In the novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir and Hassan grow up in Kabul as childhood friends. Their bond seems to be virtually unbreakable, however in the Winter of 1975 an incident significantly alters their friendship. As an adult living in California, Amir is constantly reminded of the incident when he betrayed Hassan's trust. However, upon the unexpected death of Hassan and his wife, Amir returns to Kabul to determine the fate of the couple's son, Sohrab. Yet, Amir's quest to save Sohrab is not entirely self driven. What leads Amir to Afghanistan to determine Sohrab's destiny, is his constant need for attention and acceptance from his elders, Baba and Rahim Khan. Ultimately, throughout the novel Amir attempts to seek redemption …show more content…
in his need to please a father figure. Throughout the duration of the novel, it becomes evident Amir aches for his father's love and acceptance. Therefore, Amir plans to follow in his father's footsteps and attempts to take on Baba's beliefs. At a very critical time in Amir's childhood, Baba explains his belief system, "'Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft,'” (Hosseini 17). Accordingly, Amir instantaneously feels guilt considering his life resulted in the death of his mother. Baba is sure to mention, “'When you kill a man, you steal a life,'” thus Amir would be considered a sinner in Baba's eyes (18). Ultimately, Amir cannot help but think the fragile relationship between himself and Baba is a result of sin, as he laments, “...the truth of it was, I always felt like Baba hated me a little. And why not? After all, I had killed his beloved wife, his beautiful princess, hadn’t I? The least I could have done was to have had the decency to have turned out a little more like him. But I hadn’t turned out like him. Not at all,” (19). This moment serves as a turning point in Amir's life as he feels extreme guilt over causing the death of his mother. Hence, Amir's journey begins as he feels obligated to redeem himself and please Baba. As Amir works to please his father, his first opportunity arises by trying to win the annual kite tournament.
Amir is determined to make Baba proud by being the last kite in the sky, yet Amir constantly questions Baba's feelings toward him, “I kept stealing glances at Baba sitting with Rahim Khan on the roof, wondered what he was thinking. Was he cheering for me? Or did part of him enjoy watching me fail?” (63). Although paranoid with imaginary thoughts from Baba, Amir cautiously proceeds in the kite tournament with Hassan by his side. Conclusively, Amir and Hassan fly the winning kite and Amir treasures the first step in pleasing his father, “Then I saw Baba on our roof. He was standing on the edge, pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing Baba on that roof, proud of me at last,” (66). It becomes quite evident Amir has a continual drive to be accepted by Baba, meaning he will go to extreme measures to attain such. In fact, the narcissistic side of Amir is revealed when his relationship with Baba becomes more important than Hassan's safety. Amir watches from afar as his best friend, Hassan, is raped by Assef, “Hassan was standing at the blind end of the alley in a defiant stance: fists curled, legs slightly apart. Behind him, sitting on piles of scrap and rubble, was the blue kite. My key to Baba’s heart,” (71). Amir anxiously looks past the assault of Hassan and contributes his …show more content…
undivided attention to the kite. One can conclude Amir ranks the kite of utmost importance, as it allegedly represents a factor which will rekindle a lost bond between father and son. Amir plans to please Baba by presenting him with the winning kite, however fails to mention the damage done to retrieve the kite, “Then a smile played on my father’s lips...I put the kite down and walked into his thick hairy arms. I buried my face in the warmth of his chest and wept. Baba held me close to him, rocking me back and forth. In his arms, I forgot what I’d done. And that was good,” (79). Amir is happy to finally please Baba which allows him to forget the damage he has done to Hassan. However, Amir's failure to save Hassan will haunt him for a life time. Not only does Amir have the guilt of 'killing' his mother, but he additionally acquires the guilt of allowing Hassan to be raped. Consequently, Amir's authorization of such horrific events is purely the act of trying to redeem himself while seeking the acceptance and love of his father. Despite knowing whether or not Amir's presentation of the kite to Baba was essential to redeeming himself, Amir extends similar actions into his adult life. After the incident with Hassan, Amir's guilt grows exponentially. As a result, Amir decides he can no longer live with the constant reminder of betraying Hassan. Hence, Amir attempts to rid himself of his servants, Ali and Hassan, “I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it...Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies,” (104). Amir's actions become quite selfish in his attempt to feel redemption. However, Amir's decision to not only deceive Hassan, but also Baba's best friend Ali, he ultimately counteracts his hope to please Baba. However despite Amir's childhood mistake, he makes an effort to redeem himself as an adult. While on his journey to save Sohrab, Amir encounters a family who suffers a great deal of pain while trying to survive in Afghanistan. Not only in the hopes of seeking redemption, but also out of the kindness of his heart, Amir makes up for his juvenile mistake, “Earlier that morning, when I was certain no one was looking, I did something I had done twenty-six years earlier: I planted a fistful of crumpled money under a mattress,” (242). Amir's discreet act of kindness shows growth in his character, which ultimately leads the reader to believe he is on the verge redemption. Although after the death of Baba and nearly two and a half decades later, it is unmistakable Amir will always look for a way to please his father. It becomes quite evident Amir struggles to please Baba in the hopes to meet redemption, yet Baba is not the only father figure Amir feels the need to please.
Although Baba is Amir's biological father, Rahim Khan serves as a surrogate father. Rahim Khan and Baba are best friends which allows the special connection between Amir and Rahim Khan to exist. Rahim Khan offers something Baba often failed to provide, the more loving and nurturing side of a father. Hence, Amir takes full advantage of Rahim Khan's affection. Due to Rahim's role as a father figure, Amir also feels obligated to please Rahim as he does Baba. For these reasons, Amir returns to Afghanistan in the anticipation to please Rahim Khan. As an adult, Amir receives a phone call from Rahim as he states, “There is a way to be good again,” (2). Accordingly, one can assume Amir's return to Afghanistan is a result of Rahim Khan's phone call. Amir comes to the realization that his childhood secret is, and never was covert, “He knew all about Assef, the kite, the money, the watch with the lightning bold hands. He has always known. Come. There is a way to be good again, Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought. A way to be good again,” (192). Ultimately, this moment serves as a turning point in Amir's life. Although Rahim is ashamed of Amir's dishonesty, one cannot dispute Rahim only wants the best for Amir. Accordingly, in Rahim's last letter to Amir, he
writes, “And that, I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to good,” (302). It is clear Amir's childhood guilt has merged into adulthood, however Rahim presents him with a way to be good again. Thus despite hesitance, Amir embarks on his journey to save Sohrab, essentially hoping to redeem himself in Rahim Khan's eyes. Throughout The Kite Runner, it is apparent Amir
Amir is, to be put bluntly, a coward. He is led by his unstable emotions towards what he thinks will plug his emotional holes and steps over his friends and family in the process. When he sought after Baba’s invisible love, Amir allowed Hassan to be raped in an alleyway just so that the blue kite, his trophy that would win his father’s heart, could be left untouched. In the end, he felt empty and unfulfilled with the weight of his conscience on his shoulders comparable to Atlas’ burden. Unable to get over his fruitless betrayal, he lashes out and throws pomegranates at Hassan before stuffing money and a watch under his loyal friend’s pathetic excuse for a bed, framing Hassan for theft and directly causing the departure of both servants from his household. Even after moving to America, finding a loving wife, and creating a career for himself in writing, he still feels hollow when thinking of his childhood in Afghanistan. Many years later, he is alerted of Hassan’s death and sets out on a frenzied chase to find his friend’s orphaned son. He feels that he can somehow ease his regrets from all of those years ago if he takes in Hassan’s son, Sohrab. He finds Sohrab as a child sex slave for Assef, who coincidentally was the one to rape Hassan all of those years ago. After nearly dying in his attempt to take back Sohrab, he learns that he can take the damaged child back to the states with him. Sadly, Hassan’s son is so
Happiness is everyone’s main goal in life; however, one cannot define happiness, nor how it is achieved. Happiness plays a pivotal role in the novel “Kite Runner”, written by Khaled Hosseini. The main character, Amir, is on a quest for happiness and strives for it throughout his entire life; however, it is not without struggle and hardship. Amir achieves many accomplishments in this novel which ultimately lead up to him becoming truly happy. One of Amir’s accomplishments that contributed in his quest for happiness is his marriage with his love, Soraya. Another one of Amir’s accomplishments that also contributed in his quest for happiness is the discovery of his father’s flaws. Furthermore, Amir also gained happiness by giving his orphaned nephew,
Baba, is what Amir called his father. Amir always looked up to Baba. He never wanted to disappoint him. Amir always wanted to be the only boy in the eyes of his father. He was jealous and would do anything for Baba to look up to him or respect him, as his son. Hence, the kite and alley incident. Through all the lies and deception, Baba still viewed Amir as innocent in many ways. Though Baba always wanted Amir to be athletic, play soccer, and display a talent of kite running and flying like Hassan and himself, he still loved Amir and saw his talents as a
Flying kites was a source of Amir 's happiness as a child as well as a way to attain his father’s approval. In Kabul, Afghanistan, a kite flying tournament was held annually. Young boys laced their string with glass and attempted to cut the strings of other kite flyers. That last on standing was deemed the champion and the idol of all the younger children. Before Amir competed in his kite tournament, Baba said, “I think maybe you 'll win the tournament this year. What do you think?” (Hosseini, 50) Amir took this opportunity and told himself that, “I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite. Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all his son was worthy. Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally be over.” (Hosseini, 50) Amir wanted the approval and affection of his father badly enough that he was willing to allow Hassan to get raped in order to attain it. After this kits became the symbol of Amir 's betrayal to Hassan. The kite ultimately becomes the way that Amir connects with Sohrab, mirroring how Amir connected with Baba when he was a
Amir and Hassan Relationship Analysis Essay: What is the root of the problem? Khaled Hosseini, in his novel The Kite Runner, emphasizes the key point on how jealousy can affect and ruin a friendship. Amir’s unstable relationship with his father prevents him from knowing the true value of the relationship he shared with Hassan. Amir and Baba have an unstable relationship because Amir feels as though his father has a dislike towards him. Amir envies the relationship between Baba and Hassan when, he sees that his father treats Hassan better than him.
However there are some characters that become better people and change becoming a better, stronger, more loyal individual in the end. The individual that demonstrates this development within this novel is Amir himself. All of the guilt Amir holds with him as a child allow him to realize his duty to be loyal to his brother Hassan ion the end. An example of this is when Amir goes back to Kabul, Afghanistan to retrieve his nephew Sohrab. Amir says, “I remembered Wahid’s boys and… I realized something. I would not leave Afghanistan without finding Sohrab.’ tell me where he is,’ I said” (Hosseini 255). Here, Amir is at the orphanage waiting to find out where Taliban has taken his nephew. Amir remembers the three young starving sons of Wahid, a man whose home he had been in earlier, and realized that Afghanistan is not a safe place for Sohrab. Amir is finally aware of one thing, Hassan has always been there to protect Amir like a loyal friend and brother would and now Amir knows that it is his turn to return that loyalty to Hassan by protecting Hassan’s flesh and blood. A second example of Amir’s loyalty to Hassan near the ending of the book is during Amir’s confrontation with General Sahib and the dinner table after Sohrab is safe in America with him. Amir proclaims to General Sahib, “…That boy sleeping on the couch
Many people have done things that they can’t seek redemption for or can’t forgive themselves for, such as not being there for a friend when they need you most. Including Amir, from The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Amir is best friends with Hassan, a Hazara boy. They grow up together, and Amir later finds out that they are half brothers. Hassan helps Amir, but he allows a boy, Assef, and his group of friends to rape Hassan, which he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to forgive himself for. Amir is redeemed because he receives letters from Hassan, he adopts Sohrab, and fights Assef.
First, Baba’s looming shame of his affair prohibits him from being a proper father to Amir and Hassan. Baba fails to inform Amir that his best friend, Hassan, is actually his half-brother because of this affair. Years after Baba’s death, Rahim Khan tells Amir of Baba’s act of adultery. With this betrayal, Amir begins to question everything he values in his father, stating that “Baba had been a thief. And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he’d stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali [Hassan’s “father”] his honor. His nang. His namoos” (Hosseini 225). Despite his guilt, Baba makes a vow with Rahim Khan and Ali to keep the affair a secret from his own sons, causing a distortion
Firstly, Amir becomes courageous after knowing Hassan is his half-brother, therefore he decides to face the challenge of finding Sohrab. For instance, Amir is transforming to think positively after knowing the truth: “Rahim Khan had summoned me here to atone not just for my sins but for Baba’s too” (238). Amir is convinced by Rahim Khan that he has the responsibility to save Sohrab from the orphanage, since they share the same blood. Amir also has to atone the sins from his past and Baba’s sin of lying through redemption. Secondly, the atonement Amir receives from Assef’s beating enables Amir to be freed from his guilt. For example, Amir says: “…for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d ever been looking forward to this…I felt healed. Healed at last.” (303). Amir feels a sense of redemption because what he did not do for Hassan, he can now do for Sohrab. Amir “earns his freedom” to leave Assef’s house as well as healing his guilt from the childhood. Thirdly, at the end of the novel, Amir finally finds his redemption through flying kites with Sohrab and running the kite for Sohrab. For example, “I ran. A grown man running with a swarm of screaming children. But I didn’t care. I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran” (391). Amir running the kite for Sohrab symbolizes that he has redeemed himself from the guilt he has from the past, and the kite is no longer a symbol of his guilt. Finally, Amir has found redemption by acting courageously instead of cowardice, and he is no longer running from the past anymore; he is running towards the
Mistakes can be extremely influential to the person who made the mistake’s life. Khaled Hosseini uses multiple forms of conflict involving Amir, a character from his book The Kite Runner to show that mistakes can haunt a person’s life and have monumental effects on them in the future. Amir’s mistake was fatal and continued to affect him many years later, even into his adulthood. The internal and social conflicts occurring when Amir made his mistake clarify the gravity of his mistake as well as show why his mistake haunts him even as an adult. Hosseini uses internal and social conflict to show the fatality of Amir’s mistake which shows why this mistake haunts him and affects his choices years later.
...made fun of him and treated him badly. This may have been an example of separation in Afghanistan and how society was divided. But when Amir moved to America he buried his past until he got a call from Rahim Khan to come back home. Amir agreed and went back to find out Hassan has died and the Taliban took Hassan’s son Sohrab. Amir agrees to rescue him because he feels like it’s his obligation to Hassan because of all the wrong he has done to him. This may be an example of friendship goes above all and that separation within class, race, religion, or political climate doesn’t matter to Amir. Amir takes Sohrab back home and at the end of the book he flies a kite with Sohrab. When they cut another person’s kite, Amir runs to get the kite and yells to Sohrab “For you, a thousand times over” to reflect Hassan’s memory and how Amir appreciates Hassan’s friendship.
One can argue that Amir needs his experience returning to Kabul to rescue Sohrab as a way to engrain appreciation to his lifestyle in America. This return is the only way for Amir to be cleansed of his sins, as stated in The Kite Runner, “‘Come. There is a way to be good again,’ Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up. Said it in passing, almost as an afterthought” (Hosseini 192). After weeks of secrecy, a brutal fight, and battles with the immigration office, Amir is able to return to America with a bright perspective of his new home albeit broken, beat, and scarred, and a new adopted child, Sohrab. The developed Amir is brought out with his interaction with General Taheri. In the novel, Amir shows his new found ability to stand up for himself with the quote, “‘And one more thing, General Sahib,’ I said. ‘You will never again refer to him as a ‘Hazara boy’ in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab’” (361). Amir has now with him skills needed to continue his life in America as being independent and the man of the house. The future is bright for Amir, as one can see a fortified, relieved, and joyful version of him compared to the accustomed one in
War establishes many controversial issues and problems within society and can often expose an individual to many economic and sociopolitical hardships; thus creating an altercation in the way they view life. Amir, from the novel The Kite Runner and the novel’s author Khaled Hosseini, both saw the harsh treatment toward the people of Afghanistan through a series of wars, invasions, and the active power of a Pashtun movement known as the Taliban. Amir, much like Hosseini, lived a luxurious and wealthy life in Kabul. He is well educated and immerses himself in reading and writing. After transitioning from a life in Afghanistan to a life in the United States, both Hosseini and Amir faced obstacles in order to assimilate to American society. In The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist Amir parallels the experiences and hardships that Hosseini endured in his own lifetime.
The Kite Runner focuses on the relationship between two Afghan boys Amir and Hassan. Amir is a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara and a Shi’a. Despite their ethnic and religious differences, Amir and Hassan grow to be friends, although Amir is troubled by Hassan, and his relationship with his companion, one year his junior, is complex. Amir and Hassan seem to have a "best friend" type relationship. The two boys, Hassan and Amir, are main characters in the book titled, The Kite Runner. The two boys have a relationship that is significantly different compared to most. There are many different facets that distinguish the relationship the boys possess. The boys do write their names in a pomegranate tree as the "sultans of Kabul" (Kite Runner 27) but, their friendship is not strong and it is one sided. Hassan has love for Amir. He loves him like a brother. Hassan is exceedingly loyal to Amir. The relationship between the two boys is emotionally wearing and rather gloomy for the most part. The main reason for their complicated relationship is the fact that Amir is Pashtun, and Hassan is Hazara. The Afghan society places Hassan lower than Amir. Hassan is Amir's servant. The placement of Hassan in the Afghan society disenables Amir from becoming Hassan's true friend. Amir sees Hassan as lower than human. Amir ruins the chance for friendship between himself and Hassan because he is jealous of Hassan, he thinks of Hassan as a lower human, and because Amir possesses such extreme guilt for what he has done to Hassan. Amir is an unforgivable person overall.
In the novel “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini is about Amir, and his life. Through most of the noel we learn to dislike his character. His actions toward people as well as his thoughts toward them. But what makes Amir do the things that he does? He was raised by his Baba because his mother passed away giving birth to him. The relationships Amir has in his life are significant, and explains more about his actions. Nature versus nurture is portrayed through Amir, Assef, Sorhab, and Hassan.