Amir's Voice of Reason

916 Words2 Pages

Who among us has been so fortunate as to have a childhood mentor that has transcended from childhood into adulthood? In the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir, the novel’s protagonist, was privileged with several luxuries during his childhood in Kabul, one of which was a lifetime mentor, Rahim Khan. After suffering the loss of a mother, Rahim stepped in providing a balance to the parental figures in Amirs life. Rahim Khan serves as the book’s moral center with Hassan, the good humble innocent, at one end of the spectrum and Amir, the selfish weak culprit at the other extreme. This sets the stage for a sensational story of sin, guilt and redemption in this thrilling novel. Rahim Khan serves as the primary voice of reason that greatly influences the character development of Amir; providing a sense of support during times of strain in his relationship with Baba, encouraging Amir to develop his love of writing, and ultimately offering Amir a chance at redemption.

From early childhood Rahim served as an ambassador for Amir on the peculiarity of his father Baba. Amir’s father commands a great respect from the community on his capability to defy the imposed limitations from the most extreme of skeptics and come out triumphant. Rahim conveys to Amir at an early age the financial success Baba has obtained from going up against the norm, both referring to him as “Toophan agha, or Mr. Hurricane”(11), a fitting title for one who could command the attention of any audience. Yet this brings about a inner conflict in Amir of not being able to resonate with his father, he who is confident, courageous, and a natural born leader. Amir is not the only one to notice, Baba himself is troubled by his son’s lack of confidence and cour...

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...a span of several decades. Rahim Khan knew he could draw out the courage inside Amir that had been suppressed for so long.

An entire chapter is dedicated to Rahim Khan’s perspective, yet there is no need for one dedicated to his influences. He resonates qualities we would identify in Amir’s mother, even though we never gained more than a few paragraphs on her characteristics. Rahim Khan becomes an ambassador for her, providing a structural support that would have lost in the novel without him. He becomes a champion for free-thinking, humility and patience, qualities tarnished by the Taliban regimen. Rahim Khan

becomes a connection to the ideal Afghanistan, the Afghanistan lost after so many years of war. Afghani expatriates seek connections that link them to their homeland, Rahim Khan becomes Amir’s connection to both his homeland and his inner self.

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