Fathers have a remarkable influence on their children. Every son looks up to their dad, and dreams of becoming a man just like them. In the novel Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Ali and Baba play a tremendous role in their sons lives: Hassan and Amir. Both boys strive to become the man their father is, and would go to any measures just to mirror their fathers. All children need a father figure in their lives, and even though Ali and Baba raised their children differently, they were both loved unconditionally. Hassan would do anything for his friends and treated everyone, even bullies, with respect because his respectful dad, Ali taught him to always be loyal to all, and never hurt anyone. Ali was Baba’s servant and long time friend, and stayed 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 He shows his unconditional love when he suddenly packs up and leaves all he has ever known, “‘[Ali and Hassan] can’t live [there] anymore...life here is impossible for [them] now”’ (106). He knew the pain his son was mentally and sometimes physically enduring while he lived there, and he wanted to get Hassan away from there, and gave up his whole life for him. He was sick of Hassan making sacrifices for Amir and he decided that right in that moment he was done letting his son being treated like disposable waste. He hoped that Hassan would have a better life somewhere else, so he moved because he knew he would not excel if he remained living with
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
Aseef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba’ 4 Amir was present there and saw Hassan getting raped he savored cowardice he was afraid of Aseef he just let it happen. Now Amir saw Hassan as a lamb rather than a competition that he had to slay to win Baba again his urge to win Baba’s heart compelled him to deceive Hassan. He not knowing that Hassan is his brother betrays him. This act left a very toxic and corrosive impact on Amir himself. His self conscience left him remorseful for life. The course of life for him and others would have changed drastically had he taken the stand against the bully.
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
It is not often that Amir’s love for Baba is returned. Baba feels guilty treating Amir well when he can’t acknowledge Hassan as his son. Baba discriminates against his son Amir by constantly making him feel weak and unworthy of his father. Baba once said to Rahim Kahn, “If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my son” (Hosseini 23). Amir doesn’t feel like a son towards Baba since he seems like such a weakling. This neglect towards Amir causes him to feel a need to be accepted by Baba to end the constant discrimination from his father and he will do anything for it. “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 77). Amir did not stop the rape of his good friend for one sole purpose. Amir felt that he had to betray his own half-brother to gain th...
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
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 had mistreated Hassan in some ways, for example, when he threw pomegranates at the latter, in hopes to receive the same treatment back. He had always thought that since Hassan was a Hazara, he should be looked down upon because he is of a lower class. After the kite running event and when Hassan was raped, Amir spoke to Ali about Hassan’s condition. He did not mention how Hassan was raped, but rather said that he was sick instead. From the way he spoke to Ali, it was noticeable that he was pushing the blame onto Hassan, freeing himself from all castigations he would receive. ““Like I said, how should I know what’s wrong with him?” I snapped. “Maybe he’s sick. People get sick all the time, Ali. Now, am I going to freeze to death or are you planning on lighting the stove today?”” (Hosseini 86) This line displays how Amir used excuses to maneuver his way from the topic of Hassan that day, in order to keep his image and mind clean. In addition to this idea of keeping the image clean towards society and believing in delusions, Baba had taught himself to think that he was a good man. When Amir and Baba were on the truck ride from Kabul, there was a part where a Russian soldier had threatened to kill Baba for protecting the woman. ““Tell him I’ll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place,” Baba said” (Hosseini 122). It was apparent from this line, and
Some would say that this decision was brought about by Baba’s treatment of Amir. If Baba would have treated Amir like a son and not favored Hassan throughout his childhood, he might not have yearned for Baba’s approval so deeply. Not only does Amir keep the rape a secret, he also tries to completely remove Hassan and Ali from his life by getting them fired as servants. Amir tries to get rid of his guilt by committing more immoral actions.
...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.
Betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness are all major themes in The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini. The novel also focuses around the theme of a broken relationship between father and son as well as facing difficult situations from ones past. Amir and Hassan are best friends with two completely different personalities. Each character in the novel faces their own hardships and eventually learns to overcome those difficulties. Beginning with betrayal then the characters have to make their way to gaining redemption and forgiveness from others, as well as their self, is carried on throughout the novel. It is a continuous story of the relationships between Amir and his father Baba and facing their challenges from the past every day of their present.
The longing for parental acceptance is often what leads to childhood downfall. At some point a child strives to make their parent proud. When a lack of attention is displayed in a parent child relationship there is a lack of communication and support. In The Kite Runner this type of relationship is shown through Baba and Amir's interactions. Throughout The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Amir and Baba’s relationship takes many turns. Their relationship affects the plot through many situations such as when Baba acts uninterested in Amir's life, When Baba fails to treat Amir the same as Hassan, and when Baba takes his guilt and anger out on Amir.
In the story, The Kite Runner, Amir had always felt that his father did not love him. He is unaware of why his father is so distant from him, and acts as though he is not proud of his son. Amir, more than anything, seeks his father’s approval and love. The origin of this conflict is a great secret that his father withholds from Amir. It affects his father’s attitude, as well as their relationship, and is eventually resolved when the truth is at last revealed, and Amir is able to find closure.
While the reason why Hassan was put into the situation was to make Amir happy, Amir watched as Hassan was violated. This shows the one sided relationship that was between the of them. Amir knew he was wrong but didn't want to admit it to himself. Throughout the childhood of Amir and Hassan, Amir tested Hassan and took advantage of him. The reason for Amir to take advantage is to prove to himself only that he is better and that he deserves to be seen as better the Hassan to Baba. THere was never once throughout the book when Baba showed acceptance towards Amir which put Amir in the state of jealousy and angry from that jealousy. After Amir has finally found out that him torturing Hassan wouldn't get him the acceptance he wanted by his father, he pursues a way to make it up to his father after his death. Rahim Khan said “There is a way to be good again.”(2). Rahim Khan knew everything about Baba, Amir, and Hassan and their relationships. He heard every side of the story and heard from each of them personally. Rahims major wish in the story was to have Amir save his talented nephew Sohrab, from being tortured and killed. He knew all that Amir had done and knew that Amir would do anything to fix it, which is why Amir in the long run saved
While the reason why Hassan was put into the situation was to make Amir happy, Amir watched as Hassan was violated. This shows the one sided relationship that was between the of them. Amir knew he was wrong but didn't want to admit it to himself. Throughout the childhood of Amir and Hassan, Amir tested Hassan and took advantage of him. The reason for Amir to take advantage is to prove to himself only that he is better and that he deserves to be seen as better the Hassan to Baba. THere was never once throughout the book when Baba showed acceptance towards Amir which put Amir in the state of jealousy and angry from that jealousy. After Amir has finally found out that him torturing Hassan wouldn't get him the acceptance he wanted by his father, he pursues a way to make it up to his father after his death. Rahim Khan said “There is a way to be good again.”(2). Rahim Khan knew everything about Baba, Amir, and Hassan and their relationships. He heard every side of the story and heard from each of them personally. Rahims major wish in the story was to have Amir save his talented nephew Sohrab, from being tortured and killed. He knew all that Amir had done and knew that Amir would do anything to fix it, which is why Amir in the long run saved
Because of Amir’s extreme desire to receive the attention and affection from Baba, he begins to subconsciously sacrifice his relationship with Hassan in order to fulfill his interests. However, as Amir continuously matures and begins to recognize his initial ignorant, detrimental actions towards Hassan, he no longer “worships” his father like he did in the past. This causes him to ensure a sense of independence because of his ability to quickly adapt to a completely new, unfamiliar environment and remain adamant on pursuing their own aspirations. When individuals highly idolize and worship the successes that their loved ones have achieved, their in-suppressible desire to emulate the achievements of others causes them to inevitably experience difficult circumstances that challenge their morality and principles. In The Kite Runner, Amir has always displayed overflowing affections for Baba due to his prideful feelings of being the son of a wealthy, prominent father.