Amir, the Troubled Soul As Cassandra Clare once said,“Lies and secrets, they are like a cancer in the soul. They eat away what is good and leave only destruction behind.” Secrets are all around and there is no way to prevent them. Secrets are unquestionably symbolic in literature. They hurt everybody that they are related to. If you keep a secret to yourself, it eats away at you. If there is a secret told to you, you are now guilty of whatever comes. In the book The Kite Runner, Amir holds in his secrets in order to protect himself from the trouble he would be in. The secrets Amir had hurt him and all of the loved ones around him. Rahim Khan is the confidant, the one that everyone comes to with all the information. He was the confidant to …show more content…
Amir and Hassan had an awkward relationship, unlike normal ones. They blood brothers, but neither of the two knew until Amir found out from Rahim Khan when he grew older. Amir carved into a tree, “ Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul.” (27). This writing made them formally the owners of the tree. In most relationships would show a vow to one another, but truly the relationship between them was mostly favored towards Amir. Instead of Amir viewing Hassan as a best friend and a brother like character, he saw him as what he really was, a Hazara child. To Amir, Hassan was inferior, but to his Baba, Amir's dad, they were both seen as equal. This is where the relationship met its conflict. Amir had done bad things to Hassan because Hassan was liked by Baba equal to how much Amir was liked. Amir had a lack of self-confidence which interfered with his ability to have a true relationship with Hassan. Also Amir's jealousy of Hassan because of Baba rejected his chance to ever be on good terms with Hassan again. This haunted him throughout the rest of the …show more content…
While the reason why Hassan was put into the situation was to make Amir happy, Amir watched as Hassan was violated. This shows the one sided relationship that was between the of them. Amir knew he was wrong but didn't want to admit it to himself. Throughout the childhood of Amir and Hassan, Amir tested Hassan and took advantage of him. The reason for Amir to take advantage is to prove to himself only that he is better and that he deserves to be seen as better the Hassan to Baba. THere was never once throughout the book when Baba showed acceptance towards Amir which put Amir in the state of jealousy and angry from that jealousy. After Amir has finally found out that him torturing Hassan wouldn't get him the acceptance he wanted by his father, he pursues a way to make it up to his father after his death. Rahim Khan said “There is a way to be good again.”(2). Rahim Khan knew everything about Baba, Amir, and Hassan and their relationships. He heard every side of the story and heard from each of them personally. Rahims major wish in the story was to have Amir save his talented nephew Sohrab, from being tortured and killed. He knew all that Amir had done and knew that Amir would do anything to fix it, which is why Amir in the long run saved
It is not often that Amir’s love for Baba is returned. Baba feels guilty treating Amir well when he can’t acknowledge Hassan as his son. Baba discriminates against his son Amir by constantly making him feel weak and unworthy of his father. Baba once said to Rahim Kahn, “If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my son” (Hosseini 23). Amir doesn’t feel like a son towards Baba since he seems like such a weakling. This neglect towards Amir causes him to feel a need to be accepted by Baba to end the constant discrimination from his father and he will do anything for it. “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 77). Amir did not stop the rape of his good friend for one sole purpose. Amir felt that he had to betray his own half-brother to gain th...
Although Hassan is his best friend, there are many instances where Amir reveals his jealousy, most notable when Baba sees Hassan as the stronger boy, "self-defense has nothing to do with meanness. You know what always happens when the neighbourhood boys tease him? Hassan steps in and fends them off. I 've seen it with my own eyes…” (Hosseini 24). Clearly, Amir hears how his father compares the two, and unlike Hassan who manages to meet Baba’s expectations, Amir grows bitter towards Hassan. He is unable to fight off his envy which later causes him to sacrifice his best friend’s innocence: “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (82), and this is all because he realizes “his shame is complicated by his own realization that in part he doesn’t help his friend precisely because he is jealous of him” (Corbett, 2006). From here, Amir develops strong feelings of guilt that induces him to perform even more destructive acts, such as having Hassan and his father evicted from the house. Amir not only loses a close friend, but now he has to continue to live with remorse as he dwells on these memories. The only way for Amir to redeem himself of his repercussions is through a challenging process of sacrifice and self-discovery. Although one is unsure at this point whether Amir succeeds at his endeavors, it is clear that this story
Amir believes that Baba wants his son to be just like him, but when Amir doesn’t turn out exactly the way Baba wants, he rejects and neglects him. Amir notices this, and looks at Hassan, who embodies what Baba wants in a son. As a result, Amir takes his anger built in from his father disregarding him out and exerts it at Hassan. After every instance that Amir’s father shows Hassan any type of affection or attention, Amir becomes angry. He takes a pomegranate and “struck [Hassan] in the chest, exploded in a spray of red pulp. Hassan’s cry was pregnant with surprise and pain” (92). Amir repeatedly hits Hassan and asks him to hit in back so he doesn’t feel guilty for his actions. To Amir, in order for his cruelty for hurting Hassan to be forgiven, Hassan must hurt him
At times Amir had trouble realizing that they were best friends because Hassan was a Hazara, he was of Asian descent and of the Shiite tribe, he resembles his ancestors, the Mongols. Amir is a Pashtun, of the Sunni tribe, a majority group in Afghanistan. Hassan was loyal and showed endless amounts of respect and praise to Amir. Though Hassan knew what Amir had witnessed and done to him, he covered up for him. He did not ever let Amir get into trouble with Baba, his father. Hassan was also the half brother of Amir, neither knew until Rahim Khan, a friend of Baba’s informed Amir. He and Hassan had a connection, both as friends but also as brothers.
Baba is a very high standing man in Kabul, but seems to be extremely harsh to Amir when he was a child. He is a very large, tough man who was very well known in the town and as Amir stated in the novel, “Lore has it my father once wrestled a black bear in Baluchistan with his bare hands” (Hosseini 12). This small detail of Baba makes it known to the reader that Baba is a man of great courage and strength. Some may think that an honorable man is one with no flaws, but many disagree. Every human being makes mistakes, including Baba. When Amir grows up and goes back to visit Rahim Khan in Afghanistan, he finds out that his father lied to him his entire life about Hassan being his half-brother. He also finds out from Rahim Khan that all Baba had back then “was his honor, his name” (Hosseini 223). He did not tell Amir and Hassan that they were brothers because they had a different mother and that would have made their entire family be looked down upon in the town. He did it for their own good, and wanted for them both to grow up as honorable men, like himself. There is a difference in making mistakes and trying to do what’s best to fix them, rather than making the same mistakes over and over again, which is what Amir seemed to do in the novel. Amir was the exact opposite of his father, which made it very hard for them to have a
Hassan would do anything for his friends and treat everyone, even bullies, with respect because his respectful dad, Ali, taught him to always be loyal to all, and never hurt anyone. Ali was Baba’s servant and long-time friend, and stayed close to him throughout their childhood and adulthood. Amir's actions showed how much of a coward he was. Amir suffered his whole life living with the guilt of knowing that Hassan was raped, much like Baba lived his whole life in guilt knowing that he stole the truth from Ali by committing adultery.
The Kite Runner is a book about a young boy, Amir, who faces many struggles as he grows up in Kabul and later moves to America to flee from the Taliban. His best friend and brother , Hassan, was a big part of his life, but also a big part of guilt he held onto for many years. The book describes Amir’s attempt to make up for the past and resolve his sins so he can clear his conscious. Amir is worthy of forgiveness because although he was selfish, he was very brave and faced his past.
Just as Hassan is the primary juxtaposition for Amir, Rahim Khan is the primary juxtaposition for Baba. During Amir’s childhood, Rahim Khan is the fatherly, caring figure that Baba should have been. Rahim Khan encourages Amir’s writing and is the reason that Amir pursues writing in the end. However, this should have been Baba because it is a father’s job to always love his son unconditionally. Even more than this though, Rahim Khan also seems to be an all-knowing figure in the household. He knew about the rape and that Amir witnessed it and yet did nothing. However, this knowledge could be used for anything. Instead of using it to take advantage of Amir, he uses this knowledge to sympathize with Amir. Just as a father should do, he takes Amir’s side and supports him even though Amir does not deserve it. He writes Amir a letter and tells him not to feel guilty about what he has done. Even in person Rahim Khan says to Amir “[insert quote here].” Rahim Khan has no reason to care about Amir and be nice to Amir and yet unlike Baba, he does. He shows that love and care do not need a reason. This is something that both Amir and Baba seem to struggle with throughout the book. It is only after drastic life changes that they begin to realize that they should care about other people around
Life is a rollercoaster of events and emotions that supply us with a myriad of obstacles and experiences. Every human being is flawed or scarred whether by a situation they had to undergo or something they view about themselves that they consider being ‘imperfect’. In literature, characters are usually portrayed as a deeply human and flawed person to emphasize and depict real people in reality. In The Kite Runner the protagonist, Amir, is shown as a profoundly conflicted and flawed character. Amir’s most tragic flaw is his perpetual silence throughout the novel and he is able to overcome it by doing a heroic action in order to save someone else’s life.
Throughout Amir’s journey to absolve himself from the internal and distressing pain he has felt ever since witnessing the devastating altercation in the alley, trying to reach a standard his father, Baba, would approve of also took a toll on his childhood. Baba often speaks of how he cannot fathom the fact that Amir is a part of his bloodline. (quotes quotes quotes) Trying to achieve the perfect son status that Baba wanted Amir to be clouded his mind so greatly that, during the moment, Amir did not show compassion towards Hassan’s troubling moment of need. What matter most was retrieving the last fallen kite to his father to prove he was not a mistake that Baba made Amir believe he was. Even after Baba’s death, his actions brought more despair and uncertainty to Amir’s complicated life. The secrets and lies that were kept from Amir and even Hassan could have altered the fate of both men. (quote quote quote) Throughout the novel, Amir could arguably be considered as selfish, rude and mean toward his half-brother Hassan. However, since Baba never told the two about their true relationship Amir grew up disliking Hassan because he did not know that they shared blood. Knowing their true identities possibly could
He realizes he never knew anything about his father from the start and that makes him furious because throughout the story he tries to gain his approval. “I’m thirty-eight years old and I’ve just found out my whole life is a fucking lie” (Hosseini 223)! Hosseini shows with Baba avoiding telling Amir and Hassan the truth about them being brothers for all those years, Amir most likely would have treated Hassan differently. If baba would have come out and told the truth instead of avoiding the problem, Amir wouldn't have the regret he was feeling all those years. Hosseini displays the theme in this scene how keeping secrets and avoiding your problems can affect your life and the people around you. Just like how Baba didn’t tell his secret for all those years and it impacted Amir and Hassan’s life
In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the author follows the development of protagonist Amir through a life filled with sorrow, regret, and violence. Amir encounters numerous obstacles on his path to adulthood, facing a new test at every twist and turn. Amir embarks on the long journey known as life as a cowardly, weak young man with a twisted set of ideals, slowly but surely evolving into a man worthy of the name. Amir is one of the lucky few who can go through such a shattered life and come out the other side a better man, a man who stands up for himself and those who cannot, willing to put his life on the line for the people he loves.
Throughout the novel, Hassan is the most forgiving character, regardless of how many times Amir repeatedly hurt him. When Amir framed Hassan, it was the last straw as his forgiving spirit had been damaged. At that moment, Hassan could not forgive Amir and he had to make the difficult decision to leave his home “slumped in the back seat” of Baba’s car (Hosseini 109). Hassan had intentionally exiled himself from Amir in order to prevent any further damage. Later, Hassan was involuntarily exiled from the same home when a couple of Talibs “ordered him to get...out of his house by sundown,” naturally, “Hassan protested...and they shot him in the back of the head (Hosseini 218).
Over the course of the novel, Baba implies that he is not proud of Amir and the only reason he knows Amir is his son, is because he witnessed Amir 's birth. He states to Rahim Khan that he thinks Amir needs to stand up for himself more often. Countless times during the novel, Amir feels like he has to fight for his affection, that he has to earn Baba’s love. In order to prove himself worthy of affection and to redeem himself for not being a son Baba could be proud of, Amir yearns to win the kite runner competition. He reminisces on a memory, when all “I saw was the blue kite. All I smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption” (65). In the aftermath of Hassan’s rape, Amir got rid of Hassan so he would not have to face the cause of his guilt on a daily basis. Amir buries the secret of the rape deep within him, where he hopes that it will not come back to haunt him, which is not the case. “We had both sinned and betrayed. But Baba had found a way to create good out of his remorse. What had I done, other than take my guilt out on the very same people I had betrayed, and then try to forget it all? What had I done, other than become an insomniac? What had I ever done to right things?” (303). As mentioned earlier, Amir is not one who stands up for himself. In order for Amir to redeem himself for betraying Hassan, and not standing up for him earlier,
He would do anything, even as a small child, to please Amir. Even after he grew up and had a son, he told his son about his love for Amir. “And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name.” (Hosseini, 12). If this was a teenage romance novel this would be a love triangle. Between Amir, Hassan and Baba. Amir spent his entire life trying to make Baba like him, to forgive him for killing his wife, to understand him, and get that special father to son bonding. Baba instead gave his attention to the servant’s son, Hassan. Later the story we find out that Hassan is Baba’s son too, but this is after both have died and Amir is a grown man. During his childhood Amir would have done anything to gain his father attention like Hassan had. Baba, feeling guilty, gave his attention to Hassan, and treated him kindly, out of guilt for not being able to recognise Hassan as his son. Yet Baba never treated Amir diskindly, other than the fact they never got along. Hassan did not go to school, and spent his time helping Ali with household chores, but got respected by Baba, and given gifts during holidays and a kite for flying season. Amir and Baba did not click in the way both of them wanted too. Amir tried to fake interests in sports for Baba, but after watching a rider get trampled by his horse, and started crying during the one and only sport event Baba took him too. “I cried all the way back home. I remember how Baba’s hands clenched around the steering wheel. Clenched and unclenched. Mostly, I will never forget Baba’s valiant efforts to conceal the disgusted look on his face as he drove in silence.” (Hosseini, 23) This was Amir memory of the sporting event. Amir need for love from Baba, led him standing in the alley watching Hassan get raped, knowing that when he brought that blue kite to Baba he will earn his love. Hassan on the other hand could not love Amir any less. To