Best of Week (Margot's Kite Runner Comment)

The most insightful point of the week was brought up by Margot regarding Kite Runner and tea. The comment references pg. 197 "dropped three sugar cubes in my tea." and pg. 225 "blackest tea I'd had in years". This is a metaphor for Amir's ignorance, obviously. It also connects with how he has, time and time again, tried to deal with his problems by burying them. He tries to bury his past by fleeing to America, just as he tries to bury the bitter tea in sugar. Of course, once the full magnitude of the truth is revealed to him by Rahim Khan, he's drinking the blackest tea ever. Wonderful craft by Hosseini.

This really relates to Life of Pi, in which Pi tried to ignore his own brutailty by burying the truth using "Richard Parker". Last year, we discussed at length the "good story" as compared to the "better story".

"Pi ran away from his problems, from himself. That is why he complains of no clusure. This is why 'Richard Parker still preys on his mind.' Instead of confronting and resolving his problems he ran away, making his past actions the predator and himself the prey. In my opinion reason and reality are far safer bets than that which is comforting for the psyche. Like with Oedipus, truth needs to be realized to minimize loss in any situation."

-Me, on Life of Pi

I feel much is the same for Amir, he failed to have closure with Hassan, and this is why he is plagued with guilt and remorse. Not until he confronts his past is he able to obtain closure and feel at terms with himself. This is why he returns to Afghanistan, this is why he writes this "memoir". And what do we learn from this? We learn that Baba is right, when you lie, you steal someone's right to truth and that is one of the worst sins. The truth is necessary for one's life to be meaningful.