Adoption In The Kite Runner

“To choose or to take as one’s own: make one’s own selection or assent” is the official definition of the word “adopt” (“Adopt”). Adoption is often viewed solely as the act of bringing a child into one’s family, but the word holds much more significance. As the definition states, adoption is the choice to bring something into one’s life and to make it one’s own, which can be done with family, friends, ideas, or even new ways of life. Adoption holds immense power in society and a deep meaning including upsides and downsides. The power of adoption and its true meaning and importance is laid out clearly Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, through the lives of Ali and Hassan, the life of Sohrab, and the journey of Amir and Baba.

First, Ali

One example is shown through their relationships with Ali and Hassan. When Ali decides it is time for him and Hassan to leave, Baba makes it quite clear how much he loves them and how he does not want them to leave. He pleads, “Ali, haven’t I provided for you? Haven’t I been good to you and Hassan? You’re the brother I never had, Ali, you know that. Please don’t do this” (106). This shows how they all adopted each other as one big family regardless of the many flaws it had. Additionally, Amir’s life displays the impact adoption can have from the parent’s side. He goes to long extents to save Sohrab including nearly dying to rescue him from the Taliban and Assef (288-289) and jumping through countless legal hurdles in order to bring Sohrab back to America to Soraya and his home (330). Now, Amir and Baba both experienced what it is like to adopt a new lifestyle. This is vastly different from adopting family, but it is equally as impactful on society because anyone in the world who moves any distance from their old home experiences this. Whether they are moving a few cities away, across a country, or across the world, many people can relate to having to adopt a new lifestyle, just like Amir and Baba when they came to America. Amir tells us that “Baba loved the idea of America” (125), but we quickly see how difficult he finds it to adjust (125-131). On the contrary, Amir thrives in America. He

Through the typical adoption of a child, Hosseini shows how adoption affects a family’s dynamic. The story also shows how one can adopt friends, ideas, and ways of life through Ali and Hassan’s relationship with Baba, and through Baba, Amir, and Sohrab coming to America. Adoption cannot be defined because it means so much more than just words; it means to love, adventure, hope, trials, and new beginnings, and all it requires is the willingness to have an open mind and an open