Amir's father claims that the worst sin is stealing. He always says that when someone lies, they steal someone's right to the truth. Knowing this, Baba has committed the worst act of sin and betrayal in the entire story. When Amir goes back to Afghanistan as a grown man to visit Rahim Khan, he learns that Hassan is his half-brother; his father had been their father all along. He went back to his home country to redeem himself and find forgiveness, but now he is faced with redeeming his father's sins as well. His whole childhood was spent believing that Hassan was only his servant, barely allowing himself to believe that he was a friend, and now he has to find out that his father lied to him and that this boy was his brother. Amir is now on a journey not only for himself but also for his dad and Hassan, determined to prove that he "can be good again" (2). Baba kept Hassan's real identity a secret because he did not want to ruin his reputation. If word had gotten out that Baba had slept with his servant, he would have been socially dead. Maybe this had even helped other people in the long run. Perhaps Baba built the orphanage, donated so much money, and threw extravagant parties for everyone because he felt guilty he had to keep Hassan a secret.
Amir and Baba both shared guilt for betraying their best friends. However, only Amir was able to relieve his guilt and redeem himself by adopting Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Baba never owned up to his secrets, which ultimately hurt many people. Amir was determined not to follow in his father's footsteps. Baba's biggest mistake was not telling Amir and Hassan that they were brothers. Amir did not want to continue with the lies and secrets, so he told Sohrab that he was his uncle and that Hassan was his brother at the first opportunity. Starting with no secrets was the beginning of a better life, free from guilt, for both Sohrab and Amir.
This quote, an excerpt from the letter Rahim Khan wrote to Amir, reveals the inner torment Baba faced regarding his two sons, whom he didn’t know how to love fairly, and the guilt he carried for fathering an illegitimate son, guilt that is reminiscent of Amir’s guilt for betraying Hassan. All his life, Baba had been hard on Amir, withholding the fatherly affection Amir longed for, but, as Rahim reveals, this was also hard on Baba. Baba wanted to be able to show affection to both of his sons, but didn’t know how when one of his sons was illegitimate and the other represented everything that made him feel guilty. In this quote, it is also apparent that Baba is much more like Amir than either of them thought. Baba harbored guilt for betraying Ali, just as Amir suffered guilt for betraying Hassan.
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
Because he was ashamed of what he did. This quote explains how he ruins their trust between Hassan and Amir, “I went into Hassan's living quarters. I lifted the Hassan's pillow and placed the watch under it and a handful of afghan dollar bills”(91). Amir was brought into his father's office after this event with Hassan and Ali crying in the room. Shortly after ali made Baba take them to a bus station leaving Amir with guilt because of what he did. Another example is when Amir had promised Sohrab that he would never be taken back but he lied about his promise: “Sohrab it's only for a short period of time but you have to be placed in an orphanage until we get this sorted out”(342). This event lead to Sohrab losing all trust in Amir, making them lose the little connection the had.
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
Much like Amir has a friend who is as loyal as Hassan, Baba actually has a friend who is just as loyal to him and his name is Rahim Khan. Rahim Khan is Baba’s best friend and has been with Baba for as long as he can remember and one can see that he values their friendship through his loyalty to Baba through his word. One example is when Rahim Khan finally tells Amir the truth about the relationship between Hassan and Baba where we see Rahim’s Khans true loyalty. Rahim states, “Please think, Ami Jan. It was a shameful situation people would talk. All that a man had back then, all that he was, was his honour, his name, if people talked… we couldn’t tell anyone, surely you can see that” (Hosseini 233). Rahim Khan shows his loyalty to Baba by not proclaiming Baba’s misfortunate actions to the public. Rahim knew that if people were to find out about what Baba had done, all that he has worked for would be of no use anymore. The Orphanage, Baba’s name and the respect he receives from the people of Afghanistan would be worthless. A second example to present Rahim Khan’s loyalty is when Baba “sells” the house to Rahim Khan before him and Amir leave for Pakistan and eventually to America. Here Amir narrates, “Baba had ‘sold’ the house to Rahim Khan shortly before he and I fled Kabul… So he’d given the house to Rahim Khan to keep watch over until that day”
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,
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. Baba ran from the truth, and so did Amir to protect the family name, even if that meant betraying the people closest to him. Baba was a man more worried about his image than anything, and that is what he taught his son as well. Slowly that is all Amir knew how to do: protect his family and himself, leading him into a life of guilt, and running from people when situations were challenging, instead of making the admirable decision and help a
*Baba is somehow ashamed to have Amir as a son, he's skeptical because they are so different and Amir is like his opposite in so many ways.
...rough his actions to save Sohrab, Amir became the man his father had always wanted him to be. Although Baba never lived up to the persona he created for himself, Amir did, and that is why his attempts to achieve atonement were more successful than his father’s. While Baba was unable to seek more than personal redemption, Amir found atonement with himself, Hassan, and God. Amir also found the courage his father lacked to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve redemption. Amir’s ability to transform into a strong character was a result of what he learned from his father’s strengths and weaknesses. While Baba was unable to achieve true redemption, he was a true role model that provided his son, Amir, with the necessary skills to achieve atonement for both of them.
This may happen because he does not always have Hassan around to remind him of the terrible mistakes that he made in the past. However, even when Hassan is leaving, Baba still cares about him. Even though Hassan may be a symbol of past mistakes, he is still Baba’s son in the end and family always has a strong bond. Therefore, Baba’s character shows his moral side because instead of hating his illegitimate son, he cares for him as much as he can given the cultural standards of the two opposing religions. By healing his cleft lip and remembering Hassan’s birthday every year, Baba is able to show his caring side that is seldom seen in his relationship with Amir.
Amir never stands up for himself in his youth. He always uses others to execute his dirty deeds for him. Consequently, Baba doesn’t recognize Amir as a
Throughout the book, Amir idolises and admires his father, almost to the point of obsession. What he was not aware of was the fact that Baba is only human, and no human is perfect. When the Russians take over Afghanistan, Baba and Amir emigrate to United States. Years later, Amir receives a call from a dying old friend, Rahim Khan, who requests Amir to visit him in Pakistan. Amir fulfils the request and makes his way to Pakistan, where Rahim Khan tells him the truth of Hassan’s parentage. In actuality, Hassan is the illegitimate son of Baba, making the two half-brothers. Baba once told Amir, “When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth.” (Hosseini, 18) The greatly revered Baba committed theft–he stole Amir and Hassan’s right to the truth. To redeem himself for his crime, Baba decided to do charitable acts. He put much effort into constructing his redemption–an orphanage–even to the point of drawing the blueprints by himself. Baba faced his past and sought redemption by being a truly good-natured man to make up for the wrongdoing that defined him as a
For Baba, he could not openly show love for one of his sons. If he did this, he would probably harshly have been judged by society. For Amir, this lead to Baba being very hard on Amir. He saw his guilt and his grief when he saw Amir. With Amir not knowing this information, he tried with all his might to get more affection from Baba, but could not get the affection he so longed for. For Hassan, he never learned who is true father was. His whole life was partly a lie. Another key effect was Amir’s treatment of Hassan. Their relationship almost certainly would have been different if Amir had known that Hassan was his half-brother. If someone wanted to get into hypothetical situations, some may say Hassan would not have died. Older Amir definitely had those same thoughts
Baba kept on good terms with Hassan and Ali was since he was trying to care for his son. He also felt guilty and wanted the two families to stay close. Amir’s longing for Baba’s approval is the reason why Amir asked Hassan to get the kite. If Hassan did not go to get the kite, he would not have been hurt and tortured the way he had. Lastly, the irony of it all is that when Amir finally wanted to meet up with Hassan and apologize, he learned that Hassan had passed.
In the novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Baba forms a strong bonded relationship with his son Hassan. There is a complication with this situation though, for no one knows that Hassan is Baba’s son. Everyone was always under the impression that Baba only had one son, Amir so when information is disclosed that Hassan is also Baba’s son, it is shielded from the rest of the characters. Baba actively made this decision in hopes to not hurt his own reputation, and protect Hassan and Amir. If the people around Baba were to find out, he would be looked down upon because he had a child with a Hazara. Another potential problem with the situation is that if Hassan were to ever find out it would break him. Baba cares a great deal about him, and would never want to hurt Hassan. If Baba keeps to himself he realizes there is no way that he can hurt anyone he truly cares about. Baba protects his image while protecting the rest of his family by not exposing information to