is not interested in marrying someone for their money, and she does not seem interested in love. She wants to do things her own way, and not follow the life that she grew up in. In fact, it seems like she wants to have nothing to do with the world that she grew up in. She wants to make a new life for herself. So that is the reason she left college to do what it is that she wants. She knows that she could follow the type of lifestyle her parents want her to, but she knows she will not be happy in it. Jenny knows what she wants, and she is willing to do things her way if it means that she is going to be happy and get whatever it is she is looking for in life.

Jenny's discovery of how people are, shows that in a way, she also thinks that she is not that mysterious or attractive either. She sees herself as being plain, simple, and easy to understand. She also does not think of herself as beautiful, and she certainly does not seem like she wants to be either. She wants to have a job that does some good in the world and is helpful. From these soldiers, Jenny learns not only about the human race itself, but about herself as well.