Using The Kite Runner, identify a character who must contend with aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then show the character´s relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Using Baba as an example, we come to see that the past affects the present. Baba was an important, wealthy man. Over the course of the novel, he is forced to flee from his home, after which he immigrates to America. His life in America is far different, but his values have not changed. He no longer has money, and he no longer commands respect, except by those who know and defer to the position he once held. Baba becomes a tired old man, and he continues to push his son. He gave up position and identity, be he held onto to his values.
The Kite Runner
