Amir's Loyalty In The Kite Runner

Ashley Hade

Mrs. Fegan

AP Lang

30 July 2014

The Cowardly Afghan Boy

“A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who won’t stand up to anything,” Baba noticed of his young son, Amir. It was the winter of 1964 when Hassan was born in a little shack outside of the father and son’s home that would change the rest of the immature Afghani’s life. Baba, an honorable and praised man, maintained unorthodox beliefs and courage to last his entire country an eternity. He grew up with a Hazara servant, Ali, who remained loyal throughout his entire service. Hassan lived as his only offspring, yet later discovered to be Baba’s child, grew up with Amir like a brother, always happily obeying and defending him. Throughout The Kite Runner, Baba’s statement about courage proved extremely significant. The evidence of which presented itself when Amir ignored Hassan’s attack, pleaded his father not say anything to the taunting Russian checkpoint soldier, and when he nearly

refused to rescue an endangered boy from Taliban-infested Afghanistan.
It was Hassan’s rape, witnessed and disregarded by Amir, that first rung true of Baba’s words. Amir peered around the corner into a dark Kabul alley where he saw his friend held down and tortured by three boys. “In the end, I ran,” Amir illustrated. His cowardice had only sprouted when he bailed on Hassan, who stood up for Amir time after time to Assef, the sinister assailant. Even worse, Assef offered to take the kite in return for leaving him alone, but Hassan refused. Amir wanted only his father’s unwavering love and support, thinking this kite would solve everything. So, he bared witness to this awful event for a physical object, an object he thought would earn Baba’s approval. Hassan never complained nor told of the details of that day, even after learning that Amir saw the entire attack take place. It took him 15 years to confess to his wife the events of that winter day and he never told another soul. He atoned for his sins against his half-brother by adopting Hassan’s orphaned son, Sohrab. Amir was haunted every day prior though of what he had done, not realizing he must find inner peace for his actions because he cannot change the past.
Baba and Amir fled Afghanistan with other families, leaving behind their old demons, when a Russian soldier attempted to “borrow” a woman.

Baba saw no justice in being an onlooker whilst a crime took place, which is exactly why he confronted the soldier, saying he would rather die than let a married mother be violated. Amir was selfish though, begging his father to sit back down and be quiet. Unlike Baba, Amir had little bravery and would not stand up for himself, let alone a strange woman. In his mind, sacrificing the good-mindedness of a fellow passenger seemed far better than being held there. Throughout the book, Amir explains himself as not understanding women for he never had a mother or sisters. He grew up around men and therefore never learned proper respect and treatment towards women. He recalled on his wedding night, “All my life, I’d been around men. That night, I discovered the tenderness of a woman.” He was scorned for not learning what Baba had tried to teach him all of his life:

selflessness.
The Taliban invasion of Kabul created chaos, something Amir didn’t want to risk going into: not for anyone. Amir yelled, “Rahim Khan, I don’t want to go to Kabul. I can’t!” He felt it wasn’t necessary for him to lay down his life in order to save Hassan’s child, even after all he still owed him. Rahim Khan, an old friend of Baba’s, knew it was going to take something even more substantial to convince the now aging Afghani. “Ali was sterile,” Rahim claimed, implying that Baba’s blood coursed through Hassan’s veins as well. Still, Amir’s temper outweighed his reason and he stormed out of the room. Eventually, he decided he would make the trip overseas only because he was giving the kid to another family. Amir, the boy who hid behind his Hazara servant instead of standing up for himself, still lacked the heart to completely sacrifice himself to fate for Sohrab even after a lifetime of misery, indebted to Hassan.
It was Baba, ignorant father of Amir, who first predicted that his son would not be able to stand up to anything as a man because of his lack of standing up for himself as a child. Amir ignored his brother Hassan’s rape and beating, begged Baba not to protect a helpless woman, and nearly abandoned his own nephew in warring Afghanistan. While Baba’s lack of affection played a definitive role in contributing to Amir’s selfishness, ultimately his own reactions kept the vicious fire alive. It was not until Amir took a deathly pounding from Assef in order to save Sohrab that he began showing a soul of courage. His following actions, in which he fought with everything he had to protect Sohrab, were the actions that brought him peace. Memory after memory, Amir recalled his every mistake, punishing himself harshly yet continuing the same behavior. However, he will never be as valiant as his father or brother, but he raised Sohrab, hopefully teaching him the same great lessons he was taught during his hardships.