Betrayal In The Kite Runner

Hosseini portrayed Baba as hero, winner, a dauntless, unyielding man. But Baba has another side that we can't imagine. It can be said that Baba is a contradiction, who is the incarnation of honor, and makes unforgivable mistake.
In Afghanistan, the Pashtuns are the superior race in Afghan society while the Hazaras live in the bottom of the society. To our surprise, Baba treats Hassan as his own son, regarding Ali as his brother, who is the Hazaras. For instance, Baba never missed Hassan’s birthday, and brought gifts to Hassan every year, such as the best kite in the store. Baba hired Dr. Kumar to fix Hassan’s harelip. When he was asked that if he’d ever consider getting new servants. “Hassan’s not going anywhere, he’d barked. He’s staying right

here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and we’re his family.

He had wept, wept, when Ali announced he and Hassan were leaving us.”(Hosseini,2003).At the end of the novel, the plot of has a great reversal. Most striking to the readers is that Hassan is Baba’s bastard. In the third chapter of novel, Baba told Rahim Khan that he abhorred robbers, and in the second chapter, he told Amir, "When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness."(Hosseini，2003) However, he is a guilty of theft, and become a thief, who had an affair with Ali’s wife. He stole Amir’s right to know his brother, Hassan’s identity, and Ali’s honor. For his fame and statue, he couldn’t admit what he has done with Hassan’s mother. For making up his own sin,

Baba set up a lots orphanage to take care of homeless children. He gives his best effort to make for Hassan, giving paternal love to Hassan. Baba is the kite runner, while Hassan is the kite. What Baba has done is self-redemption.
Baba made a mistake when he was young, and he made for it, but he never admit it, and dare not to face it.

Therefore, we can see that Baba is as cowardice as Amir. In the above section, the paper mention that Baba is the kite fighting record-holder, who cut fourteen kites. Baba proved his brave through the kite, which won him honor. Hosseini uses irony to make the kite and Baba’s weak in sharp contrast, which highlight Baba’s cowardice.
4. 2 The kite image and Amir
Being the protagonist and narrator in The Kite Runner, Amir‘s life is full of tragedy and redemption. He is not close to his father, and his friend Hassan finally leaves him, though he gets satisfaction in matter life. Amir’s growth is accompanied by the kite, which not only makes him in sin, but also makes him “to be good again”. In consequence, the kite image has great significances for Amir, such as honor, Baba’s love, and so on.
4.2.1 Kite—a symbol of Baba’s

appreciation
Baba is a wealthy businessman in Kabul, who was tall and valiant, and married a famous noble lady. Not only that, he also builds orphanage for local people. In Amir's heart, he is God. But in Baba's eyes, Amir is cowardly and timid, who loves literary creation and reading. Baba Thus Baba disappointed with him, for he failed to a man that Baba expected. Moreover, Baba seemed to have veiled criticism for his arrival because his mother died in childbirth, which is one of the reasons for their tension relationship. Thus, Amir intends to change their relationship and desires for Baba’s appreciation.